Move #13: Nashville, TN to Honolulu, HI
When our family made the massive cross country, trans-Pacific move from Tennessee to Hawaii last summer, Gregg and I thought that it would be an exciting “family bonding adventure” to drive our minivan across the country. We loaded up our five children and packed all of our remaining stuff strategically around them. There was barely room to breathe.
About halfway into our drive as we were leaving Kansas and approaching the Colorado border, the beautiful weather we had been enjoying suddenly changed dramatically. While it was only four in the afternoon, the sky grew eerily dark and the winds became so strong that you could see funnel clouds off in the distance. Although we had only lived in Tennessee for two years, we had learned quickly what tornado weather looked like. We did not like what we saw.
To make matters worse, we began to hear a loud thumping noise coming from the top of our car. It was our Yakima carrier, filled with more of our stuff. The wind had damaged it and it was loose, threatening to break. We were heading into tornado weather with no town or exit in sight (Gregg had always wondered what would happen if one of those broke off, now with his golf clubs inside he was hoping to not experience it firsthand).
Then, very quietly at first, one of our children began to chant, “We’re gonna die! We’re gonna die! We’re gonna die!” As fear can be very contagious, within minutes, all five of our children were screaming in unison, “We’re gonna die!” I looked at Gregg and had one thought, “We’re gonna die!”
Thankfully, we didn’t. We made it to the next town, Gregg was able to fix our carrier, the weather cleared and we were on our way to Denver for the night.
What I learned from this experience:
- Next time, fly.
- Fear can paralyze us and cause us to question what God has called us to do.
- When we’re afraid, God is with us to strengthen us.
“Fear not, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. . .” Isaiah 41:10
This made me laugh really hard...not at your circumstances, but at your kids.
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