Six people, a dog, and a tiny camper, oh my!

Over the last 3 summers, our family has lived in a small 28 foot camp trailer. When we bought it, it seemed perfectly fit for our family of five, who were setting out to see if moving back to Montana (the birthplace of two of our children then) was the right thing to do.

We came up on a semi-vacation with our trailer, stayed a couple of weeks, scoped out business opportunity, houses, and land, and of course, visited Glacier Park! And we ended up finding a great rent house on the lake with the help of our realtor niece. The landlord was wonderful and seemed to like our family right off the bat. Through a series of God-ordained events, we felt all the arrows pointing us back to Montana and a door open for us, though we did not know exactly why. What we didn’t realize is that our vacation camper we bought when our tiny kids were 9, 11, and 13 would become our “home away from rental home” with ever-growing kids now aged almost 2, 12, 14, and 16. (Oh yea, we added a child in there… :-))

Since our rental home on the lake is only a winter home, we have lived at least 5 months out of every year crammed together in a small space. Property prices are high in Northwest Montana, whether buying or renting, and have only increased since we came back. So we have been forced to stay in our camper, and as we have found out, many other families here are in similar positions. The small living quarters have been an adjustment, to say the least. The once perfectly sized bunks for the girls are now closing in on them as they have to hunch over in their beds if they want to raise up. Our 16 year old moved to the couch last year and her feet are dangling off of it as I type… The camper has become increasingly smaller with each passing year, especially with the addition of our baby boy, now an active toddler. However, our family has only grown closer to each other (literally) and closer to God through the process of learning to be content. And people take notice. Many people in the RV parks we’ve stayed in have remarked how happy and well-behaved our girls are, or what a nice family we are. I can’t attest to us being such a great family at all times, but it makes me glad to know that even in this trying time of wondering what God is doing with us that we are still witnesses for His glory.

Anna De Lay

I am a wife, homeschool mom, musician, and songwriter; but most importantly, I am a daughter of the King. My heart’s desire is to draw closer to God and bring other people with me! Truly, there is no greater joy.