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Family Vacation, I

Album: Gold Audio 02: Stormy Weather

Episode: 31

Lesson/Theme: Family togetherness

Bible Verse: 2 Corinthinas13:14; Hebrews 10:25

Characters: Donna, George, Jimmy, Mary, Whit

Writer: Paul McCusker

Sound Designer: Bob Luttrell

Original Air Date: June 18, 1988

Last Air Date: February 26, 2008

Description:
It's vacation time, and the Barclay family is off like a herd of turtles. Well, almost-they haven't even left yet. Young Jimmy is going to journal about the trip. One of the first things he records is that his older sister, Donna, doesn't want to go. She prefers to remain in Odyssey, but her parents have overruled that notion, so Donna is not a happy camper. Jimmy also documents a brief, pretrip visit with Whit, who has given him a new invention, "Whit's Boredom Buster"-to be used only when Jimmy is "absolutely, without question, no doubt about it, as bored as you've ever been in your life." At last, the Barclays are on the road . . . and aren't 20 minutes into their trip when trouble starts. Donna and Jimmy argue about backseat space; George runs over something that everyone thinks is a small animal but turns out to be a piece of tire rubber; they have a chewy lunch in an old diner; they sing every praise chorus they know; and the batteries go dead in Donna's tape player, further souring her mood. To top it all off, the car suddenly dies. When George gets out to investigate, Jimmy sees a man they passed on the road rapidly approaching them. Donna speculates that he's an ax murderer. She screams for her father to get back in the car. Just as the man walks up, George pops the cap off the hot radiator, sending up an explosion of water and steam. George falls back before the hot water and steam can scald him. The strange man runs up and turns out to be anything but an ax murderer. He and George walk back to the station and tow in the Barclay car, which will take at least a weekend to be repaired. Chester, the strange man, invites the Barclays to come home with him. The Barclays are wary at first, but it turns out that Chester and his family are Christians, so they accept. Chester lives in a big house with his wife, Grace, and their youngest boy, Ted, who is Jimmy's age. Ted and Jimmy hit it off immediately and, after doing a few chores, run off into the forest to play. Mary and Grace enjoy each other's company, as do George and Chester. The next day is Sunday, and the Barclays attend a church picnic with great food, a three-legged race, horseshoes, softball, egg-tosses, and other games. Donna is the only one not having a good time. She sits and sulks under a tree, and no one can move her. Jimmy says that if all Donna is going to do is think about Odyssey, she might as well hold a piece of it. So he gives her Whit's Boredom Buster puzzle. Donna slowly starts working on it and soon is completely engaged. After a few hours she finally figures it out, and the puzzle comes to life in a beautiful array of swirling colors, lively music, and a nice message from Whit saying that boredom is under your control. Donna finally gets the message, just in time to participate in the last event of the day-the tug-of-war. After a few good pulls, Donna ends up in the mud, followed by everyone else in her family, much to their great amusement. The next morning, Chester finishes fixing the car, and the Barclays continue on their way, knowing that their vacation has gotten off to a great start thanks to a little Christian fellowship. The story continues in part II...

Questions:
What was the meaning of Whit's message, "Boredom is under your control"? Why is it important for families to have fun together? Describe some fun times you have had with your family.