On my way

417 Comments

Comment by Steve Kenny on March 2, 2008 at 4:12pm

Good luck and in our prayers for you new journey.

Steve K.

Comment by david bartelt on March 2, 2008 at 5:04pm

Thanks Steve....and for the blessing from today.
Having your support means so much to me!

Comment by david bartelt on March 2, 2008 at 8:20pm

What a great day today. Very tired though hoping to get up early in the morning to start out the day on the road. Want to get as far as I can the first day.
Missing family already. Praying that they like me down there and that this is going to be an awesome adventure of faith. It is hard to fathom how quickly God has worked in my life to get me to the place I am today. That he placed such incredible people in my life that I could follow and learn from. Giving me such an incredible mentor and friend. Such incredible pastors, so many godly men that have walked by my side.
I am so excited and honored to be in this place. It was hard for me to hear such incredible things from people today, especially from Pastor Jason and Pastor Andy. But I know that I was called, I know that I laid down my nets, left everything behind, and want desperately to follow Him. I want to be one of his sheep. (and I know that I can be as stupid as one sometimes). So here we go. I am only as far away as miles, but as close as this website, my phone, and email.

Comment by david bartelt on March 3, 2008 at 6:49pm

I started today taking care of last minute errands and saying goodbye to the boys. That was more difficult than I thought it would be. I was in tears hoping and praying that I was doing the right thing. That this was not too soon after losing their mom. But I know that they both are and can be in good hands.
So I started out today around 9:30. It was a blessing to see Jason and Andy one more time at Latitudes before hitting the road. Nate was my co-pilot along the way, waiting with his phone and a map by his side. It was really easy getting to St. Louis though. No traffic at all....No snow.....just an easy ride. I drove until 3;30 and called it a day in St. Louis. It was getting raining and sleeting in southern Illinois though. So I check into the holiday inn express, and go the the other side of the parking lot to Taco Bell for a late lunch. I over hear people talking. So I came back to the hotel and asked the desk clerk if what I heard was true and it was. Tonight and into tomorrow St. Louis and surrounding area is expecting the largest snow accumulation that they have ever had. There is a winter storm warning and expects up to 10 inches of snow. If I cannot get out by 11:00 I will be here another day. WHATS UP WITH THAT?
It seems like I just can't get there from here!!
Pastor Andy said that maybe it is God giving me a rest before I get down there and roll down my sleeves. That is the way to look at it. The hotel is not really expensive and it is really nice. So what a day this is......looking outside it is getting nastier out every minute.
During the third service I mentioned something that I had not in the previous two. Andy really wanted me to stay on task. But I had this tug to share how I really got to make this decision in the first place. 3 or 4 months ago I was still so broken hearted and grieving Wendy. I just was not going anywhere....spinning my wheels.
I started to pray from the very depths of my soul....crying out. I asked God to restore me, to release me from this grieving, because I began to realize it was becoming a sin. It was taking so much focus off of God and keeping it on myself and my loss. So I pleaded Him to restore me, and when He did, I said that I would do anything for Him and follow Him wherever he led me......which brought me to the present.
God is so good....He does answer prayers.....He does restore people....He restored me and he can restore you.
Just as he promised.
I remember all of this from a Rob Bell Video that Andy had given me a couple months after losing Wendy. It is called Matthew and talks about loss and restoration.
You have to see it sometime even if you did not lose someone. I think it is message to all of us whatever we are trying to release.....whatever area in our lives need restoration.

Comment by david bartelt on March 3, 2008 at 9:43pm

I am feeling a little scattered tonight...a little unsettled. Not about what I am doing, or the decisions that I have made. Trying to get rid of the remnants of this cold.
Pacing a little....cannot read....don't want to watch tv...can't fall asleep.
It must be the inability to just breathe and relax,
After a three week push, not feeling well most of that time, and up to Sunday.......it was wonderful but stressful too. Now I just cannot settle down. Sort of like a PTSD thing. I just need a really good night sleep.
By the looks of the weather report, I will be here tomorrow too. I would like to be on the road though. But He will make a way if I am supposed to leave tomorrow or not. Pete called tonight which really helped out a lot. So I am just going to turn off the lights, think only about Him and Him alone, and drift off to sleep.

Comment by david bartelt on March 4, 2008 at 8:13am

Well....the 10 inch of snow forecast changed to 2-4 so I am out of here this morning. I went on weather.com to find out that memphis is in the 30's today, Waveland is only in the 40's maybe low 50s by the time I will get there. The whole south is under this cold front. So the shorts will stay packed for awhile.
Going to get some breakfast, get packed and be out of here by 8:00am Want to be on the road for at least 4 hours before another break.

Comment by david bartelt on March 4, 2008 at 8:13am

Well....the 10 inch of snow forecast changed to 2-4 so I am out of here this morning. I went on weather.com to find out that memphis is in the 30's today, Waveland is only in the 40's maybe low 50s by the time I will get there. The whole south is under this cold front. So the shorts will stay packed for awhile.
Going to get some breakfast, get packed and be out of here by 8:00am Want to be on the road for at least 4 hours before another break.

Comment by david bartelt on March 4, 2008 at 9:17am

I went out to the car to find it completely covered with thick ice.
And of course I don't have a ice scraper....why would I?
And I don't have a winter hat, or a scarf, or gloves.
It took around an hour to get all the ice off, so now I am warming up and getting ready to go.
I have to get some driving in. I have 10 hours and 712 miles to go!

Comment by david bartelt on March 4, 2008 at 9:13pm

That was quite the day on the road. I made it to Canton, Mississippi. I am now 225.68 miles and 3 hours 26 minutes away from Waveland. I had called Mark when I got here and him and the group hollered it up for me in the background. That was so cool.
Anyway the drive.....YIKES!! The St. Louis weather said that S55 was "treated" and ready to go. It took 2 hours to get through St.Louis in a blinding snowstorm, no road markings, slick, wet, slush.....God gave me a truck to follow behind the whole way so I knew where I was going. I could only see the lower third portion of the arch. It was a sloppy mess. I prayed a lot, but I was still really nervous. When I felt my hands clutching the steering wheel, I prayed again and tried to relax. The storm subsided as I continued to head south. Then the rains came in Arkansas. It is only in the 30's here in Mississippi. These states were in the 70's on Sunday. Most of the time though God gave me clear messages to turn off the CDs and just talk with Him. He seemed really jealous today, wanting my attention. Often I was in tears as we talked about how I got here.
I thought of how free I feel right now. Stripped of the bondage of the condo and all of my possessions. Thought that if the storage unit burned down I couldn't care less. I have everything I need, and more, in my car. I would lose some books and photos, but books can be replaced and I have plenty of photos on my laptop.
I feel ashamed of all the money I spent decorating that condo....money that could have been spent in other ways.....but....it did get me to this place of complete dependence on Him. And that is a great place to be.
I thought of people that I had talked to and saw on Sunday....from up front in church, to in the lobby. I thought of what I saw in their eyes. Some people seemed happy and at peace, wishing me well, praising God for what they have seen Him do in my life....in others I saw an ache, a sense of longing....like they wanted to step out too....but couldn't.....or wouldn't...or was in bondage from something (maybe possessions) and just couldn't do it....or maybe just not the right time and God has not called them out yet. But I sensed this yearning in their eyes for something more. So much was brought out about me stepping out in faith....about a modern day disciple.....about throwing back my net and following Him. I don't want to be the only one.....I want others to come along with me and see what following Him is all about. It is hard to explain unless you just do it. Sell belonging, put the rest in storage, and just follow Him. The freedom from bondage I feel is just amazing. It was an emotional ride....a good ride. Just being in awe, so humbled, that He would grab onto my heart and ask me to follow Him.
So my real adventure begins tomorrow. I officially meet Mark and Shannon. It has been 3 years and I am not sure if we really met back then, or just brushed shoulders as I was a volunteer in those early days after the hurricane. Either way.....God has brought together brothers in Him and what we are going to do is going to cause a ripple effect on this side of eternity and the other side.

Comment by Maria on March 5, 2008 at 10:07pm

Hi David!
I finally got myself up and running on this site. I've been praying you to MS, glad to hear you're there and have had a chance to look around. I need coffee, what else is new. I'll talk to you later.

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