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Earl and Pearl Traveler Visit Branson · Travel With A Purpose

• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: Hello, fellow scojourners.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Dave Blake, and welcome to Travel with a Purpose, a podcast designed to keep snowjourners and friends informed, entertained, and inspired.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: Earl and Pearl Traveler had been looking forward to the Branson gathering for months.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: They had carefully planned their route, checked their RV twice, and packed enough snacks to survive a cross country expedition.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: By the time they rolled into Branson, Missouri, Earl was feeling pretty confident, and that confidence lasted about three minutes.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: As they pulled into the campground, Earl spotted Ronnie and Vicky Stewart standing beside their RV.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: There they are, Earl shouted.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: Earl smiled.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: Good, let's go say hello.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: Earl waved enthusiastically through the windshield.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: Unfortunately, he was also trying to back into the campsite.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: Ronnie immediately started waving his arms.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: Vicky started waving too.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: Then Pearl started waving.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: The campground hosts began waving.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: Earl thought everyone was simply excited to see him.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: Look at that, Earl said proudly.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: I've got quite a welcoming committee.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: Earl Earl shouted.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: What?
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: A tree Earl looked in the mirror just in time to discover that the tree had been patiently waiting for him to notice it.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: Fortunately, Ronnie sprinted over and guided him away from disaster.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: After three attempts, six hand signals, and one brief discussion about whether Earl's left was the same as everyone else's left, the RV was safely parked.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: Ronnie grinned.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: Earl I haven't seen backing like that since a squirrel tried parking a golf cart.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: Vicky laughed.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: Earl folded her arms.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: Earl believes every parking job is an adventure.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: Mission accomplished, Ronnie said.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: It's important to keep life exciting, Earl replied.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: Well the next morning the four of them decided to explore Branson.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: They visited shops, they walked a famous downtown area.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: They sampled fudge.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: They may have sampled more fudge.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: Then Earl explained that the third piece of fudge was purely for research purposes.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: By lunchtime, everyone agreed that Earl's research project was progressing rapidly.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: Later that afternoon they attended one of Branson's famous shows.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: The theater was packed.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: The performers were excellent.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: The music was inspiring.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: Everything was perfect until Earl became convinced that one of the singers looked exactly like Charles Shelton.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: He spent the entire first half whispering theories.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: That's Charles.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: No, it isn't, Pearl said.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: It might be.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: It isn't.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: Well what if Charles had a secret career?
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: Ronnie shook his head.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: Earl, if Charles were here, he'd be carrying a potato.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: Vicky nearly laughed out loud.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: Well that evening the group gathered around Ronnie and Vicky's campsite.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: The conversation turned to sojourns, camp B and favorite memories.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: Stories flowed one after another.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: There was the great Upper H water disaster, the honeycomb air conditioner incident, the famous banner hanging upside down.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: And the time Earl packed nearly everything into the RV except common sense.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: Each story seemed to get funnier as the evening progressed.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: Finally, Ronnie leaned back in his chair and said, You know, Earl, every time I think you've reached your maximum potential for adventure, you surprise me.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: Earl nodded thoughtfully.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: I try to stay flexible.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: Earl smiled.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: That's another way of saying he doesn't always know what's happening.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody laughed.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: The sound echoed through the campground as the sun settled behind the Ozark Hills.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: For a moment, nobody was worried about schedules, projects, or responsibilities.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: They were simply friends enjoying the blessings of being together.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: Before heading back to their RV, Earl looked around the circle.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: You know, he said, Franson's a great place.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: The shows are wonderful, the scenery is beautiful, and the fudge is excellent.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: Ronnie nodded.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: But Earl smiled, the best part is spending time with friends.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: Vicky agreed.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: That's what makes any trip special.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: Pearl slipped her arms around Earl's, and thankfully we made it here without hitting that tree.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: Ronnie laughed.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: Let's not get carried away.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: The trip home is still ahead of us.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: Well, friends, that makes me think of Proverbs chapter twenty seven verse nine.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: A sweet friendship refreshes the soul.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: Good friends make every destination better.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: The sights, activities, and attractions at many of the destinations are enjoyable.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: Yet the greatest blessing often comes from sharing the journey with people who encourage us, laugh with us, and help us stay on course when we get a little too close to those trees.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening to this podcast.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: I invite you to subscribe and share it with others.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Dave Leighton, and remember we glorify God as together we travel with a purpose.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: Happy sojourning.