The Adventure So Far: From Charis
Well… Tuesday we left Placerville to our journey across America. We drove all day and spent the night in a Walmart in Nevada. Everything went just as planned. Oh wait, it didn’t. Right now I’m writing from a motel in a little town called Fernley. Please allow me a few moments of your time so that I may tell the tale of our thrilling travels over the last few days.
We worked until 1:00 pm on Tuesday. We all loaded up the RV in the stifling heat. Some of us putting more effort into it than others.
Eventually we made it out. As dad drove us along, we watched The Incredible Hulk and had a history lesson on the pioneers who traveled through the Sierra Nevada’s. I finished my Hush Batman graphic novel. After eating my fast food dinner of a burrito (consisting of french fries and mayo) I will hopefully never have to try again, we got back on highway 80. I was listening to Twenty-one Pilots when we pulled over to the side of the road.
Ryden had been sitting in the front seat, but the other kids and I were in the back beds. We all started asking questions about what was going on and why we were stopped. Mom told us to stay calm and stay in bed. She wasn't sure what happened, but we just shouldn't panic. So, after she left, we naturally all started panicking. We started whispering about how we were in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly I spotted Ryden standing by the weeded, dried out field. I slid open my window and softly called his name. He turned his head this way and that way, but didn’t notice me until I called his name for the fourth time. He jogged over to my window. I asked him what was going on and why were stuck on the side of the road at dusk. He said that when he was in the front seat he had seen something smoking on the side of the RV. He had immediately alerted Dad and we pulled over. Dad said it might have to do with the transmission. So we “stayed in our beds” until mom came back and told us to get a water bottle and come outside quickly. We all grabbed our stuff and ran outside. Dad had called a tow truck … it would be there in two hours. And it was already 8 o’clock by now. Mom brought out some chairs and chocolate while we waited in the windy field. We made up a random story about a family who gets trapped on a freeway in Nevada, but it got twisted around so oddly that I don’t even remember it. Around 9:30 the tow truck finally arrived, and we only had to wait an hour and a half in the harsh wind and dust and stickers. Plus another hour in the dark waiting for him to hook the RV up to his truck.
For the past two days now, we have been at a Best Western motel in a little town called Fernley. It hasn’t been all bad. We, the kids, got introduced to Anamaniacs. Only one of the best cartoons ever. We've done a lot of fun things. Yet ever since we broke down I’ve had doubts about our trip. Why would we go on a two month road trip if we can’t even get through the first day? But God truly uses everything for good. My family and I have been overwhelmed by all the support we’ve received from friends and family, because during our stay we have gotten tons of encouragement and people trying to help us however they can. God has blessed us with so many friends. So thank you for praying and giving us strength.
We should be getting back on the road tomorrow. God has renewed my faith, and I am ashamed to admit that I doubted His power. But, I’ve also learned that trusting Him doesn’t mean everything goes my way. It means that I have the Almighty on my side. God literally does not want anything other than the best for me, although some times it isn't what I want for me. He loves me limitlessly and unconditionally. Through thick and thin. For better or for worse.
- Charis