When my wife mentioned we were taking a vacation, my grandson asked, “Why do you need to take a vacation when you are already on vacation?” He sees our retirement as a vacation, and I can’t disagree with that. I enjoy being home and not having to go to work every day. GOD blessed and our retirement dream has finally come true. The question remains, if I am enjoying it so much, why do I need a vacation? My wife and I needed a break from our routine. We have friends and family along the west coast of the US and Canada, so we decided to drive over 5000 miles in 17 days for a visit. The drive wasn’t the “vacation” but what we saw and did.
We drove to California to see our friends who Pastor a busy Church. We hadn’t seen them in more than 15 years and enjoyed hearing how GOD took care of them. They are blessed with beautiful children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. They are our age and have health problems but are preparing for a mission trip to the Philippines. They have never had a real vacation and we invited them to come visit us in Texas.
We also visited our former Filipino Pastor from Beijing. He and his wife are working hard to revive a Church that almost closed due to a lack of members. We attended their Wednesday night fellowship and Bible study. In addition to good food, Pastor Ricky presented a strong message and prayed a powerful prayer for the sick. We spent the next day touring the Portland area with them and hearing what GOD is doing through their ministry. I am glad there are people like that in the Body of Christ. We invited them to come and take a break in our home.
We drove up to Vancouver to see my wife’s cousin, who she hadn’t seen in 35 years and meet his wife for the first time. Ramon (cousin) is still soft-spoken and quiet, and his wife (Carolyn) is as sweet as can be. They gave us a warm welcome and a tour of beautiful Vancouver. This hardworking couple spared no effort or expense to take care of us. We hope to return the warm welcome when they come to see us in Texas.
Besides the people we visited, we saw a lot of amazing sights during our trip. The California coastline, towering redwood trees, the desert southwest, and the majestic Rocky Mountains were awe inspiring. Even man-made things like the 100-acre Boeing plant, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Seattle Space Needle left us in awe. Even with all the people and places we saw, I was glad to get back home. I love seeing other people and places, but this is my home.
There is another home I am looking forward to getting to. It has been a long journey and a place has been prepared for me in Heaven. I can go there because “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 KJV). Of all the nice people here, JESUS loves me more! Of all the beautiful and wonderful things, I have seen here, Heaven will be more than I can imagine! There is an open invitation to everyone to come for a visit that will never end! If you accept JESUS as your Savior, you can come too!
Wayne Lance (2017)