Copyright © 1997 / 2011    www.revivaltimes.com   All rights Reserved No portion of this site may be copied or transmitted without express written permission from Times of Refreshing Ministries. Web design & Hosting by : HostToGet.com Made with Xara Web Designer The Ministry of Gil & Loraine Howard-Browne 1989 Fleetwood Bounder motor home -   This was out first vehicle we got in 1991 about three months after we arrived in the USA.  We lived in it for two and a half years.  We went to the mall in it and did our shopping and trips to the laundry as it was our only vehicle.  What fun.  After about a year, we bought a mini van and towed it behind the RV.  My son slept on the front settee and my daughter on the dining table that folded into a double bed.   The bathroom/toilet was between the bedroom at the back of the RV and the front section.  This was quite a challenge with four of us in the RV, if someone was using the bathroom, whoever was in the bedroom at the back could not get through to the front.  Two roof air conditioners cooled us in the summer and a 20,000 BTU furnace warmed us in the winter.  We drove about 40,000 miles with this RV.   The photo on the right is a view from the drivers seat to the bedroom at the back.   There were no slide outs, so the width was about 8 feet.  It was a fun time and seved it’s purpose well.  After two and a half years of living in the Bounder, it became so full of our personal and ministry posessions, equipment and administrative files and folders etc, that we began to trust God for something bigger.  After looking at all the options, we felt a 5th wheel would be the answer.  The Travel Supreme, with furniture built by the Amish, was our choice.  So for six months we sang a song to the tune of White Christmas.  “I’m dreaming of a 40 Ft - 5th wheel.  With a bedroom front and back.  With a side isle bathroom, and 20 foot slide out, and a dishwasher to wash dishes in ....   LOL Well, the photo on the left, is the 40 footer we took posession of in 1994   When parked, and the slide outs extended, it was like a little home away from home. The main slide out was 21 ft wide and had a settee with foot rests.  The second slide out was the width of the queen bed.  I always joked that we slept with our heads outside.  We had a queen bed that was part of the slide out (small one at the back) and a closet the width of the back section.   My kids had a bedroom with closet, desk and double bunk.  My son slept at the bottom and my daughter at the top.  The 5th wheel, had a bathroom/ shower and a seperate toilet, which made life so much easier.  The furnace was a 40,000 BTU and kept us cozy in the winter.  There were other features that made road travel much more comfortable.  We had a convection microwave/oven, and a dishwasher and double sink. One of the customizations we had   20 Years ago, on March 20, 1991, my wife Loraine and I and our two children Jeremy and Jilleen arrived in the USA from South Africa.  That was 4,500 meetings ago and about 250,000 miles of  driving and countless flying.   Celebrate With Us and enjoy some of the photo’s and facts about our early days in the USA.     Our first home/vehicle in the USA was a desk with drawers build into the living room section for ministry administration, complete with filing cabinet.  I still use the filing cabinet, very well made and lightweight, which was the only loose piece of furniture, they had tucked away in a corner of the bedroom closet. We had a 28in TV and VCR/Hi Fi system in the living room, and a stacked washer / dryer next to the bathroom.  The only difficulty we had was it had to be towed by a Ford F150 V8 truck.  And being a 5th wheel, the mini van could not be towed behind and had to be driven by Loraine.   So, instead of sharing the driving as we did in the RV, we each had to drive to the next venue.    But it was wonderful, when we got to live travel free for the duration of extended meetings in an area.  We were in a church in Chicago for five weeks and that was great not having to drive long distances during that time. We traveled about 90,000 miles towing this 40 ft Travel Supreme.  It was quite impressive on the highway and was almost as long a an 18 wheeler truck.  Driving down the highwway at 70 MPH in the truck, you could hardly feel the 5 wheel behind, and it’s three inline wheels on either side, made for a smooth ride.  When you applied the brakes in the truck, you could feel the 5th wheel brakes on the six wheels engage and actually slow the truck down.   Quite amazing. But in January 1996, we moved to Virginia Beach and after about six months living at a camp ground, we decided to rent a house and live like normal people. And so ended the era of the “gypsey life” as my wife likes to call it.  LOL   But we thank God for that time and have many fond memories of all our travels and the many many meetings and lives touched during that season.  I want to thank God for bringing us to this great nation.   From here we have travelled all across the USA and into Canada.  We have been to China, Phillippines, Australia, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Scotland, and it has been an incredible journey.   Over 4,500 meetings and about 250,000 miles of driving and coutless hours of flying.  The best part of it is we got to see God touch the lives of thousands all over.  What a great experience.  But I also want to thank my wife, Loraine for honoring the call of God and agreeing to embark on this journey with me and to put up with all the hardships that we faced.  And I want to thank my son and daughter for making this time one of the most memorable.  Never once did they complain about cramped living conditions in the RV and were fully behind the ministry.   They often said, they had answered the call of God on their lives as well.  God will honor them for honoring Him when He called their parents into the full time ministry.  We also want to thank our dear friends who supported us in the early days and help us get established in the ministry.  More to come We will be adding to this page over the next few months as part of our ongoing celebration of this 20th year in the full time ministry.  CANADA USA SOUTH AMERICA EUROPE AFRICA ASIA AUSTRALIA Reports from around the world.  These are the countries God has taken us to.  Click Below