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20TH IN OREGON (PART 5)
Jen Mininger • Oct 28, 2019
20th in Oregon, Part 5
I stuffed that big wet and sandy dress into a trash bag, because we needed to walk away from our precious time at Seaside, OR.
We had much to explore and so little time.
We hopped into that little rental car and drove down Pacific Highway… very slowly, pulling over several times to take in the scene. Its so different then what we’ve seen in Pennsylvania or New Jersey.
Have you ever splashed cold fresh water on your face? Korey loves this! He didn’t splash his face while we were on the ocean… so we had to pull over when we saw this little river calling his name!
We soaked in the views of the coast as much as we could, had a delicious lunch at “Bread and Ocean” in Manzanita... went into a local natural food store for a slice of ginger to drop into my water bottle (because winding on these roads with my camera at the window… doesn’t exactly help my car sickness issues!)
Then we started to drive in-land..
Did you know that Oregon has like, everything? I was told that Georgia has its peach, Idaho has its potatoes, Arizona has its desert… but Oregon has it ALL! They have the ocean, the dessert, the high dessert, the snow capped mountains, sage brush, mountains that were taken over by forest fire, dead looking juniper trees, the tall pines...
And this?… We weren’t sure what we were seeing. From the car it looked like saggy pine trees, but when we pulled over for a closer look, we discovered it was moss…lots of long droopy moss. This was when we discovered that Oregon even has a rain forest!
It was like we saw several different parts of the world in just a couple of hours... Talk about a creative God!!!
Such a good reminder for me... if God can enjoy making beauty and being creative then it is TOTALLY ok for me to take time to enjoy being creative and making beautiful photos! God made us in His likeness and image, so I guess that He made me to be creative…
After our long drive with very diverse scenery, we arrived at “Long Hollow Ranch” where our hosts, Dick and Nancy took us to what would be our little “home” for 2 nights.
I LOVED it!!!! It reminded me of the Ingalls’ home… you know, Laura Ingalls? I love Little House on the Prairie, I think that Carolyn was pretty amazing! She washed her clothes by hand outside, made everything from scratch, got by on very little, adored and respected her husband… anyways.
Dick and Nancy believe that this little house, that we would be staying in, was likely the first home for the original homesteaders here.
I can just imagine that family who ventured out to Oregon to set up their new home, their new life here!
Those pioneers that adventured from home and arrived here in Oregon, so many years ago… Did they build this little home with basic tools and no neighbors to lend a hand? They must have experienced some grueling years of loneliness. I imagine it was blood, sweat, tears, possibly death, but hopefully victories to make a life here.
I wonder if they pulled it off. I wonder if they stayed the course. Did they battle through the frigid winters? How about the years of bad crops? Did they consider quitting and leaving this “dream” gone too hard? What happened to them? Did they move on from this homestead? We do know that Dick and Nancy bought this property as a foreclosure.
What would that original family think and feel if they saw this beautiful working ranch now??!!
I bet they would have NEVER imagined that their farm, and this little “homestead” that they built so long ago, would someday be a place of refreshment for Korey and I. And that, just like us, people from all over the world would come to this, now, dude ranch/ Bed and Breakfast for rest, for reflection, for a safe place to be refreshed! Bet they never imagined that kind of fruit from their original dream and their original struggles…
(Isn’t that little house so cute?
…I wonder if they liked it…maybe they hated it??)
Aren’t we similar to this ranch’s story?
We have seasons of dreaming that turns into true hard work… we know darkness and despair… times of little hope… times of barely surviving… seasons of fruit.. moments of joy and victory… spells of boredom… stretches of rest and peace... seasons of abundance and times of deep painful loss. We have times when we can’t even imagine it all working out… times when we consider quitting and changing our course….
but this land that experienced all of those ups and downs... It’s not only fully functioning now, but its THRIVING… What once was a lonely and desolate place, is now a place for God to bring hope, healing, refreshment and restoration to SO MANY LIVES!!
So, what about broken me… or struggling you? Will pieces of our lives always look like disrepair? Will those places in our hearts ever move past “just functioning” to being fully alive and THRIVING?
What can God do with the rest of our story? Is there hope beyond that valley of the shadow of death? Can the broken and hurting places in our hearts feel free again?
Will we ever be able to offer hope and healing to others in the areas that we know brokenness? Will we ever be able to comfort others with the comfort that we received?
I truly believe we can… If we choose to say yes to trusting in the God who has endless creativity, and if we walk honestly into that unknown…
Because… Matthew 6:25-34 tells me how important we are to God… "If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers – most of which are never even seen – don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do His best for you?” (Message paraphrase)
He sees me, loves me, knows me… and He can do something creative, beautiful and new with my brokenness… and yours!
I’m nearly wrapping up our “20th in Oregon” stories here…
Just one more to go, aaaand – I’m pretty sure its been the most impact-ful part for me. Through it, I’ve gained a picture that has helped me… has given me a visual perspective for each season. If you don’t want to miss it… then go ahead and email me at jen@layeredphotography.com. Just say “sign me up” or fill out the form below and I’ll be sure to keep you posted on my updates! 🙂
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Bobbie went from full hustle to full halt and discovered what God can do in a valley season.
It ached to hear the harsh words that she knew could be her own, yet it felt so safe and reassuring to know that God sees her and wants her to have new lyrics in her own heart.
Acknowledging the dark as well as the light feels so honest and helpful in these moments. Although, I will warn, that it can also feel raw and not always easy, YET it is a kindness to ourselves when we start with honesty, isn't it? It is both, difficult and kind.
Letting go.. or saying "no" can be SO HARD ! We don't want to, we'd rather be awesome, all the time, in all the things! BUT... is that really working for you and your people? What do you need to steward (manage, maximize or multiply) better? Do you need to let go of something so that you may better steward something of more value… for a season?
Tracy leaned into the old car unafraid of the dirt and rust that she was now touching.
As I said in an email to my Belize Trip Prayer Team.. “ I am thankful. Actually, I am dumbfounded, humbled and in awe.”
C O N T A C T
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