January-March 2021 RV Ministry Report
Easter is coming! Jesus will return to claim His Bride, the Church! Will you be with Him in His Kingdom in the new age? How many other people will also be there because you shared your testimony, a tract, a Gospel of John, or a witnessing method like Share Jesus Without Fear? People are open to talking about spiritual matters! Share Jesus with them, and watch as the Holy Spirit takes the seed you have planted, and uses it to bring them into the Kingdom!
Parks and locations in which we stayed and shared the Gospel these three months:
Cedars of Lebanon State Park, south of Lebanon, TN, to get ready to drive down the Natchez Trace Parkway to Natchez, MS. Gave tracts to some campers and camp host.
Natchez Trace RV Park, just off the parkway. Two tracts to fellow camper, and one to camp manager.
Rocky Springs Campground, a boondocking campground on the Natchez Trace.
Percy Quin State Park, MS. Gave tracts to people from Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, Minnesota, and Mississippi.
LaFleur’s Bluff State Park, Jackson, MS. Great MS Museum of Natural History next door, by walking a mile down the trail to it. Gave out about 12 tracts to various campers, and to the staff at the museum.
Roosevelt State Park, Morton, MS. Only a few campers, gave eight tracts to campers.
Buccaneer State Park, Waveland, MS. Huge park, about 1/3 filled with campers. Gave about 40 tracts to people who were outside their campers, and staff people. Park is right on the Gulf of Mexico. We went to Ground Zero, Waveland Hurricane Museum, which had stores and video about the 2005 Katrina Hurricane. Wow. 30 foot storm surge caught them completely by surprise, over 200 people lost their lives. Were they saved? God knows. Basically, the town was wiped off the map.
Paul B. Johnson State Park, south of Hattiesburg, MS. Beautiful large park, very nice. I gave over 65 tracts to campers. Met people from Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Michigan, and Tennessee.
While in this last park, we signed up for a membership with Passport America, which gives discounts at private RV campgrounds. So far we have focused on state parks (plus Mammoth Cave National Park). Later, we did so well with saving money on their parks, we signed up for lifetime membership.
Wilderness RV Park, about a dozen miles from Robertsdale, AL. Gave over 30 tracts to various campers, most from MI.
A-Okay RV Park, just south of Dothan, GA. We gave two tracts to taxi driver, who took us to local airport so we could rent a car to car shop. He was worried about his debt, so we witnessed to him how God brought us out of major debt. At airport, we rented a small car for four days, and gave clerk a tract. Gave tract to waitress at Cracker Barrel, then shopped for a small car. Within two hours we found the one that fit our needs, a 2008 Honda CRV hatchback, and bought it! We feel that the Lord sent us to the right dealership and car! Yea! We had tried to use the two scooters, carrying them on our cargo trailer, but we discovered that almost all these parks, both state and private, are some distance from both towns and sights. So having them, or one of them, is fine for getting around a campground, but not for getting to town or tourist places. Back at RV park, we gave 15 tracts to various people.
Suwanee River Rendezvous RV Park, near Mayo, FL. Very nice, so much so that we extended reservations to full two weeks. It has bathhouse, pool, hot tub, dog park, sewers, water, electric hookups, Bingo on Fridays, karaoke on Saturday nights, pigeon races on Saturdays, and live chickens! River flooded while we were there, but not up to our RV area. Tent campers had to relocate. First day I shared two tracts to RC couple; she didn’t like hearing about hell, and believes in both purgatory and reincarnation. Several people are from New England, including IL, NY, RI, CT, NH, VT, and ME. Most are snowbirds, and will leave for home in March or April. A few couples have lived here for four to five years! Gave out about 50 tracts to various campers the first Saturday. We sold one of our scooters here. The second Saturday we were here, I gave away about 12 tracts to new people, who had arrived later. We also saw two beautiful hawks, who are mates and nest here.
Theme World RV Park, Davenport, FL. Stayed here two weeks, and spent time with our son David, who lives in this area. Very nice park, evenly divided between working people, RVers, and snowbirds. (This is the general area where the virus locked us down last year for five months, March to July. Very few private RV parks were open, and all the tourist places, state parks, and beaches were closed. But God blessed in spite of it.) Over the two weeks here, I gave out about 50 tracts to various people. Fun to do. We also visited the lady of the family with whom we had a Bible study last year. Due to the virus, they are still waiting on joining a church. Pls pray for them.
We visited Disney World for the first time in 30 years! Two day visit, one day with David, the second with just the two of us. Great fun! We also went to Old Town Kissimmee, and enjoyed that. It is like a beachfront town with shops and public areas. It would make a great place to do street preaching, as I did in CA with Ray Comfort of Living Waters. I gave out a few tracts to some people. We went to miniature golf course, played the courses, and then fed live alligators! We also gave 8 tracts to other players.
Paradise Lake RV Park, Tifton, GA, for one night. Gave two tracts to host lady.
Stayed one night at Cracker Barrel at Jasper, TN. Tracts to wait staff. Going through middle TN, we pulled over to walk our dog, and stopped behind a van with a flat tire. Shared our jack with them, and then shared several tracts with van’s two families. The kids loved them. Lane shared with the ladies what we do while I helped the men change the tire. We also had prayer with them.
Charlestown State Park, Charlestown, IN. We’ve stayed here before, and shared 40 tracts with about 50 people. I shared the Gospel with a YA couple. Pls pray for K & S.
From here we shopped for a 18ft trailer on which to carry the scooter and our car, bought it, but had to wait a few days to get tie-down brackets with which to strap down the vehicles, and then get car registered in Louisville. We gave tracts to two managers and receptionist there. During the week, we took our cargo trailer to my brother’s place in Greenville, KY, dropped it there, and visited with my mother, now 90 years old.
Taylorsville Lake State Park, Taylorsville, KY. Picked up new trailer while here. Will share with people this Easter weekend. We praise the Lord for guiding us through this six-week process of car buying, scooter selling, and car trailer buying. Whew.
In almost every restaurant, fast food, gas station, and shop, we also give tracts to the wait staff and clerks. In two years, we have had only 2-3 people refuse them. Over 1,500 given out to all kinds of people.
For Sunday worship, we watch our daughter Lane’s church in Orange, CA. She is one of the camera operators for it. Good service and good preaching. But we miss dearly being in a sanctuary with other believers, even when it was someone’s living room in CA! We especially miss both the hymns and the choirs.
We’ve lost some friends these past three months. Sonya Weese was the wife of one of the ministers of music who served with us at our last church in Kentucky before we moved to CA. She was only 52, and died from Covid in Georgia. Very sad. The second was Doyle Braden, retired DOM of Orange County SBA. Very good man, husband, father, and minister. He was very helpful to me when I became LBHSBA’s DOM, and I spoke at his retirement banquet some years ago. The third was Ted Knapp, retired DOM of LAX Urban Center association, who died from Covid in Waco.
We also are praying for two good friends, who are facing surgery for cancer. Please remember D. and G. in your prayers.
We’ve decided to return to CA to visit our daughter and others there. Will be there sometime in May. Please pray for us as we travel, and as we continue to share the Gospel with testimonies, tracts, and witnessing approaches. If you are not doing this, get in the game! It is fun to watch the Holy Spirit use us, and work in the lives of so many people with whom we connect!
Richard and Lane Graham, RV Missionaries
rgrahamdom@yahoo.com, 562-676-5640, www.godzfriends.com.
