By Barb Bergman

It was the last week of September, and our family had been planning for over a month—a four-day work trip to my in-laws’ cabin in Star Valley, Wyoming, nestled near the mountains outside Afton. The mission: stain/seal/restore the 2½-story cabin siding, clear out the half-acre raspberry patch (which reliably produces fruit through August), chop and stack wood from downed trees, refresh the firepit, spruce up the yard, and tackle any other odds and ends the property needed.

Three of our adult kids—Erica, Brittany, and Matthew—took time off work. My husband Scott was off too, I have flexibility in my schedule, and Scott’s dad (the cabin and 13-acre property owner) is retired. At 89, my father-in-law had purchased all the needed supplies including 6 gallons of stain/paint/sealer that Home Depot assured him would cover the whole cabin. Two cars and four people headed up Wednesday evening, with Brittany and Matthew arriving Thursday night. We’d arranged for a lift and sprayer to be delivered Thursday morning from Alpine, 35 minutes away.

The forecast had originally predicted 1–2 days of rain and wind, but as the trip approached, it improved: clear skies, 80° during the day and 40s at night. Still, the area is known for unpredictable gusts, especially in the afternoons. I prayed—specifically—for calm weather and no wind, and asked God to send teams of angels to help with the painting, raspberry patch, and other jobs. I also prayed for safety, efficiency, strength, patience, and unity. As our arrival drew closer, the weather forecast held steady: sunny skies the entire time. But we still braced for the wind.

Thursday dawned clear and calm, and the lift arrived as scheduled. Erica and I got to work taping the windows and doors using the lift, while the others began prep work around the property and started brushing on stain in areas we could reach by ladder. But by late afternoon, it was obvious: six gallons of stain was not going to be enough. Erica offered to wake up at 6 a.m. Friday and drive two hours to Idaho Falls to pick up three five-gallon buckets. Surely 15 more gallons would do it.

By Friday morning, five of us were in full work mode (six including my father-in-law, who helped where he could). Erica was back by 10:30 a.m. with more stain, and we hit the ground running. The girls took charge of the lift and sprayer while Scott, Matt, and I tackled the raspberry patch. I spent ten hours in there that day, with only a quick lunch break. Normally, even wearing gloves and using sharp shears, I’d expect blisters or aching hands after just a few hours. But somehow, I had no blisters and only mild fatigue by the end of the night. That in itself felt like a miracle.

And then, another surprise miracle arrived.

Late Friday night—just before midnight—Erica’s new friend (whom she had met just a week earlier on a dating app) showed up. He’s a professional painter and had jokingly accepted her invitation to join our cabin work weekend. Well… he took her up on it. Not only that, he brought three more gallons of stain from Home Depot in Provo and drove four hours to the cabin.

Saturday morning, our now seven-person crew got to work with fresh energy. Erica’s friend was a pro, and it showed. He jumped right in, skillfully knocking out major portions of staining and trim. By sunset, we were nearly done—just a few more hours to go. The cabin exterior was transformed. The raspberry patch was nearly cleared. Firewood was chopped and stacked. The yard and firepit looked better than they had in years.

Sunday brought a well-earned break for our painter friend, who joined Scott and Erica on a five-hour early morning fishing trip to the Greys River, just outside Jackson. They came back with three big trout—two of which we kept for dinner. While they were gone, the rest of us finished up raspberry patch cleanup and used the lift to wash the cabin’s windows. When the others returned, we wrapped up staining, fixed a roof patch, painted one last door trim, and cleaned up.

We didn’t get to two door trims and a few small details, but we accomplished what felt like 10 days of work in just four. As we packed up, we couldn’t stop marveling at all the little miracles: how the timing fell into place, how we avoided the usual afternoon wind (except for one gentle breeze Sunday afternoon), how the right people showed up at just the right time—even from a dating app!

We reimbursed Erica’s friend for the paint, gas, and gave him something extra for his time and hard work. He told us he had a blast—bonding with the family, going fishing, riding 4-wheelers with Erica. Around the dinner table and the firepit, the food and laughter flowed. The memories we made together over those four days—working, laughing, connecting—are ones we’ll never forget.

It was one of those rare times where everything just... clicked. And I have no doubt we had heavenly help.