A Brief Note from Bryan

Mr. Denny recently taught a class that my wife and I attended, and he did a wonderful job. The class was on The Five Love Languages, and that particular lesson focused on quality time with your spouse. The main point I came away with was that no matter what you are doing or what happens, it’s all part of the adventure.
 
I really needed that advice for the following week because we were heading out on vacation the very next morning. We were going to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. If you know Esther and me, you know we love to hike, get outdoors, and catch awesome views and waterfalls. But first, we had to get there. We left really early the next morning so Lydia could sleep for a good portion of the drive.
 
Well, long story short: two hours away from our destination, we had a blowout on the camper while on the interstate. I pulled off to the shoulder to change the tire and got all but one lug nut off. Unfortunately, the last stud broke, making it impossible to remove with the tools I had on hand. I had to put it all back together and pull the camper six miles to the nearest exit. By this time, it was late Saturday afternoon, so finding help was a challenge. After hours of searching, the Lord led me to a local business owner - named Wayne - who was able to get us the help we needed.
 
The next morning, we finally made it to our destination, got set up, and it was beautiful! However, that night the weather changed. It began to rain, and the temperature dropped into the low 40s. Did I mention we have a pop-up camper? We got wet, we got cold, we had no way to keep dry or warm, and we had no power.
 
Seems like a miserable trip, right? But it wasn't!
 
We ended up getting a nice room at the resort inside the park. We were dry and warm, the power was on, and the sun eventually came out. We were able to see some pretty epic views and one really cool waterfall! We went hiking, and Lydia had an awesome time exploring and gathering acorns—which she absolutely loves doing. Most importantly, we made it home safely.
 
Looking back, the adventure was simply being with my family, and the experience was a testament to God’s divine provision over our lives. We may make our own plans, but we never truly know what is going to take place. God does. So, just breathe and enjoy the adventures.
 
Bryan