Kris and Kell had been enjoying spending several days at the Airbnb in the Missile Silo in Kansas. When the day came for them to leave, the owner of the Missile Silo came to them and gave them a message; they were supposed to go back to the airport and when they got there, they would receive instructions about their next adventure.
When Kris and Kell got to the airport, they looked around for someone who would give them the directions, but no one was holding a sign with their name on it, and no one came up to them with an envelope. They could not go through security yet because they did not know where they were going, and they did not have tickets yet. While they were waiting, a person wearing an Easter Bunny costume came into the waiting area and began to entertain the children that were waiting there.
The Easter Bunny organized some games for the kids, sang some songs with them, and gave out some Easter candy. Then the Easter Bunny turned on some lively music and encouraged the kids to get up and dance! While they were dancing, the Easter Bunny grabbed the hands of Kris and Kell and made them get up and dance with the children! Kris and Kell were so embarrassed, but they had to get up and dance because everyone in the waiting area was watching them! It was a lot of fun to dance with the children, and Kris and Kell began to relax and enjoy the dance.
When the dance was over, everyone in the waiting area applauded the children and Kris and Kell, they had become dancing celebrities in that waiting area! As the Easter Bunny was leaving, he took an envelope out of a pocket in his costume and handed it to Kell.
The envelope had plane tickets to South Carolina and a note that said an Uber driver would meet them at the airport and take them to their destination! Kris and Kell saw that they did not have much time, so they went through security and ran to their boarding gate! They got there just in time to board the plane and find their seats! While they were flying to South Carolina they tried to guess what kind of adventure that they were going to have in that state. They landed in a city close to the Atlantic Ocean and there was an Uber driver waiting for them. The driver did not tell them where they were going, she just told them to get in the SUV and hold on tight! They had a wild ride through the city and through the country until they got to the ocean, then the Uber driver stopped and opened the doors. Kris and Kell got out of the SUV and wondered what they were supposed to do. They asked the Uber driver where they were supposed to go, and she just pointed to a sign, and handed them tickets for a boat ride.
The sign said that the boat would take them to Bulls Island. When they got to the Island, they found out that there were no motor vehicles allowed on the island, everyone had to either walk or ride a bicycle. Since Kris and Kell did not have a bicycle, they decided to start walking and explore the island. They found out that the island was about 5,000 acres, and that it was a wildlife refuge. They found an observation platform and an observation tower. In these places they had a good view of many forms of wildlife on the island. Bulls Island is the home of many land animals such as deer and alligators, but it is famous for the many, many species of birds that live on the island. Kris and Kell spent most of the day watching the many kinds of birds that live on the island. They felt like they could never get enough of watching those birds, but the day passed quickly, and no one is allowed to spend the night on the island. Kris and Kell decided that they wanted to take a walk along the beach before they left.
They quickly decided that the beach was their favorite part of the island! They could not believe how many seashells were lying on the beach at the water’s edge. Many people were walking on the beach and collecting seashells. Kell heard some people saying that there were more shells than usual that day because there had been a storm during the night and the waves had washed up many shells onto the beach.
Visitors to the island are allowed to each collect a small bag of shells to take home with them. The shells cannot have any live creatures living in them, the shells must be empty and dead.
Kell’s favorite type of shell is the Sand Dollars, and she asked Kris to help find Sand Dollars that were not broken. Sand Dollars are very fragile and sometimes it is hard to find ones that do not have part of the shell broken off. Kell told Kris that they could only collect Sand Dollars that are white, smooth, and hard. If a sand dollar is tan or brown and feels fuzzy, then it is still alive and needs to be put back in the ocean. Kris and Kell were able to find several perfect Sand Dollars that they could keep!
At the end of the day, they took the boat back to the mainland, and the same Uber driver was waiting for them, and she took them to a hotel where they were going to spend the night. When the Uber driver dropped them off, she said, “See you in the morning!”
Lesson Learned about God:
Later that evening when they were settled in their hotel room, Kell took her Sand Dollars out of the bag so they could look at them. Kell asked Kris, “Do you know the legend of the Sand Dollars?” Kris had never heard of that legend, so Kell explained it to him:
“When you look at the top of a Sand Dollar, you will see a star in the middle and five narrow holes surrounding the star. The star in the middle reminds us of the Christmas star that the Wise Men followed to find the Baby Jesus after He was born. The five narrow holes remind us of the five wounds that Jesus received when they crucified Him on the cross. Jesus had a nail driven through the wrist of both hands, a nail driven through both feet, and after He died a soldier thrust a spear into His side. Many times, we mention that Jesus died on the cross for us, but we do not often think how very painful that experience was for Him. He suffered the worst death invented by man, because He had to pay for every sin that ever has been committed since the time of Adam and Eve. We cannot imagine how much pain Jesus endured because of His great love for each of us.
In the Bible in Isaiah 53:3-9 it says this about Jesus:
He was despised and rejected – a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our back on Him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses He carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought His troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for His own sins! But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on Him the sins of us all. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet He never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, He did not open His mouth. Unjustly condemned, He was led away. No one cared that He died without descendants, that His life was cut short in midstream. But He was struck down for the rebellion of my people. He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But He was buried like a criminal; He was put in a rich man’s grave.
Jesus did this for us because He loved us. As we approach the Easter season this year, we need to take time to remember all that Jesus went through for each of us. He did this because He loves us and wants to spend eternity with us!
Take time today to thank Jesus for loving us so much that He was willing to go through that awful crucifixion to pay for our sins. If you have never prayed and asked Jesus to forgive you and come into your life, do it today! He loves you so much!
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
- Alabama – Training for heaven. I Peter 1:18-21, I John 3:2-3, Ephesians 5:1-2, I Peter 2:21, II Timothy 4:6-8
- Georgia – Sin erodes a person’s life and brings death. Galatians 5:19-21, Romans 3:22-25a
- Texas – Jesus offers abundant life. John 10:10, Mark 12:29-31.
- Kansas – Humans are filled with hatred and evil. Genesis 8:21-22, Romans 3:21-25a.
- South Carolina – Reminder of the Crucifixion. Isaiah 53:3-9