After finishing their sail on the Appledore II, in Camden Maine, Kris and Kell went to their hotel for the night. They slept very well because of all the fresh air and exercise that they had while they were sailing. The next morning, they found an envelope under the door. Kell could hardly wait for their next adventure, so she tore open the envelope and found a note that said, “Drive to Rockport, Massachusetts and find a house made out of paper.”
The note did not make a lot of sense, but Kris and Kell had learned that many of their adventures did not make sense at first but made sense later. Kell got out her tablet and looked up Rockport, Massachusetts and found that they could drive there in about four hours. The drive was very beautiful because they had some great views of the ocean as they were driving.
When they arrived in Rockport, they had to stop at a gas station to fill up the car, and right inside the building there was a brochure rack that held brochures of things to do in the area. Immediately they saw a brochure about the Paper House! Kris said, “So we really are going to visit a house made out of paper, this is going to be very interesting!”
They followed the directions to the Paper House and soon they were taking a tour of the house, and they found out some very unusual facts about this house:
• The house was built in 1922, so it is over 100 years old.
• The house has a normal wood frame, wood floor, and a normal roof.
• The man who built the house was going to use newspapers as insulation in the walls but then decided to see if the newspapers could be the walls.
• He glued approximately 215 layers of newspapers together to make 1-inch-thick walls
• The glue he used was made of flour, water, and apple peelings.
• The newspaper walls were varnished to make them waterproof.
• The newspapers can still be read.
• All the furniture in the house (except the piano) is made from rolled-up newspapers, and the furniture is very heavy.
• The piano is a real piano, but it is covered with rolled-up newspapers so that it matches the rest of the furniture.
• The grandfather clock contains newspapers from all 48 states (Alaska and Hawaii were not yet states when this house was built).
• The outside of the house has had to be re-varnished often to keep it waterproof.
The tour of the Paper House was fascinating, but it did not take very long. It was a beautiful day and there were still plenty of hours of daylight, so Kris and Kell got some food and went to Front Beach in Rockport, Massachusetts and spent the rest of the day relaxing in the sand and enjoying the views.
Lesson Learned about God
While they were on the beach, Kris and Kell talked about what they could learn about God from their visit to the Paper House. Kell said, “That house is a one-of-a-kind house! There is no other house exactly like the house we just visited. That reminds me of the verse in the Bible where Jesus tells His disciples that He is going to heaven to prepare a special place for each believer, and then Jesus will return and take all the believers to those special places that He has prepared for each of them.”
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.”
Kris said, “I am so glad that I have believed in Jesus and asked Him to forgive my sins and take over my life! Heaven is going to be so great! I can hardly wait for the day when Jesus returns, maybe it will be today!”
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
- Maine – God’s Holy Spirit is like the wind: invisible, powerful and always working! John 3:8, Acts 1:8, John 14:26, Romans 8:26-27
- Massachusetts – God is preparing a special place for each believer. John 14:1-3.