Sisters In Service

Why Lindsey and Lee Ellen Fulmer spent a year visiting every state in America

- Alikay Wooda

LINDSEY FULMER WAS TRYING to relax after her hectic day. But her mind wouldn’t stop racing with a crazy idea she couldn’t get out of her head. Then the phone rang. It was her sister, Lee Ellen.

“Hey, Lee Ellen!” Lindsey checked the time. She was living in Oklahoma for an internship with a missions ministry, and Lee Ellen was still at home in South Carolina, working on her college degree. Lee Ellen was probably driving home from class.

“I just had the craziest idea. And I know you’re going to have to pray about it because you pray about everything,” Lee Ellen said. “What do you think about taking a road trip after I graduate?”

Lindsey gasped. “To all 50 states?” she responded.

“How did you know?” Lee Ellen said.

It was exactly what Lindsey had been thinking about for weeks. She’d already done a ton of research—even going so far as to start a Pinterest board for inspiration. Then reality set in. She had her internship to complete and student loans to pay. She couldn’t just leave, and she wouldn’t feel right going off on a lark unless it helped others somehow. So she stopped re­searching and didn’t mention her secret dream to anyone. Not even her little sister.

Lindsey couldn’t believe her ears.

“I’m in!” she practically shouted. 

The sisters agreed they wanted to spend a week volunteering at a local nonprofit in each state. Could their service inspire others to serve?

Once their vision for the trip was settled, Lindsey started planning. She made a budget and bought an old­ fashioned wall map to plan their route. Faced with the considerable planning that the trip entailed, Lee Ellen, however, began to have doubts.