Glad I Didn't Jump!

Last month, Judy went from daily visits with our granddaughter in the NICU to immediately caring for her 94-year-old mother as she recovered from a recent fall. Both ends of the age spectrum!

A dear friend commented, “It feels like you’re pushing a freight train uphill.”

The Lord soon reminded me of my only freight-train experience, 50 summers ago. As a spirited 22-year-old, I was hitchhiking from California to Washington when, at dusk, I was blessed to be picked up by a man who worked for the railroad.

Stopping at a payphone, he learned that a nearby freight train was leaving at 11 PM for Klamath Falls, Oregon. He took me to the train and found an open spot on a flatbed, beneath a tractor-trailer rig, where I could roll out my sleeping bag.

Just before the train departed, I was joined by five seasoned train-hopping vagrants. They informed me that the train we had boarded was bound for Salt Lake City—not Oregon.

As the train gathered steam, so did our conversation. I considered jumping off, but we were already moving too fast. My freight-mates assured me the train would slow to about 5 mph at 2 AM as it rounded a mountain bend.

So there I was, heading due east and uphill into the very mountains from which I had just hitchhiked.

At 2 AM, I was ready to jump. But even at its slower speed, the train was moving too fast for me.

Then suddenly, one of the men started swearing. The train had taken a turn north—toward Oregon!

Of the six of us, God had directed this railway rookie onto the right train. (And I was sure glad I learned that without jumping off!)

Yes, our freight train has recently traversed some uphill terrain. But we’re not pushing it—we’re trusting God to reveal where this ride is headed. And we’re not ready to jump. We believe some great days lie ahead.

Our search for YES!’s next leader is once again picking up steam.

Our granddaughter Charlotte, now more than four times her birth weight after over four months in the NICU, is finally home. Praise God! And Judy’s mom is home too, surrounded by a wonderful team of caregivers.

We’re also deeply encouraged by younger generations partnering with us to move YES! forward. Our revamped website is one recent example.

And we’re heading to Branson, Missouri, where we’ll join more than a thousand older adults for a ministry conference—and have the privilege of leading an Intergenerational Discipleship Friends breakout session.

Through the uphill stretches, unexpected turns, and glimpses of what lies ahead, we’re grateful that God knows exactly where this train is going.

And we’re deeply grateful to have you riding with us. Your partnership in this journey means more than you know.