Bansenblog

Greetings Everyone, from Chico, California! We have made it here after 7 long days on the road, and it feels so good to finally arrive! We’ve had a few days to start settling into our new abode, and are finally getting our computer to jive with internet access here. We miss all of you back home and at the same time, it is good to once again be with our YWAM family. One of our teammate families also recently joined YWAM-Chico’s team, as well as the missionary family home on furlough from Fiji. There was much hugging when we rolled in—especially among the children!
Our trip went well, though not without its stresses. We used a U-haul trailer to transport our things out west, which is why we found a more capable vehicle (’98 Nissan Pathfinder) to replace our minivan. After we had loaded the trailer on Friday evening, I began to think that we should have bought a larger truck. Dad (Ulery) reassured me that it would do well as long as we didn’t get in a hurry… yeah, I’m thinking, SLOW. It was a lot of weight, and we could certainly feel the load on the truck as we drove. This the first time we’ve ever pulled a load that heavy, I really didn’t want to drive it faster than 50-55 mph.
We visited family and friends in Chicago on our first stop. (Thank you Chad and Michelle for having us overnight; it was good to see the whole family!) Sunday after lunch we headed west again toward Iowa, where we spent the night at a campground. The rolling hills of Iowa gave me a lesson in keeping my momentum going down a hill in order to make it up the next one.  Nebraska was flatter and the kids were wondering—again—“How long until we get there?” …yeah, you can only imagine… We drove about 9 hours and stayed the second night in Nebraska.
The next day we made it to Denver and got to visit Rick and Becky and family (Ginger’s cousins…thanks again for letting us crash at your pad, and Rick, for the driving advice!) and we saw Duane and Kristyne, Ginger’s brother and sister-in-law, who were packing for an exciting move themselves (God bless you guys!). Our kids all had a ball reuniting with cousins. I think we finally crashed about midnight—kids included. But it was fun.
From Denver we made our way north to get back on I-80. The hills weren’t too bad, but the traffic was tight. Then we stayed the next night in Wyoming, near the Utah state line at a campground…can you say COLD night. Yes, Wyoming is farther north! That was unexpected after all the heat waves, but it was good sleeping weather. There were a few serious hills to climb before we made it to Salt Lake City, and the truck proved it could climb long hills—even if slowly. The kids got to see the Great Salt Lake, but a coming lightning storm prevented us from touching it.
We spent our final night out in the middle of Nevada, leaving us about 9 hours to drive our final day. After crossing one last mountain chain, praying our way up—and then down—the hills, we made it to the YWAM base in Chico, California. Since it was evening, many of our friends were available with a warm welcome and plenty of help to unload the trailer. This truly is a family here. Wow, what a trip! Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement.