“Natural rolling hills, and mountain backdrops stir the soul and make each day impossible to compare”

This quote on the wall of our motel in Jackson, WY perfectly sums up our last few days of travel. So much beauty!!

The visit to Jackson is always a favorite of mine. The Bar J supper was delicious. The Tetons were outstanding with a rainbow nestled among its peaks. Em (who may have been up half the night suffering from the effects of an energy drink she drank too late in the day 😅) figured out where to find the famous barn. I tried to imagine how it would be to be one of the 33 families who lived beneath the shadow of the Tetons for years. Washing dishes with that view would’ve been the best. 💞

Montana sure is beautiful in the summertime. We passed a Bazillion bales of hay, enjoyed the sunset, and the immense variety of wildflowers.

Glacier was beautiful. We spent some time beside Lake McDonald, hiked down to a waterfalls. [*insert- Em’s knee hung in there like a champ, and I’m so thankful she’s been given the opportunity to experience things like this again! She iced it in the frigid waters we found at the falls 😅]

Can you spy my hiking partner? 🤩

Our last stop in Montana was a guided tour of a Hutterite colony. Ms. Rita took us all around, and I learned a lot. The cleanliness of the the main kitchen was impressive. Their garden was huge, with rows of carrots stretching on into the horizon. We all laughed at the fact that our group consisted of Amish, Mennonite, and Hutterite- all different types of Anabaptists. I love culture studies, and I will admit to leaving with more questions than I came with.

O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder

Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder

Thy power throughout the universe displayed

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee

How great Thou art, how great Thou art

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee

How great Thou art, how great Thou art

Praise to the One created all this beauty, and allows me to experience it!

“Auf wiedersehen” as they say, or “see ya later” where I come from 🙂

See ya down the trail,

Kendra

Bonus Pic:

Winner of the Unofficial Most Appropriate Mural Contest we’ve been having 😍

“It’s ‘micka’ season out here in Missouri”

I sat on the backless bench and watched the house wife dutifully shooing away the bazillion flies that descended on our supper. My weary brain fuzzed over her words. Wait-what’s a micka??

Emily and I are currently in #deepdutch We left early Saturday morning, picked up 6 Lancaster County Amish ladies and flew west. This is basically what I look like after 1000 miles:

Saint Louis Arch was a madhouse. Apparently there was a fair in progress. I loved watching the children play in the ginormous sprinkler

Em and I stayed in a darling little cabin and enjoyed a leisure Sunday morning before we went to the Laura Ingalls Wilder museum. It was kinda cool to see the desk where the famous series was penned. Laura’s kitchen was custom built for her- she was 4′ 11″ and Almanzo was 5′ 4″. Also it was pretty neat to see Pa’s fiddle. I enjoyed our time there. If you ask Em if she did-you’ll get a different response 😜

The journey across Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico has gone rapidly, but we’ve enjoyed the ride!

The intense farming that happens in the these parts does my agricultural loving heart good.

We’ve enjoyed stopping occasionally to get a feel for the land we are traveling through.

The stop at “The Big Texan” did not disappoint. The food was tops, and our waitress was very gracious. When I was in my teens-I was sure that I could handle their 72 oz steak in an hour challenge. (Again Em’s opinion is differing here) but those days are gone-I settled for a 9 oz Ribeye instead.

We traveled the Musical Highway on Route 66. We didn’t tell the girls what we were doing, and I wish you could’ve heard the excitement when they figured out the rumble strip was singing lol.

And that leaves us in New Mexico ready to embark on a full day of travel.

If I could sum our #deepdutch tour up with one pic-it would be this one.

“Auf wiedersehen” as they say. Or “See you later” where I come from 🤠 🙈

See you down the trail,

Kendra for the whole gang

“Be still and know that I am God.”

I love that verse. Such a good reminder to stop, chill out, and allow God to move.

And I believe that He can and does move, I say devotedly as the sun shines.

But then the clouds move in and the thunder rolls and I’m frantically trying to solve the problem.

I apologize in advance for another post on the weather-but I’m so amazed and enthralled-I just have to share 🙂

Wheat is a pretty big crop for our family, and this year, we watched our fields carefully. January- bitter cold with no moisture. February- unusually warm-no moisture. March- I don’t remember. April- more cold with snow. May- rain and rain. June- rain rain rain RAIIIIIINNNNNN…

The crop looked good. And then it looked bad and then it looked decent and then it ripened and turned a color other than the typical gold we were used to.

In the midst of all this, I stood at the edge of the field and watched. I listened to the seasoned farmers around me hashing what was going on (what else can farmers do when it’s too wet to get in the fields? 🤷🏻‍♀️) I stoically manned the rain gauge to make sure it was dumped every few days so it didn’t run over. 🚣🏻‍♀️ I worried. I prayed a good bit and gave the crop to God-the ultimate Farmer. Then I worried that God didn’t notice His wheat was drowning.

Also adding to the drama is the fact that day after day brought us closer to the scheduled date of a trip West for a certain van driver and her younger sister (a certain grain cart operator) (stay tuned for more info) and I was completely concerned that after we pulled out, Father and Deb would be let alone. Not that they couldn’t handle it- but half the crew is half the crew.

Anyhow. I prayed and prayed and prayed.

“If you have faith the size of a wheat seed…”

Mother says God parted the waters. And I agree. But unlike the Israelites, we didn’t quite walk through on dry ground. A week ago, the sun shone and we flew for the field.

What a rodeo it was. We found wet spots we didn’t know existed and had more excitement than we bargained for.

Thanks to everyone who dropped everything to come to our aid.

We were encouraged to find the crop was not a complete loss, but that specific sinking feeling put fear into the heart of the operator.

We continued on cautiously.

And today, as the dust settles on our last field of wheat stubble, I am overwhelmed with gratitude.

The rains dodged us perfectly (sometimes only by minutes) all week-only by the grace of God.

What is the battle your faith is facing? I know in the grand scheme of things, this year’s farming challenge is only a drop in the bucket, but this is my life- what’s real to me.

I encourage you to take a step back from the battle. To breathe. And to watch God move.

Because He can. And when the time is right, He will.

Rejoicing,

Kendra

Bonus Pic:

We had to get a little creative to get all the wheat off. Father’s genius idea of combining with a 4-wheeler was a life saver 🙂