055 - God is a God of Timing with Carrie Nienhuis

In this episode, Carrie Nienhuis, 1/2 of the dynamic duo 2 Sisters on Adventures. She is an avid backpacker and hiker that shares her journey of discovering the outdoors and her faith. Carrie discusses her transition from a non-outdoorsy childhood to a love for hiking, the bond she shares with her sister Molly, and how their adventures have deepened their relationship with God. The conversation highlights memorable backpacking experiences, the importance of prayer in their journeys, and how one can connect with God through nature, regardless of their surroundings. In this conversation, Carrie shares her personal journey through a season of homesickness, emphasizing the importance of faith and scripture during challenging times. She reflects on how her experiences shaped her understanding of God's perfect timing and the comfort found in the Psalms. Carrie encourages listeners to seek solace in scripture and highlights the role of supportive relationships in navigating life's difficulties. The discussion also touches on the lighthearted aspects of backpacking and the joy of connecting with nature.

Connect with Carrie and 2 Sisters on Adventures:

Instagram: 2sisters_on_adventures
2 Sisters on Adventures on Spotify 

2 Sisters on Adventures on Apple Podcasts

Praying the Bible Book: https://amazon.rockporch.com/prdlink/4fDwvujolU

The Balance of Gray
God, doubt, and proof walk into a podcast... it goes better than you’d expect!

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The Signpost Inn Podcast
Find peace, clarity, and companionship for your spiritual journey.

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Chapters

• 18:34 [Ad] The Balance of Gray
• 19:24 (Cont.) 055 - God is a God of Timing with Carrie Nienhuis
• 30:05 [Ad] The Signpost Inn Podcast
• 30:51 (Cont.) 055 - God is a God of Timing with Carrie Nienhuis

Transcript

McKenzie Smith (00:02)
On today's episode of My Valley, His Victory, we have Carrie Nienhuis. She is an avid backpacker and hiker who developed a love for exploring God's creation after living in Oregon during her early twenties. She currently lives in North Dakota, splitting her time between her family farm and working as a traveling medical laboratory scientist. When she's not working or on the trails, she hosts a podcast with her sister, Molly, where they recap some of their favorite backpacking trips with the goal of educating and inspiring those who would like to do the same.

Thanks so much for being with us today, Carrie.

Carrie (00:34)
Yeah, thank you so much for having me.

McKenzie Smith (00:36)
Yeah, I'm so excited. I love your guys's podcast. It's called Two Sisters on Adventure. For those of you guys listening who aren't familiar, it is just a good old time between two sisters talking about their backpacking trips and all the funny things that happen on trail. And it's just honestly so fun to listen to. So thank you guys for that blessing. And I was just telling Carrie, I die laughing every time I look at your guys's Instagram because it's just the funniest things in the backpacking world and being in the outdoors. And so if you need a good laugh,

Carrie (00:55)
Hahaha

McKenzie Smith (01:07)
Go check it out. But, Carrie, why don't you go ahead and just like share a little bit more about yourself and who you are with our listeners.

Carrie (01:09)
Thank

All right, so like she said, my name's Carrie, but I feel like I always have to get that out of the way, right? So I am 29 years old, but when I first graduated from college, my sister, Molly, had also graduated from college at the same time. And no, we're not twins, but she had a doctorate in physical therapy and I had gotten my bachelor's in medical laboratory science. So we both kind of were in the unique position where we kind of started our like,

lives together in a way, like our professional journeys. And Molly moved to Oregon right away for a job. And she was just having like such a good time hiking and kind of enjoying Oregon that she convinced me to come out there and be a part of it with her as well. And so we lived in Oregon for four years. But and I feel like this is always crazy to people. actually love North Dakota, like that's home to us, the wide open spaces, the quietness, the kind people.

So when we moved out to Oregon, know, there's always like this little bit of a like hope in your heart that maybe you'll be able to move back home or for us there was anyway. And so after we lived in Oregon for four years, we kind of decided that it was time to move back to North Dakota. And so now we spend our time, the doors kind of opened for us to be able to do jobs as traveling healthcare professionals, her as a physical therapist and me as a medical laboratory scientist.

where now we're able to spend our winters working and then kind of spend our summers playing, I guess. So we do a lot of backpacking and hiking in the summers. And so we like to share that journey with our followers. I think as someone who was not naturally into the outdoors as a young child, I just really like to show people that it doesn't have to be, like it's not as big of a deal as you think it has to be.

There's going to be flaws and there's going to be imperfections. But at the end of the day, it's just kind of about getting out there, enjoying yourself and appreciating God's creation.

McKenzie Smith (03:16)
Yeah, absolutely. So at what point did you get into the outdoors? I know you said it wasn't as a kid, but was it when you moved to Oregon? Was it sometime before that? Talk to us about that.

Carrie (03:22)
Yes.

so as a kid, I was always the one who would like go to my neighbor's house and the kids would play outside and I would play inside because I had the outdoors at home, but I did not have their toys at my house, you know? And so I feel like in a way in North Dakota, we had the access to the outdoors all the time. They grew up on a farm. You walked out the front door and there were just miles of, know, you could buy, you could, you could walk, you could play outside freely. And I really took it for granted. But when I was in college.

the studying for my degree was so hardcore. It was like, I would get up at five in the morning, I would do clinicals for eight hours, I would go home, I would study, and there's no windows in most labs. That's something I didn't realize before I got into this profession, but you're typically in the hospital basement. So in North Dakota, you go to work in the dark, and then you leave work and it's dark probably like 20 minutes later. And then you just spend all your time studying like...

so I think that after that, I just got this like really intense appreciation for the outdoors because once I graduated, it was like, my goodness, I can go outside. can go for a walk. Like I can take things slow. I can enjoy nature. And so I think that really sparked an appreciation for nature. when I moved to Oregon, Molly was like, you're going to love hiking. I love hiking. And I'm kind of a stubborn person, you know? So I was like,

If I like it, I'll do it. And if I don't, I won't. So I'll move out there and just see how it goes. And then the rest is kind of history.

McKenzie Smith (04:57)
And obviously you loved it and it's something that you and your sister do. What seems like, you know, and I always say seems like because Instagram is not always reality, but it seems like you and your sister are really close and have a really good relationship. Has that always been the case? I mean, I know, you know, some people have really great relationships with their siblings. Some people don't like kind of talk to us about that.

Carrie (05:00)
Yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

No.

Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So I'm the third child and I feel like, you know, whatever my vibe has always just been kind of like peacemaker, like I don't want anyone to fight. So I would say like always growing up, I had really good relationships with all my siblings. Like we always just got along really well. But I would say the thing that made us so close was really just like starting at that same point in our lives where we both graduated at the same time.

And then it's like, think we're both people who, you we want the best for each other and like support and encourage each other. And then obviously we know each other very well from our whole life.

McKenzie Smith (05:59)
Yeah, but I forgot which one's which, but when I listened to your podcast, you were saying one of you guys is like an avid planer and the other one's, know, kind of just the go-along. You know, which one's which and what role do you play in that relationship?

Carrie (06:07)
Yeah.

Yeah, so I say I'm like the planner. I'm probably like the more anxious one, although I do think that that has like decreased a lot, thankfully. But I would be the one who I worked night shift and sometimes there would be lulls, like it would be busy, but there would be lulls. And so I'm like the type of a person who likes to think ahead. And I think of anxiety sometimes as like a gift, especially for situations like backpacking outdoors, because you can say to yourself, like if you manage it properly, right?

So if you say to yourself, like, I'm worried I'm going to be cold when we backpack the John Muir Trail, which was something I would like wake up in the middle of the night and I'd be like, we're backpacking the John Muir Trail in September, I'm going to freeze to death. And then I'd be like, okay, Lord, like help me shelve this till morning. And then in the morning you can kind of make that decision of like, what would I do to prevent that as far as I can. So, right, I bought like puffy pants or like sleeping bag liners. And then.

the rest like sometimes you have to try to make that decision matrix of like is this something that I can actually fix or is it something where I can just say okay lord like this is in your hands and so I need you to like help me to remember that and not have so much anxiety over it and then Molly's the one who kind of is like I she's like a golden retriever like just like down to do anything like happy and supportive and fun

And like, she does do her part, but I do like the majority of the planning and she's the one who gets me out there. Cause I'm, kind of a homebody in a lot of ways, but she'll be like, let's just do it. And then I'm like, okay, let's do it.

McKenzie Smith (07:49)
Yeah. Yeah, I actually know this to be true on a personal level because I remember I reached out to you because I was doing the JMT in September and I had the same fear and you were the only person that I knew that had done it in September. And so I actually reached out to you and I was like, hey, you know, like this is what I'm this is what I have. Like, what are your thoughts? Like, I feel like I'm really prepared, but I had the same fear. I was like, I feel like I'm going to be cold because the weather in September can be

Carrie (07:55)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

McKenzie Smith (08:17)
You know, can kind of get a little bit of everything and you can hit some really low lows. And your response was exactly what I needed at that point in time, which was you've done the preparation, you have what you need, you just have to trust God with the rest.

Carrie (08:19)
Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah.

McKenzie Smith (08:32)
I think at that time I didn't even know that you guys were believers and so I think that this is what really like opened the door to you know our relationship a little bit more but yeah you were just encouraging and you're like you you have it sounds like you have all the right gear it sounds like you're you're more than prepared and you know this is something you just have to leave it up to God in prayer and you know you can't be anxious about it if you've done the preparation so

Carrie (08:37)
Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

And it's easier said than done, right? But I think, you know, God is faithful. And I always think like as humans, you know, God did make us to be planners and preparers, right? Because, you know, you have to plant the field and you have to harvest so you have food for the winter. But then I think in modern day society, and probably in the olden days as well, you know, we don't have to think as much about those things. And so our brains kind of focus on, you know, all these other things instead, but

McKenzie Smith (09:23)
Yeah.

Carrie (09:24)
the Lord is faithful to provide and to help bring peace.

McKenzie Smith (09:29)
Yeah, definitely. So out of all of the places that you guys have hiked and backpacked and explored, where is what you would say maybe your favorite place or a place that's just really special to y'all?

Carrie (09:42)
So our first longish, I don't know what people define as long, our first long backpacking trip was in the Glacier Peak Wilderness in Washington. And it was just, think we did a seven day backpacking trip, right? And I remember me so anxious, like we tried to drive to the trailhead the night before and sleep in the back of my sister's Jeep. as we're, so, sorry, I have to go back.

So I worked night shifts seven on seven off. And then on my week off, we would go backpacking in the summer. Like that was our whole like routine. So there are like certain, I think mental things that come with night shifts and it definitely kind of heightened my anxiety in a lot of ways. And so like I got off work that morning, slept for three hours, prepped all our stuff for the backpacking trip. that as soon as Molly came home at like five o'clock, we could put everything in the car.

and drive seven hours to our trailhead where we were going to be picked up by a shuttle the next morning and taken to our starting point. So there was like this pressure of time. And so I packed all our stuff and I was super anxious. It was the longest trip we'd ever done. And then as we're driving up, it was just like a freaky thing. There was a car accident. The car had gone over like literally over a cliff. And so they're having to have the wreckers pull them up like, yeah, I know. It's like, is this a sign?

They were having to have the wreckers pull them up so they were like, you can't go through there. And it was the only road to get to our trailhead. And we were still two hours away. So we pulled off on the side of the road. We're sleeping in the back of the Jeep. I'm like very anxious, hard time sleeping, really thinking that we're going to be like murdered by the chainsaw killer, you know, as two girls in the back of a car.

and then we had to get up at like 4 a.m., right? So it's like, I've only slept, you know, three hours in the past 36 or 48 hours, really solidly. And then I remember we're driving to the trailhead, we're going over the pass, the sun's like rising, I'm like weeping, because I'm just so anxious and like at the end of my rope, you know, Molly's always so supportive and helpful and understanding of me, you know, she was just like, like, we don't have to do it if you don't want to, and I'm like, no, I wanna do it, and just.

praying for me and just praying that God would give us wisdom. And then ultimately it just ended up being like the best backpacking trip ever. Like it really forwarded us in our skills. It kind of gave me a handle because I think after that trip I said to myself, Carrie, if you're going to be that anxious, you are not allowed to backpack anymore because it's not, you're choosing to do this. And so I think that that helped me like even with prepping for the John Deere Trail the next year, I would be like, okay.

McKenzie Smith (12:21)
Ha ha.

Carrie (12:30)
you already have a rule, you know? And so like, you can't spiral as much. So feel like it was just such a blessing and it's such a stunning area. There's this one big trip we wanna do there that we haven't been able to do, because every year since 2021, it's been shut down by wildfires. So I think that the Glacier Peak Wilderness just like always will have a place in my heart as a place where we kind of became better backpackers, really started to kind of...

McKenzie Smith (12:47)
Mm.

Carrie (12:58)
I don't know, we've been believers our whole lives, but we really kind of started to like be prayerful about our trips more and just kind of appreciate the beauty around us. So it's really stunning. You have to go there.

McKenzie Smith (13:12)
Yeah.

Yeah, add it to the list. I swear every time I'm on one these, I'm like, yeah, I just added another place to my bucket list. It's never ending. So on that note, talk to us a little bit about how being in the outdoors and being on these backpacking trips aren't just fun, but maybe they play a role in your relationship with Christ.

Carrie (13:15)
Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yes. So, um, I think one of the most major backpacking trips where we started really, um, incorporating like our face with our backpacking was the John Muir trail. and I did that in 2022. And so it was a year that we kind of, every year we would like check in with each other and be kind of like, do you feel like this year is a year that we like, do you think that the Lord would like, and you know, it's like the Lord putting it on your heart to move back to North Dakota.

And every year up till then we'd said no. And then in 2022, we kind of were like, I think this is the year where we moved back home, but I don't know what that looks like, right? Like I have a job that I actually loved in Salem. And, you know, it's a lot easier to stay where you already are than to do something new. we both had been kind of peripheral about it we felt that it was that year. And so, right. It was kind of one of those things where I was like, well, if we get the

the win the lottery for the John Muir Trail, then I think that's kind of like a sign where, you know, we can, we know it's time to quit our jobs and move back home. And so we started applying for the lottery. You have to apply six months in advance. And so we applied for the lottery and I think I applied for it for at least a month, not getting it every week. And, finally, after about a month, I was starting to think like, I don't think I should keep applying for this because

our start date was going to be early September. And, you know, if you apply the next week, then it's mid September. And we, we've got the permit for the fifth of September. So then that kind of set into motion everything. but I think it was, it was a neat trail because we started being prayerful in advance, right? Like I had all that anxiety for preparation, but I was really taking it to the Lord. Like, I feel like, you know, this is where we're meant to be. And then when we started the trail, we were, if you listen to our podcasts, there are so many things.

that went wrong leading up to it or things that just didn't go easily, I guess. And so it was like, basically we get to the trailhead and we had our ride for, like we get to Yosemite, but our ride to the trailhead had left without us and we had no way to get up there. So we're sitting outside the bathrooms at Yosemite on 110 degrees smoky day crying. And I was like, let's just.

pray and know, like ask the Lord like if we've already spent all this money, we've got the permits, our gear is here, we're here, but we're not at the trailhead, which was like a couple hours drive away. And you know, we prayed over it and then we were able to get a hitch and all that kind of stuff. But then we started this tradition that we carry on in our backpacking trips now, where every single day we pray to start our day. And I would say

I'm always like the better person than me because I like when I start walking in the morning, I'm not going to be talking, especially if it's uphill. But she like is able to pray for like an hour straight. And so I'll be like, I pray for this, I pray for that. And she does. And I feel like it just starts your mindset in such like a position of prayerfulness and like, you're not even thinking about the journey for the day, right? You're thinking of all these people that you know and love and you're praying for all these different situations.

And I think there's a level of intimidation, right? Because you meet people on trail and you immediately become friends. But it's like, we would just wait for them to leave camp so that we could leave camp by ourselves and pray in the morning. Because it's like, you don't want to freak them out, you know? But then there was this day we were going up in over a mere path where the weather was really bad. And we were just all anxious and sticking together as a group. And Molly was like, I'm going to just start praying, guys. Like, just FYI. And I think they were a little like,

This is kind of weird, but they still hiked with us every day after that and Molly continued to pray out loud in front of them in the morning. So was kind of a thing where they knew if they were going to hike with us, they were going to pray. But that was just such a cool trip. And we do it on all our backpacking trips now, whether it's one day, whether it's six or seven, where we start the day with prayer and just have that intentional time with the Lord that I have a hard time getting anywhere else.

McKenzie Smith (17:51)
Yeah, yeah, I think that's so cool. I remember you telling me that story on our intro chat and I just thought that, you know, I think I've said this on here before, but...

I've started doing that a little bit on my hikes is praying out loud and I actually feel like I pray longer and better when I pray out loud than when I just pray in my, you know, in my head or whatever you call that. And so there really is like I can speak first handedly, like there's power in that. And I feel like you you pray about different things, which is strange. Like you would think that whether it's coming out of your mouth or, you know, if you're just praying internally, like that it would be the same prayer. And I've realized

Carrie (18:07)
Yeah. Yeah.

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

McKenzie Smith (18:33)
It's not at all like it's it's it's wildly different. I don't I can't really explain it but Yeah, I think that's that's really cool and I think that it's cool that you did it and you got to a place of I'm gonna do it and we're regardless of who's around because you know, I think we I Know I personally, you know can struggle with being bold about my faith in situations where I'm unsure It's not you know, if I just don't know

Carrie (18:34)
Yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

McKenzie Smith (19:03)
And so, yeah, I think that's really cool that you guys did that. So can you share a story with us about a way in which maybe God has revealed himself to you or spoken to you through the outdoors?

Carrie (19:17)
I think that even just like referring to that story, right? It's like, first of all, I think that in my daily life, I'm not like, Lord direct my steps every day. You know, I'm not always thinking about that, but on the trail, it kind of, it shows you like, that should be my prayer daily because every day we were praying, praying for wisdom, you know, should I go over the path today? Should I try to push it off till tomorrow? Like, you know, be with us in the, in that the people that we meet, that they would be encouraged and that they would be uplifted.

And then it also was so encouraging because so many of the things that we prayed for intentionally for hours every day for 14 days, a lot of them were situations that had been static for a long time in our lives, but that you knew it was not God's best. And it was like kind of incredible how then those things all kind of started to fall into place. And not all of them went exactly the way that you want them to, right? But it was like,

we could feel such a peace through the situation. Cause it was like, it's clear that, that God has this in his hands, that he was listening to us each day, whether it was like the little prayers of like, you know, Lord, let us camp at the right spot. or whether it was like big prayers, you know, like for family members and loved ones, it's like, he made it very clear that like he was listening and that, that, you know, maybe those things would have still happened that way. if we hadn't been in prayer.

McKenzie Smith (20:39)
Yeah.

Carrie (20:45)
But I think that we wouldn't have like been so aware of them and kind of being intentional with them. And I don't know, just, like you said, there are things you pray differently. Like I'm not probably gonna block out two hours of my day to pray specifically for each person in my life on a normal day, because there's so many distractions and that doesn't mean that that's right. But that's where also I feel like it kind of makes me have.

a little bit more of a path when I'm like, I'm going to go backpacking this week. I'm like, okay, but I'm going to be intentional in prayer. And in bringing the word along with me, we carry a Bible with us, which, you know, I feel like I haven't been able to find a Bible that weighs less than a pound, which is probably not true. But for us it is. Okay. Yeah. Send me that link. But I think just like,

McKenzie Smith (21:35)
I think I have something for you.

Carrie (21:43)
being able to keep yourself immersed in the Word and also in time with the Word was really eye-opening to me in the way that it can just touch all parts of your life.

McKenzie Smith (21:56)
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I think that's really good. But yeah, I'm thinking of like those tiny little Bibles. Have you ever, you know, like the pocket Bibles?

Carrie (22:04)
Yes, okay.

Yeah, and I thought that I was gonna find one of those so easily, but when I was looking on Amazon, and I haven't looked for a couple years, because right now I have some like military Bible that's waterproof. Yeah, I know, and tear resistant. I'm like, this is actually much needed.

McKenzie Smith (22:14)
Okay. Hey, that's good.

Yeah, one, the other thing, because my friend

brought a little baby Bible, and then the other thing I think of, I just always download it. I have the Bible app and I download it on my phone so I can read it off of service. So.

Carrie (22:26)
Yeah. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yeah. That's so wise. Yeah. Molly

and I always have this little routine where like, we just bring one Bible and then she will read it and I'll do my little notes for the day, my little journal. And then I will read it and she'll do her little journal for the day. And so it works nicely. But I, one of my like weird back-tending anxieties is always that I'm going to run out of power for my phone.

McKenzie Smith (22:55)
Yeah.

Carrie (22:56)
So it helps

that I have like a physical one, but I do think that the Bible app is a much lighter option and totally valid as well. Yeah, I know.

McKenzie Smith (22:59)
Yeah.

For sure is lighter, but if you have the worry about the battery then let's let's save the battery for the navigation.

So I know that you want to go back. Sorry. So you live in North Dakota. You've lived in Oregon. You get to go out on all of these super rad adventures. But and I know that you said that

Carrie (23:22)
you

McKenzie Smith (23:31)
you know, North Dakota is outdoorsy, but in a different way, kind of talk to us about how a listener can connect with God through creation, even if they live in a place that, you know, maybe isn't the mountains or just these super great outdoorsy areas.

Carrie (23:48)
Yes. So one thing about North Dakota is I think that we, and I say this very genuinely, I think we have some of the best sunsets and sunrises of like any place I've ever been. There's not necessarily going to be mountains in the pictures or all that kind of stuff, but you can see the whole sky. It is flat here. I cannot emphasize that enough. Like it is like when I grew up, I would get claustrophobic going to Montana because

the hills block the view of the sky. Like you can see for, we can see a town like five miles from my house. You know what I mean? And when you get that kind of like a big sky sunset, I just think my tip would be like, go out, go outside, or at least put yourself in a position where you can like look at the sunset or the sunrise each day. Like working in a lab with no windows, I try to pop out and at like, you know, right now sunset's five o'clock. at five o'clock I try to like,

make sure that if my work's in a position where I can just go into the hallway and look out the window for a minute, I do, because I think like, it's so beautiful and it's different and it's new every day, right? And so I feel like that is something that someone can do no matter where you live. And just appreciate the fact that, you know, there is a God and he made things beautiful. He didn't have to, but he did. And so, you know, that beauty is there for you if you want to just go and look at it.

McKenzie Smith (25:12)
Yeah, it's so true. The Midwest is.

amazing, amazing sunrises and sunsets because there's just so many different colors and layers because it goes on forever, you know, or so it seems like, you know, I'm originally from Kansas, so I would say, you know, I can speak to the flat and the in beautiful sky and all the things and I think it is true they're different, you know, the mountains and the sunrises and sunsets and mountains are beautiful, but they're beautiful differently in the in the Midwest because they go on forever and you can, you know, watch all the layers of it.

Carrie (25:16)
Yeah.

Yes. Yes. Yeah.

Yeah.

Yes. Yes.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah. Mm-hmm.

McKenzie Smith (25:45)
which is wild.

Carrie (25:47)
Yeah.

McKenzie Smith (25:48)
Thank you so much for sharing that. So switching gears kind of into the title of this podcast, My Valley, His Victory, would love for you to share a valley or a season of wilderness that you experienced and just what God maybe taught you or prepared you for in that season.

Carrie (26:04)
Yeah. So you sent me the questions before the podcast, right? And I always like, I think this is an intimidating questions in some, in some ways, just because, you know, you're always like, what's my big special testimony? Like, which is not at all how you intend it, you know, like, cause all of life is highs and lows. And I think I was kind of reflecting on it and considering, and I'm a homebody, right?

And growing up, I was kind of shy and quiet and I love to be home, you know? And when I was in high school, I had the opportunity to go to like a Christian boarding school and I wanted to go and so I did. But like I was so homesick the first like three months, which is just crazy. would get in the, I would like, I could be like, okay, I'll get through this day. I'll get in the shower. I'll just cry. And then

I'll get out of the shower and I'll be okay, you know? And I was having a good time and I loved it there and I didn't want to leave, but I also just, miss my family. Like I love, I miss being home. And I think that that's like one of those really like strong points in my life though, where I think the Bible first became like, you know how they say, it's a living inactive, right? It became living to me. So other than my daily shower cry,

The thing that I looked forward to was reading my Bible because like the Psalms were like every word I was reading was relevant to me. Every verse felt like it was written for me and it was applicable to my life. And I started doing like member Bible memorization for if I couldn't fall asleep at night, I could like reflect on those words and you know, highlighting my Bible. And it was like, truly I would, I would get back to the dormitories after school and I would just be like, okay, I,

have time to read and like be in the Word. And you know, at the moment you're like, this is so good for me, right? But the lessons of that and also the way that, you know, I had some friends who were so supportive of me and like a cousin who would text me verses because people knew I was having a hard time, like seeing how you can impact other people when they're having a hard time, that was so meaningful and so beautiful to me. And you know, I have the same Bible now still that I had then. I,

highlighted everything in pink that I highlighted that year. So it's like when I read through my Bible daily, I still can look and see those things. And they're still relevant, you know, to me daily. But I think it was just, it's like, you know, when you're young, you're just kind of doing your thing. But then it's kind of cool when you're like, okay, when I was 15, like all this started to really mean a lot. Like it had meant a lot to me prior to that, but it was like not just.

something that applied to other people or something that applied to me as well.

McKenzie Smith (28:58)
Yeah. Were you having a bad time at this school or were you just were you just homesick?

Carrie (29:04)
No.

I was just homesick. Like genuinely when I was a kid, I tried to have a sleepover at my aunt's house and she took me home at like midnight because I was just crying because I wanted to go home, you know? Like I was just homesick. I had friends there and I was having fun. I mean, when you're like 15 and in high school, right, it's always just, I'm like, thank God that we don't have to stay in high school forever because I, you you just, you move past so much, right? It doesn't matter so much what people think of you. But like I was.

I wasn't like popular, but I got a lot like my personality is just getting along well with people. So I got along well with like everyone and and and I had a good time but I was just homesick and I felt like you know I just wanted to be home. So also it was helpful for me to not have to be homesick when I lived in Oregon like that intensely but yeah.

McKenzie Smith (29:55)
Yeah.

Yeah, it was almost like God prepared you in that season for being in Oregon later. Granted, granted you did have your sister along, which maybe took away the the...

Carrie (29:59)
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, well my sister was also at boarding school actually so

yeah yeah but honestly and you know there are parts of me that I'm grateful again right I'm not in high school like I was not athletically gifted and I'm still not the reason I hike and backpack is because I can walk all day long like walking is a skill I have you know but I'm not like Molly was amazing I like basketball and volleyball and I'm like

on JV and only because they have to keep me, you know what I mean? And so I had plenty of other insecurities as well, right? As every person does. But I think that is nice because Molly and I have always had a good relationship, but I was kind of jealous of her, you know, at the time, because you want to be like that amazing volleyball or basketball player, but it's like, you know, now it doesn't matter, right? Like I want her to be amazing at things and she...

McKenzie Smith (30:38)
Yeah.

Carrie (31:02)
wants me to be amazing at things, you know, like, like there's just that level of support. And she was always wonderful to me too, when I was in high school, like she never was like, you're at basketball, you know, she, wanted me to succeed and be happy, but I just was a homesick.

McKenzie Smith (31:12)
Hahaha

Yeah, how far away was this from your home?

Carrie (31:22)
It was in Michigan. So, um, a couple thousand miles, you know what I mean? Yeah. And like, you know, we could call our parents and all that stuff. Like we chose to go. It's not like, it's not like, you know, they kept that stuff from you. And I am, grateful that I went, you know, um, I think that it really instilled in me the importance of reading your Bible first thing in the day. Like before school, they had a 15 minute block where you would be in the classroom and

McKenzie Smith (31:24)
Okay.

Yeah, wow, okay.

Right.

Carrie (31:52)
You know, that time was to be used for like, if you wanted to read your Bible, it was for that. If you wanted to spend it in prayer, it was for that, you know, just kind of, like before school to prepare your heart for the day. Right. And I think it just, that lesson is actually carried over with me for my whole life where like I'll set my alarm 10 minutes earlier, except on a backpacking trip. so that I can have that time.

to read my Bible each day. So I have no regrets. And was it perfect? No, of course not. No place is going to be perfect. No people are going to be perfect. But I am grateful for the lessons that I learned that I do still carry with me.

McKenzie Smith (32:38)
Yeah, definitely. It's kind of amazing to me that at 15 years old, whenever you were feeling lonely and whenever you were crying and you were upset that you were turning to your Bible, that was not my experience as a 15 year old. And so to me, that's just, it's just beautiful that you, had been in, something had been instilled in you that you knew where to go and that you

Carrie (32:48)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

McKenzie Smith (33:06)
that you knew that there would be comfort there. Because I think so often we see reading the Bible as like a chore or a task or something that we have to do. I think in a way, sometimes that takes away from the power of it as a mindset going into it. I'm not saying that's always the case. I know that God can speak to us in any situation, but.

Carrie (33:08)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah? Yeah?

Absolutely.

McKenzie Smith (33:29)
I think whenever you go into it, you know, with your heart open and being like, God, I need you to, you know, comfort me in this moment. I need you to, you know, X, Y, Z. Like, I think he's going to do that. And I think that it's just, it just blows my mind that at 15, that was your routine and you knew where to go and you knew to go to the Psalms, you know, that, um, that's just so encouraging. Like, you know, for, for anyone listening, um,

Carrie (33:37)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

McKenzie Smith (33:57)
I think we try to distract ourselves with other things and we think, we can just numb out and watch Netflix or we can scroll on social media, which I know probably didn't exist at this time. But I think it's just, yeah, thank God it's right. But I think there's beauty in that, that that's where you went. And I think there's a lesson in that for all of us. When we're struggling, that's where we need to be.

Carrie (33:58)
And I think, go ahead.

Yeah.

Thank God.

Yeah.

And I think that two things, one thing is I attribute so much of that to my parents. My mom would like start every day. She'd just read a chapter of the Bible. And I just come in her for that. Like she'd read it to us aloud because like we were kids, you know, there's four of us. She's busy and right. Like it's like Bible reading time kids. Okay. It's like, now we're going to fight about who sits next to mom, who sits on mom's lap. And, and

McKenzie Smith (34:49)
haha

Carrie (34:51)
And she just read the whole Bible like front to back, like one chapter a day, you know, like she's always kind of been about, not just only reading, like, like obviously emphasizing, you know, the New Testament, but kind of like seeing the Bible as a whole. and obviously like if things weren't age appropriate, I'm sure she, I don't remember any of them, so she must either, you know, kind of wait until we were older.

McKenzie Smith (35:07)
Yeah.

Carrie (35:15)
But, um, so she was, she was, and she was always so careful and like so much of like, Oh, well, let's pray about this. Let's, you know, take it to the Lord. And when I was 14, I just, or like 13, I think I kind of decided I wanted to read through my whole Bible. So I read through it, um, when I was 13 and 14, and then when I was 15 and I was at the school, um, I decided, well, actually no, our Bible teacher was like, here's a sheet to read the whole Bible in a year.

McKenzie Smith (35:23)
Hmm.

Ahem.

Carrie (35:45)
And right, like I'm weirdly competitive a little bit because as a non-athletic person, right? So it's like, I was, it's like, I'm not competitive in athletics because I'm just not that great at them. and another personality flaw of mine is like, sometimes if I'm like, I can't do something. And when I was younger, if I can't be as good as my sister, then I'm just certainly not going to try, you know? and it's not, I don't think it's as bad now. and certainly not with Molly cause we're not in competition with each other.

McKenzie Smith (36:08)
Yeah

Carrie (36:12)
But he was like, you can read your whole Bible through in a year. And I was kind of like, well, you know what? This is something that I can do and I can stick to it because like, for some reason I was in a personal competition with myself where I was going to just do something that I knew I could do. And so I use that 15 minutes every day to kind of get on like a schedule. And that's why I was so in the word. And then I just kept finding.

that it was relevant and it applied and it was relevant and it applied. And so I think that's right where I think so much about life is timing, right? And I always think about in Romans like five, six, where the Bible talks about how at just the right time while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. And the second half of that verse obviously is the most emphasized and it's the most important like Christ died for us.

But that was kind of a year I started looking at the first half as well at just the right time, you know? And then I asked myself, and I have to remind myself of this quite often, right? But God is a God of perfect timing, you know? And so it's like, sometimes I have to say, okay, like how full of myself am I? Because if at exactly the right time, when the world was ripe and ready for it, God could send our savior to die for our sins.

Who am I to think that at just the right time, you know, I won't buy a house or at just the right time I will, I won't meet the right person to marry or at just the right time I won't have the right job or career path for me or the right people brought into my life. And so I think right. Our God is a God of perfect timing. And he definitely presents us with opportunities time and time again. And it kind of depends on our hearts, but I was at that perfect time.

where it was like I was reading through my Bible because of my competitive against myself nature. And I was also, my heart was open to receiving from the scripture what was in there because I was having kind of a hard time and I was feeling sad. And so I'm like, what a beautiful thing though that our God is a God of timing. like whether, you you feel like you don't want to, you're not where you want to be in your life.

McKenzie Smith (38:25)
Yeah.

Carrie (38:35)
or maybe your life didn't turn out the way that you thought it would. God is a God of timing and he has, he can do things at just the right time, whether it's a big thing, know, saving us from our sins or a small thing, giving me the right job opportunity at the right time, you know, all that kind of stuff. He's a God of timing and he can prepare our hearts for that right time.

McKenzie Smith (38:49)
you

Yeah, amen sister. Amen sister. I feel like you can make all the plans and say, this is when I want this to happen. And it's like, God's going to do it when he wants to do it. And he has a plan and chances are if it's not happening, he's protecting you from something or he's preparing you for something. You know, I think so often we get like, oh, it didn't match our plan. It's like, just just pause, just pause.

Carrie (39:03)
So none of it was me, I would say.

Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. And even for backpacking type of things, right. There's been so many trips that we have planned that didn't like fell through because of fires or weather or, you know, couldn't get the time off. But like, there was a trail that we did in 2022 in the North Cascades and we'd been applying for permits every year. And we finally were able to do it in July of 2022. And it was like,

that was the right timing. You know what I mean? So it's like there's everything in our life. God knows the timing that's right for us to either have or not have that thing if we're willing to give it over to Him.

McKenzie Smith (40:00)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Yeah, well it's like make your plans but hold them loosely. Hold them loosely.

Carrie (40:14)
Yes, yes, absolutely. Absolutely. Even with the John

Muir trail, you know, they had had horrific fires in 2021. And so I was like, September is a foolish month to hike it because they'd been in a cycle of big wildfires every September. But I was like, well, it seems like it's the Lord's timing and it seems like it's right. So we're going to plan everything and we're going to prepare and we're going to have everything ready. But if it doesn't happen, we're going to accept that as well and pivot.

McKenzie Smith (40:44)
Yeah, yeah, that's good. So kind of taking your journey and speaking to someone who's maybe going through a similar season of being homesick or feeling alone or, you know, just being in this place of just despair of some sort. What advice or words of encouragement would you give to that person?

Carrie (41:00)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Um, well, I think the, the Psalm that I really loved when I was so sad at 15, uh, Psalm 34, I want to say 18, but you'll find it if you just read the whole chapter, but it says the Lord is close to the broken hearted and saved those who are crushed in spirit. And I think that that's a really lovely verse to reflect on, right?

Like when you are sad or when you are feeling brokenhearted, like he's actually close to you. It may seem like he's far away, but he is close. He wants to be there. He wants to comfort you. and I think sometimes I just think like life is so hard, like it is, you know, it's not easy and everyone's going through something all the time because we just live in this, you know, simple fallen world, but, God is faithful to bring comfort.

And, you know, if you're not in the Word, maybe he'll bring it through a friend. But if you are, you know, experiencing, you know, frustration or resentment, just start reading it and just try to have, let your heart be a little bit gentle towards the Word, you know, because he will reveal things to you. And maybe it'll be right away, or maybe it'll take a while. say, you know, go through the book of Psalms, like those all relate if you're happy, if you're sad.

There's just so much wisdom in there. And also it's nice because it shows the variation of being a human because there's times in there where David's like, know, things are so, so bad, you know, and yet I'm receiving comfort from the Lord or like times of joy or times where, you know, he's sinned. And sometimes, you know, I would, I'll read through that, whatever Psalm it is that he wrote after he sinned with Bathsheba.

And it can be a beautiful prayer too, if you're looking for forgiveness or healing for doing something wrong. know, sometimes I like to incorporate the Bible's words into what I'm praying because I can't think of the right words all the time, obviously.

McKenzie Smith (43:11)
Yeah, yeah, definitely.

I don't know the name of it, but my husband in the past like three months has been going through a book.

and I don't even know what it's called. I'll link it in the show notes. But it was like praying through the Psalms and it like it talked about, know, that they're all good things to pray and to pray through them. And so it is it's a great book to to read and to not only read, but to pray through as well. So. Yeah.

Carrie (43:26)
Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah. Yeah.

McKenzie Smith (43:42)
Well, thank you so much, Carrie, for sharing and for being here. I would love for you to share with the listeners how they can connect with you or learn more about Two Sisters on Adventures and all the things.

Carrie (43:44)
Yeah.

Okay,

so you can find us on Facebook and Instagram at Two Sisters on Adventures and it is the number two because the word two was all taken. And the thing, this is funny and it's a total aside, but so it's like the number two and then it's sisters underscore on underscore adventures. Would it be easier for people to find us if it was not that way?

Yes, probably. But when I first did it, it looks like it says Two Sisters Sun Adventures. And I was like, that's weird. So you can find us on Facebook or Instagram at Two Sisters on Adventures. Our podcast is basically anywhere that you can find podcasts. We're a little behind on our YouTube videos. So oops. But yeah, we would love to, I would love to connect with anyone who wants to join us on that journey.

A lot of our page is just very lighthearted and fun because, you know, there's so much serious stuff in the world and backpacking at its very core is funny, right? It's funny to sleep outside when there's, when you have the access to a house and it's funny that you're, you know, digging a hole to, to go to the bathroom and when there's perfectly good plumbing in the world, it is just at its core funny and lighthearted. So yeah, you can find us at all those places.

McKenzie Smith (44:57)
you

Yeah.

eating dry food out of a bag.

Carrie (45:17)
I know, I

know. And you do all this extra work for it too. Like I've started, we started dehydrating our own food. And I'm like, so I make a meal that would be perfectly good to eat at home. I put it in a dehydrator for hours. And then like now I'm going to rehydrate it and it's not going to be as good as it was at home. So I can like sit and be super cold and eat it out of a bag. It is.

McKenzie Smith (45:37)
You make backpacking sound so fun, Carrie. Everyone

should do it.

Carrie (45:45)
Yeah, they

should. And you know what? It's a good character builder. So there's that aspect as well.

McKenzie Smith (45:48)
It is for sure. Amen to that.

Well, again, just thank you so much for being here. This has been so fun and I've just loved getting to connect with you and learn more about you guys. And hopefully we can go backpacking together sometime. Yeah, absolutely. Okay, so I'm gonna listen.

Carrie (45:57)
Yeah.

I know that'd be very fun. Yeah. Thank you for having me.