Right before school started, Maggie and I took our annual back to school trip. I don’t remember how long we had done this, but these trips were our chance to talk about life, plan out the school year, and ultimately one last vent session before it was time to get back to business. All that kept ringing in my ears for the last few weeks was Pat Green and the lyric “sometimes you need a little hill country” so I carried on and booked the getaway to San Marcos. This would be a trip of basketball, water parks, river tubes, Austin, and one last stop to try to even out my farmer tan—Hamilton pool. Oh and I forgot to mention, this would also be Maggie’s last back to school trip with me as she is trying to decide on where to go for school once she graduates, so I might have been in an emotional/nostalgic state of mind. 

As we worked though the destinations, we of course had a blast, but something was different. It seemed everywhere we went there was political unrest, seemingly openly mocking Jesus, and people just unhappy. Fortunately for this trip, we had a lot of window time so Maggie and I got to discuss our faith and we had some very grown spiritual discussions. But as she fell asleep in the car, I started to feel a wave of, “Have I prepared her for this world?,” “Did I shelter her?” “Have I taught her to be unapologetic and faithful? “has God lost control?” 

I didn’t sleep well that night and I started to look for a way to get out of the trip to Hamilton Pool. If you’ve never been, it’s a natural limestone grotto with a waterfall and swimming hole—it’s beautiful and worth the trip if you can get a reservation. I checked the morning and night before, fingers crossed that the pool was closed, checked the weather hoping for rain, anything that I could justify just getting home early.  No luck, so we made the drive out to Hamilton pool early morning, hiked down to swimming hole and jumped in. Looking back there were some signs something was about to happen. When I walked in, there were two little boys playing, Judah and Joseph and a mother named Ruth. There was another couple praying and just thanking God for the beauty, and just saying, “How can you look at this and not believe in God (Maggie and I both agreed). While those signs weren’t obvious at the time, in walked a group of 3. A man in his 30’s who I will say looked like Post Malone, and a gray haired male and female. I talked a little to the younger man as he had several religious tattoos so we talked a little religion, just friendly banter really offering to take group pics and such. He went on to tell me that he was a preacher now after making some unfortunate choices when he was younger, but he’s learned and is redeemed now.

As I swam away to get a better look at the grotto, I could over hear this group’s conversation. I couldn’t hear word for word, but what I found is the lady was his mom, and she was embarrassed and ashamed for her past and kept apologizing to her son. He just lovingly told her how much he loved her and Jesus forgives. She began talking about how beautiful the pool was and that a spiritual place like that surely there are baptisms. She then said I hope to get baptized here one day. Her son, quick to action asked, “Mom you’ve never been baptized?” I then heard her say that she was a believer but hadnt been baptized  but would like to know how to do it, and then asked her son, “Could you baptize me?” At this point, I was unashamedly moving over to witness this. The son said, “Mom, I can baptize you right here right now if you’re ready.” He began to ask her if she believed Jesus died for her sins, if she was a sinner, and believed that Jesus was the only path to eternal salvation, asked a few more questions, then dunked her under the water. Finally, he raised her saying, “Buried with him in baptism, raised to walk in new life!” 

I immediately told them congratulations and welcomed them. While the baptism was a great experience to witness, what really made an impression was the son’s response. Gasping for air, like one does when their hearts beating out of their chest and they can’t speak out of pure happiness or excitement, he told me, “I just baptized my mom. I had no idea this was going to happen today. I just love her. I love Jesus!”  As he continued  to give me the play by play. You could tell they had had a long road together, and he was just pure joy at that point.

That ride home is where I really started to soak in what was about to happen in just a few days. It was also a time that God answered every one of the questions, the doubts, worried I had earlier. Has God lost control, have I prepared my children to take on the world, his answer, Joshua 1:9

“Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” He also reminded me, He’s known my kids longer than me—stop worrying. He’s got this. Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Basically telling me, He’s been in control. He just let me think I was holding the steering wheel. 

This trip taught and reminded me of so many things that I needed and just at the perfect time.  I was so encouraged by this family and the willingness to answer God’s call on God’s time, not when convenient to him. It was such an awesome showing of how the Spirit moves and you can’t plan for it—you have to be ready at all times and courageous to act. So my last thought, would I be ready to testify, is my daughter ready to testify if needed, is she ready for this new world? I got one more knock—Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Thank you Hill Country, thank you family, and thank you God!