The next morning Kris and Kell were on an airplane heading for Fairbanks, Alaska. They were very excited about this trip because they had no idea what Alaska would be like. They were very glad that they were going in the summer and not in the winter, because they could not imagine how people survived in those very cold temperatures in the winter.
They admired the great scenery as they flew towards Alaska and tried to guess what kind of adventure they were going to have. They flew over Anchorage, Alaska and continued to fly north towards Fairbanks. They were flying above a highway and a railroad track. The flight attendant told them that the highway was the George Parks Highway that connects Anchorage to Fairbanks, and the railroad was the Alaskan Railroad.
Suddenly Kris got very excited! They were flying over a building that looked like a giant igloo! He asked the flight attendant about that igloo, and she said, “That is Igloo City. It was built as a 4-story concrete hotel back in the 1970’s, but…” Kris interrupted her and yelled, “Kell, we need to stay in that hotel!” The flight attendant tried again to finish her sentence and said, “But…” Kell interrupted her and started making plans to go to that hotel. Kris and Kell were not listening to the flight attendant, so she quit trying to finish her sentence and went to help some of the other passengers.
At the airport in Fairbanks, Alaska a driver met them and Kris said, “We need you to drive us back to the Igloo City Hotel. We are going to spend the night in that hotel. The driver tried to explain that this was not the plan that the Misadventures…Plus had made for them, but Kris and Kell would not listen to the driver, they were determined to go to Igloo City Hotel. The driver gave up trying to talk to Kris and Kell and drove them back down the highway to Cantwell, Alaska and dropped them off by the Igloo City Hotel. Kell told the driver to pick them up in two days at that same spot. The driver just shrugged her shoulders and drove away.
Kris and Kell then turned around and took their first good look at the Igloo City Hotel and they could not believe their eyes! It was closed, abandoned, and beginning to fall apart!
Kell groaned and said, “Oh no, another misadventure! The flight attendant and our driver were probably trying to tell us that this hotel was closed, but we were not listening! We did a very foolish thing! Where are we going to stay for two days, and what are we going to do during that time?”
Just at that moment, a family stopped to take pictures of the old Igloo City Hotel. They were driving a big camper and told Kris and Kell that they were staying at the RV Park in Cantwell. They offered to take Kris and Kell to the RV Park and told them that there was a cabin there that they could probably rent. Kris and Kell gladly accepted this kind offer and soon they were at the RV Park and were in their rented cabin.
Now there was another problem! The cabin had beds to sleep on, but Kris and Kell did not have sleeping bags! Kris was not worried because he had another plan! Kris told Kell, “Do not worry about the beds because we are not going to sleep tonight anyway! I have heard about the northern lights in the night sky in Alaska and we are going to stay up and watch those lights all night long! It will be a great adventure!”
Kell got out her tablet and looked up the northern lights and found some awesome pictures.
Kell agreed that seeing the northern lights would be a great adventure, so they did not worry about going to bed that night.
Kris and Kell could hardly wait for it to get dark, they spent the time walking around the RV Park and exploring the area. Finally, they found a spot just outside the RV Park that looked like it would be the perfect spot to watch the northern lights.
They waited and waited, and finally the sun went below the horizon. It was twilight and Kris and Kell could hardly wait for it to get totally dark. They hoped that the northern lights would be spectacular that night! But it did not get any darker, the twilight seemed to last a very long time, and then the sun started to come back up again! Kris and Kell were totally confused and very tired!
They went back to their cabin, ate some snacks and lay down on those hard wooden beds without any sleeping bags, and fell asleep! Late that afternoon they woke up and talked about their misadventure of the previous night. Kell said, “We had another misadventure, and we do not understand why it did not get dark last night. We had the misadventure at Igloo City because we did not take time to listen to people. Maybe we should ask the people who run the RV Park and find out why it did not get dark last night.” Kris agreed that they should ask for advice about this.
They found out that during the middle of the summer, it never gets completely dark in that part of Alaska, in fact, if they were in the area a little further north the sun would not go down at all! So, there was no chance of seeing the northern lights!
Kris and Kell went back to their cabin and spent another uncomfortable night trying to sleep on those hard beds! The next morning, they were able to get a ride back to the Igloo City Hotel and met their driver there. The driver handed them a message from Misadventures…Plus. The message said, ‘In the future, wait for our instructions. Do not try to invent your own adventures, you missed a great adventure that we had planned for you! Now, go back to the airport and you will catch a flight to Maine!’
Lesson Learned about God
At the airport in Fairbanks, Alaska, while they were waiting for their plane to take off, Kris and Kell talked about their misadventures in Alaska and what they could learn about God from their experiences.
Kell said, “I am so embarrassed about our whole time in Alaska! I wish I could go back and start over again. If we could do everything again, I would not go to the Igloo City Hotel. I would have paid attention to the flight attendant and then let our driver take us to the adventure that was planned for us!”
Kris said, “I agree with that, but even though we messed up all the plans made for us, I think we can still learn something about God from this time in Alaska. I was so excited about seeing the northern lights! They would have been so beautiful, but we did not realize that it does not get dark here in the middle of the summer! In the winter it is dark all the time here, and even though we could see the northern lights in the winter I do not think that I would like to go weeks without ever seeing daylight.
Jesus said that He was the light of the world, and in the Revelation, which is the last book in the Bible, it says that in the new heaven and new earth that are made after this world has ended, they will not need sunlight because Jesus Himself will light the whole new heaven and earth! That will be awesome! There will be no darkness, no fear, and most importantly there will be no sin or evil!”
In the Bible in John 1:4-5 it says:
The Word (Jesus) gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
In the Bible in John 8:12 Jesus says:
Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow Me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”
In the Bible in Revelation 21:23-27 it is describing the new heaven and earth, and it says:
And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb (Jesus) is its light. The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty – but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
In the Bible in Revelation 22:5 it says:
And there will be no night there – no need for lamps or sun – for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.
It is hard to live in Alaska during the winter because of the lack of light. We feel better and are healthier when we have sunlight during the daytime. In the same way, we cannot be spiritually healthy without the light of Jesus in our life. We can have that light living inside us right now by believing in Jesus and asking Him to forgive us and come into our life. When this life is over, then all believers will get to experience a new heaven and a new earth, which is fill with the light of Jesus! What an awesome thing to look forward to!
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.
- New York – God will meet our needs. Philippians 4:19-20.
- Pennsylvania – A special place and rest in heaven. John 14:1-3, Hebrews 4:9-10
- Montana – Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. John 15:5
- Alaska – Jesus is the light of the world. John 1:4-5, John 8:12, Revelation 21:23-27, Revelation 22:5