March 19, 2021

Edition #01

We are “Marrsians on the Move”.

Welcome to our newest adventure, Subscriber First Name! We’re excited to have you join us on this journey and we are grateful that you choose to stay connected with us as we begin the preparation for our return to the road in the summer of 2021.

This newsletter will be the best way to stay engaged with us, our events, giveaways, and travel blog. In conjunction with our website, we’ll provide the stories God’s writing, the lessons we’re learning, the people we’re meeting, the sights we’re seeing, links, tips, tricks, suggestions, and other resources that we pray will be of great value, and plenty of entertainment, to you.

As you may, or may not, already know … we are a diverse bunch and we love trying new things. That said, each week our newsletter may contain a mix of everything from our travels to business tips to nonprofit highlights. We discuss home school (aka road school when we are flying down the highways), share life hacks, Bible verses, fitness tips, business building, random thoughts, and oh so much more.

That said, if you see a header or topic that doesn’t interest you, feel free to scroll right on by it. I promise, you won’t hurt our feelings by doing so. Yes, we may share something that offends you. (I seem to be good at that sort of thing.) Just know that it’s not intentional and we hope that you are able to embrace differences of opinion, challenging conversations, people from various backgrounds, and a wide diversity of beliefs. We love and appreciate you for who YOU are. We hope you feel the same way.

Last but not least, we are THRILLED to have a way to better communicate with our friends and family. Please reach out with your questions, recommendations, prayer requests, or anything else that comes to mind. Our contact information is below and also on our website. Don’t hesitate to use it! Just please be patient if it takes us a minute to respond. We might be in an area where the wifi or cell signal is weak or non-existent.

PS … this first edition will have more information than most weeks. We are playing a bit of “catch up” with this one, so let me start by saying THANK YOU for your grace as you read, watch, and/or engage today.

Praying for you and yours,

Ellen (on behalf of all the Marrsians)

FAMlife: Introducing … The Newest Marrsian!

Meet Moses, the newest addition to our crazy crew! He was born on January 2, so he’s just a few months old. He seems to be fitting in well and enjoying the non-stop attention that comes from having seven minions and two big humans chasing him around all day. Want to see him in action? Check out his first ever highlight reel.

NOMADlife: The Rover Renovation

After a year on the road in our Marrs Rover, we now know what we need and what we don’t need. Traveling in a box on wheels with seven children presented its own set of challenges, like where we put the dirty laundry and how we store our daughters’ sleeping bags and blankets when their bed recedes into the ceiling each morning.

That said, we recently decided to renovate the interior of the Rover. We’re doing our best to document the changes as we go along, so watch for photos and update videos that we’ll share as we progress. As a matter of fact, check out our first, and most recent, video below.

FAITHlife: VCON 2021

We recently volunteered at an event for Vintage Mission, which is focused on equipping and encouraging church planters. We didn't know what to expect, but were incredibly blessed by the worship, the teaching, the people who attended, and the Lord who was in every detail.

This event also opened up our minds to more ways we can be intentional about loving and serving others as we seek to magnify the Lord even more.

Psalm 34:3 kept coming to mind for me over the 3 days:

“Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!”

This verse has always held a special place in my heart as it was the first one that Rick and I discussed as a couple, preparing for marriage, back in 2002. It’s also engraved on the inside of my wedding band. It’s our verse, as well as our goal.

For more information on Vintage Mission and what they are doing to pursue gospel progress around the world, check out their website and Instagram account. It’s super encouraging to see how God is growing his church and expanding the kingdom globally.

Also, if you want to see a few pics and highlights from the conference, you can watch our THANK YOU video on Vimeo.

GODlife: What We’re Studying

Our church is currently studying the book of John and this series has been such a blessing to us, as individuals, a couple, and as a family. One of our pastor’s quotes that continually comes to my mind throughout the day is, “God’s mission requires our movement.”

This obviously means different things to different people in different seasons of life. However, for us, we see it as a reminder and encouragement to be actively engaged in sharing the gospel with others and pointing them to Christ. After the past year, it’s been far too easy to disengage, become complacent, slack off from serving others, and place our focus on the wrong things. This series has been a great refresher for us as we try to live missionally, and on-purpose, for the kingdom of God.

If you care to watch and study with us, I’ve provided a link to the sermons below. You can also receive weekly sermon guides that help you take the information to a more personal and practical level. Let me know if you have any questions about this great resource. If you aren’t already engaged in a local church, I hope this will be of great value to you until you are able to find one.

PS … these are great to listen to while taking a walk, running on the treadmill, or just having a glass of tea on the back porch. (Some of my personal faves for my quiet time with the Lord.)

PRAYERlife: Would you join us?

We are so incredibly grateful for everyone who has been praying for my sister in recent weeks. The new chemotherapy that she is receiving has taken quite the toll on her strength and energy. She has been feeling very sick, so would you please join us in asking the Lord to give her some relief from all the issues she is dealing with currently? She would be so encouraged and appreciative for your prayers on her behalf.

Also, please continue to pray for my dear friend, Faith. Her husband, Jessie, was called home unexpectedly on March 6 and the grief and sadness can be overwhelming at times. For anyone who knew Jessie, they also knew that he loved Jesus. It only took a few minutes of conversation with him to know that he is now in his “Happiest Place” with his lord and savior, Jesus Christ.

For as much as we grieve our loss, we also celebrate the fact that Jessie is now sitting at the feet of his father in heaven and we will see him again someday in paradise.

If you didn’t see the brief video I created with some of our favorite “Jessie moments”, you can view it through the link below. As you will see, he and Faith have been part of the most important times in our lives: our wedding, the births of our children, the growth of our family through adoption, and every major holiday on the calendar. We are going to miss his genuine care for people, his broad smile, his non-stop jokes and pranks, and most importantly, his gift for sharing the gospel with anyone who would listen.

Thanks for praying for those who are missing Jessie as they try to move forward without him here.

FUNlife: Let’s Wrap This Up With A Giveaway!

This is my favorite part! I LOVE giving prizes away. If you’ve ever taken one of my classes or attended one of my events, you know how much I like to have FUN, no matter the occasion. With that in mind, we want to give someone a little “boost” they can use for dinner, a movie, or perhaps a coffee date with a friend.

All you have to do is respond to a brief survey which will help us in the future to know what you’d like to read, hear, learn, etc. Also, please let us know if you encountered any tech glitches, bugs, or other “issues” as you engaged with this first newsletter. We know we will have things to fix and improve, so you can help us if you noticed anything.

On Sunday afternoon, March 21, we will draw a name from all those who responded to our survey. The winner will receive a $25 gift card shortly thereafter. We will announce the winner (probably on our MeWe channel) and reach out for a mailing address, if we don’t already have it.

So … thanks for making it this far. We hope you enjoyed catching up with us. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

I’ll leave you with a quote that has resonated with me for over a year now, and it always motivates me to face my fears with the fortitude of my FAITH. I hope it will do the same for you.

“Once you become FEARLESS, life becomes limitless.”

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

All things were made through him, and without him was

not any thing made that was made.

In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1: 1-5