Moab, Utah

View from our camp site in Moab, Utah

Hello All,

Colorado Rockies

Greetings from Flagstaff, Arizona! Yesterday we traveled here from Moab, Utah. Originally, I wasn't going to stop in Utah because of time's sake and also just because you don't hear much about Utah (or at least I hadn't). I am so glad that we did make the time to stop in one night though because it was so beautiful! We had the most gorgeous drive to Moab from Colorado Springs. We were also fairly amused that we found ourselves in a place called Moab because the evening service of the church that we went to in Colorado Springs--New Life Church--included a sermon about Ruth, who was a Moabitess. I have learned in my life that God is a very detailed-oriented guy. He doesn't overlook anything, so I don't think it's any accident that we ended up in Moab.

Sunset in Moab

Canyonlands National Park

Mesa Arch

View from Mesa Arch

I very much identify with Ruth. She came from a land that was known for temptation and seduction. She chose to leave it all behind--including her old faith, identity, and family--to follow her mother-in-law, Naomi. She gives Naomi covenant love, and although she is an outsider in Naomi's home, God blesses Ruth and gives her favor. God was able to redeem the reputation of Moab through Ruth because Jesus, the Savior, is a descendant of her blood line. In a short two months, I will be moving to a new land where I am very much an outsider (at least in terms of how I look). For whatever reason, my mother felt the need to pray that her two oldest children have blonde hair and blue eyes, and therefore, I can never fake the appearance of being Honduran either. But, I know that even as I come from a land that is known for temptation and is often a seductress for the poor especially, that God is able to redeem the reputation of the US if I am obedient in forsaking all to follow Jesus. I believe that even as I will be an outsider that God is faithful and that He can grant me favor in my new home.

Anyway, Utah was beautiful with all of its canyons. We headed to Canyonlands National Park and stood under the Mesa Arch. It was literally breathtaking. I know that people use that word all the time, but in this case, it was quite true. There's something about standing on a huge rock that drops off into miles and miles of cliffs and canyons that puts the fear of God into you. I am finding that all of the places that I love the most on this trip are those that remind me of how small I am. Yet, even in my smallness, God, in His infinite love, takes the time to romance me with the details. Sometimes, Gabrielle and I like to listen to podcasts while we drive. Most of the time we listen to Heidi or Rolland Baker or Jason Upton although we may branch out and listen to some K.P. Yohannan and Corrie ten Boom as well. We were listening to a message given by Heidi Baker called "Love Looks Like Something." She was saying that it's not enough that we say that we love someone--love will inevitably look like something. For the poor of Mozambique, it may look like chicken. For a homeless person, it may look like a blanket. God's love for us looks like something as well. I am discovering that perhaps I am not a very cheap date because God seems to go over and above what anyone should ever need to know that they're loved. For me, love looks like this trip. God's love looks like the Colorado Rockies or the Mesa Arch, Carlsbad Caverns or the ocean. It's overwhelming, but I think He does it on purpose. It seems that the greater the display of His love in preparation, the more He builds our faith, and in return, the greater mission He grants us. We have to be willing to receive His love though. While He will pursue us, He won’t force us. Gabrielle and I didn’t have to go on this road trip. A lot of people questioned why we were going or wondered if two girls in their twenties could make such a trip alone. From a practical standpoint, it doesn’t make much sense for me to spend my college kid life savings traveling the US. From a productivity standpoint, it doesn’t make much sense for me to take this trip instead of moving to Honduras right after graduation. But, it’s a trip that God laid on my heart a few years ago, and He has provided every step of the way. It’s been so worth it already. Gabrielle and I continuously find ourselves overwhelmed by the sense of how blessed we are to be in each place. Our faith is strengthened, and our intimacy with God is deepened—not because of any crusade to help people or speak in churches or whatever. It’s simply because we look up and see mountains; we look down and see canyons. We feel the warmth of the sun and the furious wind of the desert. We meet new people and see Jesus wherever we go. And at this stage of the trip, God is already beginning to show each of us, in our heightened state of faith, the next mission He has for us, the places He has called us, and the ways in which He’ll go before us.
Anyway, today, we’re off to the Grand Canyon. I couldn’t be more excited!

What does love look like for you?
Sarah