When Shirley and I started our life together we had no idea of what was to be in our future, but we wanted to face it with a smile and courage. So we made even our difficult times an “adventure”. If something was an adventure, then we could handle it and enjoy it. We did not have the possibility to travel much in the beginning, so even our walks out and around became adventures. We named our feet (mine were Ralph and Fred) and asked how they had enjoyed the adventure to the muddy swamp at the edge of the field, for example.
And through the years we have had some amazing adventures. When we had our first car, we went to help pick someone up in Forth Worth, Texas. Unfortunately, our car broke down somewhere on the highway in Fort Worth before we could get to the young man we were to pick up. We spent the next few days walking from the cheapest hotel we found near a garage we found willing to tow our car. We had just enough money. We got coffee at the McDonald’s, purchased some cheese and bananas at a little supermarket and prayed that the garage would work out a deal with us. For two days we walked back and forth between the cheap hotel, the supermarket and the garage. I can still remember the smell of the asphalt of Forth Worth.
Then there was the visit to the hotel in San Antonio, Texas a few years later. We wanted to visit San Antonio because that is where Scott was born. As we arrived downtown in our brand new second hand little station wagon, baby Stephan in the baby seat in the back, a pick-up truck turned left through our green light and smashed our cute little car to bits.
Everyone seemed fine. Somehow (we still do not remember how) we got to the hotel we had planned to stay at and we made an adventure of the next few days wondering how we would get back to Abilene. That was solved by a brother (Bob Gorsline) who was traveling through and was able to take us with him. We never did see the Alamo, although we were able to purchase a sombrero. Ralph and Fred had a good time.
But our adventures were not restricted to Texas, nor were they all difficult times. Between the two Texas adventures we traveled to Europe on a survey trip to see if we would be able to do missions there. This was before Stephan arrived and we had a Eurail ticket which meant we could travel all over Europe with the train. Ralph and Fred were excited. We would often plan our trip so that we could sleep in the train, saving costs.
We walked up the hill to the castle in Salzburg, Austria. At least, we walked a good part of the way. Shirley did not do well with the altitude, so it was slow going. But we made it. In Greece we walked through the market and up to Mars Hill, imagining what the apostle Paul saw when he had been in the same places. We ran through the narrow streets of Venice as we hurried to get back to the train station after a day visiting the canals and bridges and glassblowers. And in Bremen we walked calmly through a park, finally sitting on a bench as we waited and prayed for a lost passport and Eurail pass which finally showed up when we returned to the train station.
This past weekend we met up with our Chinese professor friend who is hosting her mother in the coming weeks. They told of the trips they will take to Paris, Rome, Venice and Munich. It reminded us of the journeys and adventures we have had. Life is exciting if you can make it an adventure. And oh the stories you have when all is said and done!
Where have you been? Where are you going? What adventures have you experienced? What adventures await you? Ralph and Fred still enjoy everything I throw at them. Walk with joy and courage. Walk with God and it will be great.
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