Our Bethel Adventure

It was a month ago last Sunday that we went to Bethel for our afternoon prophetic session we had scheduled.  Just getting the appointment had been ordained by God, so we knew we were to be there. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians that we are to value prophesy.   The two prophetic ministers we met with were amazing and definitely valued their gifts well.  God spoke through them with such clarity, insight, and love.  We recorded it on our phones and refer back to it often.  God was in the midst.

I think that is how we would describe the ten days we spent there sitting under Bethel's ministries.  God was in the midst of everything we experienced. We opened our hearts to ALL He had for us, we said YES to everything, even that which took us out of our comfort zone and He opened up our world to the more.  On our way back home I added up the hours we spent in worship services, at the Healing Rooms, Sozo, adult Sunday classes, a seniors fellowship, the House of Prayer, and classes at their school~ it was 40 hours.  A significant number in the Bible and for us.

The Healing Rooms is open Saturday mornings at the church.  Many many trained volunteers with a heart for healing come and meet with all those who come for prayer for healing...of body, soul, and spirit.  The "encounter room" is filled with people and places to rest and wait for prayer.  There is a small area for communion, there is soft music playing and while we were there children and adults were expressing interpretive dance on a stage while about six others were painting what they felt God was speaking to them on canvases in the center of the vast room.  People were either quietly praying or being prayed for everywhere you looked.  We were there two hours when Joel told me he did not want to leave because of the peace he experienced in the room.

Bethel has around 9,000 members, and each week at least 1/3 of the people there are from other cities, states, and countries.  They are too small to accommodate them so have 4 services, a second campus, and two overflow rooms at the main church.  Worship services included great music an teachings.  Offerings?  If you are a visitor they request you give your tithes to your home churches, not them.  Often we were asked to lay hands on those around us who were in need of prayer for certain conditions, whether emotional or physical.  In fact, anywhere we walked in that church you would see people praying for others.  It was beautiful and powerful.

I went to a Sozo (Holy Spirit led) counseling session the last Saturday we were there. Bethel created this ministry, and they train people around the world.  Joel took the training in MN and says in all his years of counseling this was the most freeing for people he has ever used.   I received more insights and healing that I believe will bring more freedom into my daily life.

The House of Prayer is a separate circular building with all glass walls where people can go to quietly pray.  All chairs face out the windows, although many sit on pillows on the floor to study scriptures and pray.  There is a beautiful waterfall outside with more seating.  Another place to connect with God.

Carolyn and Austin from Toronto

The people we met were great....a couple from Ontario who sat with us for several services.  A couple from Vancouver who we had the privilege to pray over.  (40 years with Lyme).  Young and old who sat with or by us.  We even visited with and prayed for a young couple who sat by us in church and were on their way home from their honeymoon!  Another woman worked with refugees in Thailand and came to be "filled up" before flying back.  People are so friendly.  Kindness and openness abound!  Joel was also able to talk with one of the pastors, Chris Gore, several times.  We were also able to visit and get to know house guests and the host and hostess where we were staying.

Joel and housemate Chinbuzo (Nigeria) 

at Sundial bridge

Renee with housemate Nancy

Joel with host George 

Let me go back to the man with Lyme.  When we came out of our prophetic session the man walked up to me and asked me if our sessions was impacting.  Joel came up and his wife too and we visited a bit and then mentioned how we were healed from Lyme.  His wife immediately covered her mouth with her hand gasping as she did so.  Then she said, "My husband has had Lyme for 40 years".  Well, we knew that God had brought us together, so we encouraged them with our stories and then asked if we could pray. We went after that Lyme and we still stand on His word today believing that he is free from that horrible disease.

It is hard for me to describe my feelings while we were there.  I know I felt relaxed, and at home in the environment around me.  I felt so comfortable and at peace, like I could really be myself.  For me the atmosphere was almost palpable with the presence of God.   A.m.a.z.i.n.g.

We have been watching Bethel live-stream on the Internet for several years and were very impressed with their ministry.  We wondered how we would feel when we were up close and personal with the people and the leaders.  We believe they are the "real deal".

We are both amused and saddened that there are those who feel this church must be a cult, or the leaders are "false prophets" because of their beliefs.  There are even one or two who think we have strayed off course in our faith journey.  We are certainly not naive enough to believe Bethel is the perfect church or ministry.  We are all imperfect people walking out our faith in Jesus together.  We just love how they do ministry.  I will share that what we learned and what we experienced while there has reaffirmed where God has been leading us.  Who God wants us to be.

Two weeks after returning, I am once again on a medical journey that could steal our joy, but our focus is on our Papa God.  We are forever grateful, and looking forward to the "new thing" coming for us.  Which leads us back to the prophetic words spoken to us.  We know what was said was definitely from God.  He wrapped His loving arms around us, whispered words of comfort, knowledge and insight into our ears, and filled us with confirmation and hope for the new thing He has planned. 

Our Bethel Adventure was definitely an adventure with God!  We are so grateful for it!

South Dakota Beauty

After seeing Spearfish Canyon we headed south into Rapid City and then up to Mount Rushmore outside of Keystone.  We have stood looking at this monument to four of our Presidents several times over the years.  It never gets old.  We then drove to see what work has been done on the monument to Crazy Horse.  We had not been there in 30 years and were quite disappointed.  There is a great entrance and museum there now, which we and others enjoyed, but the monument itself looks no different than it did the first time we saw it.  That night we stayed in Rapid City, heading out the next day to see Wall Drug and then the Badlands.  We drove the scenic drive on a cloudy cold day, but our amazement was the same as if the sun had been shining.  So much to see!

After leaving the Badlands we drove across the state stopping to see the new Sacagawea statue outside Chamberlin SD.  It really was impressive.  Fifty feet high and stunning!  

                                                        

Soon we were on our way north to my sister Jan and brother-in-law Lanny's home.  We spent 2 days and three nights with them visting before heading to Minnesota to see three treasures participate in their sports activities, spending a couple days visiting with mom and dad too.  On our way home we took the back roads and stopped at the graves of my grandmother (who lived in Spearfish Canyon), grandfather and my dad.  We arrived home late in the afternoon, ending our 27 day journey with 5,022 miles added to our speedometer.

Lanny, Jan, Renee, Joel

Our thoughts return often to this trip together. With gratitude we recall so many beautiful sights in so many states.  We look at our time at Bethel Church and see God working in and through us.  We are grateful.  So grateful.

History, Hills, and A Canyon

The Black Hills of South Dakota are a beautiful sight to see, and for me they hold a long family  history.  I was hoping to find the general area where my Grandmother had lived in a cabin in Spearfish Canyon 60 plus years ago, with little knowledge about where that would be.  We stopped at a S.D. visitor's center to use the bathroom before heading into Spearfish and then the Hills.  What a nice surprise when one of the volunteers behind the desk asked me if I had any questions she could answer.  I paused and replied...'Yes"!  Have you ever heard of the town of Elmore.  I heard it is a ghost town now, but I could not find exactly where it was located."  She took a map, and showed me where to find it.  She let me know it was just summer homes now, but the sign for the town was still up.  So off we went.

Highway through Spearfish canyon

View point at Bridal Falls

The Black Hills are so amazing, Spearfish Canyon being created by the creek that runs swiftly through it.  The highway follows the creek,  and we enjoyed stopping to take in the sights along the way.  Joel decided it was his favorite place in all our travels.  Eventually we came near the end, and I was thinking we had somehow missed the Elmore sign when up it popped.  Elmore!

We stopped to take it all in the history, the beauty, the legacy............my grandmother did not live in town, she lived alone up against a hill in a cabin with no running water, just a well out front.  There are stories told of when my mom and oldest sister stayed there and coyotes were scratching at the door to get in.  And the time a bear was trying to enter and my grandmother shined a light in his face and yelled at the top of her lungs, scaring him away.  It took a lot of courage to live alone in such rugged country.  The beauty was almost overwhelming.  We absolutely loved it!

My grandmother Laura Lou standing by her well 

at the cabin she lived in 

up against a hill.  

This was before I was born.  

She was born in 1880 and died 

in 1950 when I was two years old.

A couple of side notes......Much of my childhood is locked away in a vault somewhere in my head, so It often rely on my older sisters to fill me in.  Finding the area where my grandmother lived gave me pause and I felt some deep connection that led us to Minnesota to her grave before going home after our trip.  I had asked my sisters for any info they had on this part of our history and was given two names.  One was "Whispering Pines" of which I found nothing, and the other was "Elmore", a town that no longer existed.  Unbeknownst to me, my sister Jan, who lives part time in South Dakota, had been to Spearfish Canyon and the Elmore area just a few weeks before we were there!  She knew where it was, but do to a lack of communication ("What we have here is a failure to communicate!") somewhere, we did not discuss this in our texts.  I am grateful God sent me to the right person who was able to direct me to the right part of the canyon!

So Many Places To Go, So Much To See

We arrived at Redding early on Friday afternoon and settled in to our lovely room at the house owned by Bethel members.  We were excited to begin our adventure with God......saying yes to all He sent our way.  We spent 10 days at Bethel ministries, and later when I added them up it came to 40 hours of sitting under their teachings, sessions, classes, and worship services during those 10 days. We are still processing it all, holding it close and praying over it.  I will share more later..........

Whiskeytown Lake

We did a bit of sightseeing while at Redding, seeing Whiskeytown Lake, Mount Shasta, Burney Falls, and the Sundial Bridge in downtown Redding.  Whiskeytown Lake has deep clear waters great for fishing....it is a reservoir covering nearly 3500 acres.  We drove up north to see Burney Falls, an amazing place.  Joel was able to take the steep path down to the base pool.  You could see people fishing at the top further back from the powerful falls.  Well worth the drive on a very hot day of 106 degrees.

Burney Falls

Mount Shasta

 Redding was an easy city to navigate, with everything we needed within 15 minutes of where we were staying.  We attended a festival downtown at an organic store one Saturday where they had a booth with "pet" reptiles to "enjoy".  I found that out when I glanced to my right and saw a 10 year old boy with a boa constrictor around his neck.  It took me awhile to process what I was seeing, and since snakes are NOT my friend, I quickly left him to his pleasure.  Shudder.  We saw a lot of homeless people that burdened our hearts.  In a warm California city of 96,000 you expect to see some. The drought was obvious with the yellow straw like grass and intense heat averaging 102 while we were there. The sunshine was wonderful!  Cool mornings were refreshing!   Redding has intense heat in summer months, and does dip to 30 degrees in the winter season.

Sundial Bridge

Leaving Bethel behind was difficult, but it was time to head back home.  The fires were closing the only road to the Redwoods from Redding, so our plans to go to the Redwood National Forest and stay in a hotel on the ocean were cancelled.  We also changed our route home because of the fires in Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and more.  We headed back through Susanville, passing the shoe tree once again.  We stayed the first night in Winnemucca NV.  Joel went out to get gas after dark and came back to the hotel telling me about the mini Vegas strip through town. Definitely not in Iowa anymore. The next day we drove through the rest of Nevada and Utah, landing that night in a very nice, friendly hotel in Evanston WY, elevation 7,000 ft.  It was 30 degrees the next morning!  Yikes!  We saw a bit of snow as we drove through Wyoming, first East and then North.  Beautiful scenery!

Wyoming

We did see a great place hidden from the main interstates ~ Independence Rock.  A massive rock where people on the Oregon Trail passed by.  Some etched their names on the surface before heading further West.  There was a nice visitor's center giving the history of those pioneers.

\\

We landed in Gillette Wyoming pretty exhausted.  The miles and days seemed to catch up with us.  An early night would prepare us for what was coming.  Western South Dakota where my family history runs deep.

A Shoe Tree, Volcano, and Scenic Drive In California

As we drove to Susanville from Reno, we realized it was the first time we really saw any cattle or ranches visible along the roads.  At Hallelujah Junction we passed a strange looking tree on the side of the road that had shoes hanging from it.  We turned around and went back to get a closer look and take pictures of this phenomena.  I then googled the "shoe tree in CA" and came up with quite a story behind it.  Since the 1930's this has been a place where people have thrown their shoes over a tree's branches as a way to "make their dreams come true".  How quirky and fun!  You just never know what you are going to come across on the back roads of America!  By the way.....we left no shoes behind!

Lassen Volcanic National Park Visitor Center

After doing laundry and getting a good night's sleep at the Red Lion's Inn we headed to Lassen Volcanic National Park an hour away.  What a beautiful place!  The views were again spectacular, and the heights took our breath away.  Especially with no side rails along the way.  We drove the scenic highway through the park, stopping at the Visitor's Center first.  We drove by sulfur pools bubbling on the side of the road.  We climbed to heights of around 10,000 ft. stopping often to take in the views.  We learned that the Lassen volcano is still active with a 30% chance of erupting you our lifetime.  Not that day, thank goodness!  After spending three hours in the park we headed NW to Redding, CA.  We were scheduled to arrive around 2 pm at the home we were going to be staying in.  Seeing Lassen Volcanic National Park was a great way to end this leg of our journey.

Large rock on view point

Lassen Volcano

Upper Meadow with creek

Joel's favorite .....a creek!

Sulfur 

snow

Mountain view

I cannot help but be in awe of God's creation.  This trip we spent most of our time in some kind of mountain terrain.  Either surrounded by mountains or driving through them.  More than once we had mountain views from hotels where we rested.  I love mountains, and it seems, so does our new Enclave.  We got the best mileage in the mountains.  God used mountains to speak to Moses, for Noah's story, and so many other stories..........and certainly Jesus told us to speak to our "mountains".  Mountains hold a place in our Lord's heart.............and in mine.  

Mountains, Desert, and Salt

We headed through western Utah early on Wednesday morning, and drove past the Great Salt Lake and the salt flats before we crossed the border into eastern Nevada.  There were piles of salt along the road with a Morton Salt sign and factory producing that which sits on our tables.

Morton Salt!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It seemed to take forever to get through those flats and the state of Nevada.  Three things I remember about that day; first of all, the sign on the Interstate in Nevada that had us both laughing....it just struck us funny.  We did see several prisons while driving through the state on our way out and our way back.  Also, we stopped at a Flying J that was a big truck stop.  It.  was.  awful.  Casinos, tough looking ladies and tougher looking truckers were watching TV, gambling, and eating.  This was our second bad experience with a Flying J so needless to say, we crossed them off our list for nicer gas stations to stop at.  At the top would be Mavericks and Loves!  The third thing I remember about Nevada was the scenery.  Mountains, desert, and endless miles of nothingness.  No animals, no people, no ranches visible, and very few cars or trucks.  It is definitely a sparcly populated yet vast and rugged land.

Nevada tunnel

We drove through Reno and Sparks to get to Carson City where we spent the night in a spendy but very nice hotel!  The city itself was clean, fresh, and nice to get around in.

Thursday morning we headed south to Lake Tahoe, driving the scenic drive around and up north to Truckee NV.  It was so beautiful!  A clear sunny day made the views even more stunning.  At times the height would get to this lady, and even one time Joel loudly proclaimed, "Oh my gosh!" as we crossed an area with deep drop offs on both sides. Wowza.  We managed to get our pictures taken at the top by a couple who did not speak English.  We made hand gestures to them and through that language were able to convey that we would take their pictures if they would take ours.  It was an amazing day of breathtaking views and we both were so happy we decided to take the time to go there.  God was really showing us His best creation when He made this area of Nevada and California!

Heading West

 After putting 5,022 miles on our Enclave, after being gone 27 days, and traveling through Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, California, South Dakota, and Minnesota ~ some states more than once~ we are back in our own beds.  We both slept 10 hours the first night!  Guess we were kind of tired.

I plan on sharing our journey here.....just not sure where to begin...............It was an amazing trip with every day an adventure.......so much to see....so  much to learn, so much to experience. Yeah..........where to begin. At the beginning I expect.

We left September 3rd driving our new-to-us 2014 Enclave to Kearney Nebraska.  We decided to take a look at the Archway and museum that crosses the interstate and we also meandered along the walking paths that displayed replicas of the hogans and 1 room cabins that were built by pioneers that settled there.  It was interesting, but after walking 2 blocks in the 96 degree heat we turned around and headed to our hotel to cool off!

The next morning we stopped at an original Pony Express station in a nice little town not too far down the road.  Fascinating to read about those who risked their lives to deliver the mail.

Pony express saddle 

We drove through smoky haze most of the day, staying in Rawlins Wyoming for the night.  We stopped at a great visitor center when we crossed into the state.  We found that many of the Visitor centers had little museums connected to them that gave us a history of the state.  

Interstate 80 ~ Lincoln Highway

Wyoming scenic views

View From The Visitor Center

Salt Lake City was our next stop.  We lived in Salt Lake City from 1970-72 while Joel went to the University of Utah for the Air Force, getting his degree in meteorology.  We drove around the campus which has changed a bit in the past 45 years!  While turning around in a small parking lot a young man came up and told us we could have his spot after the truck came to take his desk away.  We told him we were just looking for the building that held classes for meteorology  and he said, "Oh that is right over there.  It is an OLD building, having been built way back in the 60's."  Kinda like us!  Well, these youngsters, found the building and then headed out of the college maze to the suburb we lived in for most of our time there ~ Sugarhouse.  Of course nothing was familiar and we did not have our old street address (remember we have moved 24 times) so we headed over to the church we attended from 1970-72.  

Joel at the church

Our Savior's Lutheran Church

This mountain view (through a smoky haze this day) 

is the view we saw every day from our apartment

We were in Mormon country so there were few Lutheran churches in the city.  We found one that welcomed us in and made us feel like family soon after arriving in SLC.  And while there, the pastor left for another call and there was no Interim to fill in, so Joel was asked to preach 3 Sundays a month!  He did that for 9 months, giving us a taste of ministry long before Joel was ordained.  Only God.  We were able to visit with the secretary of the church and the Interim (a woman pastor from Chicago) plus see the renovations inside the building.  What an amazing journey going back 45 years!  

Our hotel that night was the worst we stayed in and cost a pretty penny.  It was old, worn out, and not clean.  In fact, Joel insisted we eat out that night so we would not have to eat in the room!  I would not recommend the LaQuinta in west SLC to anyone!  Even with the hotel fiasco, our stay in SLC was filled with good memories.