Thirsty

It’s just barely 3 o’clock in the morning and I’ve woken up to the vision of our 80 pound mastiff jumping up on her back legs with a look of utter despair on her face.  My response to this vivid dream was to scream (yes out loud…my poor family) “she’s thirsty, give her water!”  Just another “crazy dream”?  I think not.  I believe it’s actually God humbling me a little bit, telling me I love my animals, who already have their ticket to heaven, more than the thirsty souls I meet: friends and family alike.  Immediately after I awoke with a start, I got out of bed to check the dog’s water bowl (full), chugged some water myself (I’m sunburnt, and I’ll get to that in a minute), and read my Jesus calling devotional on how God’s people continually grumbled (that’s me!).  Ok, I’m awake…at now 3 a.m…but it did finally cool off to 80 degrees, praise God!

We finally made it to Texas, Big Bend National Park to be exact.  Although the park is 800,000 acres of strikingly beautiful land, mixed with desert, mountain, and river, through a youtube video we watched on Big Bend and specifically it’s Hot Springs (which Eric has been craving since we left Wyoming), through circumstances of Rio Grand Village (RGV) being the only place we could camp due to our generator’s daily task of charging our batteries, through the heat, and through our family’s deep love for water (literally, I think Addalynn’s growing a tail, Ethan had swimmer’s ear last night, and Abram, can’t forget Abram 😉, napped in the reeds yesterday, baby Moses style), the Hot Springs draw us like you wouldn’t believe!  Did I mention that we tried to drive up into the mountains one day to ‘beat the heat’ and Black Coffee our jalopy jeep (sorry Eric) overheated, directing us once again back to the river.  Oh and yesterday, Sunday (how clever Lord, Your day!), the nature trail with the secluded beach was closed…so it was back to the Hot Springs once again!  Mind you it was the weekend, on spring break, during peak season in Big Bend: to say it was crowed would be an understatement.  But the crowds at the springs come in waves as Eric says (no pun intended).  Yesterday Addalynn and Ethan hiked from RGV to the springs (a 2.8 mile “Moderate” hike) and let me assure you it was no coincidence they did awesome!  Abe and I hiked to the springs from the other direction where you drive your 4wd in to a parking lot only a quarter of a mile (“Easy” hike) from the springs.  The spring itself (about 105 degrees) is surround by rocks built by a masonry who a guy named Lankford hired back in 1912 to help heal his Tuberculosis.  And healing pool it is!  It waterfalls into the Rio Grand River (80 degrees) where the melding of the two is a little piece of heaven.  Across the river is Mexico, but the people there are so elusive the way they delicately (and trustingly) place their beautiful, hand-crafted trinkets on the trails with money jars beside them.  Although you are literally right on the border, you feel safe being in a National park and not on a hopping street with people everywhere (my dreaded foreign experience).  In fact, you see cattle, goats, and donkeys far more than you see the Mexican farmers and ranchers themselves!  And to boot, you hear them coming for a drink by the sound of their cow bells ;o) Hopefully I’ve been able to paint a picture of how mystical and almost magical this place really is (if I haven’t, remember we’re always looking for more vagabonds to go with us!)  This Hot Springs being awesome and in a National park brings people from all over the world to, at the very least, dip their toes in (although most don’t spend all day there like we do! Hence my sunburn from yesterday). 

Back to my dream.  I believe God is drawing us to this particular Hot Springs because people are thirsty and need healing just like Lankford did!  But not the thirst and healing of the body (although we need that too!) but of the soul.  And I myself don’t feel like I’ve been properly portraying the magnitude of God’s importance on the extraordinary journey that He’s been taking our family on.  I love to hear other people’s stories when you meet them, none of which I’m envious of, not to be self-righteous, but I’m so glad to finally be following God’s will for our family: together, traveling, exploring God’s AMAZING earth (although Wyoming in the summer still tops it all ;o) and meeting His INCREDIBLE world.  But I don’t want to just “meet” people anymore.  Because for all we know, this could (and very well may) be the last time you meet on earth.  I want to “love” people on earth so I can “meet” them in heaven someday.  I don’t want my faith to be in the ‘in your face’, ‘over the top’, fake, and phony to the point of hypocritical, because I’m not righteous, Jesus is, but I want my faith in Jesus to be sure and clear.  And I want to speak His name, of His blessings, and His guidance for our family with confidence and boldness.  I don’t want to drop anymore subtle hints, “walk on eggshells”, “work up to” talking about my faith anymore.  I don’t want to talk about church casually acting like its entertainment and done out of convenience.  I don’t want to talk about Jesus like He’s just part of my life, when in reality He is my life.  I walk away from these friendships longing for more time and the right words, wondering if I planted any seeds of hope, all along feeling deceitful because I didn’t share who I truly am: a daughter of Christ, a child of God, and being hypocritical by merely calling myself a Christ follower and only truly seeking approval of the world.  If people that drink can talk about their drinks why can’t people who worship talk about who they worship?  I get that it makes people uncomfortable.  But the reason it does is because people who aren’t worshipping God the way that they know they should be don’t want to talk about God.  They’re uncomfortable because let’s just be honest, we all have a God sized hole in our very souls, that only He can fill, because He created the need for Himself in our lives.  So why should we be the uncomfortable ones if we are walking in close fellowship with Him?  No need to be self-righteous about it, but instead excited about it!  Share your testimony (that should never be more than 24 hours old!)  People all around us are thirsty and hurting.  Sometimes they don’t even know they are.  And sometimes they don’t want to hear about the “well that will never run dry” (Jesus).  Just remember: as much as you feel convicted to show the way, share the truth, and shine His light, that same conviction is felt from them to follow His way, know His truth, and have His light. 

 If I haven’t said it with enough clarity up until this point, here it is: God is the reason why we are doing what we are doing.  He leads and we follow (the peaceful days at least ;o).  People love to hear our story about selling our house, quitting our job, living in motorhome with two adults, three kids, two dogs, and the occasional (although I hope EXTINCT) mouse, and traveling the country.  But our story has lost its saltiness.  It has no flavor.  It gives no glory to God.  As Christians following Jesus, we are the light of the world and the salt of the earth.  I’m sorry to say, but my light has been “hiding under a bushel” and my salt has lost its saltiness.  I don’t ever want it to be a surprise to people that I’m a Christian.  Lately, I feel stunned when I discover that friends we meet aren’t Christians because I like them so much and our kids even play well together!  But when I’m honest with myself, our conversation is lacking something: there may be friendship but there’s not fellowship.  Our stories aren’t about God’s grace (God at work) in our lives.  And if I feel His ever-present hand in my life than why am I not showing and sharing it?  Our journey, each individually and as a family, with God has been the purpose and the very best part of this trip, even though it’s not always the easiest or most vocalized (forgive me Lord).  But I want it to be!  I want to stop grumbling, and I want to take my hands off and let Jesus take the wheel.  When He’s driving, everyday is not “easy”, but peaceful, joyful, and hopeful.  More than anything, I want to give You the glory for every bit of this extraordinary adventure!  Because I see You in all of it!  Now I want to voice Your name to those we meet, to love them, show them how we quench our thirsty souls and heal our brokenness, in hopes that they choose You too, in hopes that we get to “meet” again someday in our heavenly dwelling. 

So, to the friends and family that are reading this, first off, I’m sorry it was so long winded (I pray you’re still with me).  But more than anything, I’m sorry if I’ve deceived you in anyway: our journey is not about us, it’s about Him…it’s about Jesus and our wild, off the wall, walk with Him.  How very blessed we are to be holding His hand and we pray with all of our hearts that you are too!  And if you haven’t reached out to walk with Him yet, and if there’s still breath in your lungs, start now!  I promise He will never let go!  And you my friend will finally experience true peace, joy, and hope.  Trust me, I have experience life without Jesus and I would NEVER go back.  God has special plans for each and every one of us and we know He’ll show up and walk with you right where you are.  Follow Him and watch how extraordinary He can make your life become!

Peace and Love,

Eric, Jenna, Addalynn, Ethan, Abram, Sophie, and Holly