The Power of Story from Modern-Day Pioneers, Part I

How leaving it all behind saved their lives and their family

A storm was coming and I knew were short on supplies, so I headed to a store down the road to pick up what we needed. While waiting in line, I overheard a woman talking about a family that was traveling cross-country on horseback and was due to pass right through our area of Kentucky. Intrigued, I couldn’t help but ask her about it. She briefly summarized their journey and then showed me their Facebook page where the family had been documenting their travels. Little did I know, when I went back home that evening and researched L&L Manquest, that I would end up meeting this incredible family in person.

I was so inspired by their story that, on a whim, I decided to email the contact listed on their page. I had zero expectations anyone would respond. How much could a family pioneering their way across the country, with nothing but what they carried on horseback, be checking random emails coming in from complete strangers?

However, the next day, I received a response from a very polite young man named Levi who said they would be more than happy to share their story with me whenever it was most convenient. Through a series of honestly, unforeseen circumstances, I caught up with them deep in rural country about an hour from where I live. That particular evening, they had found respite on an Amish farm where they were invited to set up camp. It was almost sunset when I found the family huddled around the campfire. Each one stood up and personally greeted me (Dad, Joshua; Mom, Terra; Levi, age 18; and Lucus, age 16).

As soon as they greeted me, I was immediately humbled. I don’t even have words to express how their presence alone impacted me. As a writer, that is saying something… I don’t think I have ever met anyone as honest and truly sincere as the White family.

Feeling incredibly insecure that they were even willing to give up their valuable time to talk with me, I immediately declared, “Just so you know, I am a nobody. I am not a famous author or journalist. No one knows my name. I’m really just someone who has a blog and is passionate about sharing stories. That’s the extent of it. I really am… just a nobody.”

Terra quickly responded. “We are just nobodies and we don’t believe in coincidence anymore. Everything happens for a reason. We were supposed to meet you today.”

After we all were situated, close to the campfire which offered surprising warmth against the incredibly cold weather, Joshua began to share the story of how and why they embarked on this unexpected expedition.

HOW LEAVING IT ALL BEHIND SAVED MY LIFE AND MY FAMILY - JOSHUA WHITE

I was in THE darkest place in my life when I decided I was going to take our family on this journey. One of my closest friends had recently committed suicide and I thought, I was either going to kill myself like my friend or keep spiraling down. People cope; I was coping with everything that was in front of me. I was doing everything I could to find peace, but the depression kept pulling me in deeper. I realize now, that depression is your body’s way of asking you to change. And I am SO glad I embraced this change.

Don’t get me wrong it was scary. Deciding that I was not going to kill myself… that I was not going to dive into coping any longer; I wasn’t going to submerse myself into depression anymore. It was all so scary. Then, deciding to leave the driveway was terrifying. All of that was really hard. But I knew it was what I had to do.

Everyone thought we were insane. They couldn’t understand how we would just walk away. But in my opinion, I didn’t walk away. I simply paused my life. I paused it and I decided I was going to give it to my sons now. If you really think about it, the average American takes two weeks off a year. If you do the math on 18 years, that’s only 252 days you are willing to set aside for your family. I surpassed that in the first year of our trip.

People will commit in an instant to a 30-year mortgage or long-term car loan. They will obligate themselves to debt without any problem for image, or what we call “security.” But in my opinion, I think all of this brought me the complete opposite. It brought on a real lack of security. It made me unsafe because I couldn’t be myself anymore. When my father-in-law asked me before we left if I had gone crazy, I responded: “Crazy would have been me killing myself or losing my wife and kids.”

I thought when I started out on this trip that I was going to make up for lost time and teach Levi and Lucus all the things I had not originally taught them. But from day one, it’s been a four-way learning experience. Our whole family learns every day together. Learning has become a lifestyle for us. We seek it out with every step we take. We all collaborate and we all learn from each other. One of the most impactful lessons we are learning on this journey is the power of achievement, in particular for my boys, Lucus and Levi.

When we left, they were 15 and 13. Now they are 18 and 16. I am watching my sons experience true gratification. I never once felt the gratification that Lucus felt at 13, and Levi felt at 15, in my more than 40 years. If a parent would realize that yes, our kids are receiving these diplomas, but everyone is getting a diploma. What kids really need is an authentic sense of true achievement and the day-to-day conquering of real life. Terra and I are observers on this trip, mostly cameramen. From day one, Lucus and Levi have handled all the navigation, all the money, everything. This is their quest and we let them lead it.

We have had some serious challenges along the way. Terra got hurt in Kenneth, Missouri. We had an accident. She broke her wrist and had to go to the hospital to have surgery. On the bright side, it has been the only 911 call on this entire trip. We were actually supposed to be through Kentucky about a month ago, but she had to get eight screws and a plate put in her wrist. Interestingly, had we made it through, that was the same time all of the hurricanes hit the southeast hard. Even though it wasn’t what we wanted; it was like God told us to be still. So, we just surrendered. Had we gone through, who knows that would’ve happened.

Though our travels have been difficult, the suffrage is actually becoming truly the greatest gift of all of this. When it was the hottest, and we could eat or sleep, and at times even struggled to find water, we made it through that. When it was negative six and we were all huddled together near the fire fighting off the cold, those are the moments that I really reflect on the most. Those are the achievement points. But the truth is, what did primitive man do? The human body is the most amazing machine on this planet. And we have endured it. We have made it as a family.

We still struggle sometimes. It’s that word fear. We have to conquer it every day. We don’t know where we will be tomorrow night, or the next night. We don’t know if all the horses will behave all day. We don’t know if we will get hit by a car. The kids have become non-reactive. Which is the way I wish I would be. They don’t have that built-in fear that so many of us have. Fear of the unknown has stopped me my entire life from being who I wanted to be or taking the right opportunities for myself. That’s something that I hope someone who reads this story will hear and understand. It is just fear of the unknown. If you tell yourself, you have nothing to fear with the Lord right beside you, then you’ve got nothing to fear. Even if we still feel it, we just say it all day long. I have nothing to fear. And then we surrender and trust. There really is no other way to live.

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How does the White family’s willingness to walk away from it all to save their family challenge you to consider your priorities in your own life?

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Bio written by Levi & Lucus

Hello! We are the White Family (born and raised in Nevada, but beginning our journey from Susanville, CA), and we are on an adventure like no other. A homeschool journey across the United States; an epic adventure full of perils and praise. Our vision is to cross the United States within four years on horseback; a true depiction of our pioneering fathers. Our pioneering fathers were made of iron. Men cut from a cloth that is no more. They displayed a code of honor and chivalry and it is our goal to become such men. We have embarked on a quest to endure all that comes our way. To endure all weather, to freeze or burn. We will ride and train horses as we meet the world “head-on” at 3-30 miles a day. We will meet all creeds and colors of men in this world furthering their right to be in it. We will manage all of our money, plan our own travel, overcome all consequences and struggles, gain work ethic, learn bartering skills, and much, much more. Dire moments will be overcome with grace and significant moments overcome with humble acceptance as we journey on our manquest, Lord willing.

Note from Joshua & Terra

This epic adventure is not a sacrifice, rather a parent’s duty. We hope this will be the greatest gift we can give two of the world’s best boys. The goal is, everything in life will be considered easy after this. God’s Country is the greatest and most beautiful gift of all.

Live Don’t Just Exist

Follow the White Family as they complete this final leg of their journey:

https://www.llmanquest.com/