National Conference on Youth Ministries

We left for Colorado Springs Tuesday morning.
As we reached mid-Nebraska, the trees beside the road bowed down under the weight of ice. The tips of the grass were frosted. Everything around us looked like it was made of pure glass.
Unfortunately, beauty does not come easily...many homeowners are STILL without power in Nebraska, and have no hope of regaining it in the near future.
As we pressed on, we came to Colorado. You can tell you are in Colorado because the hills get taller and taller. As we crested a hill, we spied the blue smoky outline of mountains in the distance. Continuing to drive, you realize that the mountains are huge and immobile, like stubborn old men who won't get out of their favorite chairs.
This part of the country is SO stunningly beautiful that it takes your breath away.

The conference was very uplifting, as usual. We caught up with old friends and met several new ones. We laughed at the inspiring talk of Patrick Mead and cried with conviction after hearing Chris Seidman. We even slept in a little later than usual and loved every minute of it!!

Our return trip was NOT so enjoyable. We decided to try to get ahead of the forecasted snow storm and found that it came earlier than predicted when we awoke. But it was going to get worse through the day and we were REALLY missing Fischer, so we left Friday morning. The roads were terrible and it took four hours to get to Kansas!! On the way, the total trip took us about 9 hours. The return trip? 11 and 1/2 hours!!

But God surrounded our little car throughout the blizzard and we made it home safely. He has done this many times. Praise God for His protection! Sometimes I wonder how many times God has truly protected me, and I didn't even know it.