After a hot day walking miles in the sun, we started driving back to Walmart. That is when Josh had an inspired idea: Google Translate! We began to learn more about them and their journey. Then, we dove headfirst and shared all about Jesus.

We shared that Jesus set us free, gave us hope and is the reason we travel. She listened intently and then informed us that she was a Buddhist. We continued to utilize Google Translate and converse with her that evening. Just telling her we trust God to provide for us for finances and that we know He loves us.

They didn’t give their hearts to Jesus... yet. But, seeds were planted. In fact, seeds were planted before we even shared. She had mentioned that our kids are so kind and that our family loves well. After we shared the Gospel, she said that our family proved the gospel true. ​

Now that you've read my post, you can keep scrolling for some awesome pictures of the Savannah Candy Kitchen. I don't really eat sugar anymore (it makes me feel like I got hit by a truck!) But, put me inside a fabulous candy shop and I turn into a child again. Seriously. I love it. 

God has birthed something in us that we are so excited about! One of our concerns when we left Grand Forks, ND, was a possible lack of community on the road. God promised us that we would have community wherever we went... and we have! However, we still desire to have a team with whom we travel, pray, fellowship, worship, eat, etc. on a regular basis. Well, it's happening!

These are some of the beautiful people we'll be traveling with! In the middle are Trent and Siobhan Walker. We rented the RV from the Walker's after "meeting" them on YouTube. On the right are Jim and Amy Miller. I (Josh) met Jim randomly at Catalina State Park in Tucson, AZ back in December. There's only 4 kids in this picture but there is a total of 12 between the three families!

So what will we be doing? We'll be doing exactly what we have been doing, but in a slightly more organized way :) The tentative plan is to all meet up in Virginia near Siobhan's family in late March to start a Gospel Caravan of sorts.

We will have times of interceding for cities, for people to know Jesus, for healing and so much more. We will eat together! This is often an overlooked practice the early church participated in, but it's so good for bonding as a team, and really, a family. We will worship our heavenly Father. He is worthy of it all. We will tell people about Jesus. This is a mandate for all those who call themselves Christians (followers of Christ). Finally, we will disciple. It's obvious that we disciple our own children, but our hope is that we will have opportunities to disciple people in the churches we work with as well as others who travel with us.

"We thank you, O God! We give thanks because you are near. People everywhere tell of your wonderful deeds" Psalm 75:1 

This verse has really spoken to me (Mary) over the past week. We are anticipating a time when EVERYONE will talk about the wonderful deeds of God because they know that He is so NEAR. He is always closer than we know. In Luke 10, it says to heal the sick and tell them that the Kingdom of God is near. 

The point of us doing what we do is so that people will know that God is near, that He desperately desires a relationship with them and has created a way (Jesus) for all people to live in the Kingdom of God. 

So, there it is! Many have asked what we're doing in the future, and now you know. We're so excited to continue to live out the simple gospel by inviting all into family. We will have more information in the future about where we will be traveling/ministering. If you are interested in physically being part of this "Gospel Caravan," don't hesitate to contact us!

When we started this journey, we had two things on our schedule. Our first stop was a conference in Northern California last Oct, and the second was The Send in Orlando, FL on February 23rd. Well, those dates have come and gone! We made it five months on the road. So, now what? Well, first let us share about the last two weeks!

We spent 5 wonderful days with our friends the Yanov's in Lynn Haven, FL. They were hit by hurricane Michael back in October, and it was still very apparent! There had been tons of work done in the previous months, but it still looked like a disaster zone in many areas. We were able to help a lady who had just gotten an RV but had no idea how to work it.

After leaving the panhandle, we went straight to Orlando to help with the outreaches and services leading up to The Send. We went out on the streets with people from YWAM, Lifestyle Christianity, and so many other ministries to share the gospel in the greater Orlando area. Literally, hundreds of people got saved and healed all over Orlando. Then, we would get together every night at a local church to worship God, intercede for laborers and get excited for what's coming.

FINALLY, The Send.

MARY'S TAKE AWAY: All I can say is that, at this moment in time, we have no idea the impact and eternal significance of that day. Without a doubt, it is the most significant event we have ever experienced as a family.

​Honestly, I would say that it wasn't an overly emotional event for me. The sun was HOT and the little girls were NEEDY. We didn't have enough snacks (God bless the Yanovs for sitting by us and sharing their abundance!) and the food in the stadium was EXPENSIVE (can you say $15 for a sandwich and chips?)

However, all of that stuff is just life. And, life often tries to rob us of the moments. That was not the case at The Send. We were spiritually present and we were 100% committed to the eternal ramifications. The day consisted of 4 focused segments: High schools, Universities, Neighborhoods and the World. It was fantastic hearing about how God is moving in these areas where we so often see only the negative. Personally, and as a couple, I feel God is preparing us to be sent to the neighborhoods and to the world. 

Jesus has come to move across the nation and to bring hope and life. We are so excited to be part of this amazing time in history. 

We would implore you to be part of this move of God. There will inevitably be some who sit on the sidelines and miss out on how Jesus shows His love to the world. Don't let that be you! Talk to God and tell Him that you will do anything and go anywhere to bring the gospel. Because, in the end, that is all that any of this life stuff is really about. 

It's all about Jesus.

"Monday started the 24 hour prayer and worship leading up to The Send (thesend.org) on Saturday. This week is called, "The Flood". People from many different organizations and churches have descended on Orlando, FL to flood the streets with the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's so exciting!

Yesterday we went to a very busy shopping area to show people the love of Jesus. I was talking with one of my friends who just got back from the Philipines. He took his family of 7 there, and saw people come to know Jesus. His group also witnessed miraculous healings!

We were talking about how many see a family as a hindrance to sharing the gospel. Our day was about to prove that wrong.

We had been in a few stores, talking and praying for people, and decided to go to Chick-fil-A. All four of the Hoeckle kids and one of my friend's kids went straight to the play area. We sat around a large table in the middle and prayed together for direction.

​And, he continues to come through on his promise! Seriously. At every stop along our travels for the past 4.5 months, we have seen deep relationships form.

• Northern Cali: God connected us with a young girl who became our kids babysitter for the 10 days we were there. Irene is AMAZING and she instantly became family!
• Modesto, CA: a couple reached out to us via our social media. We parked in front of their house for 3 nights and were able to pray for each other and do ministry in that community together. -->side note: we never met them until we pulled up to their house in our house on wheels!
• Silicon Valley: the young mom and her 2 kids parked next to us in the RV resort. I still stay in contact with her. Also, our cousin lives in that area and we were able to spend quality time with them for a couple days.

Love Always,

Today we are fighting self-doubt. Today has been another day we have found ourselves asking, “What are we even doing?” I mean, we have so much fun traveling around and seeing the country with our kiddos and our friends, but the feelings of self-doubt can rise up strong against us.

And, today is one of those days when we are fighting those feelings.

We are currently in Mobile, Alabama and the southern drawl is strong here. There have been times over the past couple days when we have had to request that people repeat themselves... 😆 It's exactly like you imagine it is for us NoDaks. ​

Also, the humidity is no joke (we sweat in 63°) and there are all kinds of bugs, alligators, sharks and snakes just ready to pounce on the unsuspecting victim of curiosity. Haha… Not 100% accurate, but we are watching the trails vigilantly when out on nature walks.

​So, what does that look like hanging out in the bayou on the border of the Gulf of Mexico folding laundry in our RV with the AC blasting?

I believe it looks like Colossians 3:2 “Yes, feast on all the treasures of the heavenly realm and fill your thoughts with heavenly realities, and not with the distractions of the natural realm.”

Jesus continually pulled himself away from the crowds and the miracles and the excitement of life to be alone with Father God. If Jesus spent extended periods of intimate alone time with God, shouldn't we expect to do the same?

Let me give you a few examples of this mom of 4’s “alone” time with Jesus:

• Washing dishes (a favorite “prayer closet” of mine)
• Laundry day👚
• Sweeping
• {I guess basically anytime I'm cleaning 😆}
• 6am as I'm doing my Bible reading
• Lying in bed trying to fall asleep
• Afternoon walks {the best!!}
• Driving…

Our purpose is the kingdom of heaven.

Our lives are all for the glory of Jesus.

EVERYTHING is Jesus.

Love Always,
​

Have you ever heard someone say, "Go Where God Is?" I heard it somewhere a long time ago and always thought it meant to go where revival was happening or a church was really growing. Basically, it sounded like a physical place where people could see God's power with their eyes.

However, a few weeks ago I was waiting on God and Holy Spirit brought that very phrase up in my mind. I believe He was saying, "That is correct!" and "There is more to it!" Now, before I go any further I think it's interesting that the same words can have very different and unique meanings. 

Like much of scripture, people can interpret things very differently. If we don't have the power of the Holy Spirit working through us and enlightening our minds to God's truth in scripture, we can be very blind to the gospel. Holy Spirit revealed a whole new meaning to me about this phrase, "Go where God is." 

It is often very important for us to take action and actually GO to a place where God is obviously working. I believe the reason for this is that it takes us out of our comfort zones and our normal, everyday lives. It could be a jolt to your soul and help to wake you up spiritually.

However, there is far more to being where God is than just a physical location. Holy Spirit revealed that we need to be where God is moving in the spirit realm. Simply stated, do what He tells you to do, go where He tells you to go. If you don't know, seek Him until you do. You want to be obedient to the plan He has for your life. His plan will be the greatest adventure you will ever go on! God wants to have a vibrant relationship with us that is very active and powerful.

That said, Go where God is, is not what I thought. I believe what it really means is, "to be in the light as He is in the light," as it says in 1 John 1:7; or "to abide in me as my words abide in you," as found in John 15:7. "Walking according to the Spirit," in Romans 8 gives an extended discourse on what that means.

TO GO WHERE GOD IS is to be sold out for God's purposes; to walk with Him at all times; to live for eternity; to love others unconditionally; to make disciples and I could go on. God is Spirit and to go where He is, is to walk at all times with the Holy Spirit. We're not perfect at it, but we must pursue it with all our hearts. Will you join with us as we go where the Spirit of God leads?

I LOVE cooking and baking. At one point in my life, I may have said that my dream kitchen would have a plethora of counter space, every gadget to enhance the experience and, definitely, a dishwasher. However, God always knows better. He knows that if I had those things, I may have decided to settle down right there and be content to stay in one place for the rest of my life. Instead, we are currently on the adventure of a lifetime, living in an RV and traveling around the country! God has purposes that surpass my expectations every time.  

Typically, I write about the deepest feelings of my heart. I love to lay it all bare before you, exposing my real and raw emotions. But, today is not that day...

​Today, I want to talk about a more practical aspect of our lives: RV living with lots of kids and feeding them on a budget. Mostly because I have been killing it in regards to cooking and baking in a tiny home for a large family ;) haha… Seriously, though. We have learned some "Hoeckle Habits" that minimize spending (and, consequently, minimize stress to our marital relationship, if you know what I mean). And, I want to share a few of those habits with you. Before all that, here are some unexpected benefits that have increased our quality of life as a result of our swan dive (or, bellyflop) into RV life:  

• Baking and cooking have INCREASED! We can count on 1 hand the number of times we have eaten out since we left North Dakota last September. Talk about a budget saver!!
• Meal Prep has become a thing. I always knew it would be smart to do this, but I never really did it. I guess there is nothing like necessity to get me to accomplish a goal.
• Everything is MAGNIFIED: the joy, the noise, the tension, the laughter, the enjoyment and the fighting. Then, when it is all done, we sit down around the tiny dining room table and eat meals together.
• Time. I have been blown away by how good the slowing down of life has been for my soul. I am able to do things like bake bread in our tiny oven and make quality food for my family.  

***check out our Instagram post today for a picture of our me cooking in our RV :)***
​

We really want to feed our children well. I want their main foods to be real foods that I cook in our itty-bitty RV kitchen. So, we focus on that when shopping, while attempting to hit our budget mark. Now, I didn’t start out with some master plan for meal planning and grocery shopping. I didn’t research blogs or vlogs or anything like that. Our method has just developed naturally over the past 3 months.

Without further adieu, I will share a few tactics that have helped us out in the kitchen:

• Beans and Rice and Potatoes! Not gonna lie: there is something so true about the amount of food 2 pre-teen boys and 1 mega-hunk of a man can eat. And, us girls are pretty big eaters, too. So, we have started making beans and rice and potatoes our main dish and making meat the side dish. One of our favorites is a simple rice, broccoli and chicken casserole; it meets every demand of cold weather comfort food!
• We buy our veggies and the fruit for our smoothies frozen. This has got to be one of the best ways to help your budget. Fresh fruit and veggies can get so expensive. Besides, the kiddos and I love to hide our veggies in a delicious smoothie camouflaged with bananas and blueberries. Also, RV = very limited fridge space.
• Fresh Fruit: we get loads of bananas mostly because the kids can operate them on their own. Also, we can freeze them to use in smoothies before they go bad. I try to avoid fruit like oranges that require extra work for me; I detest that white residue that gets left behind on my hands! In addition to bananas, every week we try to choose one other fruit that is on sale to enjoy. Josh is usually the one to go pick out another fruit for us because he enjoys spending his time comparing price per grape vs. per blackberry vs. per sliver of apple.  
• Simplify. Simplify. Simplify. Our dinner menu includes a repetition of about 7-8 of our favorite meals. This has made my life soooooo much easier. I love experimenting with recipes and coming up with dishes everyone loves, but for the practicality of the space we are in and the budget we are keeping, we have simplified even this aspect of our lives.

That’s it! That’s all the budgeting and food shopping and cooking advice I have for you for now. I would say the first month of our adventures flew by as sort of a “honeymoon” period: everyone was excited all the time, there was very little complaining, the mundane aspect of food prep was very far down on our radar. But after more than 3 months, real life has settled down upon us. We now realize the need for intentionality with our time during each day, and this includes feeding our bodies well.​