2 Timothy 3:16,17 16) All Scripture is given by inspiration of GOD, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,17) that the man of GOD may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Wednesday 07/21/10 Hot sun beginning to scorch our fortress and the dawn choir are up at the crack of dawn which is 4:30am – we get up much later. We take down the fortress say farewell to our neighbors - we are on our way back to ‘Port Au Basque’ today but don’t expect to arrive until tonight as we have some places to see here before we leave. We are supposed to be getting the ferry back to Nova Scotia tomorrow morning, but we have had a phone call / recording that tells us instead of leaving tomorrow at Noon we will leave at 10pm, so we must plan accordingly. First we hike ‘Tablelands’ which is rather strange looking scenery for Canada, that is, the cliffs are barren and dry looking. Long, dry sloping, lofty cliffs where the earth once turned inside out and coughed up the sandstone rock yet across the street is the complete opposite sight which is your typical Canadian green sloping tree filled cliffs. We don’t stay too long on this hike so we have more time to do another hike before we say farewell and drive almost 300 miles to our destination. This next hike is breath taking, amazingly gorgeous ‘Green Garden Trail’ about 3.5 miles which takes us along the barren rocky base of the cliff into the more green fruitful forest. We descend slowly as the trail winds through the green shrubs, wild flowers and a moist mossy forest floor and eventually it takes us to the most breath taking view of the Atlantic Ocean with its craggy dark rock, all different shapes and sizes, sitting in the ocean just before the edge of the beach (see photo). Gulls swooping down for a late lunch, sun glistening on the water and the waves are gently hitting the sandy/pebble beach. We are standing up high on the Canadian moors where the wind is sharp and crisp and the cliffs are dark and jagged. We look across the ocean along the beach as if we are flying with the gulls and we see a dog playing in the ocean with his family watching on. A very hard place to leave we would like to keep this image in our minds forever, we see it with our eyes, and feel it with our feet, we breath in the wonderful aroma of the warm grass (see photo) and we want to stay forever but we must go on - so onwards we go. By the time we arrive back at our car we have been gone 2.5 hours and it is now time to take our long drive to our destination. Along the way we stop to eat at a picnic area overlooking the ocean and then drive on with a sunset on the right side and the rising pale moon on the other. In the distance before we arrive at ‘Port Au Basque’ we notice a long grey cloud hanging over the port, it is always raining here. When we get to the front desk of the hotel the young lady ‘Erica’ recognizes us from the night we stayed here when we arrived, however, the reservation that Terry had made back in May was not to be found which meant we had no-where to stay although Erica did call the very few other hotels in the area they were completely full due to changing plans of the ferry. Terry was rather indignant and stood his ground while I felt sorry for Erica who really was not at fault. A manager approved that Terry would not only get a refund for the prior stay but would not pay for tonight although we had to agree to stay in the banquet hall. It all sounded good to me because I know one day we will be at the banquet table with JESUS – Yeah!!! Erica made sure we had a mattress pad and some sheets and blankets and towels and Terry and I made ourselves at home in this very large meeting room. We are thankful to be warm and inside as the weather outside is threatening rain - what’s new around here? Thank YOU LORD we are seeing that You are giving us the money back that we spent on the hospital bills as tomorrow night we cancel our hotel as we will be on the ferry – isn’t HE so Good?
Thursday 07/22/10 We awake around 8am and hear the workers outside doing their thing. Terry goes to see Erica and she tells us that she has a room ready for us to take a shower and change etc. Wow! Terry even brings me a cup of coffee and we are lacking nothing, as usual. Our ferry does not take off until 10pm and the rain starts to come down heavy and we are thankful that we are here and they let us stay as long as we want. We do our three loads of wash, work on the computer and eventually leave the hotel and get dinner before going to the ferry. A very uneventful day but the LORD has us in HIS Hand for HE knows the weather HE creates it and knows ALL things and has given us a day with full use of the hotel to get all our things done and stay dry. What else would we have done in this weather? Eventually we leave the hotel and head towards the ferry and eat while sitting in the car, in an absolute downpour of rain. We are in line for the next 3 hours awaiting the ferry. The ferry takes off at 10pm, right on time, and the pouring rain doesn’t stop it – they are used to it. It will take 7.5 hours to get back to Sydney (for some reason this is a slower ferry as our trip going over was only 6hrs). Terry and I go and grab a seat in the movie theatre and sit - most people are trying to sleep, although unable to, we watch a film and rest. Because of the inconvenience they gave Terry and I a free meal ticket so when the café opened at 3:30am we went in with everyone else and had breakfast - yummy. No coverts today just a very long day filled with many nights of not normal sleep – praise the LORD for HE is so very good – Rejoice in the LORD always, always I say, Rejoice!
Friday 07/23/10 We arrive in Sydney back in beautiful Cape Breton at 5:30 am - the sun is just beginning to come up. Our destination is Prince Edward Island about 300 miles away where Terry and I met in August 1974. We pass where I left my gold cross and chain so we go by to pick it up and leave a note and a reward for Elaine who handed it in. I just sense that she is searching right now and that the LORD is speaking to her, my note is evangelistic speaking of the cross - and I leave the rest at the cross. We take a couple of breaks throughout our drive one for coffee one for a walk but the rest of the day we are in the car which is more tiring than exercising for me. We learn that one doesn’t enter P.E.I. by ferry only anymore but by bridge, which was not the case in 1974. We go over the bridge and enter the island (see photo). It is early afternoon the sun is shining and the island is bustling with people and dogs and shops and restaurants, and amusements, this is not the P.E.I. Terry and I remember. We get out for a bit to stretch our legs and then look for a hotel that is affordable - Terry is very tired as he didn’t sleep both nights. We went to Charlotte Town and got a hotel and relaxed for the rest of the evening. A mention of JESUS here and there today with no interest shown, we pray and ask the HOLY SPIRIT for HIS Power to bring the people and touch their hearts at the mention of HIS Name the precious Name of JESUS John 14:26.
Saturday 07/24/10 After breakfast at the hotel we drive to beautiful Victoria Park in Charlotte Town, we are told that this is where Queen Lizzie stays when she comes to the Island which apparently is quite often, she says that Canada is very close to her heart ( and probably her purse strings). Victoria Park is absolutely gorgeous with its Victorian style homes and bundles and pots of flowers all colors and all varieties. It is a University town where there are shops, restaurants, Oyster bars, young families, older families, businesses, and garage sales are all over, as it is Saturday morning in Victoria Park, P.E.I. All of this beauty is surrounded by Charlotte Town Harbor which opens up the whole picture as it all expands in front of our eyes. As we walk along the harbor front Willard Barrett comes up to us and gives us a maple leaf pin, ( they are the pins they gave out for July 1st – Canada Day). We chat with Willard and ask him if people in Canada typically attend church. He says that they very much do and there are all different denominations from Anglican to Catholic. They keep their beliefs quiet as it is very personal - we have noticed. While at the harbor we read up on some history of Charlotte Town in this Prince Edward Island. The French arrived at Port La Rue in 1720 and they mounted guns to protect the harbor against the – guess who? That’s right the British. In 1745 a force of New Englanders just won a victory at Louisberg arrived to take possession and two settlements were burned. French, Acadien and Mi’kmaq allies resisted the invaders but Britain prevailed and began to rule. Peace ensued until 1768 and in 1775 the American Revolutionary war reached the Island in the form of two American Privateers from Massachusetts, the Frankiln and the Lynch they burned Charlotte Town. P.E.I. was British at the time and later became a part of Canada ( the commonwealth) in 1875. A military presence was here until early 1900’s. and naval guns to protect the Island were sent to the Battery here in 1866 for coastal defense. An amazing history although one wouldn’t now unless you set foot on this turf and experience the richness of the Island. We finally say goodbye to lovely Victoria and drive to a few beaches in the area where we are hearing the ‘gentle lapping ‘ of the water again. Some of the time we are at the gulf ( it laps) and other times we are at the Atlantic ( it roars). We are now in the area where the author of ‘Ann of Green Gables” was born and lived. Her name is Lucy Montgomery and she was born here in the latter part of the 1800’s in ‘New London’ P.E.I. Her novel was published in 1908 and she became a famous author over night bringing attention and tourists to the Island. Lucy loved the Island and spoke of it in a very whimsical sense, she was quoted as saying that she always felt that there was just a thin barrier between P.E.I. and the other spiritual realm ( presuming she meant heaven). Terry and I said we’ll get the book when we get back so that we can look back when Lucy speaks about the farmlands and the vast country side on the Island that she loved so much (see photo). The remainder of our beautiful day was taken up with short hikes around the island and chatting with people here and there like Kalee who is going to the nationals in Ottawa with her softball team on August 9th. . Kalee is a pitcher and I told her that I would ask you guys to pray for her and her team that the LORD would be the One who gets the glory through her. Back at the campground we meet many people Carol Ann (spelt just like mine is on my birth certificate) and her husband Allan from Ottawa. Julie and Bob ( an elderly couple) are from Ohio and have been coming to the Island since 1967, after telling them that we met here in 1974 Bob seems to remember that youth hostel and says it is right here in this area where we are camped today - Cavendish. Terry and I are back in the place where we first set eyes on each other all in the Masters divine plan for our lives. Getting back to Bob and Julie, Bob had, sad ly, contracted polio shortly after Julie married him many years ago. He is disabled now but overall Julie says that he has been able to work and travel all of his life. Julie says that polio causes the nerves to die but in Bob’s case his healthy nerves took over to compensate and over the years these nerves have been over worked and they have and are starting to die. I tell Julie that we will pray against that and I am asking you all for prayer for Bob that the LORD would show HIS power in their lives and heal Bob from this disability that he has struggled with for many years and that Bob would know that it is the LORD who Heals. Julie said that she does pray and that she is sure that prayer works. None expand on the Mighty Name of JESUS, I say HIS Name continually and will never give up as it is JESUS who the world wants out of the picture, god can be any god but JESUS is GOD in flesh and the second person of the trinity and the awesome all powerful ONE. Later while eating dinner at the campground , Michelle came by and said that she cannot imagine how cold it must get here in the winter, she is from Montreal but has a winter house in Florida. We began to chat about the island and how Terry and I had met here in 1974. She thought that it was amazing that we had known each other so long and are still together ( a good time for me to witness) she later came back with her friend, Debbie, they asked me the secret of how Terry and I stayed together so long and guess what I told her…you got it – who other than JESUS. Well this was not what they were bargaining for as I told them how JESUS has changed both Terry and me and I told them what HE had done for them and how people in general try to do it all in their own strength and how we all mess up if we don’t hand it over to JESUS and trust solely in HIM. Pray for these two ladies please, I sense something different here. We did talk to Randy who told us that he and his wife are traveling for a year, they just started on July 1st he sold the house in British Columbia and said ‘Bye” for a whole year, he is a recently retired fire fighter – good for them. Well we say goodbye to another wonderful day filled with beautiful sunshine and lots of beauty in all people and animals and all created things.
Sunday 07/25/10 You guessed it - we must pay for the sunshine that we had yesterday – and today it is drizzling when we awake. Terry and I go off to a café to plug in our computer and try to reach some of you guys, it has been hard getting anything done in Canada, Verizon doesn’t have a monopoly here that’s for sure. We head to the little Baptist Church by our campground for an 11am service. This little church is only open in the summer months and guest speakers come all through the summer to speak. Today we have a chaplain ‘Judy Parsons’ and she explains the Gospel thoroughly throughout her talk. We wallow in the Word of GOD and sing old fashioned hymns like ‘Old Wooden Cross’. We meet Judy and a few other people after the service, and we give our website information so that they could check out what we have been doing - we bid farewell. The day is very overcast but at least it isn’t raining anymore, and all day we are watching a pink sky way out in the middle of the gulf and we are asking the LORD to bring the sun to us. We went to Ann of Green Gables and viewed the house and the grounds where this novel was born in the mind of Lucy Montgomery. A small two story house surrounded by much land flowers all around a bar n next to the house and a very whimsical sense about it all. The Island is much like Ireland in the sense that one can understand why a person would want to write or paint and draw it has a very literary sense about it. We spend the day driving the Island and taking short hikes along beaches and throughout forests. We drive to Malpeque Bay and walk around a tiny fishing village where we see the fishing huts and lobster traps everywhere (see photo) (I pray to the LORD about these traps as the Bible instructs us that shell fish is not for us to eat (and I hate the way they kill them). The fishing huts again are turquoise, red, light blue and the fishing boats are parked neatly in front of them, all is quiet, the day is dull and once in a while a couple will walk by rather quickly with collars pulled up around their necks to keep out the cool air. It takes the rest of the day for us to explore this amazing Island and eventually we head back to the campground to eat. We chat with our French neighbors for some time and eventually retire for the night. Just before the midnight hour we hear tapping on the fortress - WHAT ! rain - we thought that it was supposed to clear and be sunny tomorrow ? A storm is approaching not heavy rain but the wind is harsh, very harsh but our fortress withstands it all with the LORD holding down the tent pegs. Thank YOU our Beautiful One of Israel, thank YOU for ALL of YOUR protection.
Monday 07/26/10 Happy 7th Birthday to our Darling Lauren. We awake to a little wind, however, sun is shining on the water and making everything look gorgeous. We meet Archie (Scotsman) who lives in Winnipeg, great guy but no bites, we say farewell to Carol Ann and our French neighbors and beautiful P.E.I. - just love this place. As we leave the Island I look back at the beautiful wide open spaces of farmland with the bales of hay lying out to dry in the sun, then getting wet in the rain, then drying in the sun, then (that is Canadian weather for you). The wild flowers of all colors and varieties seem to be waving goodbye to us and the birds are singing one last song for us as we drive over the bridge into New Brunswick, farewell P.E.I until we meet again. Within 2 hours we stop to get a cup of ‘Tim Horten’s’ and then find a path to walk along . The LORD takes us to the most gorgeous town called ‘Sackville’. Small shops, flowers in every garden on every shop front in all the parks bunches of them, pots of them, and wheelbarrows of them. We notice a man, on his front lawn carving from 8 to 9 feet natural tree trunk and we begin to see it take shape as two large birds emerge sitting on a tree, down the street on a lawn is a bigger version of birds sitting on a nest. This man’s amazing talent is giving so much pleasure to so many as he helps us keep the vision when we look at his rendition of GOD’S handiwork in still life. We take a walk at ‘Waterfowl Park’ a path that carves its way through the land with water on either side and ducks. all species and sizes everywhere, people are looking through binoculars to see which fowl is which. As we start the walk a man (our age) with an elderly woman start the walk ahead of us, she is spry and he has to keep in step to keep up with her. We walk up behind them and think maybe we should go ahead as not to hang behind them. We meet Isabel, 93 yrs young and her son John. I want to be like this lovely lady when I reach her age GOD Willing, I tell John and we say our farewells. We pass a few other people along this gorgeous walk and we are taken by the beauty of it all. Tall bull-rushes, a church with a steeple and a few houses that sit back on the land and as one looks past the bull-rushes to the pond the baby ducks are sitting cleaning themselves with mama not too far off, all seems perfect in this garden in the late morning sun. We turn to walk up the boardwalk and we see Isabelle and John again. We chat a while, Isabel is from a Scottish line of Mac Kay’s and as’ sharp as a tack’ at 93. We chat and something is mentioned about life and I said to Isabelle “just as long as you know where you are going” Isabel smiled, and I commented that I am going to be 60 next year and if the LORD JESUS wants to take me now I am sure I will be with HIM, not because of what I have one but what HE has done for me. John said that it was nice to know that someone can be sure where they are going but the Bible says in the Gospel of John “These things are written that you may know that you have eternal life”. We chatted a while and parted ways - but the LORD wanted us to meet again as we bumped into them one more time and we gave John our website and email and pray to JESUS that he contacts us and keeps us updated with the health and salvation of his lovely mother Isabelle, please pray for Isabelle, and let us all make sure that we have JESUS before we leave this earth we won’t make it without HIM – John 14:6. Just at the end of our walk we meet Steven and Myrna (our ages) and Steven has a guitar strapped to his back. We chat and Steven tells us that he plays in a group with two other guys and they go around to the elderly people’s homes and cheer them up by playing 1920’s music and Johnny Cash songs and country and western. What a beautiful thing to give these elderly people music that brings them joy and reminds them of when they romanced and danced and had life by the hand, BUT there is one more thing that is more important than silver and gold they Need JESUS, they do not have much time left to make a decision and this decision must be made on this side. Steven says they go to church and he believes that they do need JESUS, pray that Steven gives them JESUS through his music. Steven said he and Myrna may even come to L.A. we gave all our information. We now drive for hours and miles and reach the American border where the border patrol took my ‘Clementine’s’ and threw them in a bin- cheek. They won’t allow oranges to come in to the states, although Canada didn’t mind me bringing one or two in to their country. Back to Maine in the states and we gain an hour immediately – now we are 3 hours ahead of California and 5 hours behind London. The weather is brighter and the sun is stronger somehow and we are expecting beautiful weather for the next few days. We find a small, cheaper hotel in a little town called Sherman and we settle for the evening knowing that we are extremely Blessed and we both are very thankful. We talk to our little darling Angie as she is doing all of our very tedious paperwork since we are gone and there is MUCH of it. We then sat and looked at Angie’s wedding website and sometimes I grow very sad knowing that she is all grown and leaving her mummy and daddy’s birds- nest. Cannot say I slept too well as outside of our little hotel room I spotted what I thought was a horse carrier. The drivers came and stayed at the hotel for the night leaving the trailer with the horses in it. I prayed to JESUS and asked HIM to give them good rest.
Tuesday 07/27/10 Happy birthday to my sister in law Marg and may her day be special. A gorgeous sunny, blue sky, breezy mor n in Maine and I ask the young man what he has in the trailer and he tells me two cows are being taken to a nearby farm, he said that they do lie down to sleep and they have room in those things to do that – good. We take off along a wilderness t road which is like driving through a green tree tunnel, the tall trees on either side often meet in the middle and every once in a while we get a glimpse of the very blue sky peeking through the trees and bringing with it rays of sunshine. The drive is quite long and slow today as we will drive 44 miles of dirt road most of the day. We arrive at Baxter State Park and take the friendly rangers advice on which trails to take. Our first hike is a steep climb up to the top of a mountain which is approx. 1300 feet. The trail is called ‘Trout Pond Mountain’. We are in dryer land now, although the mountains are much like those in Newfoundland - green, rolling, gorgeous. I sniff the scent of warm pine needles as the sun bakes them on the forest floor and when we reach the top of the hike we are faced with the most breath taking view of three lakes one on the left one in the middle and one on the right (see photo). The lake on the left has caught the wind and we watch the rushing movement of the water skimming the top of the lake while large birds glide overhead protecting their domain. The opaque, bright red berries sit prettily on their lime green leafy foundation almost as if the leaf has opened his clenched fist to show the rubies sitting on his palm. Later we stop at a picnic table and talk to Denise and her family, she is young but has a bad knee so I tell her that I will pray to JESUS to heal her knee, she is thankful. We take another shorter hike ‘Little Niagara Falls’ a walk through the green dense forest where there is no view but trees on either side and then suddenly we arrive at the falls and it is spectacular. The water is rushing fast over the wide flat rocks coming downstream towards us as we stand on the rocks facing it as it passes us by it falls abruptly and dips into a crevice to then be pushed back up by the force to overflow and continue going further downstream rushing over smaller rocks and turning out of sight – what absolute beauty. After another short hike we go to the nearest town to get dinner and go to find our remote cabin in the woods (see photo). We are blessed to be staying in a rustic cabin for the next couple of nights. We find it and it is lovely right on a lake but when I asked Terry where the other cabins are he say’s “there are none” and then when I mention where he thinks the water may be we find out there is none. So here we are out in the woods in Maine by a lake with lily pads sitting on the surface - so after we eat dinner on the porch we go and sit by the lake and listen to the frogs and birds and we see a little green frog sitting on a lily pad trying to look inconspicuous – cute. Right now we are sitting by the window watching the sun go down over the lake. Terry lit the propane lights that are on the wall and I lit the candle in the middle of the table we have my favorite Christian music on (that Angie copied for us) and we are cozy in our cabin for the evening, we are thankful and Blessed and we thank JESUS every minute for what HE gives us and we ask for HIS power tomorrow as we hike around here looking for someone who we can tell about HIM. We are also thankful that we carry water with us so I suppose it is cold water cleansing for the next couple of days – now we know what it was like for the’ hill billiy’s’ living in the hollers with an outhouse. Back to wilderness man and woman.