Kris and Kell’s time exploring the Kingdom Trails in Vermont was over, and they could hardly wait to see where their next adventure would be! Their last night in Vermont, they stayed up late to enjoy the crisp fall evening. They had a campfire at their cottage, watched the sunset, and watched the stars come out!
At 2am, someone was pounding on the door of their cottage! A woman yelled, “Wake up, I need to get you to the airport!” Kris and Kell could hardly wake up, they had only been asleep for two hours! By the time they had gotten dressed and packed their bags, the woman was pounding on the door again and stamping her feet because Kris and Kell were not moving fast enough!
The woman threw their bags in the back of their rental car and shoved Kris and Kell into the back seat! The woman drove like a maniac! The tires were screeching, and leaves were flying everywhere! Kris and Kell held onto each other in terrified silence!
When they got to the airport, the woman jerked the car to a stop, threw their bags on the ground and yanked Kris and Kell out of the back seat and onto the ground! She threw two plane tickets at them and yelled, “I’ll return your rental car!” She then jumped into the car and zoomed off!
Kris and Kell picked up their bags and plane tickets. They saw that they were going to fly to Denver, Colorado. They rushed into the airport terminal thinking that they only had a few minutes to catch their flight! They soon found out that their plane did not leave for five more hours! They wondered why the woman had been in such a hurry. Kris and Kell found a quiet spot and took a nap.
On their flight to Denver, they wondered what kind of adventure they were going to have. Also, they were slightly confused because they had already had an adventure in Colorado, and it seemed strange that they were going back to that state.
When they got to the Denver airport, they were met by a young man from Misadventures….Plus. He was very calm and told them that he would be driving them to Laramie, Wyoming. He had rented a very comfortable car, and they enjoyed the drive to Laramie. They traveled through some of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, and in the distance, they could see some very tall mountains!
The man told Kris and Kell some important information about the part of the country that they were visiting. He told them that they would be in high altitudes because of the mountains… Kris interrupted him and said, “I know that Denver is called the mile-high city, but I never knew what that meant.” The man told them that Denver was a mile above sea level, but Laramie was higher than that! Laramie is 1 1/3 miles above sea level! The places that they would be visiting would be even higher than that! The man told them that their bodies would have to get used to the high altitude. It is easy to get dehydrated at high altitudes, so they would have to be careful to drink extra water and to rest often. The man told them that they would spend their first day just relaxing in Laramie and exploring the city. When the man dropped them off at their hotel in Laramie, he gave them two envelopes and the keys to the car. The first envelope had a note on it that said not to open it until the day after tomorrow, and the other envelope had a note that said not to open it until two days after tomorrow.
Kris and Kell enjoyed their day of rest in Laramie. It was a wonderful city to explore, and they truly felt like they were ‘out west’. Kell said, “I love this city! I cannot wait to see what adventures we have the next two days!”
The next morning Kell was so impatient that she could not wait for Kris to wake up. She quietly got out of bed and snatched up the envelope that would tell them about their adventure for that day! When she read the note, she was so excited that she began jumping up and down on the bed! She lost her balance and fell onto Kris! What a way to wake up!
The note said that they had reservations to ride on horseback on the trails at the Vedauwoo area. Kell looked up the Vedauwoo area on her tablet and found that it was only 20 minutes from Laramie. They were soon dressed, ate breakfast, and were on their way.
When they arrived at the Vedauwoo area, they met their horses and were soon on the trails. They took an easy trail first, to get used to the horses and to get used to the high altitude. After that they took the more challenging trails. The scenery was incredible!
They saw huge rock formations, pronghorn antelope, and even some beavers in a pond!
The highlight of the day was when they saw a moose!
Kris and Kell rode many trails that day. They were considerate of their horses and let the horses rest and graze several times during the day.
When they got back to their hotel that evening, Kris said, “This has been a great day! I love this part of Wyoming! I have not felt effects of the high altitude! I wonder what adventure we will have tomorrow?”
The next morning Kris was the first one to wake up. It was still dark when he got out of bed, but he quietly crossed the room and got the envelope off the table. He took the envelope into the bathroom so that he could use the bathroom light to read the note.
Meanwhile, Kell had heard Kris get out of bed and she wondered why he was getting up while it was still dark. She picked up her phone to see what time it was, and the phone slipped out of her hand and fell under the bed. Kell got out of bed to look for her phone. The bed was on wheels, so she pushed the bed out of the way so that it would be easier to find the phone.
Meanwhile in the bathroom, Kris read the note and was excited! He remembered how Kell had jumped on the bed and fallen on him yesterday, so he decided to do the same thing to her! He ran out of the bathroom, and with a loud yell, he jumped onto the bed…but the bed was not there anymore, it had moved! Kris fell flat on the floor in front of Kell with a loud splat!
Kell said, “Good morning, Kris. Is this a new form of early morning exercise?”
Kris was too excited to be mad. He said, “Kell you are never going to believe this! We are going hiking in the Snowy Range Mountains in the Medicine Bow National Forest today! We are going to hike up to the highest point in southern Wyoming! This is going to be great!”
Kell was excited too! They hardly took time to eat their breakfast, and they were soon on their way. The sun had just come up when they got to the Medicine Bow National Forest. They got a map of the hiking trails, and they were ready to go. They were going to hike the Medicine Bow Peak Trail. This trail is 4 miles long and goes up to the highest point in southern Wyoming!
Kell said, “I brought my backpack with extra bottles of water and snacks. We must be sure to drink plenty of water because it is easy to get dehydrated at this high altitude.”
The day was beautiful, and the scenery was incredible!
Kris and Kell suddenly did not feel so good, they were both panting for breath and their hearts were beating fast! Kell gasped, “This must be an effect of the high altitude! I need to rest for a few minutes.” Kris agreed that he needed to rest too.
After a while they were both breathing better and their hearts had slowed down. Kell said, “We need to hike slower and take it easy, we still are not used to this high altitude.”
Things went a little better after that, Kris and Kell had learned to hike slowly, rest often, and drink plenty of water. They were still excited to get to the highest point, so they kept going…then it happened! Suddenly a dark cloud came over the mountains, the temperature dropped sharply, and in a few short minutes it was snowing! The blowing snow made it almost impossible to see, and it was so cold! Kris and Kell huddled together to stay warm.
Kell asked, “What do we do now? Are we going to be lost in a snowbank on this mountain and freeze to death?” Then it happened…. the snow stopped as suddenly as it had started! The wind died down, the sun came out, and the temperature began climbing!
Kris and Kell were so thankful for the warmth of the sun. They had learned to respect the mountains, and the high altitude! They slowly hiked on and did reach their goal. They took selfies while they were standing on the highest point in southern Wyoming. They could not believe that they had gotten there!
They started back down the mountain, and they thought that this would be so much easier because they were going downhill, but soon there was another problem! Kris and Kell both developed bad headaches! They felt miserable and wanted to get to the end of the trail as soon as possible! They were hiking too fast again and soon they were out of breath, their hearts were going too fast, and their headaches were pounding! They had to stop and rest for a long time. Eventually they made it back to their car and drove back to the hotel in Laramie.
Lesson Learned about God
When Kris and Kell finally got back to their hotel room, they were both extremely tired and they still had headaches, so they decided to take a nap. They woke up several hours later and felt much better, their headaches were gone, and they almost felt normal. Kell looked up information on her tablet about the effects of high altitude and found out it takes about a week to get fully adjusted to activity in high altitudes. No wonder they had felt so bad, they had tried to do too much, too soon before their bodies were ready!
Kris said, “I have never felt so weak and so physically inadequate in my whole life.”
Kell answered, “This reminds me of the people in the Bible who encountered God. God’s glory is so overwhelming that their bodies could not handle the situation, and they would faint and fall to the ground! Every time either an angel or Jesus Himself would have to reach down, touch them, and give them strength so that they could encounter God.
There is a big difference though, if we stayed in Laramie for a week or longer our bodies would adjust to the altitude, but a human body can never adjust to an encounter with God! God knows this, and He has promised that when Jesus returns all Believers will get new bodies! These new bodies will be different because they will not be stained and weakened by a sin nature. All that is sinful and imperfect will be left behind! Our new body will be like the new body Jesus had when He rose from the dead!”
In the Bible in Philippians 3:20-21 it says:
But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like His own, using the same power with which He will bring everything under His control.
In the Bible in I Corinthians 15:42-44 it says:
It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.
In the Bible in II Corinthians 5:1-4 it says:
For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God Himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life.
It is a mystery! Believers cannot even begin to understand what our new heavenly body will be like, but God has promised that Believers will receive a new body that is perfect in every way, and this body will last forever! With our new body, we will be able to encounter God without fainting or feeling any weakness! It will be awesome!
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.
- North Carolina – God guides and protects Believers. Psalms 23:3-4, Psalms 37:23-24, Isaiah 41:10.
- Connecticut – The Bible is true. John 17:17, II Timothy 3:16-17, I Peter 1:20-21.
- New Hampshire – Only God gives a meaningful & fulfilling life. Ecclesiastes 12:8-10, Ecclesiastes 12:13-14.
- Vermont – God is changing Believers. I Peter 2:21, Romans 8:29, II Corinthians 3:18, Ephesians 2:10.
- Wyoming – Believers will get a new body. Philippians 3:20-21, I Corinthians 15:42-44, II Corinthians 5:1-4.