Yes, it sounds crazy. And it totally is crazy. We get that. I've nearly talked myself out of this a dozen times. And every time God confirms his calling in my heart. It's about looking beyond what our human minds can reason and choosing to let our hearts be Christ-like instead. There are many stories in the bible of people who were asked to do things that didn't make sense to the people around them. And they were always rewarded for doing it anyways! I'm not expecting to see a burning bush or a man being lowered through the roof on his mat on this trip, but I am expecting to be challenged. And that always means growth!
The timing of this trip was far from my own. Ask my friends, I have not been the most patient woman in all of this. I was ready to go weeks ago, and boy was my plan great! We were going to travel by RV or passenger van and camp our way across the US for the month of March. And here we are, 14 days later, in our beat up mini van that is duck taped together...with unreliable air conditioning...broken locks and windows...and a silent radio. Apparently luxury was not on God's list of requirements for this trip!
We piled into the van ( yes, literally piled) and said goodbye to the dog. The sense of peace that came over the car as we drove away was priceless! It felt so wonderful to finish what we had started dreaming about months ago. 10 minutes later, Kenzi asked if we were in texas yet. Oh boy.
About 100 miles out of town we stopped at gas station for a quick stretch and a snack. Mackenzi was paying for her shake and accidentaly knocked it over on the counter. The manager was less than thrilled. While helping to clean it up, my lovely little biy found himself a nice bag of cheetos. I almost said yes until the vision of orange residue all over the car filled my mind. I was shocked when he didn't like my answer (haha) and turned to help Kenzi finish cleaning the mes. The two men behind me started laughing as Graham began to do what I will forever call the "Cheeto Dance." It was as if he was wildly swinging a towel around, you can totally picture it in your head. Funny to me cause I'm his mom and I could see how badly he wanted these messy but yummy things, not funny to the manager. I knew in one look that I would now be required to purchase the smashed cheetos whether I wanted them or not. As I was paying for the darn cheetos (which were OF COURSE the spicy kind that my son would never eat and would be going directly in the garbage) the laughter from behind grew louder. Graham had opened the bag and dumped all of the cheetos onto the floor. The manager handed me a broom.
Our first stop of many had not gone so well. This is going to be an adventure all right!
Pulling back onto the highway I caught glimpse of a deer in the distance. I was amazed by it's beauty as it ran through the field. Strong, focused, fast. It had captured my attention for some reason. Not 5 seconds later, the deer chose to change it's course and was now heading straight for our path. I screamed. Kenny slammed on the brakes. The van went off the side of the road. The deer crossed the highway only missing the front of our vehicle by one foot going 70mph. The looks on the faces of the car behind us when they paced were enough to convince us that we had just nearly avoided a very fatal car crash. I don't think anyone would have walked away from a collision like that. It took minutes for us to catch our breath. Our entire family was in that car, and we just had a glimpse of what might have been the our last day on earth.
Why had the deer caught my attention in the first place? I am not the kind of person that enjoys looking out the window. And I don't particularily like deer. I am going to use it as a reminder to keep my eyes open wide on this trip. And to trust God's perfect timing.
Thankful tonight for my children safely snuggled in our hotel room, that my husband fixed our breaks just a few days ago, and for my new contacts that arrived last week. And for a God that has placed his arms of protection around us as we travel this unknown road.
