Keeping Warm in the Vanlife
Greetings sisters!
How are you today? I hope your answer was something to the fact that you are strong in the Lord or at least striving to be:-)
This life we live is for Him and if we don't forget that, then we are able to push through all things, by His strength!
We are coming into fall weather here and along with that comes challenges, such as precipitation (rain, snow or ice) and the cold. We actually prefer colder rather than warmer (except for bitter winter weather) and welcome it but we also look for ways to make it a bit more easy to bear by finding ways to stay warm. Of course, proper winter clothing but besides that we have insulated our van roof (as I've mentioned in a previous post.)
And I hung some fleece blankets on the walls by using magnets. (The van walls are metal.)
I randomly hand sewed the round magnets in-between the double layer to help hold it up to the walls. This all helps in both cold and hot weather. Brother Jim and I have seen how much warmer and cooler this van is compared to when we lived in the cargo trailer....we are so thankful:-)
Another way we stay warm is by using heaters.
This little heater is 400 watts and is good for weather in the 30-40's. We have 2 in case it's cold on the floor, we put one down there and one on the table; they hardly draw on the generator so that's a bonus. We have a slightly bigger heater for really cold times but don't use it much.
One more thing we greatly appreciate is a heated blanket.
They make all sizes from a small throw to king size and the pricing runs accordingly...so I found a small one. It's big enough to heat most of the center part of the bed and hardly draws on the generator. Normally the small ones like this run about $20 but with the earnings from my receipt apps and scanning, I only paid $5 for it. We usually run the generator for a few hours in the evening to charge everything up so I turn it on for a couple hours before bed. Before we had this, the bed would be like ice and it took a long time to warm up but now it's nicely warm and we sleep more sound.
It can be very cold when we wake up because we never run heaters at night while we're sleeping so we park our van with the front windows pointing toward where the sun rises, that way the sun shine helps warm up the van in the morning:-). We have insulated window covers we put on at night which helps keep the cold out and heat in.
There are ways a person could regulate the environment of their vehicle to eliminate much discomfort, but it's very costly and just like living off grid in our tiny house, it's not for the faint of heart s there is much flesh killing to be done in many ways...which we appreciate.
We are heading west then south and Lord willing will be at our land in Missouri in a few weeks to do some projects and see what the Lord wills.
I pray you all strive on, each and every day that the Lord has you here on this earth. Let us all edify and encourage one another to press on toward the mark, one of my favorite passages:
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
Philippians 3
May the grace of God bring you peace, love and joy.
Sister Deb
The biblical gospel...