Casper, Wy was, so far, our shortest stay. We arrived in Casper on August 1st. In the last blog about Cheyenne, you will read about the $100 God blessed us with as we were on our way out. It is amazing how God is always faithful, especially when we are obedient.
We got to Casper a bit later in the day than we had originally hoped. Our plan was to camp at Platte River Campground, because it was only $10 a night, which is an incredible price! However, when we arrived, we did not realize until Casper that that campground was 20 miles back where we came from. We knew that was just simply too far to have to drive every day back into town. SO…..We called other campgrounds in Casper and most of them weren’t answering because they had just closed, and the ones that did were too expensive. We decided to drive up to the area with BLM camping, which is free camping (but risky, because it is IN the woods where lions and tigers and bears exist. OH MY!!!). Before doing so, though, Matt pulled over and prayed, asking God to just give us somewhere to lay our heads for the night. On the way to Casper Mountain, we saw a church on our left. It was called Sunrise Baptist Church. There were people in the parking lot and it was a Tuesday night. As we passed, Matt said he felt God telling him to stop there and talk to them.
As soon as we pulled into the parking lot, a man named Mike came and spoke to us immediately. He was very friendly and inviting to us. He asked where we were headed and we told him we were seeking the BLM land and explained who and what we are. He then told us that he wanted to see if the pastor would mind if we staked down in their land right by the church. We were so thrilled! Such a blessing.
He took us in to meet the Pastor and he said it would be no problem at all and went to talk to someone else about us doing so. When he came back, though, Pastor Lynn Nichols told us that they would much rather be put us up in a hotel for the night! We were so touched and moved by this! God is so Good! They got us 2 rooms with 4 beds, an indoor pool, and breakfast in the morning. We were even able to wash laundry, which, if you follow us on Facebook and Instagram, you know can be few and far between. Even now, we have about 4 loads needing washed.
The next day, we met with Pastor Bill Pierce from our contact church, Imitate the Image. We had such a wonderful time talking with him! He told us we could stake down in the field at HIS church for the week. So….no camping fees in Casper. SO BLESSED!
Across the street from Imitate the Image lived a member named Angela Adams. She has been the subject of so much judgement from Lost and Saved alike. She has many health problems, including MS and frequent heart attacks, one of which occurred while we were there. She struggles in many ways with her health and appearance, but she is one of the most beautiful people we have ever met. She was more kind and hospitable than so many people in the churches everywhere. She blessed our kids with toys to play with, taught us all about rock-finding and gold-panning, as well as telling us where we could shower for free (YMCA) and get free meals (Salvation Army and Wyoming Rescue Mission). We would not have made it so well if she had not helped us out. We love and miss Angi!
Many people judged us in those places, one even commenting, “They must have gotten tired of having to feed their kids.” I know we don’t “look” like we were in need of a meal and help in these areas, but we were. God used these places to provide for our every need. We did not hunger or lack in any way. And we were so blessed by the ones in these places. We met a man working at the Salvation Army named Arnold who was a former addict and made a strong commitment to God to serve Him. We also met a lady named KoKo at the Mission. We saw her in both places, the Mission and Salvation Army, eating meals, but she would work and serve food at the Mission at times. She was very loving and friendly. Every time we would show up to eat at the Mission, she would holler, “Tom! That family is here again!” We would blush! It was to tell them to prepare an extra seat at the table, “our table,” because they always made sure we sat together, even though it was usually segregated men from women. KoKo made sure to know when Matt would be speaking at Imitate the Image and said she would be there to listen. Sure enough! She was the only one who said she would come that actually did! We were so blessed and feel certain we were able to be a blessing to her. Later in the day, we spoke with Angela and she told us that it was pretty awesome that we were able to get her to church, because, apparently, she swore she would “never set foot in another church again” because of past experiences and a hard life. We were so moved! We didn’t even get to really talk to her much, but somehow we showed Jesus to her and we are so grateful to Him for allowing us to do so!
On August 6th, which was Nemo’s 13th birthday, we received the call at about 2AM that Matt’s father had passed. We knew it was coming, but it still hurts, of course. We had already debated in Cheyenne about going back to Texas to see him, but just did not feel like God wanted us to do so. I know many may criticize that decision, and it was not an easy one to make, but we feel that, in a way, the timing was an attack from Satan. Between Matt’s health and his dad’s dying, we felt that Satan was really trying to keep us from going further into Wyoming. We now know why. Wyoming is the Devil’s stomping ground. He is stomping all over the lives of the Believers here, dragging them through the mud to stop the work of God. This state is deep in addictions in the Lost and apathy in the Saved. We have felt so much warfare here. This state needs Prayer Warriors in those who cannot come here and Prayer Walkers in those who can. They need Workers and Soldiers. They need Revival. And the Pastors here need someone to “tag in” for them while they recuperate a bit. Satan has had a run in this state for far too long and we need to shove him out the door!
We left Casper on August 13th. We were ready to get into Newcastle, WY and get to work there. God tells us when to go and we are learning to listen and obey when He says to.
Up next: Newcastle, WY with Pastor Todd Olson- Cambria Community Baptist Church
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