An Unexpected Journey
One Couple’s Full-time RV Journey To The Edge of Death
by
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CHAPTER ONE March 2, 2021 William Beaumont Hospital ICU Royal Oak, Michigan The room felt dark and quiet. However, there were hushed voices and the constant sound of the monitors measuring the life slipping away. People came and went, as did consciousness. “This is hard.” Every breath was an effort. Inhaling did not produce the results that were needed. Every beat of the heart seemed to require energy that just was not there. Movement as slight as a blink was exhausting. How could this continue? In the room, my wife and eldest daughter kept offering their support. They quietly prayed and, through social media, urgently asked others to pray. They were convinced I was going to die. So was I. Desperately, they held out hope that they were wrong. But they assured me I could go. I mustered all the strength I had in me and asked for my wife and daughter. “I am out of gas. I cannot go on.” I assured them of my love and told them they would be OK. I needed to talk to my second daughter and tell her goodbye. She was home in Minnesota. Melissa dialed the phone and held it up to my face so that I could talk. I assured Raychel of my love and said goodbye to her. Leaving these women was the most challenging part of dying. But I was ready. I knew I did not have the energy to live. In my mind, it was settled. I was going to die. I told God I was ready to go, as if He needed my permission. He could take me home. It would be a relief. Somewhere else, someone else was also about to die. The room became deathly quiet and then went completely dark.
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About the Book
While traveling around the country, living and traveling full-time in their RV, Larry became critically ill. His Liver and Kidneys were in acute failure. The doctors in Texas said there was nothing they could do. So he and his wife, Mary, returned to Michigan, where they had lived before they started their journey, so that Mary would have support when he died. But there was an unexpected journey ahead.
About the Author
Larry Q. Allen retired after forty-five years of ministry. During that time, he was a pastor for thirty-four years and served as a leader within his denomination for eleven years. He earned his B.A. at Campbellsville University, a M.Div. at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and his D.Min. at Ashland Theological Seminary. He also taught ethics at Baker College. Since retiring, He and his wife, Mary, have been traveling and living full-time in their RV. So far, they have been to thirty-eight states in their RV. They have continued ministry as they RV. During the winter, Larry serves as a chaplain at an RV resort in Texas, and during the summer, he holds church services at an RV park in Wisconsin.