The second day that Kris and Kell spent in Theodore Roosevelt National Park was great! Kris did not give into anymore temptations, and he and Kell did not get mad at each other! They truly enjoyed all the great scenery and wildlife that they saw in the park. When they got back to their tent that night, there was a note pinned to the tent that said, “Get up early tomorrow and drive to Canon City, Colorado.” The note also gave them the name of the hotel they would be staying in while they were there. Kell looked up Canon City, Colorado on her tablet and found out that it would take them about 11 hours to drive there, so they decided to get up early and get a good start.
The drive to Canon City was beautiful, but it was a long day, and they were glad to get to their hotel at the end of the day. When they got to their room, there was a note that said, “Tomorrow go to Centennial Park in Canon City and sit by the splash pad.
The next morning Kris and Kell found Centennial Park and sat down on a bench by the splash pad. It was fun watching the kids play in the water and splash each other, but they were confused! What were they supposed to do? They had driven a long way to get here, and now all they were supposed to do is watch children at a splash pad? They could have done this in just about any city, why were they supposed to come here? After a couple of hours, a girl that had been playing in the splash pad ran up to Kell and gave her a bottle. The girl did not say anything, she just handed Kell the bottle and then ran back to play in the water.
Kell looked at the bottle and saw that there was a note inside of it. After some struggling, Kris got the note out of the bottle. The note said, “Go for a walk on the trail by the river.” So, Kris and Kell went for a walk on the trail by the river. It was a nice walk, but Kris and Kell were still feeling frustrated! As they went along the trail Kris saw a bottle just like the one the little girl had given to Kell! Kris picked up the bottle and sure enough, there was a note in it. The note said, “Go to the sand volleyball court.”
Kris and Kell walked over to the sand volleyball court and Kell said, “We should probably be looking for another bottle. This is a very strange misadventure!” When they got to the volleyball court there were some teenagers playing volleyball, but they did not see a bottle anywhere. Kris said, “This day has been so disappointing! Since we do not know what we are supposed to do, we might as well sit down and watch the volleyball game.”
They sat down at the edge of the sand and Kell said, “Ouch! I’m sitting on something hard in the sand!” They dug in the sand and there was another bottle with a note in it! This note said, “Tomorrow, drive to Royal Gorge and look for the ‘Cloudscraper’. Do not spoil the surprise by looking this up on your tablet! You have a reservation for 9am.”
The next morning, Kris and Kell got in the car and followed road signs that took them to Royal Gorge. When they got close, they also saw signs for the ‘Cloudscraper’, so they followed those signs. When they got there, they could not believe their eyes! Cloudscraper was the name of a zipline park!
At first Kris and Kell were excited, but then they were scared! They had never been ziplining before and these ziplines were high off the ground and very long! They found that they had reservations for the long six-hour zipline experience! First, they met their guides and got strapped into their safety harnesses. Then the guides took them to a training area where they learned how to zipline safely.
Finally, they were ready to venture onto the ziplines. Altogether they were going on 11 different ziplines. The longest zip line was almost 1/3 of a mile long, and there were two side-by-side racing ziplines that were almost ¼ mile long! On the long zipline it is possible to go 55-60 miles per hour! There would be hikes between the ziplines, and the hikes were not going to be easy, but the scenery was going to be amazing!
After all the training and the descriptions of how fun it was going to be, it should have been easy to start ziplining, but it was not easy! Kris was worried that the zipline would break and he would fall and get killed! Kell was worried that her safety harness would break, and she would fall and get killed! Their guides were very patient with them and told them that the harnesses and the ziplines were inspected all the time and were very safe. The guide told them that they needed to have faith and trust that the equipment would carry them safely to the other side.
Kell made Kris go first, and he was very nervous! He stood at the edge of the platform gathered all his courage and then stepped off the edge! The zipline bounced when he stepped off the platform, but then he was speeding across a valley, high above the trees! It was great! Kris arrived safely at the other side too quickly, he wished it would have lasted longer!
Kris told the guide at the landing platform to radio back to the other guide and to tell his wife that it was awesome. In just a minute the zipline began humming, and Kell came zipping towards the landing platform! She was screaming for joy as she landed!
They went on all 11 ziplines, and each one seemed better than the previous ones. When they got to the side-by-side racing ziplines, Kris and Kell decided to race each other. Kell won the race against Kris, which embarrassed him so much!
At the end of the last zipline, they landed on a tower that was 70 feet high! The guides told Kris and Kell that this tower was called the ‘Dare Drop’. The person has a large cord (like a bungee cord) attached to them, they step off the tower and free fall for the first 30 feet, then the cord gently stops their free fall and lowers them to the ground. The guide again said that this activity requires faith and trust.
Kris and Kell thought that this was very scary, but they had learned to trust what their guides had told them and to have faith in the safety equipment. Kell could not believe that she was doing this, but she stepped forward and said, “I will go first!” Kell screamed in fright as she stepped backwards off the tower, but the equipment worked just like the guide said it would work. Soon Kell was on the ground screaming, laughing, and dancing! It had been such an awesome experience! Kris went next, but he screamed all the way down and did not do a dance when he got to the ground!
Lesson Learned about God
That night in their hotel room, Kris and Kell could not stop talking about the great adventure they had had on that day! Kris said, “It will not be hard to find a lesson about God from this adventure!” Kell agreed and said, “That’s right, today we learned about faith and trust.
Just like we had to trust the instructions of our guides and have faith in the safety equipment, we must have trust in God’s Word (the Bible) and have faith that God will do everything that He has promised to do for us. Some of these things that God has promised are forgiving our sins, making us into new creations, never leaving us, using everything in our life for our good, and taking us to heaven after this life on earth is done.
Even though we cannot understand everything that happens in this life, and we cannot see the future, we can have faith that God will keep His promises and will bring us through everything that comes our way! God has all power, He knows everything, and He has never failed (not even once)!
Kell opened her Bible and read a few verses that she had underlined because they talked about faith and trust:
In the Bible in Hebrews 11:1-2 it says:
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.
In the Bible in Proverbs 3:5-6 it says:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.
In the Bible in Ephesians 2:8-9 it says:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.
If you have never believed in Jesus and asked Him into your life, please take time today to place your faith and trust in Him!
If you are already a Believer, God is working every day in your life to increase your faith and trust in Him!
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.
- Maryland/Virginia – Perfect love overcomes fear. I John 4:17-19.
- Washington DC – Communion. I Corinthians 11:23-26.
- Virginia/West Virginia – Baptism. Romans 6:3-5, Colossians 2:12-15.
- Delaware – Jesus is returning. John 14:2-3, I Thessalonians 4:16-18, I Corinthians 15:51-53
- Rhode Island – Believers are like a lighthouse. Matthew 5:14-16, Philippians 2:14-15.
- North Dakota – Dealing with temptations. I Corinthians 10:13, James 1:13-15.
- Colorado – Faith and Trust. Hebrews 11:1-2, Proverbs 3:5-6, Ephesians 2:8-9.