Last Minute Miracle

Tay & Ryker in front of the St. George Temple

Ryker moved to Utah in January 2012.  It's hard to be away from your baby boy for such a long stretch, especially when another long stretch is looming.  He and Taylor have been planning this trip to China since before they got married, I think since they first met.  They left for China on Saturday.  (You can visit their blog Ryker and Tay, to read all about their adventure.)  For the last month or so I am have been checking flight prices to go visit them before they left.  Every time I looked, they were at least $700 round trip.  I had given up hope of seeing them before they left for their year in China.

By nothing short of a miracle, a flight for $300 round trip became available last Monday.  There was one seat left, the price was right, so I booked it, and left the next day.  Due to time zones, and over night flights across the Pacific, I spent Wednesday through Friday with the kids, and flew home on Saturday, the day they left for China.

I flew into Las Vegas and we hung out at our friend Angela's house in St. George, UT.  It was a great visit!  I really enjoyed being in the same space with my son and his awesome wife.  It is a great feeling to see your grown up child so happy and living his dreams.  What a blessing it was to spend that time with them.

We did a few tourist"y" things, but mostly just ate great food and hung out.  There just wasn't enough time for me to eat at all the places I wanted to.  Next trip I have to hit up Sonic, Steak and Shake, Pizza Factory and Cafe Rio for sure!

Lunch at the Happy Wives restaurant in Colorado City

 

 The landscape of St. George is so different from Hawaii.  I was freezing most of the time, but mesmerized by the beauty. We did a very tiny bit of hiking on the red rocks around St. George.  As long as I was in the sun, I could stop shivering.  I think I must be an island girl for life now.  I can't handle the cold, dry air.

Desert Flowers

Yes, moss on a rock - Cool isn't it?

The Cricket

Have you ever heard the story of the crickets and the seagulls? When the first group of Mormon pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake valley, they immediately planted crops. They spent the winter living in simple log homes with mud and thatch roofs. Spring arrived and their roofs began to leak with Spring rain. They planted crops from the seeds of that first harvest, and prayed for abundance.

The crops began to grow, and things were looking up. Then mid summer the crickets showed up. They kept coming and coming and eating everything within sight. Everyday they ate more and more of the precious crops. The people did what they could to get rid of them. They tried loud noises, shooing them, and even fire. They prayed for help, but the crickets kept coming.

Finally, they held a community fast and prayer. As a united body of saints they prayed and asked God to spare their crops from the crickets, so that they would not starve.

Yesterday when I was telling this story to my class of 9 and 10 year olds I stopped to explain what a cricket was. Crickets are not common in Hawaii, and many of the children in my class had never seen one. A couple of the boys that have lived on the mainland were helping me in the explanation when one of them cried out, "Sister Minks, there's a cricket on the wall!".

Sure enough, there on the classroom wall was a small black cricket. Everyone rushed over to look at it. They were able to see exactly what a cricket was. It just sat there and slowly walked along the white concrete wall. They marveled that God sent them a cricket!

The cricket wandered away and I continued the story. Soon after fasting and praying for help, massive flocks of seagulls began to arrive. They ate the crickets until they were full, then flew to a nearby creek and vomited, then flew back to the fields and ate more crickets. The seagulls stayed for 3 weeks, eating and purging, until all of the crickets were gone and the remainder of the crops were saved. That Fall they held a celebration giving thanks to God for the gulls, and their abundant harvest.

Like God sent the pioneers the seagulls, he sent us a cricket. Our needs, great or small, are important to our Heavenly Father. He answers prayers and teaches us, if we but open our hearts and minds miracles are all around us.