The Rest of the Story

Now you heard/read the exciting story (below) here is the rest of the story.

We made it to the south eastern part of the Denver area and stayed at a hotel. We only had 56 miles to go to get the academy in Loveland, so we were going to take off at 9:00am.

Yeah, we finally left the hotel at about 9:40, however the snow started at 8:30. It was coming down pretty good, but it wasn't to bad, yet. We moved onto the highway . . . we had a few missed turns and ended up driving in a big circle at which the car that was in our little troop of vehicles, did a 360 in the middle of the intersection and decided they were going to ditch the car in a hospital parking lot and pile in the spaces we had in the two trucks and my 4Runner.

As we unloaded the car into the trucks, I looked at the back tires and low and behold, another miracle we had no idea about, the back tires were smooth, the front tires not far behind. How had they not slid off the side of the road the night before was a miracle. On Friday, when mom and the driver of the car went to get the car and get the tires changed, they found out it was at 2/32 thickness. How they got so bald, we're not sure, but so thankful for the angels that protected that car when it was sliding on the road the night before.

Back on the road, the snow had fallen now a good ten inches, and we had only been gone about two hours. The temperature was dropping rapidly and so a nice thick layer of ice was on the road. We came up to a stop light. Mom stopped, I was trying to stop, but that ice was just to much and I slid, and slid . . . and BARELY missed hitting her. I looked in the rear view mirror and there was A-, doing his best to stop his truck, but to no avail.

BOOM!

A-'s truck slammed into my 4Runner. I got out to see the damage . . . oh, what damage! But we were all ok, they were all ok. Funny thing, looked like there was next to no extra damage done to their truck. My whole back end is rather dented. So much so, that everyone was joking and calling me Dented Butt on our return trip.





So many accidents on the road; Semi's jack-knifed, cars spinning, off on the side of the road, a couple of small pile ups . . .

We made it to Campion by 5:40 pm, just in time for supper. Eight hours for 56 miles. We had stopped at a mall where we had lunch, so I guess it was only seven hours on the road. Yet the typically Eight hour drive from Farmington to Loveland took 26 hours.

So, the rest of the story . . .

The FEW: Fearlessly Exposed Witnesses, had not practiced since the Thursday before spring break, so it had been two weeks. You see, each practice we tried to do, kept having to be postponed because of the road conditions. Thursday night, the practice was HORRIBLE! none of the kids could remember their lines, they just were batty. Then Friday morning, not a whole lot better. I was beginning to get worried, but I just prayed about it. Friday afternoon, at our last practice, it went must much better, but whatever, we had prayer together, and then that night, every time I woke up, I prayed about the Sabbath School program.

We met up at the church an hour before Sabbath school to mic up, have prayer and just be ready to go. All the girls on the team had prayer. Oh, their prayers were so heartfelt, and for each other and those coming to see them. It brought tears to my eyes!

God definitely wanted us there, and that was such a great performance. So many people came afterwords, throughout the whole day, telling myself and the girls how they were blessed and enjoyed Sabbath School that morning.

You can never convince me that God does not exist! For if He did not . . . I don't even want to immagine what this trip could have turned out to be. It was as if Satan was doing his very best to prevent us from reaching our destination, but God said, "NO! I need them there!" What a privilege and an honor (though scary as it was at the time) to be a part of a plan. We have no idea if this trip was for one of our students, or for one or more of those that attended Sabbath School. What we do know is that God brought us there, and He worked through us in such wonderful ways. I wish I could find the words to really help others understand and feel and know what we have felt and know and understand to be true.

I love you all! And I love my kids! I'm so blessed, even though I have so much stress, God is blessing me in so many ways I know He's looking out for me, I have no need to worry. :)

Brief Update!

Yes, we made it back safe! Weather report changed and the snow was held off. We had some high winds, but it was a lovely drive back. Seven vehicles in our caravan :)

Thank you all who were praying for us through-out the weekend. Your prayers were answered in the most miraculous ways. The program on Sabbath morning was amazing! Can't wait to share that with you. Well, maybe I can, I'm too tired. Tell you all the stories later :)

Love ya all!

Part of the Story

This is a rough draft of the speech/introduction I had before our program at Campion Academy in Loveland, CO, Sabbath the 28th of March.

Welcome to Sabbath School

We are so glad to see you all here today. We come from the southern most part of the Conference in Farmington, NM.

Knowing what our school group went through and hearing tid-bits from other school’s adventures, we all seem a bit crazy. But you know, God looked out for each of us anyway – fender benders, rear endings and all.

Our school’s original plan was to leave Farmington early Thursday morning. However, the storm predictions had many parents and drivers urging us to leave Wednesday. So after school, we loaded up, had prayer together and planned to arrive at Campion around 11:30 pm or so and stay ahead of the snow storms.

Our journey started great. The roads were clear all the way through Wolf Creek Pass. We were sailing along making great time.

Some of our group had left an hour and a half, maybe two hours ahead of us so a few of our students were texting back and forth our locations and weather conditions. So we knew there was some snow coming up, but the group ahead of us didn’t have any trouble so we weren’t concerned. The major storm was behind us. We arrived in Fairplay, CO after dark, and that snow we were told about started and began sticking to the road.

We filled up our gas tanks and started on our way. In our caravan there were four vehicles: two trucks, my SUV and a car. As we began down a hill, I thought maybe we were going a bit to quickly. The roads were starting to get slippery, but not to bad.

In my 4Runner were four of our girls, three whom are in The FEW, performing today. We were the third vehicle in the caravan. The first truck was driven by our principal who was carrying most of our luggage, the second a family in which one of the members is a part of our drama team and choir and last was the car following with the guys.

The truck, right in front of myself and the wide awake girls in my 4Runner, started to fishtail and then turned and slid sideways toward the left of the road. Thankfully there was no on coming traffic. I figured they would stop sideways and I slowed down more not wanting to run into them as they were pulling out of it. But their vehicle didn’t stop. It began spinning and sliding to the right side of the road toward drop off.

“Oh God! Help!” I screamed in my head as I was slowing my car, attempting to stop it slowly.

The next moment was the most frightening one I have ever had in my life as I know it was for the girls in my vehicle, as well as my mother who was watching from her rear view mirror in the lead truck. I won’t even try to imagine or explain what it was like for those in that truck.

We watched, helpless as the truck with this family we all love and call friends fall right over the edge of the road into blackness. For all we knew it could have been a 20 to a 100 ft drop into a river or rocks below.

Only with God’s help was I able to pull over and stop my car and put on the emergency brake.

I was screaming in my head “OH GOD! Please let them be alive, please let them be safe, please help them, please help them, please!”

I got out of my car, and hurried up the hill praying the whole way, “Please Lord, Please” As I reached the point where they went over the car that was bringing up the end pulled up next to me and I barely got out that they went over, when I saw the headlights of the truck.

There, was that big white truck, facing the same direction our cars were going down the road, resting, just before another steep embankment. Standing in the back of the truck, silluetted by the bed light was, the driver, A...

I can’t describe the wash of relief that flooded me when A… shouted up to us “We’re ok! We’re all Safe and OK!”

Now I have a question for you, how many of you carry wire cutters with you in your vehicles? I wouldn’t have thought to do so before now. You see, where the truck fell over was through a fence and there was a gradual incline parallel with the road. So in order to drive out, was through a fence.

Thankfully a young man had come along with us, practically last minute, and he had with him the best tool ever! A Leatherman with wire cutters. Between him, sponsors, teachers and our amazing 8th and 9th graders who jumped in to help with removing the fence and pole, transporting luggage and people from one truck to another, change a shredded tire with only little flashlights for light and cold temperatures, the truck was back on the road in just under an hour.

Now if that truck had gone over where it first started to slide, or 100 yards down the rad, there weren’t any inclined ledges, just drop offs . . . strait down.

The truck didn’t roll. It stopped just before another steep incline and faced perfectly the way it needed to, to drive out and there was only one tire that was shredded and no luggage was lost.

We know Angels carried that truck and safely landed them.

We found a hotel on the south eastern part of Denver, and started out a little late and experienced the storm that most of you went through to get here on Thursday. We had so many more miracles, it would take to long to share, but we experienced one mile and hour driving for several hours before we finally figured a way through town and made it here yesterday.

So we are so glad to be alive and share with you today. The Piñon Hills Christian School Drama Team had no idea how fitting the name they had chosen for our team, The FEW: Fearlessly Exposed Witnesses really was before this weekend.

Miracle Journey!

Our school made the trip to Campion Academy for the the RMC Music & Fine Arts Festival. We were planning on leaving on Thursday morning, however the weather predictions for Thursday were pretty dire. Huge snow storms coming across Colorado and New Mexico. With this in mind, we decided to leave Wednesday after school.

Our new plan had us arriving at the academy campus around Eleven or Midnight, However, something else happened. I don't have time to write about it now, but look for the complete story after Sunday night sometime when we are to be getting home. Just know, so far, this has been the most memorable trip I have ever had, and the Miracles, and I literally mean DIVINE, FANTASTIC, BREATHLESS MIRACLES, the miracles are what I can't wait to share with you, but I must go. It's time for supper shortly, and the students will be hunting me down for the supper meal ticket.

Please, be praying for us. Our drama team, The FEW, are putting on the Sabbath School program tomorrow and God definitely wants us here, so pray that we listen to Him and present the program for His Glory. Also keep us in prayer as we head back to New Mexico on Sunday. The weather report is another storm front is moving in Sunday.

Love ya all, Happy Sabbath!

Dr. Suess Birthday

Today is Dr. Suess's Birthday. What a contribution to education and a funny guy at the same time. Today in class, we're going to try and incorporate Dr. Suess books in each subject. :) It's gonna be fun.