Unfortunately, I honestly cannot say that I am the most consistent person when it comes to church attendance, but I am always striving to find fellowship with other Christians. When you are traveling to different locations, routine church attendance can become even more complex and sometimes discouraging. That said, when I do get to attend, I have found that going to different churches both abroad and here in the U.S. has really been encouraging, opening my eyes to how remarkably vast the community of Christians can be.
I recall one of my most determined attempts to go to church was in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on a deployment when my efforts were literally thwarted by a mortar attack.
Running to the bunkers only a few yards from the church building, I thought to myself, well if this is the way God chooses to take me out of this world, it will be very fitting because I was literally walking to Him that exact moment anyway!
The attack, which I interpreted as prosecution at the time, also made me even more determined to make it to the building. I eventually did make it in and clearly I survived to tell the story. Let me tell you, there is nothing more powerful than watching battle-worn Soldiers give their lives to Christ, which I witnessed there several times!
Back stateside in Tennessee, I was encouraged by a couple who found a way to continue attendance at their church back in Texas by calling in to a family member there onsite. We would all gather around, usually in my camper, and listen in to the preacher over my friend’s cellphone that we had placed in a coffee mug to amplify the sound. Eventually we figured out we had bluetooth capability to sync it over the camper speakers! After the lesson, we would eat and fellowship together talking about the lesson or our personal faith struggles. This was such an ideal situation as we all encouraged each other in our Christian walk – and this all from the security and comfort of our camper.
I have attended churches in Alabama, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Texas all of varying denominations. I usually found them online and would walk in cold turkey either by myself or with my husband, and maybe with a friend. I recently found one in Texas that I really connected with and knew I would miss when we left. The difficulty with constant travel is once you build a relationship with members of a church, you have to pull way and physically leave. This is the nature of life on the road. Even if you stay connected through social media, email or phone calls, it can be discouraging, so finding another home is one of the first steps I try to take when we pull in to a new campsite.
If my husband and I are too lazy to go to church, we listen to the radio or TV. The antenna on my camper always seems to pick up a religious channel, and it may be because we usually find ourselves in the Bible Belt. There are always podcasts to watch when there is WiFi. If those aren’t available, we just do a simple Bible study together.
I used to be very hard on myself about church attendance; I would get down on myself if I didn’t go, and if I went, I would mark it off like a checklist. This is so off the mark; the purpose of going to church is not a task to be completed like washing your hands. I truly go now because I am drawn to the Lord and His People. After a spiritual journey, I realize that many of the early Christians and even the apostles themselves, were on the road a lot (even if Jesus Himself was there with them, the ultimate Church!) and they found themselves without a church building to enter. So, they made their own church! Was God really going to pass judgment on me if I was honestly seeking Him even if I didn’t enter a church building? I think the answer is obvious; I was more worried about what people thought of me than what was truly in my heart. I seek His Kingdom first, not a societal norm that says you have to fix up and go to a stack of bricks. Traveling the US and the planet and seeking the Kingdom has actually grown my faith when it easily could have been my falling away, if I had let it! Be encouraged as you too can overcome the obstacle of travel!
~Lesley
