(Update on my foot and Meagan’s pregnancy at the end of the post.)
Back when Steve and I were numerous decades younger than we are now, we sat across from a pastor at a restaurant in Des Moines, IA. The two of us, along with my sister Debbie, and her husband, Randy, had hit the road full-time about a year earlier doing concerts and services in churches around the eastern United States. (We had also been joined by a fifth member since hitting the road–baby Nathan.)
The pastor we were talking with was Dave Kyllonen who had collected many years of road experience traveling full-time with a Southern Gospel group called The Couriers.
(Dave is on the right.)
Dave had booked us to come to his church and had taken us out to eat after the service was over. As we were finishing up our meal, he complimented us on doing a good job and then he leaned back in his chair and said, “Would you mind if I gave you a little advice?”
We were young newbies. He was a seasoned veteran. We were all ears.
He started sharing with us some incredibly helpful advice having to do with improving our music presentation, strengthening Steve’s preaching, booking meetings, setting up electricity for RV’s, connecting with our audience, dealing with finances, putting together promo packs, being organized with follow-up, etc. It was like a college course in road life, all encapsulated in just ninety minutes at a little restaurant in Iowa.
I don’t think it is too much of an exaggeration to say that Dave is partly responsible for the fact that we were able to make it on the road as well as we did. His advice was life-changing and career-altering and we referred back to it over and over in our sixteen years on the road.
And the thing is, he didn’t have to give us that advice. He could just as easily have eaten the meal with us, shaken our hands and sent us on our way, young and clueless and making all sorts of mistakes that we didn’t need to make. We are grateful for his generous investment into our lives.
After Dave had pastored for a while in Des Moines, IA, he decided he missed the road and still had a message he wanted to share. He and his wife and three daughters hit the road in an RV and traveled the country doing music and teaching about building healthy families. He eventually retired from that but two of his daughters continued to travel with their husbands in a similar ministry.
Steve and I were in Winston-Salem, NC, having a meal with Frank and Sheri Hawley, a couple we didn’t know real well. They had just set out in mobile ministry with their daughters and knew very little about road life. They knew that we had a few years under our belt and so they sought us out for help.
Steve and I spent a couple of hours with them and told them everything we could think of–much of it coming straight from the advice that Dave had given us all those years ago. (Sheri told me recently that she and Frank still have that notebook they had used to take notes in that day.)
We stayed in touch with the Hawleys in the following years and In 1999, we got to spend some time with them at a minister’s conference; this time, they had their daughters with them. And that brought about the first momentous meeting of a certain young man and a certain young woman. (For new readers, our son and his wife-to-be.)
And guess who else is in this picture? The kids on either side of Nathan just happen to be the grandchildren of our advice-giving mentor from 1990. They were traveling with their parents, just like Nathan, Sarah, Meagan and her sisters were traveling with their parents.
This is the unofficial R.V. Kids’ Club!
The passing of a couple of years brings us to another picture: all the parents and their kids having a meal together.
The woman to my right is Kristie Hollis, Dave’s daughter. Her husband, Greg, is to her right.
This is a whole table full of road warriors. The women sitting there have juggled music rehearsals and home schooling. They have cooked full meals in tiny RV kitchens and put on makeup for church services in miniscule RV bathrooms with several other family members squeezing in beside them. They have adjusted to being with strangers in strange towns and have ministered alongside their husbands in churches all across the country.
The men have hooked up water and electricity in countless church parking lots, emptied sewer tanks, changed tires on 10-lane freeways and studied for sermons in dusty Sunday school rooms tucked away in the far corners of whatever church they happened to be at.
Suffice it to say, there is no one who can relate to road life unless they have actually lived it and because of that, it is always a privilege to get to spend time with fellow kindred-spirited road warriors.
And this meal was all the more special because Dave’s daughter being there brought it full circle. He taught us at a restaurant table, we taught Frank and Sheri at a restaurant table and here we all sat at yet another restaurant table, laughing, telling road stories and continuing to learn from each other.
We invited a couple named Bobby and Hannah Morrison to sing and speak in our Sunday morning service. These two are absolutely amazing singers/musicians; I honestly don’t know the last time I have heard their level of talent. And yet they had such sweet spirits with none of the arrogance or cockiness that extremely gifted people can sometimes exhibit.
After the service, we invited them to our house for lunch. After we had talked and laughed and told road stories for a while, Steve leaned back in his chair and said, “Would you mind if I gave you a little advice?”
Since not everyone is big on advice-taking, I stole a quick glance over at them to read their reactions. I was reassured by their immediate smiles and eager nods.
Steve and I both chimed in together, taking turns affirming the many things they were doing amazingly well and then sharing some lessons that we had learned (from Dave and from our own experience) that might be helpful to them.
After a length of time had passed, I figured Bobby and Hannah had probably had enough advice-taking for the day. I was just about to politely suggest we let them go when Bobby said, “Do you all happen to have any coffee?”
In other words, “Let’s not shut this down. Let’s keep it going.” I was so impressed by their eagerness and willingness to learn.
Steve brewed up a pot and we stayed together until late afternoon, stories and wisdom, questions and answers flowing in both directions. Sarah was there with us as well and chimed in from time to time; she has a lot of years as a minister’s kid and always has good insight.
As Hannah and Bobby were getting ready to leave, they hugged us and thanked us for the time we spent with them. Watching them walk down our front steps, my mind went back all those years to when Steve and I were almost exactly the same age as the two of them are now. (28 and 33)
We were also at exactly the same place in life–following our dream of traveling and doing music. It was such an amazing feeling of coming full circle. It was even more amazing to know that Bobby and Hannah are the kind of people who, miles and years down the road, will one day lean back in their chairs, look across the table at another young couple and say, “Would you mind if we gave you some advice?”
One of the things I love about reading blogs is that I get to “meet” people I wouldn’t otherwise get a chance to. And I just have a feeling you all will enjoy getting to know more about Bobby and Hannah.
They met over ten years ago when Bobby entered a faith-based drug treatment program that Hannah’s dad operated. After he graduated from that program, he ended up traveling with her musical family, singing and playing drums and guitar. In fact, we first got to know them in 2015 when they came to Manteo in that family band.
Hannah and Bobby became best friends and stayed that way for ten years until . . . well, you know the rest of the story. They fell in love and were married just two months ago. They immediately hit the road in a motor home and are doing a Honeymoon Tour.
They are such a unique and incredibly gifted couple, writing their own songs and singing and playing several instruments between them including guitar, mandolin, flute, harmonica and drums. (Bobby is a monster drummer.) Not only do they sing in churches but they also take their music to the streets, beaches, homeless shelters–wherever they can.
I just had to share some of their pictures with you from their wedding and other periods of their lives. (We were invited to the wedding but were not able to attend since it was in Georgia.) They had all their musical friends come in from all over the place and they spent the day before the wedding singing and playing and hanging out. Hannah’s wedding dress was one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen; the whole wedding setting was just gorgeous.
Here are some wedding and non-wedding pictures. (Photos by MollyFotography.)
What about you?
Did anyone ever mentor you or give you advice that made a difference?
Do you have a skill, talent or life experience that would be helpful someone just starting out?
In what ways have you used your experience to help pave the way of a newbie?
And if you haven’t yet done that, maybe the stories in this post will give you the encouragement you need to take someone under your wing and make their journey a little easier.
(Just a note: in the stories related in this post, the mentoring experiences we were part of were all one-shot types of things but that is only because we were all coming and going. The most satisfying experience of mentoring is when you can meet with a person on an ongoing basis and help them to walk out the advice you give.
We have a worship intern at our church for the summer, and Steve and I are meeting with her frequently, helping her with her piano playing, with choosing songs, with interacting with the congregation, etc. So your mentoring experience may look a little different, depending on what situation you are in.)
I love the dramatic face Meagan is making in this picture. It is the face of a 33-week old pregnant woman whose contractions won’t stop and whose tummy just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Her doctor wants her to get to 36 weeks, but Baby may have different ideas. We’ll keep you posted.
As for my foot, I will spare you a picture. 🙂
Suffice it to say I haven’t seen much improvement so I am headed out to a doctor this morning who may do ultrasound treatment to the heel as well as electrical stimulation. We’ll also talk about taping and/or braces. I’ve also been having some back pain which may be tied into the way I am walking.
As you can imagine, I am very interested in getting better very quickly, the main reason is that at this point, I don’t even know I would be capable of schlepping my luggage through an airport to get to Florida and those babies.
I’m looking forward to this being a better week!
I love how Hannah and Bobby are so very unique and have expressed that uniqueness in their wedding. What a beautiful bride and dress. And the other photos were so awesome too!
I am glad to read that Meagan is hanging in there. I, too, was pregnant during the summer of 1983 with baby born in October. I was HUGE and so uncomfortable in the heat and high humidity. We went to the lake a lot back then so one day my husband got a large inflated inner tube, partially pulled the center opening closed with some rope and I was able to lay in it on my stomach and float in the water. It was GREAT! Oh the things we remember. Lol
I don’t ever remember being a mentor, knowingly, except through mothering advice to both of my kids and just this last weekend to a young, single mom to a 2 year old. She was worried that people were judging her because of her child’s behavior and lack of ability to express himself. Thus his whining, etc. I assured her that he is normal and that he, in fact, was much like our oldest grandson was at that age. We talked a while and she almost cried when she thanked me for the words of reassurance. It really brought a big smile to both of us!
LeeAnne,
I love that you appreciate Bobby and Hannah’s uniqueness. I’m so glad that we don’t all look, dress, and act the same. They are truly a beautiful couple in every way.
Your husband is one creative fella to rig up that inner tube for you. I can only imagine how blissful it must have felt to sail along in that water and take all the weight of pregnancy off for a few minutes. Kudos to him!
And what you did for that young mother? Such a wonderful act of kindness and compassion and empathy. Mentoring in its purest form.
Hannah’s wedding dress is gorgeous, but so are all of her other outfits. I especially liked the photo of them with the pony.
That is quite a connection going from generation to generation. I can only imagine how many people you have met throughout your life!
Oh, Meagan must be soooo uncomfortable, especially in the summer heat. I remember how miserable my aunt was (both daughters born July 23, but 3 years apart. Her hands and feet swelled up so bad, she could only wear flip flops and had to have her wedding ring cut off.
Hoping your foot improves! My husband got me a tens unit that also came with shoes, I didn’t care for the electrical shocks, but maybe I had it set too high!
Kari,
Yeah, the pony picture was extra special!
We have truly been blessed to meet a lot of people in our lives. Each one, however briefly met, has enriched our lives.
And yes, being pregnant in June/July in Florida is not a job for the faint of heart. Meagan will be relieved when things cool off and when that little fella is kicking around outside of her and instead of inside her!
What a lovely post today. Hannah’s dress is GORGEOUS! So it she 🙂 I would love to see his long hair better…it looks amazing as well. How great that the mentoring continues on down the “road” Poor Mehgan, its so hard to be so pregnant in the heat of summer, I remember the summer of 1984 when my son was born the end of September. It was the hottest summer we had had for many, many years! But, this too shall pass and it is helping that sweet baby to cook a little while longer.
Wendy,
Your wish is my command. 🙂 I added a picture of Bobby’s hair to the photo album. I can’t wait to see the full heads of hair their kids will have!
I had to laugh when I saw the title of your updates – Baby/Food Updates. I know you meant Foot but the Baby Food just kind of went together.
On a serious note, hope you get some relief for your foot and baby boy Smith stays put for another 3 weeks!
Phyllis,
Thanks for the “catch.” I (obviously) never even noticed that. 🙂
Went in and made the change.
Hoping Hannah and Bobby pass through Groton, CT! That’s how I met you, Steve,and Nathan, then again with Sarah who wasn’t even walking yet!
Ah, poor Meagan! I delivered in early July and those last weeks in the heat wave happening were brutal! The end is in sight!
So glad you may try ultrasound for your foot! Suggesting Spenco Hard Arch Supports 3/4 length. 🙂
I don’t know that I’ve been a mentor knowingly except for once. When the mother of my grandson left the relationship with my son, and left their son, with tears in his eyes, my son said, “Mom, how am I going to do this?” Having raised my son as a single mother, I replied with a tight hug and said,”I will show you and you’re going to be fine.” That was 4 years ago and I am so proud of my son, both the man and the father he is. Other than that, I often have friends say, “Don’t you remember telling me ….?” Uhmmm …. nope, but glad it was right!
Guerrina,
I did some searching online yesterday for the Spenco arch supports. There may be some I can put my hands on locally rather than have to order them.
You are definitely a perfect example of a Mama Mentor. And come to think of it, doesn’t that word sum up motherhood perfectly? We are nothing if not mentors, every moment that we mother.
And I am proud of your son, too!
I’m so sorry you are still having problems with your foot, I hope today’s appointment brings solutions. So happy that Baby Smith is hanging in there – good job Mama Meagan!! The intricacy of that wedding dress is amazing. And I do feel like I’ve “met” you through reading your blog…I feel I could sit and visit with you for hours and not run out of things to talk about. Here’s to a better week!
Se Ellen,
What a very sweet thing to say that you feel like you have “met” me and we could talk for hours.
That made me smile.
Well that was a cool post! Yesterday, Bobby and Hannah popped up on our FB page as someone we might know. Their faces captured my attention right away–in fact I showed their picture to Caleb and said they looked like such interesting people. then lo and behold there they were on your post today! It was fun to get a first hand account about them. So glad you are passing on your wealth of knowledge about ministry ministry and road ministry. Paying it forward is a true gift. So sorry about your foot. Praying for resolution and healing. Loved your new picture too! Love you! ♥️Deb
Deb,
How fun was that to notice Bobby and Hannah’s pictures the day before you read about them here! You’re right–they DO have the most interesting faces and personas. They are going to create the cutest kids.
Praying for Caleb as he goes in for surgery–and for you, as the Surgery Mom.
Becky, We were so incredibly grateful for the information you shared. Don’t forget all the extra phone calls we made to Steve, the “RV Guru” as Frank dubbed him. Now look, generosity has come back around as three perfect grandchildren shared. God is Good!
Sheri,
Oh yes, I had forgotten the RV Guru line. Too funny!
Our whole friendship through the years has been one of teaching and learning . . . ironing sharpening iron.
I agree that the wedding dress is beautiful. Great story about mentoring. Prayers for you, Meagan and baby.
Ann,
Thank you for your sweet words and your prayers.
Hope Jim is feeling better these days!
They seem like a really unique and cool couple. I’ve never seen a wedding dress like that- it is phenomenal! So pretty.
This post has made me realize that I’m at a point in my life I think I need to seek out some mentors in a few areas of life. I’m going to pray God brings me to the right people for that. I also hope I can provide mentorship to others too.
I really hope you are feeling better soon. Have you considering having a physical therapist assess and treat your foot? A physio has really been helping me as I’m trying to relearn to walk.
Jenna,
You’re right on track in your medical assessment. A P.T. is actually who I went to yesterday. I realized after the fact that I said I was going to “the doctor” but that wasn’t quite accurate.
He did the ultra sound and electrical stim and I think I am seeing a difference. I will go back Friday for more of the same.
And yes–a mentor in your life would be a wonderful thing. It is great to be mentored and to BE a mentor!
Becky, if your foot isn’t better when the baby is born you can get a wheel chair ride directly to your gate. I had to do that when I was recovering from a leg infection, then I was picked up at the gate at SFO. Just contact your airline.
Cindy,
That’s good to be reminded of a wheel chair if necessary. I remember when we flew with Sarah back when she was being treated that they had a wheelchair ready for her.
It’s nice to have that option, if needed.