A Trip With Many Unexpected Gifts

We knew that seeing our friends in Utah would be a gift and we were looking forward to it. Actually, I think we were feeling a little desperate for it. After finding out that our dear friend, Jennie, was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, we were longing for some time with her and her family. Knowing their struggle made us miss them all the more! To read more about her journey and to pray for her, visit her blog at: http://www.livingoutourhope.blogspot.com/
And visiting the Cross Family meant that we got the gift of visiting the Oldham Family too, which we treasured!

What I didn't expect was enjoying the fresh, just-picked-out-of-the-neighbor's-garden produce. We were delivered peas and strawberries, literally some of the best I've ever had. The kids got to pick more strawberries from the neighbor's yard and the adults got to pick cherries. It's pure worship for me! The company of friends coupled with nature and good food, unbelievable!

What I also didn't expect was to hit a deer on the journey home. And in normal God fashion, because He is THAT amazing, he turns difficult things into beautiful things. So, follow along as I recount God's goodness. First of all, we were going 85mph. (Speed Limit 80 :)). Airbags deployed. I went deaf for a few seconds from the "explosion." We were all a bit disoriented. We could have swerved and rolled, the deer could have come through the window or hit another car on the road. None of these things happened. Thanks, Lord. Secondly, seconds after the impact we gave thanks for our lives and safety. I have carried a renewed thankfulness for the gift of life and have heeded the warning that my children are "on loan" for a time to be trained and treasured. Third, a man pulled up shortly after and said he felt compelled to pull over and didn't know why. He didn't even see us until after he pulled over. We had the privilege of talking to him about Jesus for about 45 minutes. Please pray for David. Another show of God's grace was the fact that I got roadside assistance the day before we left out of town. I had forgotten about getting it and just "happened" to get a call asking if I was interested. We saw His care for us in other ways too: friends helping us figure things out, the prayers of friends and family, discounted hotel and car rental rates, safety through rain, hail, sleet and through one of Arizona's worst dust storms in history. (If you want to see footage of the haboob we drove home in go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAqPJxG0xJo )