2021 was a year of change for all of us with moments of uncertainty and hope. The emotional impact of the global pandemic has ebbed and flowed this last year. We have faced difficult times on many fronts (political, social, economic, religious, and relational). These last two years have challenged and changed all of us, and in ways we are still trying to understand.
Terri and I have experienced our own challenges and blessings over the last two years. In the middle of the pandemic (in 2020) we left our home in Florida where we had lived for two decades, and started a new life half-way across the country. That move resulted in our leaving a church we led, saying goodby to people we served and loved, resulting in a new ministry position in a new state. The move caused me to leave another position I loved, serving as Southeast Region, Region Chaplain (Civil Air Patrol). I literally had to restart my CAP career in a new Wing and a new Region. Lastly, Terri has been experiencing some new unexpected health issues and with her recent surgery, she has been off her feet for nearly two months.
Now despite all these difficulties, we have been showered with some incredible blessings. Our new ministry in this new part of the country has been amazing and joyful, giving me great vocational satisfaction. I am blessed to serve a godly leader. In addition, I was named Deputy Chief of the Chaplain Corps for Civil Air Patrol, which is another unexpected blessing and a vocational joy. Moreover, God has blessed us with opportunities for some unbelievable adventures in 2021.
We purchased our first RV Travel Trailer in January 2021 and we have taken several road trips which before, would have only been a daydream. We took a ten day, 1800+ mile round trip RV adventure that led us to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park. We made a week-long RV road trip to a beach resort in Texas, where we enjoyed the Gulf Coast from a different perspective. We visited at least six State Parks located throughout the State of Oklahoma, and we cannot wait to get back on the road in the Spring.
Also in 2021, we started a YouTube Channel on which, we have featured the trips we made in our RV, and it also includes some of my aviation adventures. We now have over 2000 subscribers and in the coming year, we hope our channel becomes a place where newbie RV enthusiasts find helpful tips, positive encouragement, and friendly help so they, like us, might begin to "chase their dreams."
So, 2022 is going to be a year of change for us. To kickstart that change, Terri and I decided to change the name of our YouTube Channel, our website, and our podcast. As we considered a new brand, we asked ourselves, "what does the future hold for us," "what do we want to be doing in three to five years," and most importantly, "how can we help others live lives of faith, fulfillment, and joy?"
The answers became clear, when we reminisced about some of those first adventures we experienced together. We were chasing our dream on some amazing weekend road trips we took after our move to Chicago 25 years ago. We were chasing our dream on our first airplane flight together, when I returned to my avocation of aviation. We were chasing our dream on that first Caribbean cruise we took together, and on each one thereafter. We were chasing our dream when we left our retail careers and bought our first home in Florida. We were chasing our dream when we made that amazing move in 2020, to accept a new ministry call and find a new life out West. Terri and I are "Chasing Our Dream" or rather, we are pursuing the dream that God has given us to live fully and with joy.
So, in 2022 we are going to continue to live life "Chasing our Dream" and so, to help us share that dream with others, and to encourage others to live a life of faith and joy, we are changing not only our logo and our brand, but our focus and our attitude. We hope you will continue to follow us and support us. We hope we can help you chase your dreams.
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