Author: millerrv

This post must begin with a short story from my childhood.  When I was 12 years old my father and mother took me and my brother (10 years old at the time) to the Grand Canyon.  Not only did we visit, we backpacked down into the canyon (about a one mile drop) across (about 10 miles) and back up the other side.  Of all the memories of my childhood, this one is the greatest and most profound to me.  As a child I remember the beauty, the grandeur, the immensity of the great Grand Canyon.  It impacted me greatly and as a result I recognize how it has effected me now even in my adult years.  The Grand Canyon is my first memory of backpacking, an activity that is among my most treasured to this day.  I have even begun the valued legacy of taking my children backpacking and teaching them skills to live in the outdoors.  And though backpacking has a special place in my heart, it is not the most profound impact I had on that adventure as a child so many years ago.

When I was hiking in the Grand Canyon as a child, the magical colorful tapestry cast it’s spell on me and I was given a “vision” that I would carry with me for the rest of my life.  Strange as it may sound, I remember the Grand Canyon as the first time I “knew in my heart” that I was going to be an entrepreneur.  Though I may not have been able to put it into words at the time, I did “receive” my first business idea in the high walled cliffs of that Great Canyon.  As a 12 year old boy, I envisioned myself selling candy bars in a make-shift vendor kiosk outside our local grocery store, putting the competition out of business by underselling them by 5 cents per candy bar.  As a child this idea was brilliant, and, though I did not follow through with this original idea, the vision to start my own business has followed me my entire life.  Often times when people ask me how or why I started my own business, I tell them this story.

So, as I have seen this childhood story inspire me throughout my life and prove itself to bear fruit, I was filled with greatest anticipation upon our arrival to the Grand Canyon.  The Canyon will forever hold a special place in my heart.  Like so many other places, words are inadequate to describe its wonder.  In an attempt to capture the awe and beauty of this place, we took many more pictures than this blog post could hold.  Of these pictures I also hand sketched a pictured of what I saw.  Please enjoy these pictures, that can in no way actually give you the experience we had on our visit.

A few noteworthy things to include in this blog:

At the east end of the park is a tower built in the 1930’s.  It was filled with native art and was in a beautiful lookout location.

We learned that scorpions glow in the dark under black light.  We found a tiny scorpion (about the size of a quarter) and, using Asher’s secret ink pen complete with a tiny black light, took a picture of the glowing creature at night.  Yes, the picture above is a real picture taken with my camera.  Weird, huh?!

The kids became official Jr. Rangers of the Grand Canyon.

And, of course, lots of family pictures by the rim.

Back at our camp, Caleb and Lydia created “Bug City” complete with a bug lounge, restaurant, and cabins.

Asher and Eva had camping plans of their own.

It maybe be many years before we will ever know if the Grand Canyon effected our children the same way it effected me.  One thing that is for sure, it is a beautiful place to work on school and learn about creation,

a place we will always remember.

Though not one of our original planned destinations when we began this trip, we decided it would be fitting to cross over into Mexico since we would be so close to the border and none of our children had ever been to Mexico before.  We decided to cross into Mexico south of Phoenix at a National Monument called “Organ Pipe Cactus” (a place we had never heard of before).  We spent two nights at the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and learned about how both plants and animals are able to survive in the harsh climates of the desert.  There was plenty of cactuses (hence the name of the park), lizards, sunny skies and dry air. It was quiet, peaceful, and not many people around.  Mel says the desert has its own kind of beauty and the variety of cactuses were quite fascinating. That about sums it up. And (of course) the kids earned their badges as Jr. Rangers.

The National Monument was only 5 miles away from the Mexican border.  We decided not to drive our motor home across since we would have been required by law to purchase Mexican auto insurance.  Since the nearest Mexican town, Sonoyta, was two miles from the border, we decided to ride our bikes across (we checked with the border patrol before we did this).  The bike ride was relatively uneventful.  We rode our bikes two miles into the town and back.  We spent about 1.5 hours in Mexico.  I would have liked to stay longer but we needed to get back since we weren’t prepared with enough snacks and water to keep us going in the hot sun.  If nothing else, the kids, for the first time, got to see a world quite different than the one they live in everyday.  It was fun, hot, and well worth the trip.

Short but sweet, another “first” adventure for the Miller family.

 

After recovering from our tire blow out in New Mexico (see post dated May 2nd), only 20 miles away from the border of Arizona, we were on our way again to visit Mel’s family in Chandler, AZ.  We were fortunate enough to time our stay with them during a birthday party for Mel’s cousin, Emily, so we were able to see many of her extended family all in one place for the party.  We even celebrated Mel’s birthday (April 23rd) while we were there with them.  Included in the party guests were her Uncle Paul and Aunt Rhonda, cousin Emily and her husband Matt along with his mother, Mary, cousin Dusty and his wife Caitlin, and 6 second cousins.  All in all a party of 19 people!!! It was a fun time had by all.

Of the festivities, playing at the pool was among the highest rated activity of the children.

And to all us Seattle folk, we were caught by surprise to find ripe grapefruit hanging from the trees in the back yard.  It was the first time we have ever eaten grapefruit straight off the tree.  The fruit was even still warm from the sunlight.  Nothing like sun ripened fruit.  YUM!!!

In the morning we attended the local Nazarene church service and went out to lunch with the family at Cafe Rio.

The two days we stayed with them was a blast though not nearly long enough.  It was a special treat to see our families and young children together, playing with each other and seeing how much everyone has grown since we last saw one another.

Arizona Family, it is our prayer that God will continue to bless all of you and that your family will grow and flourish.  We look forward to the next time we will be able to see you and the continued explosion of the young ones.

One of the greatest joys of this trip (though sometimes a frustration) is limited access to internet and technology.  It gives us an easy excuse to ignore our phones and computers and focus on the REAL things in life.  Spending time with each other (we had a date night last night), our children, and being in nature always pay back greater dividends than staring mindlessly at a screen for hours on end.

Because of limited internet access this post will be short and to the point with no pictures.  I would love to display all the pictures of the last 3 or 4 locations we have visited since our last blog post, but I will be glad if I can even get this blog to post.

Since arriving in Arizona we have visited Mel’s family South of Phoenix, visited Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (I had never heard of this place before either), crossed over to Mexico, spent three nights at the Grand Canyon (maybe the best pictures of the trip so far) and just arrived at Zion National Park yesterday.

Here is a quick summary of our plans between now and the end of our trip:  Bryce National Park, Arches National Park, Four Corners, visiting family in Utah north of Salt Lake City, driving through the corner of NV, visiting family in Boise, ID and spending time with new friends in Deary, ID.

That’s it for now.  Short and sweet.  I hope that once we regain connection with the virtual world, I can share all the pictures and stories of our trip.  Until then, please take some time to live in the REAL world and spend extra time with your family, friends and in nature.

With over 20,000 miles driven on this trip, it should come as no surprise to us that we would encounter a second road hazard.  Like our first tire blow out in Florida, we had another tire blow out on the opposite side of our motorhome on our drive through New Mexico on our way to Arizona.

Now that we consider ourselves “seasoned” RVers, the terrifyingly loud “BANG!!!” we heard from the left rear of our motor home as we drove 75 MPH down the interstate did not put us into the state of panic the way it did the first time it happened to us.  The instant I heard the noise I knew what had happened.  We pulled over, I got out, and I confirmed my suspicion.  After saying a quick prayer as a family, we began driving on the shoulder for 17 miles to the nearest town.  In that time, Mel called around and found a tire repair company that had the replacement tire we needed in stock.  It was as if we were running a routine drill.  The hazard was not going to get us down.

When we got to the tire shop, we realized that we were definitely out in the middle of no where.

This tire shop was by far the least refined of all the repair shops we have been to on the trip.  When stuck in the middle of nowhere, one can not be choosy about the appearance of his surroundings.  Though “unrefined” the service was excellent and the owner was very personable and I even got chatting with him a bit in his office as we were completing the paperwork.

As I further evaluated the damage, I realized that as the tire blew open while we were driving, some collateral damage was inflicted.  The force of the outer treads of the tire ripped under the RV, smashing it’s underside and bending two chambers below.  One area that was damaged was a storage compartment for the main plumbing/black-gray dump.  A flexible hose and dump piece were both destroyed, but both parts were easily replaceable.

Another minor thing that happened was the outside tire shield around the tire fell off somewhere on the freeway.  I simple part to replace.

The other damage was to the underside of the kitchen cabinet.  The sheet metal frame was ripped open and a hole the size of a small dog was created.  I worked at bending the metal back into place, but the access to the space was not good and I was only able to re-bend the metal slightly.  In the end the hole was about rat sized.  I plan on using some spray foam to fill in the void so that we will not have animals of any size squeezing through the hole.

All in all, just another adventure on our trip of a lifetime.  With little worry or stress, we were back on the road.  Arizona here we come!

(Heads up, this is a long blog post. Hopefully, you will find it worth it to read to the end! ❤ )

39. Yep, that’s how old I am as of just last week. I’ve made it to the last year of my 30’s. In the scheme of life I know that 39 really isn’t that old, but a little over a month ago, I didn’t think I would make it. If you remember, I had some sudden heart issues come up in the month of March. (If you’re new to our blog, go back to our March blog posts to get caught up on all the craziness of that month.)

A few days before my birthday, Josh asked me what I thought of all of what happened to me. Why do I think it happened? What might its purpose be? Is there something God was showing or teaching me during that time?  Prior to him asking, I had already begun my reflections on all that happened, as I suppose most people would. But in the busyness of the last few weeks, I hadn’t taken the time to finish reflecting and share with everyone here. I’m glad he brought it back up.

First off, we’re still not sure of what caused my heart to race suddenly in the middle of the night during sleep. I have had the gamut of tests run on my heart between my 2 ER visits, 2 cardiologist appointments, an ultrasound, and wearing a heart monitor for 30 days. Nothing conclusive has come up. There was the possibility of low calcium/magnesium and low potassium. Those showed up in my blood work but not to the level that would cause my heart to race. (I am now very consistent with taking my supplements, just in case.) There’s the possibility that I had too much caffeine in my system and threw off my body. While that was true of the first time it happened, I had been completely off of all caffeine and any stimulants when the second episode happened 6 days later. My thyroid levels are good, the structure of my heart looked good, and my heart functioned exactly as it should, even in the times it was racing. Since all that checked out, one ER doctor mentioned anxiety as a possible culprit. There was also the possibility of my hormones being off balance, which apparently can happened to women starting around their late 30’s into early 40’s. In fact, I had 3 friends reach out to me saying that they had something similar happen to them around the same time in their lives and they’re fairly positive it was hormonal. Which leads me to…

Care. Through this health struggle, God has shown me how much He loves and cares for me. He showed me the community of people in my life that love and care for me as well. So many friends and family from all over reached out to say they were praying, to give a word of encouragement, and to share their own health journeys to stand in solidarity with me in mine. On top of that, God showed me I can trust that no matter where I am, He is holding me and my family. The fact that this all happened when we visited my brother and sister-in-law was His provision and grace. We were at a place we knew our children could be watched after with my various visits and appointments. My heart was truly uplifted by all the amazing people God has put in my life.

Anxiety. As I mentioned above, one ER doctor said anxiety could be an underlying factor. Josh told the doctor, “Mel is the least anxious person I know.” Honestly, just as Josh said, I didn’t think I was that anxious of a person. Sure, Josh and I have been praying through some hard things but it wasn’t any more stressful to me than other hard times in my life. But, I felt the Lord using this to help me search my heart and see what I was holding on to. I knew that if there was anything I wasn’t releasing to Him, I wanted to let it all go. I don’t want to live with anxiety and fear. In scripture it says “His perfect love casts out all fear” and “to cast ALL my cares upon Him.” And so, that’s what I started to do. I asked God to fill me with His perfect love and show me anything that I was holding onto, even the slightest bit. Here’s what God revealed I was anxious over: choosing the right schooling option for our children next year; what will we be doing and where will we be at in life next year based on our experiences on this trip; even down to the constant battle in my mind that I’ve had over my weight and appearance since I was a little girl.  There was one more though…

Fear. One aspect of my life I didn’t realize was holding such a tight grip on me came to reveal itself while I was at my brother’s church in Kansas City, MO. At the end of the service, the pastor invited anyone who wanted prayer for anything to come to the altar to be prayed for. Josh and I went down and had my heart prayed over. When we sat back down, the pastor told people they could leave but if they wanted to stay longer, he was going to open up a time of testimony. I felt very strongly that the Lord wanted me to stay in the room. I didn’t understand why until one woman stood up and shared about her own health struggles and needing to come to a place of releasing her children to God, trusting that He would take care of them and provide for them, even if she died. A flood of emotions crashed over me. In that instant, I knew I was holding on to my children with way too tight a grip and wasn’t trusting God to care for them. As I sat there crying and praying for forgiveness for my lack of trust, a woman came and prayed for me and I could feel God’s peace wash over me. I know that He loves and cares for my children so much more than I ever could and that no matter what, whether I live or die, He has them in His hand.

Death. The concept and truth of death is something the Lord has been speaking to me and solidifying in me over and over on this trip. We have been to multiple National Parks now. In almost every place we’ve been, we have learned how fires, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are actually good. While they are tragic at the time, there is evidence that without them, new life would not be possible. There are seeds that cannot grow until they are burned by fire. There are plants and wildlife that cannot thrive unless the things that do not belong in an area are swept away to make way for their survival. There are such things as nurse logs, which are trees that have fallen down, and in their death they have become a nutrient rich habitat for new plants to grow. Isn’t it fitting that God would set up natural examples in life to teach us spiritual principles? To show us the truth of Jesus dying for us, then raising to life to conquer death, so that when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior, repent and die to ourselves and what we want in life (our earthly and fleshly desires), and receive His Spirit to empower us in this life we truly LIVE! We get to live with Him for all eternity, starting now and continuing after we pass from this life to the next! How great is our God!

Perspective. About 5 years ago, the Lord began breaking my heart for the most vulnerable in our world, especially children. He began showing me how due to extreme poverty, children are especially susceptible to trafficking, being orphaned, and getting sick and dying from completely preventable diseases and lack of health care. That’s when He connected me with World Vision and opened the way for me to volunteer as a Child Ambassador, to speak up and share what is happening to these children, HIS children, and how we can be a part of bringing change and healing to them and their families. If you recall from a blog post in February about my trip to Guatemala, I had the amazing opportunity to meet our little sponsored girl’s family. I did not get to meet her because a month before I was set to go, little 2 year old Vanesa passed away from a heart condition she was born with. The community we sponsored her in was just starting out with World Vision and did not have close or adequate health care to ever take care of her condition. On top of that, they simply didn’t have the money to take her to the doctor. It was in her death and the meeting of her family that the Lord broke my heart even more for His hurting children. How fitting, then, is it that I ended up with my own heart problems. Perhaps it was to help me realize how blessed we are to live where we do with a stable income that could provide for all the sudden health care costs AND to speak up even more for those who live in the poorest corners of our world who have nothing when health care (and other) crises come up. We CAN do something about it! We can sponsor a child for a mere $39 a month (such a drop in the bucket for so many of us) and make a way for a healthy, thriving life for that child, their family, and their community. (Just so you know, when I met Vanesa’s family I learned she had an older sister, Karla, who was eligible for sponsorship. We now sponsor her and are able to maintain a connection with that family. I know the Lord brought us together! Through death, new life is beginning to happen for them and their whole community!)

Life. I told Josh while he was with me in the ER, when I thought for sure I was dying, that I wanted my death to bring new life for others. I wanted my memorial service to be full of worship music that draws people into the amazing life with Jesus and instead of people bringing flowers (or whatever else people bring to memorial services) I wanted children to be sponsored. I wanted so many little faces displayed where people could choose a child to accept into their extended family and see their lives grow and flourish. I essentially wanted to be that nurse log that creates a habitat for new life to grow. I’m obviously not dead yet. God still has more for me to do on this earth. So I will keep on living as He wants me to and I will keep on speaking up for the poor and vulnerable in our world and asking anyone and everyone who’s heart is willing to sponsor a child through World Vision to do it. Reach out to me if you feel the Lord tugging on your heart. In fact, here’s a link for you to go choose a child right now. www.worldvision.org/sponsor-a-child?campaign=316014201

So, in a nutshell, what have I learned? That God is Good no matter what, He’s taking care of me and my family, He has me exactly where He wants me, I can completely trust in Him for all things, and He uses ANY situation for my good and the good of others.  And I know He promises the same for you when you choose to trust and obey Him too! Thank you, Jesus!

We thought it would be fun and insightful to ask the kids what they liked most about the Homestead and what they learned.  Mel and I also participated in these questions.  Here are our answers:

Caleb:

I liked being with Blake (professional woodworker).  I made three wooden spoons and a cutting board.  I was starting to make a ladle but I ran out of time.  It was fun and challenging.  It is using your hands and I like working with my hands, and I like watching other people do it.  It fascinates me.  I  liked helping Grady (manager of the dairy and butcher shop) with cows and at the butcher shop.  I learned that milking a cow by hand you need to hold the top of the teat with your top two fingers and squeeze the milk out with the bottom three fingers.  I liked helping my dad with the electrical work.  I liked that I was learning how to do electrical work and I like working with my dad and that I was learning a new skill that I have never learned before.  I liked the Friday night meetings where I met a lot of new people and made a lot of new friends like William & Wyatt.

Lydia:

I liked making the jumper.  Its like a dress that is a tank top except that you wear an undershirt with it.  I liked making it with Sister Nancy, it was fun talking with her.  She showed me how to use a sewing machine to make it.   It was fun to make because I have not made one before, and it was a new experience.  I also liked helping with the farm animals; chickens, goats & ducks.  I liked milking the goats since I have never done that before.  I made new friends, Rayna, Hanna (x2), Anna, Hosanna & Susanna.  Everyone was nice and pleasant.   Everyone was also very generous.  I also liked helping out with the little kids because I want to learn how to babysit.  They are really fun and cute and it was fun to give them rides.  I liked them because they did different things and rode their bikes and it was fun to see them having a good time.

 

Asher:

I liked doing pottery.  I liked making a candle holder, a cup for my stuffies, a pinch pot, a candy dish and a plate for my stuffies.  I liked to milk the cows, and squeeze the utters and put the milk in the jars.  I liked the ducks and ducklings and goats and donkeys.  I made a lot of friends, Sean, Jeremiah, Jonathan, William & Wyatt.  They were friendly and they like to play tag & hide and seek.  Sean likes to play hunting.  I liked playing Duck, Duck, Goose with my friends.  I counted all the kids playing Duck, Duck, Goose at the picnic.  There were 30 kids the first game, 40 the second game, and 90 the third game.  I liked to make hot pads.  I made two hot pads, I almost made a third but I didn’t get to it.  And I liked to pick up the goats at the petting zoo and pet them.  I learn to not do screens and to not wear jewelry because you look beautiful without jewelry because God made you that way.

Eva:

I liked having the lollipops from the market.  I liked playing with my friends.  I liked to hide from people when it was time to go so that I could stay longer.  That was the game.  The baby animals were so cute and I loved picking up them.  The baby sheep was my favorite.  I learned to be quiet when the meetings were going.  I loved playing in the tree house.  I learned how to make a candle and a candle holder.  I made lots of friends.  I liked to play with them.  I played lots of things like…I don’t know.  Duck, Duck, Goose was my favorite.  That was everything.

Josh:

I liked the people who lived there the most.  I was especially impressed with the children and young adults.  I have never seen such respectful and good-hearted young people.  All the children (young kids to teenagers) hung out together.  It was refreshing to see teenagers engaged with people, both older and younger than them.  The teenagers are actually a very vital part of the community and are part of the reason the community is able to serve those of us who visit the community.  During the conference (we attended a week long conference there) the young adults were cooking lunches and dinners for the adults for the entire week.  I heard that they cooked a total of 4,000 meals that last week we were there (all voluntarily).  I liked that everyone in the community plays an important role to the whole and everyone seems to be grateful for their place in the community regardless of what they are doing.  I learned a lot about how people can work together to create a culture that resembles the culture of the first church recorded in the Bible in Acts 2.  I was impressed that so many people could be unified together for a cause and that their motivation didn’t come from monetary payment.

Mel:

I liked the relationships that we built, all the people that we met.  During the conference we met many people from around the world, which I loved!  I liked how we were cared for by the community like we were family.  It’s going to sound funny, but I liked how I cried all the time because I felt the Holy Spirit moving and touching my heart multiple times.  I liked learning about gardening.  For some reason, I’ve always felt I wanted to garden but I just needed someone to show me how. I liked learning about the Bible more, in depth in a way that I had not had in a long time.  I like that no matter where we are in life we have the community at Homestead who care for us, who are praying for us, and are there to support us.  While at the Homestead I had my 39th birthday. It was a birthday I’ll never forget.  They surprised me and gave me gifts (not that that is important). I just felt so special and loved by the community there.

 

After escaping the Colorado snow storm we traveled back to a place that has now become familiar to us, the Homestead Heritage.  For those who have not followed closely, let me quickly summarize our previous time there.  In late February we stayed at the Homestead Heritage for 4 days, quickly followed by 2 additional days.  Then, after spending about two weeks in the Kansas City area, we spent another 9 days there in late March.  Now, after just completing a 12 night stay at the Homestead Heritage, we have, in 2 months, spent 27 days of our 10 month trip in one location.  At this point, I (Josh) could flood this blog post with endless details and pictures of events and activities of the last two weeks (and maybe I will in a different post).  But that is not the purpose of this post today.  Today, I will attempt to summarize how our visit to the Homestead Heritage has become a turning point in our lives.

Now before anyone jumps to conclusions, I want to start by saying that we are planning on coming back home in June (as we had originally planned), and are making no plans to move to Texas.  We have had a few close friends and family concerned about such ideas, so let me put your mind at ease so you can hear the message I am attempting to communicate without filtering it through preconceived fears.

When we originally set on this adventure 9 months ago (yes we have been gone that long), many asked us what our reasons or purpose for this trip were.  We were still sorting through our own thoughts, emotions and actions at the time.  It was easy to talk about concrete reasons such as adventure, family bonding, learning history, and even growth for our marriage.  But what was a greater challenge to explain was a feeling that was seated deep within us that words struggle to express.   Below, I will attempt communicate these deep-seated feelings.

In the days leading up to our departure from Seattle, a heart felt stirring in us for something we did not understand was beginning to bubble within us, so much so that it was overflowing and making itself known to us consciously.  I speculate that it was the same feeling Abram (Abraham), from the Biblical Old Testament, felt when he first heard an unfamiliar voice in his own heart, compelling him to leave everything he knew to explore “a land I will show you” (Genesis 12:1).  In our day in age we have an advantage over Abraham to read the accounts of those who have came before us in the Bible.  Abraham, though, was a pioneer of faith (called the Father of Faith) because he had no Bible to read in order to decipher this strange new feeling that was bubbling up inside of him.  He followed this feeling in his heart and, as we now know from the account of his life recorded in the Old Testament, he discovered this voice to be none other than the One True God, revealing himself to Abraham.

In the same way, as we began this trip, we also followed a stirring emotion within us, that we struggled to understand.  But now, as we have nearly completed our trip, I am confident that this stirring was the same stirring that Abraham felt.  I presently believe that the primary purpose for our trip, lead by this stirring, was to allow us to discover Homestead Heritage.  Not necessarily to leave everything we have and move there as was the case with Abraham, but to lead us to a place and show us something that would forever change our lives.

What is it that we have been lead into that we have discovered when we followed this stirring in our hearts?  The answer to this maybe be just as difficult to express as the stirring I have just explained above.  We discovered- not a physical place such as a community of farmers in Texas.  No, we discovered something that transcends physical location.  In my limited understanding, it has been revealed to us a deeper experience of the spiritual community of Christ than which we have ever experienced before.

A community of Judeo-Christian believers who, I believe, demonstrates the power of God working within their lives in greater evidence than I have yet been familiar.  A community that follows the teachings of Christ more completely.  Not a perfect people, yet not either through legalistic adherence to a set of man-made rules, but a community that follows Christ’s words and example to “Lay down your life for one another.”

Let me ask the reader this, have you ever experienced a community of people who demonstrated a sacrificial love for one another?  Who do not compete to be better than others as is the social norm that I find all around me?  Who define greatness with their actions by cooperating with each other to serve one another?  Who lay their lives down for one another? Maybe many of us can say, including myself, that we have experienced such a love from a mother, father, family member or friend.  But have you ever seen a community of people doing this together?  I have not.

If then, your answer is yes, than nothing I am saying here today will have any amazing value to you.  But to me, I have not, and this experience may forever shape the way I see life.  I have not just read about a theoretical lifestyle that Christian believers are supposedly to live by.  No, I have experienced first hand, the Body of Christ in action.   I have experienced a model for life that has real value and meaning to me and I, in the presence of everyone who will listen, commit myself and my life to following this example which has so clearly and powerfully been shown to me.  A life truly surrendered to God.

These are the words that I use to express an experience and an emotion that are, for me, beyond the realm of human language.  I hope these words to you have not come across as meaningless babble, but that you might understand even a sliver of what has happened to me.  My prayers are with you all and I look forward to soon seeing, in June, those whom are back home in Seattle.

Despite the rapid exodus detailed in our previous blog post, we had an absolutely wonderful, beautiful, warm and sunny time in Colorado.  Staying at my Aunt Joanne and Uncle Raj’s house, we had the luxury of escaping the small confines of our motor home to spread out and take over the two bedroom, one bath downstairs of their house in Castle Rock, CO.  We spent 5 nights there, enjoying their company as they pampered us and spoiled our children.  Like some posts in the past, I believe this one will best be communicated under the idea that “a picture is worth a thousand words”.   The pictures below, then, embody tens of thousands of words worth of descriptions:

Hiking as a family:

Garden of the Gods National Heritage Site:

Hanging with the Family:

Breakfast with the Family:

Natural Beauty:

Arts and Crafts:

Playing with Legos:

Speaking tens of thousands of words through pictures, it is clear to see the beauty, fun and quality family time we enjoyed during our week long trip to Colorado.  Thanks again, Aunt Joanne and Uncle Raj.  We were privileged to get to know you guys more and blessed by you two with your love, hospitality and  generosity.

Up until this point in our trip, we have spent considerable time and effort traveling to and enjoying the amazing displays of nature hidden throughout our country.  These spectacles include but are not limited to Yellowstone, Glacier, Tetons, Niagara Falls, the Great Lakes, the Smoky Mountains, and the Everglades, just to name a few.  So now, I feel a slight irony, as we flee from a mighty showcase of nature’s power and wonder.  Our week long stay in Castle Rock, CO with my Aunt Joanne and Uncle Raj (blog post with amazing pictures soon to come), came to an abrupt and early end.  Thankfully, our trip was only shortened by one day, and our ability to be flexible and mobilize quickly paid off in ways never before seen on this trip.

Last Tuesday night, as we attentively watched the national and local weather, it become evident that it would be necessary to leave Castle Rock early in order to avoid a massive spring blizzard.  We prepared ourselves mentally and emotionally for the next day ahead of us.  Waking up the following morning, there was an electrifying energy in the air which motivated every member of our family to stay on task, quickly pack up our RV and promptly leave.  The news reports were continually increasing their predictions of force and severity of the eminent threat.  The local governments offices had declared a mandatory closure at 2 pm that afternoon to assist workers to get home before the storm.  In record time, we sped away from my family’s home at 10 am Wednesday morning.

The air was heavy and the feeling of snow hung dense around us.  The force of the wind pushed against our motor home so much so that one might have mistaken me for flying a giant kite, not driving an automobile.  As soon as we began to drive, the rains began to fall, and and temperatures began to drop.  Traveling towards the freeway, I felt like the child in the “Never Ending Story” fleeing from “the Nothing.”  The weather report from CNN news, as we continued to race away, was “Another ‘bomb cyclone’ is hitting the Rockies and the Plains with blizzard conditions”(https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/10/us/blizzard-severe-storms-wednesday-wxc/index.html).

We drove for six hours that day, heading further and further south away from weather that would surely be disastrous to our motor home.  We made it into New Mexico, and though the wind continued to be fierce, the sun was shining brightly, making it difficult to believe we had, just hours earlier, escaped blizzard like conditions.  But the evidence was clear as we looked at our weather app.  As the evening went on we continued to look at the app, amazed at what we saw.  Just the day before it was 70 degrees and sunny.

Traveling further south, we camped at an RV park in Amarillo, TX.  I was filled with an energetic joy, the kind of feeling I would imagine one might feel who tempted death yet escaped alive.  We had made it away and hadn’t suffered any damage from the storm!  The excitement of the day lasted all night long.  In the morning, my Aunt texted us pictures of the carnage which we had barely avoided.  So, all that to say, we have now, for the first time on our trip, fled nature instead of embraced it.  Some experiences, I believe, are better left untouched.