Tuesday, February 2, 2010

RV Maps - doing volunteer work on the road.

We are members of RV Maps. It is an Assembly of God ministry. It is for rv/campers that want to do volunteer work across America.

We had to fill out a lot of paperwork. They needed numerous references. We had to sign waivers for us and the kids.

They did a background investigation and we passed!

Once we were members of the ministry, we receive a weekly email that has a list of churches, teen challenges, women’s centers, ministries, camps, and other places that need workers.

Some places need specific help; plumbing, electric, engineering, computer, sound equipment, and other things. Sometimes it says handyman or general work.

When we signed up, we listed what skills we have. We try to go to places that need that specific help. And really, most places need to be cleaned!

There is a yearly rally where most members go and sign up for different projects. Many members do this full time so they will stay six months in the north somewhere for the summer and then head south to a project for the winter.

It is required that we do at least two weeks a year.

They like you to stay at a project at least two weeks.

It is suggested the husband work 30 hours a week. The wife is not required to work, but can if she wants to.

As a family, we can work in the afternoons, after home school is done. It is really an individual thing, per project, different for each family for each instance.

I think we are the only family in the program right now. There might be others that I don’t know of.

Different churches have RV/camper ministries. I’ve heard of the Baptist, and Pentecostal having them.

You don’t have to join a group. You can just look up camps on Google and see what comes up. Just call them and tell them who you are and what you want to do.

Usually they have full hook ups for you for free. But, sometimes we give them a check to cover the cost of our utilities. I give about $5-$7 per night. It is not required at all. We just do it to bless them.

The churches and different projects are required to pay $1 per hour for the work you do. So, if we put in 30 hours that week, they have to pay $30 that week, plus our utilities. But, the work we do is worth way more than that. If they have a plumber come in to do volunteer work, they make at least $30 an hour if you have to hire one. This way it only costs $1 per hour that the church has to pay to headquarters. This money goes towards administrative fees and for the wages of the people that coordinate it.

We write a check for $1 per hour for the hours we work and then $5 a night for every night we were there

Now, we have an exception to this. We have been on a project for 3 months now. Cody and Shae have been putting about 40hrs a week between the two of them. I probably won’t donate the money to cover all of the hours. The guys have been doing skilled work instead of our family just cleaning garbage.

Normally people under 17 aren’t allowed on the job site. If you read my previous blog article, you will understand what I am talking about. I won’t re-write everything I said, so just check that out. I will say this much, kids aren’t allowed in a job site. There are tools and dangerous equipment they can get hurt on. But, there is so much we can do that doesn’t deal with dangerous equipment. It is great to serve as a family, so we try to do some together when we can, other times it is just Cody, or just Shae.

This is a basic introduction. If you have questions, let me know. I’d love to help.

I need to run. The kids have been so patient while I typed so much. If there are typos or strange wording, please forgive me. I just don’t have time to check it right now. I need to clean up from lunch and take the kids to the playground, here at the church. Cody is back from doing drywall, so now he has to get to making his knives, Hanna is playing her guitar, and Shae is working hard on the laptop doing his engineering.

3 comments:

  1. I just sent you an email asking all kinds of questions because we are feeling led to go on the road. One of my questions was basically about how do you serve the Lord while on the road? I think I just got my answer after reading this entry. Thanks for sharing!
    Blessings, Jodie Gregory

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  2. My Mom and Dad have just put in their packet for Maps. She sent me your link. I have enjoyed your blog and it appears we have quite a few things in commmon. Several years, we did the RVing across the US while my husband was on business trips. And, from the dates, it appears we crossed each others paths by a couple of weeks. Plus, one of your helicopter pictures is what my husband flies and with that exact particular "quiet" unit.Small World! We still jump in the camper for a few months at a time each year for professional military schools. So, many of your post have made me smile, bring back lots of memories and remind me of little lessons for next time. Thank You for the opprotunity to peak into your blog. I have enjoyed reading.

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    1. I'm so thrilled you enjoyed my posts. Please tell your husband that I say thank you so much for serving this country and also, thank YOU for being a family that must sacrifice so much for him to do that. I hope your parents have a great time on the road. It is an adventure! Sheri

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