Kris and Kell were so disappointed that they did not get to go to the Willis Tower in Chicago, but they were excited to see where they were going to go next! The person that met them told them that their plane was going to leave very soon and they would have to run to the other end of the airport terminal to get to their gate! There was no time to lose!
They got to the gate just as the last passengers were boarding the plane. They gave the attendant their tickets and ran onto the plane! They found their seat and sat down, then they suddenly realized that they had no idea where they were going! They asked the person sitting across the aisle from them where they were going, that person looked very surprised and said, “We are going to New Mexico of course, where did you think we were going?” Kell tried to explain about their very unusual wedding present that would send them on adventures in all 50 States, but the person just looked even more confused!
When they got to the airport in New Mexico, there was a car and driver waiting for them. The driver drove them to White Sands National Park which is near Alamogordo, New Mexico. This National Park is awesome! The park is covered with sand! There are flat areas of sand, and there are big hills of sand, called sand dunes! This sand is not normal sand, it is pure white, not tan or brown like most sand. The reason this sand is white is because it is made of gypsum. Gypsum is a mineral that is white and when gypsum is broken down into a powder, it becomes gypsum sand.
Gypsum sand does not get as hot as regular sand, so even though it was a hot day, the sand was not too hot to walk on. Kris and Kell walked on some trails, and then they saw something amazing! People were sledding on the sand dunes just like people go sledding on snow in the winter! Kris and Kell had to go sledding! They found a place where they could rent sleds. The sleds were round and made from plastic just like many sleds that are used in the snow. The only difference is that the sand sleds need to be waxed so that they slide on the sand better.
Going down the sand dunes on the sleds was great fun, but it was hard to climb back up to the top of the dunes. When Kris and Kell finished sledding, their driver said that she was going to take them to another place that was close.
Their driver took them to the White Sands Missile Range. This is the place where the U.S. military tests their new designs for rockets and missiles. There is a museum there which has many types of rockets and missiles on display.
One part of the missile range is called the White Sands Space Harbor. During the space shuttle program NASA trained many of the space shuttle pilots at this place. Also, the Space Harbor was a backup landing spot for the space shuttles if they could not land at their regular runway at Edwards Air Force Base.
In March of 1982 the space shuttle Columbia was on its third mission and the runway at Edwards Air Force base was flooded! NASA immediately sent a 40-car train of special equipment to White Sands so that Columbia could land there. They were all ready for the space shuttle Columbia to land at White Sands, but on the landing day the weather was bad! They had to delay the landing for one more day. The astronauts had finished all their work in space, they had nothing more to do, so they had a day of ‘vacation’ on the space shuttle and to just enjoy themselves! The next day they landed Columbia at White Sands. This was the only time a space shuttle had to land at White Sands. The space shuttle Columbia got so much gypsum white sand in it, that they could not clean it all out. Every time they used Columbia after that, more white sand would come out of every part of the space shuttle cabin.
After they were done touring the White Sands Missile Range and the White Sands Space Harbor, their driver took them to a nice hotel to spend the night. The next morning their driver called them very early and told them to get ready to go to the airport. At the airport the driver handed them plane tickets and an envelope for their next adventure!
Lesson Learned about God:
The White Plains Space Harbor was a place of safety for the space shuttles. Every astronaut that flew in the space shuttles knew that if there was a problem at Edwards Air Force Base so that they could not land there, that the White Sands Space Harbor would be there to receive them and bring them safely home!
In the same way, God is the place of safety for every believer. No matter how crazy, or hopeless life becomes God is always there for every believer. We can always turn to Him without fear, and He will always receive us. At the end of this life on earth, God will safely bring every believer home to heaven to be with Him for all eternity!
In the Bible in Psalm 46:1-3 it says:
God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!
In the Bible in Psalms 91:1-2 it says:
Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust Him.
In the Bible in Psalms 18:1-2 it says:
I love you, Lord; You are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my Savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.
In the Bible in John 14:1-3 Jesus says:
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in Me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with Me where I am.”
Report to the grandmother:
- At the travel agency – God has a good plan for us. Jeremiah 29:11
- Florida – God is watching over us, we do not need to be fearful. Psalms 23
- Wisconsin – Temptations. I Corinthians 10:13, Proverbs 14:12, I John 1:9
- Minnesota – Never take your eyes off Jesus. Matthew 14:22-33
- Kentucky – God’s Word (the Bible) is the truth! John 17:17
- Louisianna – Choose Heaven and the Tree of Life. Revelation 20:11-15, Revelation 21:27 thru 22:5
- Illinois – God is in control. Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28-30, Proverbs 16:9
- New Mexico – God is our place of safety. Psalms 46:1-3, Psalms 91:1-2, Psalms 18:1-2, John 14:1-3