Less than 10 years ago, JC took Melanie to the airport in San Jose, California. After talking on the phone for the first 3 months of their courtship, they had spent nearly 2 weeks getting to know each other in-person. While sightseeing in San Francisco with JC, Melanie had received a call from her real estate agent. She had received an offer on her house in Virginia. So when JC & Melanie embraced outside the doors of the airport, they agreed to reunite in the coming months and travel together to Haiti. They desired to be missionaries in Christ, and to spread His gospel. In the meantime, they had agreed to rid themselves of nearly all their possessions. In order to go and make disciples, they found it necessary to be prepared to travel light.
Soon after boarding the plane, Melanie sat gazing out the window and pondering things to come. Within minutes after takeoff, the flight attendant placed before her a napkin upon which she set her beverage. In big, bold letters, Melanie read words of confirmation.

Years later, after spending almost 3 weeks in Haiti, getting married, and then setting out to walk across America, JC & Melanie found themselves re-evaluating their walk with Christ. On foot, they were not always able to assemble on Sundays with the body of Christ.

Hebrews 10:19-25 NASB
Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since [we have] a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled [clean] from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging [one another]; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

In the Winter of 2019, JC & Melanie placed their membership with the brethren in Pleasant Hill, Iowa. While becoming acquainted with one another, one of the overseers remarked that he had been searching the Scriptures to identify JC & Melanie's role and work in the body of Christ. They found this refreshing, as well as stabilizing, because they too had been doing some searching - across the country, that is, for a biblical assembly of believers. Marc said he compared them to Priscilla & Aquila, a couple in the first century assembly of Christ. JC & Melanie were intrigued to hear this, having little knowledge of their story…until recently.
During the shelter-in-place period of time, in the months of April and May of 2020, JC & Melanie had a time of rest with friends in Ohio. JC worked on projects around the house and in the yard; and Melanie worked on the computer, updating their website. While viewing outdoor survivor videos, online, JC discovered a growing trend in America: school buses converted into tiny homes, aka the "Skoolie".

A couple of months later, after not quite reaching the halfway point on the American Discovery Trail,

JC said to his wife, "I'm going to build for you a home."

God provided a school bus and a workshop, in order for him to do just that.

On Saturday, December 26, JC & Melanie excitedly set out on a new kind of missionary journey.