Davi at dinner before we left. Her and Ben were getting excited about “Kid Camp” with their grandmas while we were gone. She wanted us to know she was a “Cool Dude!”

The trip to Colorado for the Nationwide Youth Roundup (NYR) was an unexpected, incredible adventure.

For context, I have wanted to attend this trip for years. My husband, attending for his fifth year, has told me so many wonderful stories from his time at NYR over our time together, and it has only made me long for the day when I would finally be able to attend.

After a few years of deciding it wasn’t in the plan for me, I felt this year was my year, despite all the struggles of JUST trying to get to departure day.

When I finally had decided nothing was going to get in my way of this trip come hell or high water, I had my fair share of signs from God that I was on the right path. Don’t get me wrong, there was plenty of spiritual warfare, but God was ever-present and giving me clarity with each obstacle I faced. Here are just a few:

1. The Doubters - As I mentioned in my previous blog post, the minute I gave God a “YES” the world went from positive to negative. Everyone around me was suddenly filled with doubt and fear for my experience on this trip. While there really wasn’t much I could do to reassure any of them, the only answer I had in my heart was, “God is calling me to this mountain and I have to go.” Simply put, I can’t remember many other times in my life where I felt such a blinding need to be anywhere or do anything so desperately. I wasn’t compelled to argue with them, because normally, I would also think I was crazy! So I thanked each person for their concern and hoped they would pray for my safety as I went on this journey. Ultimately, I knew they were concerned for my safety and their intentions were sincere.

2. My employer - When I hurt my foot, I had already told my employer to just forget about the trip. Originally, the plan was that I would work for 5-6 hours each day as a way to ensure I had all the time I would need for maternity leave. Upon my injury, I assumed the trip was off for me, so rather than try to make up my time, I took days off when I needed to for doctor’s appointments, illness, and mental health. When God put it on my heart that I would now be attending NYR, this was a huge concern for me. Figuring up my paid time off for maternity leave left me a little discouraged.
   

   When I finished my calculations, I realized I would have just over 50 hours of leave between my sick and annual leave when I returned from maternity leave. While that is still over a week of leave, with a newborn and two toddlers, it wouldn’t be hard to burn through my remaining leave. As I continued to evaluate my situation, I had a realization that I can only believe came from the Lord Himself. In all of my planning, pre-injury and post, I hadn’t paid attention to a small, yet very significant detail. By the time I did all the work I could manage while on the mountain, I would have saved myself less than 15 hours of leave. 15 HOURS. So I refigured my math and decided the ask for my employer was to just be unplugged for the trip.
   

   Because I have a very compassionate and kind supervisor, she definitely expressed her concern for my decision (both for my health, any possible pregnancy complications that I wasn’t considering in the future, and the demanding schedule of a newborn in their first six months of life), but ultimately gave me her support and approved my leave.
   

   This felt like another sign that God was present in this journey.

3. God’s Words through a Friend…or Two - Two separate individuals were allowing God to speak through them, whether they knew it or not.
   

   The first was extremely supportive of my attendance of the trip from the minute I told her I was thinking about still attending post-injury. In fact, she even made multiple comments to the tune of, “I don’t know what’s gotten into me, I’m usually the friend that will tell you it is more important to take care of yourself and that you could always go next year!” She was so supportive of me going on the trip that she even helped me problem-solve several times, assisting me with “getting my ducks in a row” before take off.
   

   The other just happened to be passing through church one day when I was still working through the details of my attendance. He had asked how my foot was feeling and generally just made a little small talk. But for some reason, I felt compelled to tell him what was on my mind.
   

   “I don’t know why, but I just feel like I have to be there. My sister might decide to get baptized on the trip this year and I NEED to be there to support her,” I said.
   

   He followed my statement with something I hadn’t even considered. “Or be the one to do it.”
   

   In that moment, I actually started crying at the thought that I could even be the person to help my sister grow in her relationship with Christ. My heart started pounding in my chest as the tears flowed down my face. I was slightly embarrassed at my reaction, but I knew in that moment that had to be one of the reasons God was putting it on my heart to make this trip happen.

4. Food Accommodation - Since I can no longer have gluten, I was worried that my last minute decision to attend the trip would be met with the obstacle of “BUT WHAT WILL I EAT??” GOD BLESS the cooks who planned and prepared every meal. When I told them I would be attending, they didn’t even fret. They immediately updated the grocery list and made sure I would still eat my fair share on the mountain. AND DID I EVER. (Fair warning, this likely won’t be the last time I talk about the spiritual experience that was the food on this trip. I ate better than I do at home AND got to enjoy some of my favorite foods again that aren’t always easy to come by in a gluten free variety.)

If you’ve stuck around this far, I appreciate it. I’ll be starting to share more about the meat of the trip in my next post. While these are all small things, I think it is so important to recognize God’s hand in all of them and show my gratitude for His presence in all of it. Without the constant pang in my chest of encouragement, I’m not sure I would’ve pressed on amidst the many obstacles that arose from the day I said, “YES,” to God’s plan for me in this season.

The theme at NYR this year followed Psalm 23. Each day centered around a topic within that scripture: God’s Power, Presence, Peace, and Provision. These daily focuses were incredible and eye-opening. Until we arrived and began following that learning track, it didn’t occur to me to think about God’s daily presence. I always knew he was working in my life, but never really conceptualized that He’s always hanging out with me!

More on this later, because what I’m trying to say now, is God is always present. It is on us to open our eyes, hearts, and minds to the ways He’s working in our lives each and every day. I know I fall short often, but I’m grateful for God opening my eyes over the last few weeks in preparation for what He has planned for me.

Bennett entertaining himself in Ms. Autumns office while we loaded up the trailer for the trip. Play Dough for the win!