We’ve had several people write to ask us what’s going on, so we wanted to give a quick update. We have exactly one more week left in this house, then our adventure begins.

Yesterday we finalized the purchase of our new van, a 2002 Dodge 15-passenger van that’s in good condition inside, has a low-mileage dependable engine, and has nice tires. It does need some work on the rear axle, which a mechanic is now helping us with. It also needs a new paint job, but that’s great because we want to paint all our vehicles in matching colors so we can share about our ministry as we travel down the freeway.

“Scout” the Van

What the Rest of the Week Looks Like

Wednesday we are moving out the large pieces of furniture that we sold: the couches, the beds, the tables and chairs, cabinets, and bookshelves.

“Tex” the Bus will also be getting an engine check, to fix a possible problem with the battery and to hopefully see if we can improve the gas mileage a little bit. We purchased the bus from a man in Iowa who had already started the process of converting the bus into an RV. This gave us a little bit of a jump start on our plans. Kraig will be blogging about the bus conversion throughout the summer.

“Tex Tankie” the Bus

Thursday we are getting titles and insurance for all our new vehicles. We’re also shopping for some camping and RV supplies.

And in between everything else, we’re working on a few websites for clients and continuing to write curriculum. It’s been busy!

Friday we are hoping that the van will be fixed and ready to go. It is being stored in the same location as our new trailer, so we’ll be able to bring both of them home, YHWH willing.

“Bunkie B” the Trailer

Our First Plans

We’ll take a break for Sabbath, then we’ll spend the first few days of next week making sure we are completely ready to live in the bus camp in our tents. We’ll be staying in three tents, but we’ll be able to use the kitchen in “Bunkie B” the Trailer while we build a newer, larger kitchen in “Tex” the bus.

We’re setting up camp at a friend’s farm only a few miles away, so we don’t have far to go. We’re planning to be completely out of our house and begin camping next Wednesday, and our goal is to stay there 4-6 weeks, while we begin remodeling “Tex” the Bus into our master bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living room. After Tex is finished, we’ll remodel “Bunkie B” into a bunkhouse and bathroom for the kids. (That’s why his name is Bunkie B… It’s short for “Bunkhouse Barracks,” which the girls and boys picked Kraig and I chose.)

Later this summer, we’ll travel to see family and then settle for a short stay in Michigan, where we can continue our remodeling as we minister with friends north of Jackson and give them encouragement and guidance as they pray about some church planting possibilities.

So that’s the quick overview of what’s next! If you like watching bus renovations, be sure to sign up for our newsletter updates. Kraig is planning to post pictures and share what he learns over the summer.