Prior to meeting John in her workplace, Debbie, a single mother, had lost a young son in a tragic tractor accident. Her world stopped spinning while she and an older son mourned his death. John, immediately drawn to Debbie as the woman he intended to marry, shared his faith in God and an unbounded hope for life. In the first ten years of their marriage, John and Debbie coped with the deaths of both sets of their parents and the estrangement of her older son.

In 2000, Dow Chemical, U.S.A. downsized, and Debbie lost her job. Two years later, John, unable to accept some of the company’s policies, gave his notice. A week after, the company cut 58 more jobs. One of the positions had been John’s.

The stage was set. Rehearsal had begun shortly after Debbie’s layoff when they bought their new Skamper travel trailer and purchased a membership in a campground and resort system.

"We felt that God was loosening all our earthly bonds," Debbie says. "We decided to be full-time RVers, working wherever He might lead us."

When the Samples started out on that memorable romantic holiday in February, they first parked at Treasure Lake RV Resort in Branson, Missouri. Within a week, they followed a few twists and turns to Eureka Springs, Arkansas. A late winter snowstorm delayed their plans to move on. In the meantime, they discovered The Great Passion Play, a live outdoor presentation of the last seven days of the life of Jesus Christ on earth.

John accepted a job as a full-time seasonal day custodian at The Great Passion Play complex, which includes park-like grounds, an amphitheatre, a museum, and various guest services. For an entire season, his laughter and sweet spirit echoed across the property.

Although Debbie had never before worked in food services, she took a job as the daytime "snack shop lady."

"At first I panicked, but quickly remembered that John and I had prayed that God would lead us to places to serve Him," she says. "What a blessing and a joy for both of us to be in an environment that was receptive to sharing our faith with guests."

At the end of the summer season, John and Debbie dismayed their fellow workers with their plans to travel to Arizona for a winter job. "I really wanted to spend winters where I didn’t have to worry about my water pipes freezing!" John states. Upon arrival in the Arizona desert, the warm, dry climate of Quartzsite felt like home.

"The desert landscape was different from any place we’d ever lived," John says. "We had to adjust. But we found a niche at Holiday Palms RV Park, right in the midst of all of Quartzsite’s winter activities and traffic. We decided to put down some Workamping roots and stay year-round."

"We make the newsletter a bulletin board for tid-bits of good news, as well as announcements of upcoming events—both in the park and in town," Debbie says. "We also include recipes that guests want to share."

John does maintenance, pumps propane, and lends a friendly hand to arriving RVers. Although the park has off-site ownership, the Samples feel they are trusted employees and actually, receive little supervision in their tasks.

Debbie says, "When we applied for the job, we asked the owners if we could freely mention the name of Jesus. Their answer was: 'Absolutely!' That’s our primary concern when taking a job anywhere."

In the tidy office, Debbie greets guests with a contagious smile. In the windows, she tapes up small computer-generated posters with catchy phrases proclaiming her belief in God’s goodness.

Until their wanderlust takes over, John and Debbie plan to stay at Quartzsite. Wherever they go, their love grows—in the little places or the small services. They have suffered family losses through death and separation. However, they rejoice in their newfound relationships, discovered and nurtured by their roaming lifestyle.

"We tell our new friends that we believe God is leading us to different places," Debbie says. "Each day on the road is an adventure. We will not be ready to give up this lifestyle for a long, long time."