Are there any LDS members who RV part or full-time?

[crazy4cruisin]

We are retiring and we would like to get a 5th wheel and travel.
One of our concerns is finding a place to go to church on Sundays while on the road or in a National Park/Campground!
Another concern is; will we find any Mormon's who part or full-time RV?
We are looking for a way to find others who RV or have a similar interest but have not ventured out yet!

Anyone out there??

[Poltax]

We use our 40ft MH for my work.. As a sales rep I travel 7 Western States. I use it 3-4 weeks out of 5 weeks. When on the road we find the local chapel. Just log on to LDS.org and there is section to find the nearest chapel to your location. Just remember that in some parts of the US & Canada you might need to travel and hour or so to the nearest chapel. Just plan out a bit and you can be close to a chapel. If you wind up near a branch, do not be surprised if your called on to participate in some form or fashion, maybe even speak.

Since I still work for a living I dont really hang around the full time crowd. I am sure you will come across other LDS people. If you hit all the Church History sites, temples ect you will find other LDS full timers. Some of the Temples even have RV parking with hook ups like the Manti Temple does. There are also RV parking at some of the Church History sites. I think for the most part you will find all RVer's to be very friendly and helpful.

I would suggest that you make a plan for emergencies, or food storage. Since we do not full time, we are not carrying all of our possessions with us. So we have room to take food storage, supplies, protection, ect just in case we get caught out during who knows what kind of situation. Give this some thought, just because your full timing the world does not stop for you. I am sure you will be traveling to some parts of the country that may not be as safe during some type of situation. Just plan accordingly and listen to the Spirit as you travel. You will learn to listen as to places to stay and not stay. If you do not feel comfortable staying overnight some place, then move on till you do. If you feel the impression to stop early then do so. You will figure it out. Having been on the road as a sales rep for 20+ years, the best advice I can give you is just listen to the HG and the impressions you receive.

[crazy4cruisin]

Thanks for your reply! I appreciate your guidance.
Hopefully others will chime in and add their tips, helpful do's and don'ts, Checklist, lists of....whatever, advice and wisdom with some stories of their experiences.
It would be great to have something like a Yahoo group of LDS people who RV part and full-time to connect with!
We would love to serve a mission using the RV! Hope that becomes a possibility for us.

[juniper]

Sell the rv and go on a mission!

[juniper]

When my Father served as a mission president there was a great need for senior couple missionaries and there still is. He would tell me how the senior couples were instrumental in building the kingdom. So serving a mission with your spouse is a noble and wonderful thing to do at this stage in life if you are able. God bless you!

[Poltax]

I knew after I posted what I did that someone would jump in and tell the OP to serve a Mission. Its his choice not anyone else's

Having said that, there are several Missions that you can take your RV to and use. I know that Martins Cove in WY has a great RV area for those that visit and also serve as Missionaries.

As I stated above, your best bet for finding LDS RV'ers would be to visit any of the Church Historical sites. You would be able to "hook up" so to speak with many there. Plus you would have the chance to visit several sites then if you decided you wanted to serve a Mission you could pick your Mission.

[crazy4cruisin]

We do plan on serving a mission! Both of our children served missions also. One served in Sofia, Bulgaria (actually he served in Serbia), the other in Berlin, Germany. One left in January and the other left in August so we had 2 missionaries out at the same!

We don't care where we go for our mission. It will be a wonderful adventure no matter where we are!

I'm really glad I found this forum! We had hoped to find other LDS "empty nesters" who RV part-time to learn the "ropes" from them!

Thank you all for your responses!

[RodandGeorgia]

Hey everyone. We are new to this Forum. Live in Sisters OR and going on the road Ft around May 2013. We've bought a Rand McNalley road map atlas, put all the temples in the states and plan to visit them all plus the historic sites. If anyone knows of LDS RV parks that would be great. We are also a member of an awesome Forum. RV-Dreams.com What a blessing. Everything you want to know about RVing is here and they all will share with you if you ask. I have and they are great. Anyway, will keep in touch. Rod and Georgia

[Happycamper]

Hi. Your post introduced me to this forum. I was googling the topic and this came up.
My husband and I are hoping to be fully retired in about two years, and we tentatively plan to sell our home and take a year or so to travel the country in a motorhome. (Yes, we also plan to serve a mission too, so no lectures, please. ;) ) Anyway, I'd love to hear from others who have done this while maintaining activity in the Church. And to meet a few of you while on the road would be even better! Thanks!

[flashback]

my wife and I are planning to fulltime after our mission. I'll retire in 2016, leave for a mission in 2016, return in 2018 and hit the road. Our first goal will be to travel to all the temples in the US. Perhaps we can get a group to travel with us!

[Tim&Donna]

I retired in 2008. We RVed from Nevada to Florida and back in 2010. Served an RV mission to the south rim of the Grand Canyon in 2013. RVed for 2-1/2 months, to the Smoke Mountains, when we got back. Now we are ready to strike out for a 4 month summer trip to see the kids, Temples and Pageants, and National Parks. We have been wondering if there were any other LDS members doing the same thing. While we still have a home base and are not full times we would like to meet other members.

[jerrodnelms]

My wife and I have a young family. We are both 33. My kids are 9, 3 1/2, and 19 months. I work for myself remotely. We are very interested in selling our house, buying an RV, and basically touring the country. My only concern... and I sincerely mean ONLY concern with the whole deal is how we would be able to hold callings while on the road for what could potentially be a few years (or more). Does anyone have experience with this? I know it may sound silly to some; but we don't want to not be able to give service (and receive the blessings that accompany it) just because we are on the road.

I am thinking that there has to be a way, and that we should really just commit do to RV'ing and let the rest figure itself out.

Any thoughts, comments, criticisms, etc are welcome.

[Chipimunk]

Thats a concern of mine as well. Considering you will still have a permanent residence I dont think your records could be transferred could they?

My wife and I have a young family. We are both 33. My kids are 9, 3 1/2, and 19 months. I work for myself remotely. We are very interested in selling our house, buying an RV, and basically touring the country. My only concern... and I sincerely mean ONLY concern with the whole deal is how we would be able to hold callings while on the road for what could potentially be a few years (or more). Does anyone have experience with this? I know it may sound silly to some; but we don't want to not be able to give service (and receive the blessings that accompany it) just because we are on the road.

I am thinking that there has to be a way, and that we should really just commit do to RV'ing and let the rest figure itself out.

Any thoughts, comments, criticisms, etc are welcome.

[creator]

There are lots of other ways to serve the Lord (and others) than having a calling in your ward. You'll find a way and be blessed for it.