When Field Trips Don’t Turn Out Quite As You Planned

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Field trips far and near were a favorite part of our homeschooling experience. In 1995 we decided to take our children to Washington, D.C. Preparing for a trip like that was different in those days before the Internet was common and affordable. We made plans the old fashioned way. We wrote a letter to our representative to request tickets to the White House tour. We learned about a weekly morning devotional on Capitol Hill and made arrangements to attend.

I went to the library and checked out a travel book on D.C. Inside I found a vintage hotel that sounded quaint, convenient, and, of extreme importance, cheap. We arrived at the hotel on a dark November evening, which probably didn’t help our impression. The hotel was actually, just as described — quaint, convenient, and cheap, but when we walked down the narrow corridor to our rooms, we also found it dingy and creepy. We got back in the car and headed for the suburbs!

After that little setback, our extended field trip started out great. We visited the Capitol, the White House, and monuments.

We spent a little time at the Smithsonian and visited the office of one of our Senators. One morning we went to Capitol Hill early to attend the devotional. On our way to our destination, someone stopped and asked us if we were the Notgrasses. He was one of the attendees who had heard that a family was coming. For some reason this family of a mama, a daddy, two teens, and a twelve-year old on the Capitol grounds in the early morning must have stood out and looked like tourists!

That November week was an exciting time to be in the capital city because Congress was trying to pass a budget. Trouble was that they got gridlocked and failed to pass it. That inaction shut down the government. The trouble with that is that the federal government owns many of the top sites in Washinton, D.C.

So, whatcha gonna do? We drove out to Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home, because the government doesn’t own that. The Mount Vernon Ladies Association does. We also spent fun times in the galleries at the Capitol. With all that drama going on the floor, we got to see lots of famous members of Congress.

That trip was kinda like the time we went to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and the grandeur was marred by the scaffolding being used in the renovations or the time we drove two hours from Urbana, Illinois, to the children’s museum in Indianapolis on a Monday — the day of the week (we learned when we arrived) when the museum was closed.

So, when Monticello’s grandeur is marred by scaffolding, you enjoy the inside. When the children’s museum is closed in Indianapolis, you go to Union Station.

When Jesus was walking the streets and highways of Israel, He lived moment by moment, knowing that He would do God’s will no matter how things happened around Him. As He passed through Jericho, He stopped to talk to Zacchaeus and then had dinner with him that night. When He was on His way to raise Jairus’ daughter from the dead, a woman reached out to touch the hem of His garment and He stopped and talked to her. When a sick person came into the synagogue, He healed her.

Jesus never had an agenda so rigid that a change of plans ruffled Him. He trusted that God directed His steps. He directs ours, too.

The mind of man plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.
Proverbs 16:9

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5

 

 

 

 

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