Road Trip Lessons
By Laura Hurd
Part One
If you've ever been on a road trip, you know they can be an odd mixture of the monotonous and the unexpected. For Jason and Laura Hurd and their two daughters, this wasn't just any road trip, but a sabbatical. As full-time bi-vocational pastors at their church, this was the first one they'd had in 20 years (and they had often skipped vacations, as well). Their church insisted upon it and they were given a generous donation months prior which helped financed the trip.
The Hurds chose Texas because it was the site the series 'The Chosen' had set for the feeding of the 5,000 in season 3. The filming lined up with our sabbatical plans perfectly. The road trip covered almost 2 weeks (13 days, exactly). This road trip from Nebraska to Texas was unlike any other. Join Laura Hurd on the journey.
Day One:
The evening of our first day of travel. We had stopped for the night; but just a couple of hours before this peaceful scene, I had almost gotten us into a wreck. I was driving through Kansas, trying to stay ahead of a nasty storm riding my bumper, and the pressure clouded my judgment. But God was with us, and we were okay.
Lesson: Pressure is not of God. It leads you to do stupid things.
In order to be on set for the filming of The Chosen, we had to have a negative PCR lab result within a 72-hour window (which started on Sunday). We searched every option in our area, and the only place that could both do the test AND guarantee the results in time was the Bridgeport hospital. Cost: nearly $800 for the 4 of us.
Everyone else we talked to on set got the test for free, because they didn't live in such a remote rural area. But rural hospitals are struggling financially, and we were happy to bless this one. The staff was super nice and helpful - and besides, we didn't work for that $800. It was all a gift.
Lesson: When God blesses, everyone wins.
Day Two:
We began the day in the extreme northern tip of the Texas panhandle and reached our destination in Alvarado about supper time, first passing through a fun little town called "Canadian" and getting caught in a not-so-fun traffic jam in 104° heat in the center of Ft. Worth.
Our hotel was clean and spacious and a welcome sanctuary from the oppressive heat, but we still felt a little vulnerable and nervous. Our car's air conditioner seemed to lag a bit the day before, worrying us, although it did great in the 100+ temperatures on day two. We'd had this car less than 3 weeks before taking off on this venture. We prayed it wouldn't reveal any unpleasant surprises...
Lesson #1: Being impatient and worried won't get you through a traffic jam any faster, and neither will it reduce the temperature.
In addition to the negative PCR test, we had to pass an antigen rapid test (Screen Actors Guild requirements) in the parking lot before we could board the bus. We had already decided that if we didn't make it on set - for whatever reason - we would accept it as God's best and choose joy anyway. But we passed all the tests and made it to the set!
The Chosen crew was deeply concerned about the weather conditions. There were serious warnings regarding heat exhaustion/stroke, and it was a real danger over the 3 days of filming. But the crew was amazing! Our safety was their #1 priority, and not a single person - out of a grand total of 12,000 - suffered from any serious health problems due to heat.
(One thing is for sure, though: It'll be a while before we can even look at lemon/lime Gatorade again. )
Lesson #2: If you give a situation to God - and I mean, REALLY surrender it, trust the outcome entirely into His hands - joy is possible, no matter the circumstances.
Day Three:
The Chosen crew frequently urged all of us to look for signs of heat exhaustion in those around us. For ourselves, we were told to be diligent in four areas: hydration (they constantly pushed water bottles on us), electrolytes (that's where the Gatorade packets came in), sodium (Goldfish crackers were my salt-of-choice), and shade (they provided two big tents for us).
We did well, all things considered. However, every time they talked about heat exhaustion and how people don't realize they have it until it's too late, Allaina and I felt like we were going to pass out. We'd look at each other - trying not to panic - and ask, "Am I pale? Am I acting normal?" Then we'd laugh and reassure each other.
Lesson: Be sensible, look out for others, obey those who genuinely care about your well-being, keep calm, and carry on. God's got this.
Day Four:
There was much more "cinema business" than the previous day. There were about 1/5 of the people, and all the touristy props were gone. There was also a lot of "Hurry up and wait..." That's show biz! (Or so they told us.) Still hot - worse, actually, because there was less wind and no cloud cover. But Jason and I felt great. The girls had to tap out and go to a cooling bus at one point, but us old geezers were fine!
Then it hit me: Summer Church Camp. Jason and I spent the first 25 years of our lives going to camps that felt Just. Like. This. Except even worse - no cooling tents, no air conditioning whatsoever, and no free water bottles. Here we were in first-century period costumes, true, but at church camp I wore dresses, a slip, panty hose, dress shoes... Bible costumes are actually much more comfortable than that. Our 50-year-old bodies had been conditioned to this kind of heat before, and it didn't take long for them to remember and adjust. The human body is truly astounding, "fearfully and wonderfully made"!
Lesson #1 : "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation." (Romans 5:3-4)
The final evening shoot was magical. We finished at about 11:00pm. As we stood in line for the bus, we encountered a family of eight from Toronto, Ontario. (I SO wish I'd taken a picture with them!) Their oldest child looked to be about 11 years old, and all six of the children were incredibly calm, happy, and well-behaved - unbelievable, considering what they had endured that week. They told us that they had been the last ones on the bus for the Tuesday shoot and that they had enjoyed every minute of the whole experience, to the fullest.
They were on a 6-month tour of the U.S. They were about halfway through and planned to see the Grand Canyon, the Redwoods, and other western landmarks. This family had a peace and joy about them that was as compelling to me as the Moravian Christians' faith was to John Wesley. I was convicted of my own stress and worry. How much had I been robbed of life over the past several years because I hadn't learned to carry my responsibilities lightly, as this family had? I am still contemplating the answer...
Lesson #2: God is always speaking, always teaching, always pointing toward the abundant life. How will I learn, if I'm too caught up in anxiety and fear to listen?
