Yellowstone

While typing yesterday, I started thinking about all of the fun trips I have been able to take. The first trip I have any memories at all of is a trip to Corpus Christi, Texas when I was three or four. The main memory...I got stung by a jellyfish. It was several years before we were able to take another trip, and we went to Colorado. The following year it was Colorado and Yellowstone, two years later, Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon, and two years after that it was Yellowstone and Glacier. Yes, when we visited Yellowstone we fell in love with it. So upon starting college I was fortunate enough to have my dream come true. I was hired to work in Yellowstone the summer between my freshman and sophomore years. I was serving pizza at the Lake House, overlooking Yellowstone Lake. I got there in mid-May. The lake was still frozen, snow drifts were higher than my head. I was at work the day the lake cracked. It was all frozen, then rather quickly the ice cracked and sank to the bottom with a windchime like sound. That summer was incredible. I never did see a grizzly bear although one was frequently seen between my dorm and work. I missed the moose that swam across the lake right in front of the restaurant. But the memories are unforgettable. I hiked 125 miles that summer, while working 40-48 hours per week. I remember hiking to Heart Lake and returning for evening Bible study. We were discussing how we knew God existed that night and I remember Holly (my roommate and hiking buddy) and I looked at each other. I think she's the one that said what we were both thinking. We had hiked sixteen miles that day, barely saw another person, saw spectacular hot pools, mountains reflecting off the lake, and a beautiful scene. We had also seen the effects of the fires of 88 and how much the trees had grown back. Her statement "Being here with all of this beauty and diversity, how could you not believe in God? Things this wonderful aren't just by chance." I've remembered that as I've seen some of the greatest places in this country and even in the Caribbean. God's hand is in all we see, all we are, and all we do. We just have to trust him. He created magical places like Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon, but that isn't all he does. He created us too. So no matter what is going on in your lives right now, just remember God is there.