Mitchell - Extended Stay

 NATHAN 8/10/2021

Good morning, it is rare that I blog and record my life and what's going on in it but here goes everything. Today, God has blessed me with another year. I thank God for all the blessings in my life and opportunities to be able to enjoy. I am 48 today. I thoroughly enjoy the gift that God blessed me with of having a servant’s heart and desiring to help and minister to others. Today and for the next two weeks, I plan on taking time to enjoy part of my family. We are currently in Mitchell, SD at a campground. We stopped for the night to rest and wake up to see the fabulous "Corn Palace" in Mitchell, SD. To this point, we have visited five states and about 1000 miles. God is so good and His natural beauty is amazing! I know I have enjoyed His beauty over the years, getting to see his creation in between normal life of working and living in one spot. These are rare times and it is great to be able to get away and take Christy and Andrew to see round 3 of our adventures out West. God is good and He is always faithful to bless and sustain us if we will put our faith and trust in Him. I hope God blesses all who read this and pray that His grace and mercy and the greatest of all love blesses you today. Until next time. Good Day

Oh, what a beautiful morning! Oh, what a beautiful day! God has blessed us with such lovely weather. This morning we were able to take in the beauty of the campground that we stayed in. Just outside our door, we were able to catch a glimpse of Lake Mitchell. We enjoyed a few views of this lovely lake, before we were to head to the Corn Palace.

We looked over the trailer before heading out because it was riding a little rough as we pulled into Mitchell late last night. We discovered uneven wear on the driver side tire and wire tread exposed on the passenger side. YIKES! They had great tread when we left home. Nathan began further inspecting the suspension and discovered that a weld had broken loose on this homemade trailer that we bought. We drove carefully into town where we found a shop. Again the Lord has been gracious to lead us to the right place at the right time. Had we continued we would have been in no man's land SD. As one local put it, "Even the jack-rabbits carry a lunchbox" out there. The people at the shop had some suggestions but were unable to repair the welds because of liability issues. They gave some helpful advice and told us places that we could find supplies. We limped our way to TSC (Tractor Supply Company) where we spent a good bit of our day. Kind of felt it brought the family together. We have often joked that that is the way to remember our older boys in order (Taylor, Samuel, Caleb). While there, Nathan purchased leaf springs and attached them to the trailer as a more secure form of suspension. Then we headed back to the shop where they replaced our trailer tires. One of the workers, named Shane, gave Nathan his address and told him to head on over to the house. He said that his wife would have the welding supplies out and ready for him and that he'd be there shortly when he got off work. Nathan was able to use this man's tools (another good Samaritan) to weld and reinforce the springs to the trailer - saving us the expense of having to purchase a welder and getting us back on the road. 

While he worked in the TSC parking lot, Andrew watched movies patiently on the phone, and I worked on crochet projects in between handing Nathan the necessary tools. Then while Nathan was at Shane's house, Andrew and I went to look at this year's murals on the Corn Palace. It is fascinating the work that is put into this every year. All parts of the corn plant as well as other grains, such as wheat, are used to create the pictures that cover this building. Because the vacation has not been particularly exciting (in a fun way), Andrew and I decided to check out a castle-looking building across the street that advertised an indoor playground and Bibleland. It was a nice respite, and Andrew thoroughly enjoyed playing in a Garden of Eden-style playground that was multileveled (think Chick-fil-A/McDonald's). Then we meandered through and followed a path to see artifacts from the Holy Land and scenes to depict events from the Bible. Our tour ended in the gift shop where a lady approached me and we started into a deep religious conversation. It is always refreshing to meet fellow believers who unashamedly share their faith. I was blessed in June by the host of our AirBNB in the same way. As we discussed our faith, I learned more about this ministry that she and her husband have created. She said lately more and more people come in and seem hungry to listen and find answers. Their brochure states that they are there to be a "light at the crossroads for the local as well as the sojourner". The past few days have really worn me down emotionally. As we talked about our gift of Salvation and meeting our Savior, I began tearing up. She went and got her husband so that I could meet him as well. He is a retired preacher, and they have served as missionaries in multiple countries. What a blessing and gift they offer to those who cross their paths.

Nathan's birthday was not what we planned, but then as I said earlier, we are not in control. Although he didn't make it to his beloved Badlands today, we did find a steakhouse where he could enjoy his prime rib and a slice of chocolate "birthday" cake while we sang "Happy Birthday". One more night in Mitchell.