The Journey to Explore Life

Early in our traveling, I went to a cave in the mid-western United States for research. I stayed at the closest campground, which was owned and operated by a Native American remnant band. I do not go to Indians for advice because of obvious differences in religious beliefs; however, discussions and conversations tend to occur wherever I travel. In this instance, the campground host was somewhat interested in my work and caught on to something basic I was not seeing myself. He said:

“A man does not go on a journey unless he is searching for something.”

At this point in time, I had already left behind living in a house and was traveling with a pop-up camper. It was, and is, a leading of our Heavenly Father for me to go travel and do research to support Creationism. But suddenly, I was faced with the question of what this trip might mean for myself personally. When our Heavenly Father gives a project to do, it is often working on many levels. Sometimes, the deeper levels only make sense after much time. Those who are familiar with my testimony will know that I was suicidal as an older teen and that for many years I was searching for meaning to life. Over time, I returned to Scripture and started building a personal relationship with the Eternal and later became aware of the Creation and Evolution conflict.

After this encounter, much time passed as I sought the answers about my personal journey. One of the foremost reasons was to experience reality firsthand. I grew up in modern society with the many comforts and man-made habitats that come with it: wood and concrete homes, air conditioning, roads, pet animals that are tame, and an education based more on good grammar, math, and science than real-life places and events. Also, and even worse, it included much science fiction and video game fantasy. It did not take long to realize my up-bringing had not prepared me for what was really out there. Such as:

Knowing how to properly act when mountain lions and bears are probably nearby – especially when going to the campground bathroom at night.

Learning that the stereotypes of many locations are misleading – for example, Death Valley National Park is much more than sand dunes and sidewinders … it has mountains with passes, salt flats, dry playas, and all sorts of other features (in fact, the sand dunes are just a tiny portion of the park).

Weather and climate for areas change drastically – I thought New Mexico was a hot and dry state … so why was it almost summer and I was brushing the snow off of my tent to keep it from collapsing? Probably because it was in the mountains of the Santa Fe National Forest at an elevation of about 7,000 feet.

The list could go on and on. But coming out of the man-made and fictional worlds was one of the major lessons I personally needed. Reality is part of my quest … to understand Creation, to understand Life, to know truth and set it apart from falsehood.

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Todd Elder

Todd Elder has a deep desire to understand and experience Creation. As a Baraminologist, his current research includes developing the Katagenos Species Concept, the Natanzera Classification System, and the Floral Formula Method of determining Plant Kinds. As an author and speaker, his books and seminar materials are designed to encourage a growing relationship with the Creator.

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