Teresa and I have now traveled about 4000 miles, crossing 8 states and seeing more sights than I can now even remember. We marvel at the beauty of God’s creation, and wonder how anyone could see such majesty and not realize that there must be a powerful and great God who created it all.

Yes, we have seen much (which I am trying to chronicle in pictures posted on Facebook), but the truly remarkable thing so far has been the people we have met. God is not only allowing us to marvel at what we are seeing, but to also engage in conversations with individuals and families we are meeting along the way. I have spoken in earlier blogs about tours guides, Jason and Eddie. As I sit here at 4:30 am, watching the first glimmers of light rise above the towering mountains surrounding me, I am thinking particularly of two families we have met on our journey.

We met these two families in two different places, and both are from Denmark. The first was a delightful couple who were quite intrigued by our small camper, and simply wanted to know about it and how we were able to take a fifty-day trip in such a small bed-on-wheels, as we have dubbed it. This led into a conversation about life in the US compared to life in Denmark, with a discussion of churches in both countries.

The second family from Denmark we have spent some time with was a family of four who were taking an 18-day tour of the western United States. We shared a delightful meal with them at our host boondocker’s home, and once again the conversation gravitated toward the church in both countries. They were amazed at the many different denominations we have in the US, and shared with us that the church in Denmark is a state church with the queen of Denmark being the head of the church.

We were given the opportunity to engage in conversation about the church in general, which led ultimately to a discussion of the fact that no one is saved through the church, but rather through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. It is not church attendance that saves – even though church attendance is essential for spiritual growth and development after one is saved – but it is by the grace of God, through faith, that one is saved.

This was all so strange sounding to our new acquaintances from Denmark. Teresa and I hope that our discussion with them will cause them to look more deeply into the matter of individual responsibility and accountability to God. Both families were truly delightful, and it was such a joy to share with them, and now we pray for them to come to an understanding of their own individual need of a Savior.

The first three weeks of our 50-day anniversary trip has been amazing. As I write this blog on Monday, July 3, we will be preparing later today for the next stop along the way – Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. We have now visited Grand Canyon, Great Sand Dunes, and Rocky Mountain National Parks. We’ve taken five train rides, two guided tours, and have seen so much in our own personal sight-seeing expeditions.

As we prepare to take the next leg of the journey to Wyoming – we’ll actually take a couple of days to get there from Estes Park, CO – but there are adventures along the way. Can’t wait to share with you more of the excitement we are enjoying, and pray that you are being encouraged as you read these words and as you view the pictures. Every picture, as they say, is worth a thousand words, but sadly no picture can capture the true beauty of what we have seen. The pictures will simply be a reminder to us in the future of the joy we experienced along the way.

Until next time:

Blessings!