of yellow stones and relay races

When I was a little girl, I distinctly recall the schoolyard scene of being in my first relay race. All I had to do, when it was my turn, was run down to the marker, run back to my team and touch the hand of the next runner.

Simple.

Well, not to this five-year-old. Unsure of the unknown, crying was about the only thing that made sense to me. The race came and went, no one missed my absence, and I was relieved to be done with such a difficult confrontation!

A chicken at heart (yes, true confession), I have been lovingly taught—and have intentionally learned—to try the unknown. Joshua, on the other hand, ever the adventurer and enthusiastic tryer-of-new-things, would laugh and say “Oh, c’mon…just do it!”

And so...most of the time, I have.

It’s possible I’ve improved in my approach to such things since I was five…

but maybe just barely.

Our family has made some fun trips together through the years. In a van, a tent, motels, a motor home, covering many, many miles. With Joshua around, it was really never too scary to try something new; he knew how to drive, navigate and troubleshoot just about anything. (And if not, fake-it-till-ya-make-it!)

We had two trips on the top of our list at the start of 2022. One of them was Yellowstone National Park—a place Joshua had never been. Oh, and we needed to get there through Montana—another place Joshua had never been.

However, 2022 didn’t lend itself well to such trips. Now, it would seem that any such adventures must be spear-headed…by me. (Thanks, Honey.)

As I considered the anniversary of September First, wondering what that should look like, I could see Yellowstone in the distance. Boy, that was a long—and unknown—relay race.

But I could hear him laughing “C’mon Rebecca…just do it!”

The kids were all for it (thankfully, they inherited their daddy’s bravery), and with much preparation effort (packing camping food, clothing and sleeping paraphernalia for twelve was…well, I’ll leave that to your imaginations), we were bound for Yellowstone National Park on August 26th, with a ten day itinerary.

This is not a travel brochure, so you shall be spared details of all we saw and experienced (just go there yourselves!).

There is, in fact, a completely different purpose for this post.

The purpose of this post is to say:

God can be trusted!

Not just as a concept or idea…but literally!

“Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen heart, all you that hope in the Lord.” (Psalm 31:24)

There is a lot that can occur in two thousand miles, with eleven kids, one 15-passenger van and a utility trailer. A lot of good...and perhaps not so good.

But God.

But God protected us from danger when our trailer unexpectedly began breaking on the freeway…and provided a way of escape via an immediate exit and vacant lot…before the entire tongue gave way.

He provided us with a “good Samaritan”—a kind gentleman from the local “shady” neighborhood who offered us encouragement and a watchful eye until God provide a U-Haul replacement for our needs.

He protected us from mishap while we accidently took a “shortcut” which turned into a "longcut," on a rough, gravel road, going on for miles through a remote part of Idaho, into the early evening, with no reception…until we reached the highway once again.

He provided a solution to the conundrum of keeping breast milk frozen for ten days in a cooler. (Short answer: you can’t.) The solution? A friend’s freeze drier! (Who knew?!) She graciously dried plenty of donated breast milk for Hadassah to drink during our trip.

God gave protection when one of the kids had an unsettling health issue in the campground one morning.

Remember the U-Haul trailer? He provided an enclosed unit, which we later realized allowed us to conform more easily to the strict guidelines of Yellowstone in regards to completely enclosing all food-related cookware, stoves, and boxes overnight (because of bears). We would have had a difficult time without the U-Haul.

He provided views of wildlife to the eager searchers in our van throughout the trip…a sweet reminder to their mama of their daddy’s love for this search everywhere he went…and a kind reminder that our Heavenly Father loves to gift us with fun surprises!

He protected us from two threatening down-pouring nights in our tents, as the two separate thunderstorms “mysteriously” dissipated before they erupted into rain.

He provided funds for this trip through the kind generosity of neighbors who shared their garage sale earnings with our family “for something fun.”

He gave opportunities for us to share how we have seen growth, big and small, in each other’s lives during this past year. How special to hear the kids encourage and uplift one another in this way!

And ultimately, He provided this hesitant, timid heart with courage to do the unknown, to trust Him as a Husband, ask Him as a Father, and seek Him as a Counselor. Although it might have been a “bigger” challenge in my perspective, a trip to Yellowstone is truly no different than the requirements for the courage of everyday living.

Either way, I can trust Him.

“Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in His holy habitation.” (Psalm 68:5)

Please head over to the "Life in Pictures" tab to see more photos from our trip...

and from these past couple months.