Kris and Kell woke up in their hotel room in St. Louis, Missouri when they heard someone pounding on the door! Kris sleepily opened the door and a man from a car rental agency was there. He told Kris that he was there to pick up their rental car and return it. Kris gave the man the keys to the car and then wondered what they were supposed to do next without a car.
Kris told Kell about the situation, and she reminded Kris that usually when they least expected something unusual happened. She suggested that they get up, take showers, pack, and eat something so that they would be ready for any adventure that came their way.
Kris was in the shower when someone knocked on their door again! Kell answered the door, and a young woman was there. She said, “Are you guys ready yet? We are in a hurry! I am here to drive you to the airport! We do not have much time! Hurry up!” The young woman seemed to be in a terrible hurry, so Kell yelled to Kris to get out of the shower and get dressed. Kell began throwing their clothes into their suitcases, and when Kris got out of the shower, she threw some clothes at him and told him to get dressed. Kris said, “But this shirt…” Kell interrupted him and said, “There is no time for discussion. Put on the clothes that I gave you and do not argue with me!”
They grabbed their suitcases and ran out the door and down the stairs to the car that was waiting for them. As soon as they were in the car, the driver sped away with tires squealing! Kell looked over at Kris and burst out laughing! Kris was wearing one of Kell’s T-shirts, and it was so tight that he was almost bursting the seams! It could not be helped now because their suitcases were in the trunk of the car. Kell laughed and laughed, but Kris did not see anything funny about the situation!
The car screeched to a stop in front of the airport terminal, the driver jumped out of the car, threw open the trunk, grabbed their suitcases and threw them on the ground in front of Kris! The driver shoved airplane tickets into Kell’s hands. Then driver yelled, “Hurry! Run! You do not have a second to lose!” Kris reached for the suitcases and heard a ripping sound as the seams in the T-shirt ripped apart! He grabbed the suitcases, and he and Kell dashed into the airport terminal with Kris’s T-shirt flapping in the breeze.
They rushed through the airport to the security checkpoint, then ran to the gate for their flight! Once they got there, they found out that their flight did not leave for another four hours! All that rushing around had been needless! Kris said, “I have time to change into a different shirt”, but then he realized that their suitcases were checked in to be loaded into the luggage compartment of the plane. Kris would have to wear the ripped T-Shirt all the way to their destination!
Kris asked Kell, “By the way, where are we going?” Kell looked at the tickets and saw that they were going to New York City!
Kris and Kell were excited to be going to New York City, they spent the time on the plane talking about all the things that they would see in that great city. Kell wanted to see a play on Broadway, and the Radio City Music Hall. Kris wanted to see the Statue of Liberty and go to the top of the Empire State Building. They could hardly wait to get there!
After they landed, they looked around and saw a woman holding a sign with their name on it. Kris and Kell could not believe their eyes…it was the same woman who had rushed them from their hotel to the airport four hours early that morning! They asked her why she had been in such a rush that morning and she said that she had to hurry because she had to catch an earlier plane so that she could get to New York ahead of them and pick them up at the airport!
They got in the car, and the woman screeched the tires as she pulled away from the curb, she was still driving like she had that morning! Kris and Kell tried to look at the scenery, and they were surprised and dismayed when they left New York City and headed into New Jersey! They asked the woman where she was taking them, and she answered and said, “I am taking you to Ogdensburg, New Jersey. Tomorrow you are going to tour a mine! Kris and Kell groaned and said, “Oh, no! Not another mine! The last mine turned into a huge misadventure!”
The woman driver slid to a screeching stop in front of a hotel, jumped out of the car, threw their luggage on the ground, jumped back into the car, and sped off at top speed without even saying goodbye! Kris and Kell just shook their heads, picked up their luggage and checked into the hotel.
The next morning at 4am someone was pounding on their hotel door! Kris opened the door and there was that same woman, she said, “Are you guys ready yet? We are in a hurry! I am here to drive you to the mine! We do not have much time! Hurry up!” Once again Kell threw all their clothes into their suitcases, and they rushed downstairs and out of the hotel to the car. The woman threw their luggage into the back of the car and drove off at top speed with smoke coming from the screaming tires!
They arrived at the Sterling Hill Mine, and the car slid to a stop just before hitting a tree! Kris and Kell got out of the car, and the car zoomed off with their luggage still in the trunk! It was just starting to get light, and it was also starting to rain! Kell saw a sign on the door of the mine museum and found out that the mine did not open for another three hours! So, they had to stand in the rain for three hours, and their jackets and spare clothes were in the trunk of the car!
Finally, the Sterling Hill Mine Museum opened and they could go inside. The tour guide told them some interesting facts about the mine:
- More than 300 types of minerals were found in this mine.
- 35 minerals found in this mine are not found anywhere else in the world.
- 91 of the minerals in this mine are fluorescent (they glow in the dark).
- There are 35 miles of tunnels in this mine.
- The mine goes 2,675 feet deep.
- The mine is filled with water, except for the top level.
- The mine’s temperature is always 56 degrees.
There was no mention of scuba diving, and the mine tour sounded like it was going to be boring. Their tour guide would take them on the first level, and they would walk about ¼ mile and look at the rocks in the mine. Kris and Kell were not excited at all!
Their tour started and at first Kris and Kell were bored, but then their tour guide told them that they were coming to the part of the mine called ‘The Rainbow Tunnel’. The guide turned on some special lights called ‘short wave UV lights’. Kris and Kell could not believe their eyes! The rocks glowed with beautiful colors!
The glowing minerals made the trip into the mine worthwhile! Kris and Kell were so glad that they had a chance to tour this special mine!
After the tour of the mine finished, Kris and Kell heard the familiar sound of screeching tires, and the same driver slid to a stop in front of them. Kris and Kell barely had a chance to get into the car before the driver floored the accelerator and got them back to their hotel in less than 5 minutes! Their suitcases were sitting on a bench outside the hotel.
Lesson Learned about God
Kris and Kell went up to their hotel room and suddenly realized that it was not even noon yet! They still had the whole afternoon to relax and explore the town!
Before they did that, they decided to talk about what they could learn about God from their time in the Sterling Hill Mine. Kell said, “I think I remember seeing a verse in the Bible about glowing or shining, but I cannot remember where it is found. I will google it on my tablet.
Kell found that the verse she remembered is found in Philippians 2:14-15.
Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.
Kell found another verse that talked about lights. In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus says:
“You are the light of the world – like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
People that have believed in Jesus, and asked Him to forgive their sins, come into their life and take over, should live differently than those who do not know Jesus. We should be like beautiful lights shining and glowing in this world that is darkened by sin.
No one can do this without help! Each of us still have a sin nature inside us, and we fall short of God’s standards so many times, but if we ask Jesus to help us, He will change us little-by-little and make us into people that do shine beautifully in this dark world.
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
- Arkansas – Jesus is Crowned with Glory and Honor. Hebrews 2:9-10, Revelation 19:16, John 11:25-26
- Idaho – Times of Refreshing. Acts 3:19-20a, Matthew 11:28-30, Isaiah 40:28-31
- Washington State – Obeying God is Important! James 1:22-25, James 4:17
- Oregon – Do not let your first love for Jesus erode. Revelation 2:4-5a, Psalms 51:10-12
- Ohio – We are secure in God’s hands. Isaiah 41:13, Psalms 139:9-10, Psalms 73:23-28.
- Iowa – God is in control: Past, Present, & Future. Hebrews 13:8, Revelation 4:8.
- South Dakota – Believers are the family of God. Ephesians 2:19-21, John 1:12-13, Ephesians 1:5, I Thessalonians 5:15-18.
- Indiana – Win the Race! I Corinthians 9:24-27, Matthew 25:21
- Michigan – Cost of following Jesus. Luke 14:27-33.
- Missouri – The Book of Life. Revelation 20:11-15.
- New Jersey – The Light of the World. Philippians 2:14-15, Matthew 5:14-16.