Growing up, family vacations were never without "bumps" in the road: bubble gum transfer from road to shoe to car, throw ups, fights, getting lost, car trouble, stopping for a bird (gotta love my dad!).....well, our weekend trip to Bateman's Bay was not quite as perfect as we had hoped and John was baptised into the Unrath school of family vacations!
Bump#1: Only 1 way to Bateman's Bay....a 2 hour drive part of which is about 45 minutes over a 1 lane, very windy, very rolly mountain.....not a great option for anyone with a weak stomach...Did I mention it was raining? Mommy= nauseous, Daddy = grouchy, Lily= crying, Emma= "I need to take a walk" (ruh roh). We found a place to stop and before I could get her into position she unloaded her breakfast onto my back.....Mommy's thinking, "it better stop raining"
We made it to the beach (cloud and rain free!) and had a FABULOUS morning in the rocky sandy beach of Bateman's Bay. We jumped waves, made sand castles, looked for shells and had a little picnic. The green ocean and rocky coastline were like nothing we had ever seen before - a picture perfect morning! Great family time!
Bump #2: Emma = "Mommy, I think we should just walk home. I don't want to go in the car..." We had to face the mountain once more and we were hoping to dodge our "dodgy" tummies with a quick prayer and some positive thinking. About 14 miles up the mountain......"Mommy, my tummy hurts" Well, you can guess what happened next....Mommy's thinking "at least it's not raining". Good thing we had enough extra clothes....all changed....on our way again...........
Bump #3: .....The car won't start up again.....
Bump#4.....no one has a phone.....we are 14 miles from the nearest town (don't laugh, it wasn't funny- I thought John was going to start kicking the car).....Daddy grumbles "I should have never prayed for patience" (mommy dared not laugh)
God was gracious! A coupled named Peter & Kellie stopped to help us, called for help for us and called our friends in Canberra. God blessed our sweet little girls with an extra dose of patience as we waited over 2 hours for the NRMA truck to come (like AAA). Our friends Steve & Celeste even drove a full 1 1/2 hours to meet up with us and make sure we were okay!
It was an Unrath family getaway....Honey, welcome to the club!!
The car made it home....but, I have to be honest, it was a real nail biter the whole way. We made it home from our eventful weekend.....we didn't feel refreshed, in fact we were exhausted. BUT we were grateful for the constant provision and love flowing down from our Father in Heaven. He never lets us down. As a family, we paused on the side of the road to thank Him for getting us over this mountain - knowing there's no mountain we can't get over with God on our side!!
Way to go John!!!! Your continuous and steady growth in the Lord has been a constant encouragement for me. This will be a great story for some day when you are sitting in your next home group discussing God's provision. Love-Nana Milne
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