Christmas in July: Gathering of Nomads on Helping RV Families in Need

SPEAKER_01 0:00

If if you have a genuine need this this Christmas season or if you don't even know yet, you're just like, hey, we know some people. Um, you can never you're never gonna do anything wrong by reaching out.

SPEAKER_02 0:14

Welcome back to Learn to RV the podcast. I'm Jennifer, and we're today we're doing something, you know, I wrote down a little different, but it's really a lot different because I didn't plan to be recording in my truck. I wore a light blue t-shirt to remind you that Christmas can happen any time of year, but stay with me because if you were around last December, we did something a little bit different with a group of RVers who pulled something kind of incredible off with almost no runway at all. And this year we'd like to help give more families Christmas than they did last year. And so we want to give you that kind of lead time. So everybody that's lived through this scramble and they're gonna be on today walked away with the same thought. Next time we'll start earlier in the year. So that's what we're gonna do. We're gonna start in July. So welcome to our Christmas in July episode. It is a little special because we've got Shane Boyd from Gathering of Nomads and Christina Bram, who helps run everything behind the scenes. Glad to have both of you guys here. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:08

Glad to be here.

SPEAKER_02 1:09

So before we get into the story, Shane, I really want you to start out that maybe didn't hear the first episode we recorded together, that maybe doesn't know what Gathering of Nomads is. Can you kind of shape that up for people?

SPEAKER_01 1:20

Yeah. Gathering of Nomads really is just a group of RVers. Uh when I say a group, like we have a Facebook group, but it there's a ministry behind this movement, which is helping have Jesus-centered communities that are gathering in everyday spaces. And for the RV world, we're usually gathering around a fire. And we do really what we call a simple church. So it's very simple, it feels very organic, and we just like to gather people. So it's not just me and my wife, but lots of other families that do that. But overall, as the organization, we are a nonprofit and we like to do what we can to also help people. And so there's two ways we've done that now. I think that Christmas was a lot of fun, and I think that there was a lot of blessings in the in the midst of all that. But the uh the hope is to also kind of meet the needs of the RV community. And when I say needs, I'm not just talking about like everybody has a need, you know, to uh to have some fellowship and some camaraderie, but like there's physical needs. And we all know people that have lost their job on the road, people that have had really hard things happen, um, they couldn't afford to get home, repairs on RVs, like there's lots of things that just happen and they're unexpected. And the rest of us are still living life just like we were living in a home. And so when hard things happen, oftentimes people reach out to Gathering of Nomads as the local church for the nomadic community, and and we try to help them with those needs. And uh and then specifically what we really like doing, which I hats off to Christina. So, Christina, I think you should share more from what God put on your heart and the way you know you know Gathering of Nomads' hearts and obviously the things that we're trying to do. So, why don't you share more about the Christmas thing?

SPEAKER_00 2:55

Yeah, definitely. We with our own family have had hard Christmases in the past, hard seasons as we've all been through. Specifically last year, I was actually sitting around a campfire with some friends. It was like the first week of December, and we were like trying to figure out how we could meet a need. We all kind of collectively were like, we are really blessed right now and want to figure out how we can give and how we can find out people in need. So, of course, the first person I call was Shane, and I said, Hey, Shane, are there people that you know that need this? And his heart was, I do. I know people reach out because of course that's the first line of defense. And so we asked, like, okay, how can we put something together? So we're less than three weeks to Christmas at this point, and we're like, okay, well, we got this. Like, Shane's like, I don't have the bandwidth. I was like, well, good news. I've done this before. I can organize something, let's do it. So, very last second, some friends and I, we reached out to Shane. We connected a few families, we posted on the Gathering of Nomads page. Um, I think we posted Jennifer into some of the learned RV groups, and we just said, Hey, I know there's a need because there's always a need, especially at Christmas. And how can we, how can we pull this together?

SPEAKER_01 3:57

Yeah. Yeah. It was honestly, I I was shocked on how fast everything came together. So I don't know why I should be shocked on how how fast Christina can work and and get things done. But uh I know, I know 100% was uh was was definitely God behind the whole thing. There's a there's some families that had some very genuine needs and being able to surprise them. And then also for those who were asking the question, I felt like it meant a lot. And I think for the lost for for most of us, you know, it's when those unexpected things, I don't know about you guys, I don't plan for the holidays. I kind of like, all right, Christmas is coming up, how are we gonna make this happen? And and I think that's kind of the way for all things. And so you could either have a pretty traditional Christmas where you get a few gifts and a couple things happening. And we didn't want to go like crazy overboard, but it was just a genuine way to say, hey, here's a way you could at least still have a somewhat normal Christmas. Get a couple stocking stuffers, allow your kids to still feel loved, and that this didn't come on a huge financial burden where the kids go, like, we had to script skip Christmas because we just couldn't afford to do anything. And so it wasn't anything big, but it it was very genuine. And so the feedback also, even just between the like people that donated money where there was like thank you cards and things coming back, it just was a beautiful thing that I I'm looking forward to seeing how this is gonna happen this year and being able to actually see people um when I say have their needs met, that they can also continue just to live life where it's not gonna be this huge life burden. And so, yeah, we don't know exactly even how we're gonna even communicate that yet, but I'm really excited about it.

SPEAKER_02 5:22

Yeah, people hear like this Christmas giving story, you know, and assume that every family involved was in financial crisis. You know, some people that may be listening to this tomorrow may lose their job the week of Thanksgiving. And so, like, they have no idea what's coming. And so I think that's what's so beautiful about what Gathering of Nomads is doing is you're already thinking about that gap. You know, the family that's struggling to put food on the table, maybe they're struggling with something else. Maybe it's isolation, maybe it's distance from an extended family, maybe it's just a hard year, maybe it's just needing to be seen. I mean, gathering of nomads does so much more than just step in a gift gap. It steps in a prayer gap, it steps in all sorts of places. And so, you know, how would you say that distance like looks like, you know, to help people be seen in those situations?

SPEAKER_01 6:09

Yeah, I mean, if if you have a genuine need this this Christmas season or if you don't even know yet, you're just like, hey, we know some people. Um, you can never, you're never gonna do anything wrong by reaching out. In the same way, like I just was literally on a phone call with someone who's like, I just learned that my father-in-law might be dying. And and it's like, you know, there's there's there's lots of things that happen. We just unexpectedly find out information all the time. And I think the best place that we can start is actually from a place of vulnerability. One of the things I was told a long time ago was like, hey, you know, interestingly enough, if you were, if, if you were broke down somewhere out in the middle of the desert, I and you called AAA for help, like you'd have to be very honest about where you are. And and I think sometimes like we want help, but it starts with being honest about where you actually are. And so if you can be honest about where you actually are in in in whatever season of life that you're in, I believe honestly, and again, I'll I'll try not to be too much Pastor Shane here, but like I believe that God sends people on those rescue missions because that's his story, right? We he came to rescue us. And so, anyways, we just want to be the hands and the feet. As much as we love to gather people and do Bible studies and church around the fire, like we also like to serve people. And usually that's done where nobody sees it, because we don't do it to have people look at us and go, man, look at all the stuff that we're doing. We just want to do it because I know that God has asked us to go and do that. And in the same way, you don't see the local tow truck driver going and doing these things. That's just what he goes and does, right? It's a rescue mission. And uh and so, anyways, I just think that that's very true for people and for the I think the majority of the families last that last Christmas we helped, like they didn't they didn't they weren't proud of the season. Like we get in hard seasons. I've been in hard seasons. No one wants to go, you know, tell everybody in the world where my hard season is. And so I would just say, like, if you're in that or you know somebody that's in that, you can reach out for prayer, you can reach out to to get connected. Um, if there's like genuine financial needs too, like one of the things that we also want to help people with is like, hey, if this is a consistent problem where you're always in this situation, we have some courses that we would even encourage you or even help you take to help better you in your financial situation. And so there's lots of different ways that we help. Um, but yeah, that's just kind of the story that I like to share because everybody's in somewhere different. So you might be stuck down on the side of a highway, but you got to share which highway you're on. You can't just be like, well, I don't know, come find me.

SPEAKER_02 8:25

I'm I'm in a hard spot, right? So, Christina, take me back to last December. Like, what was that situation like for you? Because I know that your heart was so in it, and you know, you you're very passionate about how you pulled this off, but there's a lot more to it than just wanting to do something.

SPEAKER_00 8:40

So uh twofold, it's like, yeah, the heart thing I think is so important. I think if you have a heart and a passion to do something, you could literally do anything. And that's that's the type of person I am. Like, if I set my mind to it and I'm passionate, like I could take over the whole world. So for me, it was like I actually vividly remember a Christmas where we had nothing. Joel had just lost his job. Somebody gave us, and I'm not gonna cry, I promise I'm probably gonna cry. But they gave us like $40, and it's like two days before Christmas. Our kids are really little, and I remember like I remember the exact gifts I brought them because we went to Savers. So if you're from the Phoenix area, it's like better than Goodwill. And so we went to Savers and we pulled off the cutest Christmas, even like they got Christmas jammies and little plastic high heels that clicked on my floor, and it was because somebody gave me $40 to pull off Christmas for my family, and it was in a season that was hard, right? And we've all been there. See, I cried, I said I wasn't going to. For me, it was like when in a season of abundance or in a season of blessing, I want to never forget the seasons that I've been in and wanting other people to know that even if you're in that moment, you know, mercy comes the next morning, right? Every sunrise we heard in this church this this last Sunday, every sunrise is a sermon. God's mercies are new every morning. And so, although this season might be tough, maybe the next one won't. And so remembering those things and taking them into the next season. And so when we were able to give, even just a little bit, and wanting to figure out, okay, I have some money, but I also have time and I have talents. And so figuring out how we could turn that into something. And so, yeah, it was really cool. It was, it was actually the coolest part was so we put it out, we asked for people to donate. We had the number of kids we had, and then we wanted to bless families with and the ability to buy some groceries because Christmas is great, but you still have to feed your family even beyond presents. And so we were trying, we wanted it, we took the dollar amount, how much we wanted to give each kid in each family. And I kid you not, I was telling Shane this earlier. We had the dollar amount plus what I wanted to donate, what I personally could donate to the exact number of children that had reached out. Like, if that's not God, I was like, ugh, like it was just so perfect. And, you know, would I want to tell you we helped 200 people? I would. We didn't help 200 people, but in three weeks, we were able to make a massive difference in the lives of multiple families, 17 kids, and we were able to give them groceries in Christmas. And that was just, you know, it was special. And so this next year, like we're not gonna put numbers, we're not gonna put goals, none of that matters. We want to help exactly who God's gonna put in front of us, and we want to bless whoever we can bless who needs it in this next season. So one of the things I know we we're still working through all the logistics, but like obviously, if families need help, we're gonna give a way for people to let us know that they need support this Christmas. But also we want to like encourage people. Like if you are in a season of blessing or you just want to reach out or you have a certain amount in your budget to help people, like we want to give ways to give. Um and also people want to help serve. Like, there are so many cool ways that you can serve, even in this nomadic lifestyle. Just because we don't sit next to each other on the church pew doesn't mean we can't serve our community. And so finding ways that we can we can do that, and specifically for Christmas, we're gonna find ways that we can do that. So if that's you and you want to help out, definitely reach out to us, um, Shane or me or gather meds.

SPEAKER_02 11:53

Was there ever a moment during that transition? Because I mean it happened really fast that you felt like it wouldn't come together. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:01

So I definitely like I was looking at my savings account, going, okay, so we committed and God'll provide. Like, obviously, if that means I have to go, buy I'll find it, I'll figure it out.

SPEAKER_02 12:10

Like, well, and I mean if you stop and think about like how much you spend going out to dinner once a week, and you could even save half of that and make a meal at home, and you could put $20 away and donate that starting today for every family. So if you did that in July, August, September, October, November, that's five months, and you drop one in six, you know, even at twenty dollars, like that's twenty, forty, sixty, eighty, a hundred and twenty dollars for one family, that could buy a half a week's worth of groceries, maybe in this economy. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:41

Yeah, for sure. Yeah, I think the the interesting part for us is like, you know, there's always there's always like genuine needs. And, you know, when it comes down to the the genuine need, like I I'll use this as just an example. Like we there was a there was a time we were parked next to somebody and they had no they had no uh refrigerator. So they were living out of an ice, like an ice chest. And every week they're buying or every like couple days, they're buying more ice and living out of an ice chest. And then if their freezer bags would get you know going through or whatever, then things would go bad. They couldn't have any frozen items. And like for us, we made a phone call to an RV manufacturer and they sent a refrigerator, and we got to be the middleman.

SPEAKER_02 13:22

That's amazing.

SPEAKER_01 13:23

Because because for us, like our I think our biggest goal, and I mean this like from a place where we talk about gathering and nomads as this ministry, gathering nomads is not me, it's not Christina, it's a group of people, and there's people behind the scenes that you'll never see or never know that are like, hey, I am going to contribute, but I don't ever want my name seen or heard either. And I think one of the things that I loved is even like the donors who like who gave, like I people that gave, like we I don't even know if Christina and I know them. And it's like, because at the same time, they're like, this is just what we do, this is just how we help people. And so, like, it's one of the reasons we have like our little version of it, whatever you want to call this, is uh it's a branch. I don't know what the right term is, but we call it love thy nomad. God says to love thy neighbor, and so we call it love thy nomad. And and it's really cool to see money come into that. People that I've never met before, you know, they'll send $10 a month, and then somebody else will come and they're like, hey, we have no money for groceries because I lost my job and I'm trying to get back to home where I can hopefully, you know, establish new routes and I can get back on the road or I can get back on the road another time, right? But we're out of funds. And it's like, well, great, let's then let's get you some groceries, let's get you some gas money, let's get you home, right? And so you can like actually start over again. And there's lots of things that happen, but our thing is that's what that's what God does. God loves us, He cares for us. And so we should meet people exactly where they are and love them and care for them. We're not judging people's situations. And so I'm saying this from a place of if if you have like time or talents or or finances, like whatever resources that God has given you and you want to be able to use them, like we're an open book. We don't run our ministry from like a top-down structure. It's really like, hey, what are the tools and resources? And let's like love on this amazing RV community that we're all a part of. And that's really what we want to see is just people loving, supporting, and encouraging where we ever possibly can. And Christina is the greatest example of that. Christina and I have already known each other, but when she called and it's like, hey, what do you think about this? It's like, let's make it happen. There's no reason to say no to this. Like, let's put some gasoline on this fire and make it happen. And so I'm excited to come back this year. So, really, we're highlighting the vision and the heart behind Christina. I'm just happy that we get to be a part of it again this year. And so I'm excited. I'm excited to see more of this kind of stuff happen for the RV community. And Christmas is always, I mean, it it always starts like in October. October, you start to think like, oh man, okay, we got a lot of things we got to do. And it's the hardest time of year sometimes for us nomads if you're not home.

SPEAKER_02 15:39

Are you kidding? I saw pumpkin spice creamer in Walmart yesterday. It's July. You already put your Christmas tree up.

SPEAKER_00 15:48

This this would be decorated with like Christmas stuff if I could. I didn't. But I would. If Joel let me, my Christmas tree would already be up. I love Christmas. It's my favorite.

SPEAKER_02 15:56

But I I I think that, you know, Shane's right. You know, we don't even start thinking about Christmas till, you know, the temperatures change and it gets cooler, and you know, you're coming into fall and you're like, the Christmas stuff, you know, and but I I think that Christmas is hard for a lot of families or a lot of people on the road. Maybe they're traveling and their kids aren't with them anymore or whatever, and they're fan they have their own family's lives. And so this isn't even, you know, obviously you guys want to bless families that have kids because you don't want kids to go without Christmas. But at the same time, it's not just limited to that. You know, if you're a senior couple on the road and you need some assistance, you know, it may not be gifts you're looking for. It may just be, you know, a way to, you know, have a groceries for the week if you're struggling during that time. And so, like, I think that's what's so beautiful about this specifically. But I think that Shane and I, when we first recorded, we jokingly kind of compared how similar the structure of Learn to RV is, because I love highlighting other RVers and you know, the idea of gathering of nomads where those people may not want to be seen, but at the same time, you're you want to help all those other nomads. And so I think that that kind of makes a symbiotic, you know, comparison. And ironically, as much as you're gonna want to hate to admit it, Christina, you're the center of both of those.

SPEAKER_01 17:13

No, she hates when that happens.

SPEAKER_00 17:15

Helping people. I know you do. And you know what? I feel like God brings me to all these places with people who can take the gifts that He's given and I can help people. And that that's all there is to it. And I, yeah, I don't, I'm the same. I don't, it's not me. You guys do so much more than I will ever even imagine doing. I just like where I can fit helping. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:33

Well, I think it that's a really good, you know, I would say, comparison, Chris, uh, Jennifer. Like, you know, Christina's a great example, but there's a lot of people that sometimes they're like, I don't want to get involved with an organization. I just want to go do the thing. And it's like, go do it. It doesn't matter, you know, like I love the organizational side of things, like at times, I'm gonna say it at times, but the but the ultimate reality is like each of us, we we all have some sort of unique time or talent. And so like go and use that and go and bless the people around you. And so, like, if if God's put on your heart to go, like, go serve the homeless shelter, you know, this this Christmas, go do it, but start planning for it, like prepare your heart for that. And if it's like, hey, listen, I want to give to I want to just I'm I'm really blessed financially. So I'm just gonna give that and I'm in a season of my life where I can just help help people that are already engaging and helping other people. Like, there's there's no wrong way in that. I think that's the part that some people can kind of get caught up in, but sometimes it's like, hey, I just have a really good talent. And so maybe it you're in Christina's seat and it's like, hey, listen, you know what I got? I've got a pretty good talent. I've got a pretty good knack for building some systems and reaching out to people, and I can facilitate all of that. And Christina can literally do that with her eyes closed. And but look at the blessing behind it all. And so, like, whatever the gift is that God has given you, I say use it and just see what God can do. And it might be partnering with an organization, it might be just going out and doing it. I have no idea. But it is definitely worth it and putting forth the effort. What you might learn along the way is kind of the reason why this podcast exists, right? You get to learn a ton of things on the way. And uh and I love that. So thank you for pointing that bringing that up. I think that's just a good comparison. Like, we really aren't about building our own thing, it's really about making this community, you know, so much better.

SPEAKER_02 19:08

Well, and building it and making it better, you know.

SPEAKER_00 19:11

That's that's the heart of it, right? Right. And I wanted to just mention, like, you know, Shane's been doing Love Thy Nomad for a long time, and we've been able to be blessed by it at times. And it's something that I just want to mention is like an overarching, like, I know we're specifically talking about Christmas, but Love Thy Nomad is something that Gathering of Nomads does do all year long. And the cool thing is, like Shane said, people are reaching out to him when they're in need, whether they're stuck on the side of the road, their rig breaks down, they need to get home, they don't have groceries. So if like if you're listening to this today and it's like pulling on your heart that you want to be somebody who helps support that ministry, um, Shane and his team do such a great job of facilitating checks and balances and helping those people in tangible physical ways. And I just want to say, like, that yeah, if you're interested in donating, definitely reach out because uh I have seen how big of a blessing they have been over and over again. And God just brings them to the right place at the right time to meet the right people. And we all know that the RB community is tight-knit. Like we everybody knows everybody, or you know, there's a trail, you know, Kevin Bacon, Shane will be Kevin Bacon now, like six, six shades to Shane Boyd. And but but what I'm saying is like if you want to be somebody who, you know, you want to give in that way, um, Gathering of Nomads is just such a great central place to help other nomads, even if you don't know who needs help, you know, they do. And then they're able to use those things and help people.

SPEAKER_02 20:31

Well, and the reality is that's that's a 501c3. So it's a tax-deductible offering that, you know, you're giving because God has laid it on your heart. But at the same time, you know, at the end of the year, it's it's not a bad thing for you to be able to write that off on your taxes. So especially at Christmas time, if you're looking for a way to give back, if you're looking for a sizable donation at this, if I was going somewhere, it would be here because I'd want people to be blessed on this side of things. And you guys, you know, how know how to manage those funds. And it's not just Shane that makes that decision, right? I mean, like it's you have a whole team of people that are in charge. So you're not just like unilaterally going, yes, you get it, you know.

SPEAKER_01 21:10

Yeah, it's it's actually really I'm glad that you bring that up because actually when we first started, that was like one of the things that we saw. People were reaching out, and I was like, sure, I we can try to help, you know. But we still we it it comes from I think being around now at least a little bit longer, last five years about. And I and I just want to make sure I say this. When you if you give to Love Thy Nomad, like that doesn't go to gathering of nomads, and then we have like the discretion to use it for whatever. Love Thy Nomad is literally a benevolence fund. Like the money goes in and then it goes right back out. I I don't get any of that. I don't know, nobody in my team gets any of that. Like it's it is it is money for actual care. Um, it's a biblical perspective. It's called a storehouse. So when people have needs, you can actually tap into that. What we've what I found has actually been really a cool blessing is then people then go, you know what, I'm gonna give back to the thing that helped me. And it's been really cool to kind of see that stuff. Happened as people have been recipients of that groceries, repairs, whatever. They go, I'm going to bless that now. And then it's really cool how it continues to feed other people. And I really do truly believe that's how the church was supposed to be. I go and I fundraise all my financial support so that I can go do the things I do for free because I don't want to charge for it or be like, well, if you give to love thy nomad, a couple percent of that's gonna go back to Shane. Like all of it literally goes in, then goes right back out. And I love that. I get excited about ministries, organizations that actually use that. It was a couple years ago, actually, when I was I watched something when someone's like, Yeah, we fundraised $50,000 and we're gonna go give this money away. And they gave $20,000 away. Because it took $30,000.

SPEAKER_02 22:41

Like, can you even imagine what you could do for people this Christmas if you even got $10,000 in before Christmas? Like it it would be incredible. And Christina and Joel talk all about, you know, building things that outlast a moment. You know, how does that show up here?

SPEAKER_01 22:55

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, there's this community is really neat, you guys. I always say, like, you know, in the in the RV world, this is like the comical part. Like, literally, in this example right now, where I'm parked right now in Washington, I've got I've got a rig that probably costs like $2,000 and is questionable going down the highway. And then right next to me is like a $300,000 like diesel pusher. And it's just a very diverse community. And I find that I find that fascinating that we can all live and do life together, but then we see that financial gap and we just go, like, hey, how do we bridge that? How do we make this actually work where we love and care for one another? And nobody wants to be looked as lesser than. And oftentimes people that have a lot more money don't also want to give in a place from a from a place of pity. And so it's an honor. Honestly, it is a really awesome honor for even for Christina and I to in that seat to say, like, we get to see that happening where the gaps are actually being bridged. And I absolutely love it. It's absolutely fascinating. And I think it's a it's the understanding that we're all very much so equal in God's eyes and that we should love each other equally.

SPEAKER_02 23:55

Well, and it's amazing that you say that because, and I think I've told you this story, but you know, for those of you that haven't heard it, you know, our first year on the road, we were pretty much the only Christians in our circle. We always got invited to the atheist campfire. And so we were actually shunned by a lot of Christians because we would actually turn down hotlucks with other Christians and other believers to go to things. But somebody came up at me. And back then there weren't that many families on the road, but they said, and it wasn't like anything tangible that I could put my money on. But the person came to me and said, Thanks. And I was like, for what? And she said, for never turning me into a project like all the other Christians seem to. And so that's what I love about Gathering of Nomads is it's not about turning one family into a project or one couple into a project. It's literally helping people where they're at no matter what. And we literally live by that phrase. So that's kind of our heart and what we still do. And I know that's the heart behind Gathering of Nomads, you know, on a biblical scale. You live it out, you know. So let's get practical because I know people that are listening and the people you're gonna share this with want to go, so what do I do now? Like, how do I be a part of this, right? And so I don't want to make it telethony or anything crazy. But I do think we need to talk about, you know, where can we find you? How do we get involved? So who wants to take the first lead on that when you're up?

SPEAKER_00 25:12

I mean, I want to have a telethon now, like an old school TB and exchange. Just kidding, I'm totally joking. I love it.

SPEAKER_01 25:26

It's so funny. Yeah. Um, we just basically we set up just a separate giving link that is it's called Nomad Help for the holidays. That is its own distinct link. If you're trying to find more about like what we do, we're we're a part of a larger organization called Gathering of Neighbors. Nomads is our life specifically. But if you wanted to go look at that, you can go to gatheringofneighbors.com and then backslash nomads, but or just go to gathering of nomads.com and it should pull up as well. But either way, the there's giving links in there. You can support there's people that are doing the ministry work, you're like, hey, I just want to support that person because I love what they do. You can directly support that, that money goes directly to them. And we're we're a big fan of just like when I say pouring gas on the fires that are like really good, like if it's a good fire, like let's pour some gas on that thing. Let's hopefully see if that thing take off. We're a small organization, so there's not a lot of gas if it's if it's we're talking about money. But in this, in the same way, you can uh you can support those individuals, but you'll also be able to give directly to Love Thy Nomad and Nomad help for the holidays. So however you feel like you want to get involved, we would say just start there. And my my biggest thing I tell people is just pray about it, think about it, and see see where it goes. You know, I don't think that God's gonna miss misdirect you on those things. If you join our Facebook group, which is just gathering of nomads, specifically for this nomadic community, it's it's really a Facebook group for faith-based Christian or faith-based RVers. That's really all it's there for. And people, we have weekly engagements of where we're gonna be. Um and last year I think we posted it there, maybe a few other places, and that's where people really clicked on the link and was able to give. So we'll probably do the same thing this year.

SPEAKER_00 27:01

Right. And I would also say uh we have a newsletter that you can sign up on on the website. So I would sign up for that as well. Cause as we get closer, we'll actually send out that link through the email to the newsletter as well. So make sure you join those two things and hopefully you'll be able to see it once those links go live.

SPEAKER_01 27:16

Yeah. That's great. Yeah, thank you, Christina.

SPEAKER_02 27:18

Well, and I mean, you know, you don't have to give a lot. Like if you started saving now and just every paycheck you gave five dollars, that's five dollars more than they had last week. And so, like five dollars over the next couple of months could add up to be, you know, a significant amount for somebody or for a family, or at least $40 from for gifts from a thrift shop. And so, you know, all of those things matter in this situation, you know. So if someone's listening right now, what is the one thing you'd want them to do before they like, before we close the show? Like, what would you say to somebody that's listening that maybe is like, I know somebody, you know, or you know, my husband just lost his job, but I don't want to say anything, or my wife just lost her job and we have to settle down. So like pick pick any scenario, maybe it's one that you can talk through and just say, you know, this is how we'd love to bless you.

SPEAKER_01 28:06

Yeah. Yeah, I would say, I mean, you can start by just sending send an email. Uh I I give out my phone number like candy. So unfortunately, uh I uh like I have a little my phone number on a sandwich board that says, Can I pray for you? So a lot of people text or call. I don't, I don't, that's not the best way to get a hold of us anymore. But I would say just start with an email. You can send me an email, literally at gatheringnomads at gmail.com, and just say, like, here's what's going on. And I don't know, even if you don't know where you're at or what's going on, we we have people that want to connect with you. It's not always gonna be me, it's not always gonna be Christina, but there's people that want to pray with people and get connected with you. And if it's uh definitely a financial type thing, it's like I said, we're a small organization. And so we help where we can. We don't give thousands of dollars away at a time. I think last year we gave away like $7,000, which may not seem like a lot of money, but the amount of inquiries that came in and the amount of times that we're helping, the dollars don't even add up. Like it's kind of bonkers sometimes. So, and and so I would say just start with that. Start with reaching out. And if that's even scary, then maybe you can just send send a message to to our Facebook group or anybody in our Facebook group. You can post in there anonymously. We have our anonymous still turned on. And so if you just want to say, like, hey, here's what's going on, I could use some prayer. Anything that's going on, we are here to listen and we are here to help. And if it's something that we can help you with directly, then we will. If it's not, we'll try to send you in the right direction.

SPEAKER_02 29:27

Yeah, we'll definitely get a link up on Learn to RV for the the Christmas gift giving. Um, we'll probably get that up in the next couple of weeks as soon as the scavenger hunt closes, just so you have a clickable link right from the front page of Learn to RV so people can find it and give. Obviously, Learn to RV doesn't have anything like that. So we're happy to, you know, facilitate and support that. We appreciate all that you're doing behind the scenes because there's a lot of things that people just can't plan for. And, you know, I I think that it's important to understand that there's people behind the scenes that are willing to pray and just be a part of their life. And I think that connection is the biggest key. And I think that's one of the things that people used to call me a matchmaker, and I end up with very few friends because I I I'll introduce somebody like Christina to another friend, and all of a sudden they'll be good buddies and I'll be like, they went to dinner without me. But I feel like that the road tends to lend itself that way too. But sometimes that's just what's in our head. And you know, I think that we have to keep stepping in the gap and keep putting ourselves out there, and you can't ever get to a point where you don't do that, especially as a believer. You have to keep trying. And so, like, I think that you know, saying that, you know, if you're out there and you're hurting right now or you're struggling with something or you need somebody to talk to or pray for you, this is the group to get involved with. And you don't have to be a believer to get involved. Like, you know, sometimes the best way to get involved is, you know, if you're seeking something, you know, these are the people that aren't gonna everybody's like, oh, these Christians will judge me. These are the ones that don't Amen.

SPEAKER_01 30:59

Amen. So that's so good, Jennifer. I, you know, man, that is like that's why I tell people pretty often, this could this could ruffle some feathers, so I'll be gentle with this. But like, don't go chasing churches or religion. But like, man, there's some people that that really know, like that genuinely know Jesus and they really know God, and that's that's all we're ever gonna tell you. Is like, I mean, you get those glimpses, like the glimpses of the good. And we just try to continue to embrace that part is like, listen, what really matters is that we have some genuine connection and relationship. That's why God says love God and then love your neighbor. He doesn't say expect to be loved by everyone. He does say, like, love him and then love the people around you. And so I think those that get that actually live that out pretty genuinely. And we do. We try not to push people to gathering of nomads, but we just try to, at least in the Facebook group, there's really awesome friendships and connections that have been made that have nothing to do with us, things that we'll never know about. And to be honest with you, I kind of like that. I get really excited about that, is that sometimes I've said, like, you need to know this person, and then I never know actually the fullness of what happens. But it's so good and it's so right. So anyway, I love that you said that because that is really how this whole thing works most of the time.

SPEAKER_02 32:05

Well, it's how it's supposed to work, and that's that's the heart of how you want it to work. And I think that that's important to say too, that people are still people and mistakes get made. And, you know, it doesn't mean that they're wrong, it just means that they haven't seen it the way that you see it yet.

SPEAKER_01 32:19

Yeah, that's good. That's really good.

SPEAKER_02 32:20

Well, so if this episode did anything for you today, planted a seed, Christmas doesn't start really in December, but you can start planning for it. It starts with somebody deciding in July that they're gonna see a family show up for them. That's it, that's the whole thing. So we'll have links to all of the things in the bio and all that stuff. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and go to learn to RV the podcast. But Shane also has a podcast that's going on right now that you know you can hop on there if you're looking for some inspired, faithful messages. You know, that's a great place to go. Shane, how can they find you there?

SPEAKER_01 32:54

Yeah, you can find that on our website as well. If you go to gatheringnomads.com or gatheringabors.com. You'll see our podcast as uh one of our resources. We try to give everything away for free. So everything's all free on there for sure. Check it out. If you want to go to YouTube or Spotify or uh all the all the different places where everything streams nowadays, it is just called the Collective Thread Podcast. And it's basically a continuous thread of stories that God is telling in the midst of this larger ministry where it's people doing simple church in very simple everyday spaces.

SPEAKER_02 33:24

And Christina, do you need help organizing a Christmas miracle for people? How would people get involved with you?

SPEAKER_00 33:31

Yeah, definitely. If you're interested in helping, we would love some help. We'd love help facilitating communicating and all those things. So definitely reach out to us. You can email me directly, Christina at travelwithhebrands.com. It'd be the best way to get a hold of me. And then yeah, let me know you want to help. Just put uh Nomad help for the holidays and we'll get you connected.

SPEAKER_02 33:50

Christina is also the voice behind connect at learn to rv.com. So if she gets one there too, she'll answer that as well.

SPEAKER_00 33:56

I have like 12 email addresses. It's fine.

SPEAKER_02 33:59

She does.

SPEAKER_00 33:59

I answer all of them.

SPEAKER_02 34:00

They all go to my phone. It's good. So links to everything we've talked about today will be in the show notes. How to connect, how to give. We'll put a blog out there Christmas sometime. I I'm really behind on blogs, but we'll definitely have one up this fall. But that's the whole thing. So get involved before the season gets busy. Thanks. Until next time, keep the wheels turning and keep yourself pointed in the right direction.