God was generously willing to grant us that request!
After setting out in our wagon, we drove a grueling 13 hour day (thanks to construction) from Spokane to the Yellowstone area of Wyoming where Jenno's sister & fam live. The next morning we were off again, going south into Colorado so we could take I-80 into Kansas for a family wedding. We got as far as Denver, when our car lost power & we took shelter under a highway overpass. Note the waifs & luggage.
However, God provided for us--one of Jenno's cousins lives in Denver & was able to come get us to stay the night with them. The car was towed to a local shop, where the next morning the mechanic pronounced it OK... test drove it & had no clue. So we stopped using the AC and drove into eastern Colorado... temps about 100 now. Oh yeah, and the dog was in the back too, on top of the sleeping bags in what we coined "her glovebox".
The wedding in Wichita was great, and we enjoyed the coolness of a hotel Sat night. The next AM we drove on to Kansas City, where we attended Providence Church (coincidence?), and then bombed on to Iowa just south of Des Moines. Walnut Woods State Park was wonderful...
until we went for a hike that ended up being a muddy trail with at least 4 downed trees. Only 15 hours before, a powerful wind storm had knocked down trees & limbs. Good thing we weren't camping here the night before! We washed off our muddy shoes & got into our humid tent. Mosquitoes were also happy to sneak in for a midnight feast. I woke up in the night to the noise of screech owls in the trees above. That was weird. I dozed off to sleep, until 5ish, when a thunderstorm moved in and rained on us. We broke camp, stashed the tent in the car, and got off to a nice early start.
We were starting to wonder if we had prayed for the right thing. But God knew best!
We arrived in eastern Wisconsin Monday afternoon and spent 2 weeks with relatives & friends. It was all worth it. And we were learning more patience there too.
We arrived in eastern Wisconsin Monday afternoon and spent 2 weeks with relatives & friends. It was all worth it. And we were learning more patience there too.
Finally it was time to pack up again, and drive off to see Jenno's brother in Iowa & his family. Enjoyed the fireflies so much. Then last Tuesday we drove on to South Dakota. We arrived at our favorite camping spot, Cedar Shores. Except it was covered with mayflies. Apparently they had hatched out that morning. We got there the one day they were alive. The kids were bummed out, but we moved on to a nearby campsite with a pool that was mayfly-free. We heard on the radio that a big storm was heading south of us that evening. After a nice swim & supper, we relaxed. Then I walked up the hill with the girls before bed to check the sky. We noticed a rapidly moving bank of clouds heading for us. Hmm. After I shot this picture, the clouds passed overhead 2 minutes later, and the wind hit. Meanwhile Jenno heard on the radio that the storm had veered northeast, and 60 mph winds were expected.
We scrambled to pull up the tent again & stuff tent, tarp, and all into the car, as sheets of rain started falling on us. We sat in the car to wait out the storm. At this point I was in High Grumbling Mode and sad to say was not the most patient dad. All of which served to remind me that God was quite willing to send whatever he needed into my life to humble me, and remind me of how patient He has been with me and my shortcomings.
"The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." 2 Peter 3:9
"Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?" Romans 2:3-4
So the end of the story is that we decided to not stay the night but drive on. Jenno and I switched off until dawn, then took a quick snooze and drove the rest of the way back to Spokane at which time I promptly broke my little toe. At this point however, I got the point and decided to exercise a little patience....
The dog in the glovebox, posing with the troops
A L'Abri helper named Paul saw me and arranged for the room where I would spend the night. I felt like no one was expecting me, but strangely I was not much bothered. I knew it would somehow work out. I had asked to stay for one week (all the time I could afford).
