1 Corinthians 2:14 14) The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of GOD: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know then, because they are spiritually discerned
Wednesday 08/11/10 We are woken by an orchestra of chirping chickadees, wonderful to have the dawn chorus back, it has been a while, and in the midst of the chirping is one that is marching to the beat of a different drum – sweet. The sun is beating on our fortress and we arise with joyful, and thankful hearts. Our hike today is 6 miles but it is LEVEL – Yes! We walk through the forest for 3.2 miles and at the finish we sit on a wooden bridge that covers a running brook and look out at the mountains. The sky is a beautiful blue and the LORD has just drawn and painted the clouds on the skies bright blue background, white and puffy, with one that is just a stroke from HIS paintbrush. I lay on the bridge (no-one around) and watch the water trickling down the brook I see a reflection of the water on a tree log that has fallen and is lying atop the water. The water reflects twinkling, dancing stars on the log, and all is quiet in GOD’S own garden by a brook, and to break the silence a frog leaps, from where Terry treads, back into the water. Our 3.2 mile walk back through the woods brings us to reality and we meet a couple from Chicago. Although, we talk a while and we talk about the Moody Institute in Chicago ( Christian) and GOD’S work and how we are journeying with and for JESUS there is no embellishing on the subject, I suppose there are many who know the LORD but are not Evangelical, we will let the LORD deal with the human race, I just have to remind them of HIM. In this town of ‘Blue Mountain’ there is a museum and it looks busy, so Terry and I wander off to see what we may learn. We learn that it is very expensive to get in and only local artifacts are shown here, so we move on in the very hot sunshine. We stop for gas and after a quick conversation with Nancy she tells me that she knows the LORD – pray that she receives HIM, she was working so I move on. We drive on to ‘Old Forge’ a small busy town and along the way we notice that people are on every lakeside beach taking advantage of this beautiful day as we well know that tomorrow will possibly bring rain. We stop at “Old Forge’ for a coffee and as I order I hear a country and western singer on the radio saying something about “JESUS” so I get all excited and say to Natalie, “ Oh! is this a Christian station?” “Oh, no but I am a Christian“ she replied –so I praise HIM for that. She said that there were lots of Christians in this town – and I am reminded once again that this is New York State and 9/11 will not be easily forgotten. We talk to Christian - a sports editor who lives up to his name - Christian, and it is wonderful for Terry and I to see some young people who are standing up for JESUS- Yeah!!! Terry and I are both feeling like taking in some of the warm rays so we head back to the lake at our camp-ground put on our swim gear and go off to the beach. It is burning hot and we have a wonderful relaxing afternoon soaking in the rays, it is very much appreciated. The evening comes quickly and as we sit and look at the lake (see photo) the mountains look royal as they stand guard around the lake and the dull evening light gives them a navy blue and gray hue. We visit with Ken our neighbor, and his wife they are wonderful people. Our zip is fixed and the evening is warm, it is getting dark so we retire to our fortress and Terry reads me most of the Book of Amos and then we each win 5 games of ‘Uno’, I am coming up but he is still quite ahead of me, we will see, I will never give up. Life is so very good and we are so very Blessed and we are very thankful to OUR GOD Who through HIM All things are possible.
Thursday 08/12/10 The birds are singing, not a full quartet but sufficient to get us up. Not so sunny but looks promising as we eat our breakfast, take down the fortress and talk to our neighbor (Ken and his wife) before leaving. We are on our way to Buffalo, N.Y and guess what, we are staying in a hotel for the next couple of nights, it has been 16 nights in a tent without reprieve, but we love our fortress. Driving takes up most of our day as we drive mainly freeway (300 miles) through rain, clouds and sun but as always we are Blessed and Happy. Arriving at our hotel in Buffalo mid afternoon and having spent a long haul in a campground we have a lot of housekeeping to catch up with and later we bask in a little hotel luxury for the rest of the day Not too much interaction with anyone really so we leave it all in the LORD’S perfect Hands.
Friday 08/13/10 Niagara Falls (see photo) – it is wonderful and we can walk from our hotel – so we do. For me Niagara Falls is a very special place, both the Canadian and American side as this is where in September 1974, Terry told me to meet him, after tragedy hit our household on August 22nd ’74 in London. I remember it was Buffalo, the American side of Niagara that I stood and I sensed a voice that (back then seemed like an angel) saying “You are home” with no clue at all that America would be my beautiful home. We have also spent time here in the past with Terry’s mum and dad and our children have been here when they were small so it was the beginning of my life in America and soon to be my Life Abundant with JESUS - but somehow right now it feels like I really haven’t seen it before, my mind must have been too busy back then, and now I see it, and it is amazing. Do you know that during the summer 75,750 gallons per second of water fall over the American and Bridal Veil Falls ( I did not know that this term “Bridal Veil is used in describing waterfalls – I often think of waterfalls looking like bridal dresses and bridal veils and, get this, 681,750 gallons per second over the Horseshoe Falls – unbelievable. Four of the five Great Lakes drain into Niagara Falls (Superior, Michigan, Huron and Erie) before they empty into Lake Ontario. These five Great lakes make up almost one-fifth of the world’s fresh water supply. As we stand up on the bridge we look down at all of this splendor - we watch the people in their rain coats beneath us at ‘Cave of the Winds’ and they are standing at the bottom getting soaked by the spray off of Niagara getting the feel of how huge these falls are (see photo). We chat with three different families and each one are from Ohio, Sharon is a Christian and we chat a while and give her our information. Another lady agrees that this Niagara Falls is all the Handiwork of our GOD and that HE is the Living water that rushes over us to cleanse us from our sins. After we see the falls we take advantage of the shopping (something I never do, but we have Angie’s wedding coming up). It is Friday night and busy back at the falls so we take an evening walk - a band is playing right outside our hotel, it is loud and bustling, and we dance as we go by. The falls are lit up and we see the colors of the rainbow shining on Niagara - colored lights reflect on the falls while three or four tall building and a casino are all lit up and we see the human paint palette, it is colorful and shiny lights are everywhere mimicking Vegas – the human hand can be quite creative. But then I look above all of this showy busyness and as I look into the night sky I see a beautiful quarter moon, very big in the sky, and close by is the planet Venus as large as a planet can appear, and it twinkles with brilliant light GODS own light, and I say to Terry, “ Us humans can attempt to make everything beautiful, with colored lights and fireworks, but all in all this earth belongs to the LORD, and HIS moon and planet / star are so superior to our attempt at beauty. It looked like a picture postcard and after an amazing day we give thanks to the LORD for all HE is and does and all the beauty that HE provides. We walk back to the hotel as the crowds are beginning to disperse, the band has stopped playing. Looking out of our hotel window we see the night sky is dark the moon and planet/star is no longer visible, but a firework show begins and we have the perfect seat from our hotel window – later we rest peacefully.
Saturday 08/14/10 Today we are going to see Margaret who is a Scottish friend of my sister Barbara’s, and whom I stayed with in St. Catherine’s, Canada in 1974 and’76 when I first met Terry, so we have not seen Margaret for almost 40 years. We pack up and say farewell to our wonderful stay in Niagara falls and within a few minutes we are at the border of Canada, we show our passports and enter Canada one more time and drive to St Catherine’s , which is only about 20 miles away. The morning is very hot and humid and we drive up Margaret and Gary’s street and there they are, Gary comes over to the car to meet us and tiny, pretty Margaret is jumping up and down on her lawn - waving. It is so very good to see Margaret again and great to meet Gary, he seems like a good guy, and it makes us happy to know that Margaret is happy. We hug, sit, talk and laugh and then go just across the street for lunch (see photo). Margaret knows that JESUS is our LORD and we all hold hands and pray at lunch and thank JESUS for HIS perfect blood on the cross that takes away all of our sins. We have many, many laughs about the past and things that we did then that we wouldn’t do today, and for Terry and I we know that the Truth in us - is JESUS. Terry used to come up to Canada to meet with me as I was not allowed into America at that time I was what the government called “Young and Employable” I didn’t listen too well in those days and I did as I pleased. Margaret and her family were good enough to let me stay with them in Canada whenever I needed to and I am so grateful to them for that. Well, we have to be on our way so we hug and say farewell and tears come to my eyes when I say ‘farewell’ and thank Margaret for allowing me a place to stay all those years back, and if it hadn’t been for her and her husband I never would have got to the States ( the way I got here was not GODS way) but HE intervened and over the years put everything in order HIS perfect order. It is so beautiful to see Margaret again and from now on Terry and I will keep both her and Gary and the family in our prayers and lay them at JESUS’ feet - the Highest place of all. Our very long day is spent driving through parts of Ontario, Canada to get to Michigan, USA and it takes all day. We arrive at the border and see Michigan on the other side sitting on Lake Huron, and a lighthouse sitting on the end of the land - a very thick mist hovering overhead gives it a wintery feel as we sit in our cars in line waiting for our turn to show our passports and enter back into the states. When we get to our destination ‘Saginaw’ we find that all the hotels are full due to summer (music) festivals and travelers, so it is 9pm by the time we get a hotel in ‘Bay City’ Michigan, the gal at the front desk tells us that she has one room left and it has no air conditioning but we can get it at a discount rate, fine with us, at this time of night ‘beggars can’t be choosers’. We retire late and thankful, very thankful for a beautiful day and for The LORD allowing us to see our (long lost) beautiful friend, Margaret again - thank YOU JESUS.
Sunday 08/15/10 Hot and humid - we get up late and find no church this morning. We wash our very dirty chariot and get him an oil change, and read the Bible while we wait, having just finished the book of ‘Jude’ (Love it) and starting Revelation –wonderful! At McD’s I ask the server if he ever gets to church on Sunday’s and he tells me sometimes, as I tell him that we didn’t find a church today but are very aware that JESUS must be first in our lives, and it can be a struggle to keep HIM first, the young man understands and he accepted the reminder. Driving on we are reminded of Vermont, lots of green open land, sunflower fields, and farm land with white and yellow wild flowers growing tall and strong taking in the photo synthesis that they breath in for just these few months as the rain and snow will hit hard soon. It isn’t hard to imagine this all covered in snow with a gray dismal sky, I am glad we are here in the sunshine. Our destination today is “Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore’ and on our way we pass many parts of Lake Michigan, which here and now happens to be very, very deep green and a navy blue further out in this big body of water. Did you know that Lake Michigan is the largest lake that is completely within the USA and the fourth largest fresh-water lake in the world ? We stop at an overlook and many others stop here also to observe the beauty, it is a hot Sunday afternoon and as we climb the many steps up to a view point we turn to see the amazing view of the emerald green glassy sea, like crystal – Rev. 4:6 and through the edge of the surf this precious emerald sea is transparent and the ‘pinkish colored’ sand can be seen through the emerald glass, it is certainly paradise here today the sun changes the colors of the water and it looks much like a beautiful Florida beach – breath-taking. At Frankfort we stop to get our groceries for dinner and in line I chat with Donna who tells me that she used to live in California and without me even asking she said “I lived in Alta Loma” and said “Oh my! that is where I live” she lived two streets above us on Lemon Ave, she is from Michigan and came back because of her 5 children here, a jolly good reason to go home. We drive to the campground, pitch the fortress, eat, then get ready to go on a drive. It is 7pm and we drive to “Pierce Stocking’ scenic drive with 10 overlook stops. On our way the woods on either side of the road are sparse as there are no leaves on the trees lower down on the trunk until you look much higher up - the leaves are full there. A sign on the side of the road reads “Hay and Straw for sale” this is Michigan on a Sunday afternoon in the sun. We pass open fields with white and yellow tall flowers and I notice a housing complex has been built at the back of a field and there is a row of trees, all evergreen, and they are full and fat and their arms reach up to the sun, all the same, all in a row as if they have all had the same haircut. The scenic drive has 12 stops and each one as beautiful as the last and much like Canada, pristine and incredibly beautiful. One dark cloud appears in the sky and the sun forces it to smile as it peeks from behind it and creating a silver lining, there is always a silver lining around any dark cloud when we obey the Master, even through the dark clouds we can see the Masters Hand. Around 9pm Terry and I are walking on the sand dunes where tall grasses display their feathered tops and birch trees grow on the sand dunes, this is one of the few places where one can see this. Sand dunes are formed by the wind -the very strong wind is the culprit, it blows so hard that the sand is blown up into piles creating these dunes (see photo), these sand dunes are hard to climb as the sand gives way underfoot, a good work-out for the legs. It is getting quite dark and the bluffs around this sea–like-lake are looking rather sinister as the clouds are becoming dark and red, very red clouds mixed with dark gray clouds as though this fiery sky may be angry. Now I see the moon and it is no longer a quarter moon but a half moon shining in and out of the darker clouds Venus shows up also and she twinkles in the dark angry sky, it is quiet and everything is beginning to wind down, as we are. What an incredible day and after all is quiet in our fortress Angie calls to chat, a beautiful end to a beautiful day thank YOU LORD.
Monday 8/16/10 Happy birthday to my darling daddy who would be 109 today if he was still on earth – long time no see, daddy. We shower and I meet Christian who has started cleaning the bathrooms and we discuss JESUS. Christian is Catholic and professes to know his LORD JESUS. He told me his friend wanted him to go to a Christian church but he likes his and I said “Christian, when we meet the FATHER the question will not be, “What Church did you attend”? GOD’S Word implies the question is “What did you do with my SON JESUS”? After all no-one gets to the FATHER but through The SON there is NO other way. I gave Christian our information and chatted a while longer. He is only 18 yrs old and very knowledgeable about Michigan. He told Terry and I that there are 33 miles of beaches at this Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore, and a lot of the rich (like the Wrigley Baseball and chewing gum owner) used to come and stay on vacation here. He said that this valley is very unusual as it grows many fruits and vegetables, cherries and grapes grow here, but not hot enough for Oranges they still pay a price for those here. He said today the waves at the lake will be as high as 8 to 9 feet as the winds are strong. This lake does not look like a lake, one would really think that we were in the Caribbean this ‘sea-like’ lake is more green than I have ever seen in Florida or Cancun, (the camera is not picking up the true green we are seeing) it is hard to believe that we are actually in Michigan. The sky is that amazing blue today (which makes the Lake green) with those amazing white puffy clouds – just like pictures in a children’s story book. As we drive there are men working on the roads so we stop a while and wait in line until we are waved on, a sweet butterfly flies by our chariot and we look out to the long feathery grass, small trees with leaves dancing in the breeze, I notice the same row of evergreen trees that I saw yesterday they are lifting their arms praising the LORD…Isaiah 55: 12 …And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Here is another day of GOD’S Own light, HE gives the earth and its inhabitants what they have need of to survive the coming winter chill. We drive through the sleepy town of Empire passing weeping willows, large oaks and the unbelievable sight of Lake Michigan as the wind churns up the waves and I count eight rows of white capped waves (see photo) looking like frills on a wedding dress, and watching the water hit the shore like green emeralds are being poured on to the beach – a Caribbean paradise ? But I am in Michigan how can this be? We take a hike to Empire Bluff and walk steadily uphill being reminded of Canada as it is pristine and I notice a knotted short tree with its red cone shaped buds. I also notice the yellow wildflowers and tall feathery grasses are blowing in the strong wind, and then we come to an amazing overlook and we stand and gaze below at the most exhilarating sight of green lake-like sea looking like a glassy Caribbean sea with frills of white surf pounding on the shore, we breath in the clean air and thank the LORD for ALL HE has created-so beautiful. Further on at the end of the bluff there are many people standing in awe at the sight beneath them, we all stand and look at the green, glassy rippling lake-like sea and more than just we two realize that there is a creator, a GOD Who has created all of this - or did it come by just a ‘big bang? I believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of GOD, GOD breathed and GOD’S Word is Truth - Colossians 1:16 16) For by HIM all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. ALL things were created through HIM and for HIM. Yes, we were even created for HIS good pleasure, so we had better be about the FATHERS business. Up on this wonderful high bluff that looks down at this amazing emerald beauty we meet Marnie and Cooper (the latter is a curly Wheaton Terrier) and we chat a while about our Journey with and for JESUS. Marnie was raised here and explains to us that winter (- 0) is fine here if one is dressed properly, she said it is rather “exhilarating’, which I can imagine, but I think I just want to imagine it and not experience it right now. Marnie’s husband Jack says hello and they have two other friends with them who are visiting from Indiana and they are all amazed that Terry and I have been gone 5 months and that we can actually live in a fortress, they are impressed. We give Marnie our information and hope to hear from them. Once down from the trail we drive through a few tiny towns where (through the open windows of our chariot) I smell the warm grass from the fields, there is a small church and a cemetery and we stop at our next hike which is “Cottonwood Trail’ and birch trees are growing on the dunes. Mounds of sand make our path uneven as we walk gradually upwards to arrive at an overlook that is even more breath taking than the last, and I truly am not exaggerating. We are awestruck as we look over to the left and see a deep navy blue lake-like sea and as my eyes drop down in the valley I see a white farmhouse absorbing the heat in this afternoon sun, straight ahead the lake-like-sea is green and then behind the lake-like-sea is GREEN this GREEN can only be seen by the human eye, the camera cannot pick it up, the water reflects the sky and the sky is that amazing blue, a different light is here – GOD’S Own light. The LORD provides these extra special days of sun light, the inhabitants here may need to store it up for what is ahead. It is mid afternoon by the time we stop in ‘Glen Arbor’ for our shot of coffee and we meet Sarah who is going to be living in Warwickshire, England as her boyfriend is going to be studying “International Relations” at the University there, and she will try for something in education. I gave her our information and told her I could put her in touch with my lovely nephew and his girlfriend they are the same age, Sarah, is so appreciative as they will know no-one in England and even if they have a face-book contact in London she thought that it would be a Blessing. Our next hike takes up ‘Pyramid Pointe’ and we pass a farmhouse on a farm that looks long forgotten, and as we walk up the sand dunes to the top and again we look down to the most magnificent green glassy lake-like-sea with waves crashing on the pinkish sand shoreline. Younger people are walking down an extremely steep sand dune which leads to the lake once down they have to walk back up, only for very young legs, and dogs are attempting it too. We leave and take a turn off of the hike to go to the meadow and that we do, I love meadows and it is none less beautiful than I imagine. A walk through the sparse forest takes us out to an open meadow and I am in paradise one more time from sea to shining shore – America the Beautiful, what else do you have to show me? We have seen so much beauty - beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and my eye sees so much beauty that comes from the Hand of the MASTER BUILDER. Coming back from our hike we stop by the old long forgotten farmhouse and behind it are stairs to the beach, we go down and walk a while, the wind bringing the waves crashing to the sandy shore, a picture book beauty. Throughout the day we have spoken to many people but the climate here for JESUS is much like Canada, there is a sense that they may know of HIM and go to Church but they do not want to elaborate, so we ask for the mighty Power of the LORD to do HIS amazing work. It is very late and we still take a hike at dusk to the lake-like-sea a mile from our campground, and the sun is setting and we are saying farewell to a heavenly day, still trying to grasp each day and savor it, but what can one do but hand it over to the LORD, HE will teach us how to handle what HE has trusted us with.
Tuesday 08/17/10 – We left our beautiful family of children, pets and home in California 5 months ago today –wow! We are living a new life, this is certainly a way of life, and the LORD gave me before I left Isaiah 43:19 which reads “Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make the road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert”. Amazing GOD! The sun is hot and we take down the fortress and move on to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula which is just south of Sault Saint Marie in Canada, my friend Irene, and I were here before I met Terry in 1974. A long drive through many towns some bigger than others and one of the bigger ones is ‘Traverse City’ filled with people running, walking their dogs, sitting on benches all absorbing the rays from the sun. Large yachts are docked in the harbor bobbing peacefully on the navy blue lake-like sea. Amongst the traffic and business here in Travers City, Michigan - a sunny Tuesday in August around noon there is a community feel, and I can imagine this beautiful little town dressed up for Christmas and looking exquisite. We drive on country roads admiring the vast land on either side, farms with silos, tractor equipment retailers selling their farm-ware, and before long we come upon another town called ‘Charlevoix – a town that is even more exquisite than the last with very elegant homes built around the lake with quaint bookstores and expensive clothe stores carrying brand labels at high prices. We mete Marcie and her daughter and tell her that we will keep her husband ‘Troy’ in our prayers, he is a police officer in Southern Michigan – she is thankful for our prayers. Driving on a few miles we stop at the waters edge, and I mean literally at the waters edge, as the water is creeping over the dunes and into the grassy area, maybe in the winter months this entire grassland is under water? Just a little further along the road we stop at Mackinac which is only 50 miles south of Sault Ste Marie, Canada. This area of Mackinac was very popular in the early 1900’s an Indian trading center, fur trading, missionaries came here, and defensive forts were built here, the British held a fort on Mackinac Island and its remains are a historic site today. Things were never that simple around here for import and export as there is something here called the ‘Mackinac Straights’ and these waters have seen the death of many people and sunk many ships one in 1909 was on her maiden voyage and sunk. These Straights are where Lake Huron meets Lake Michigan. For many years a lighthouse was in operation here in Mackinac and it still stands at the edge of the land – now many people climb it but just to get the sense of what it must have looked and sounded like on those dark, foggy nights until 1957 when they built a bridge (see photo). I notice at least 12 tiny islands are sitting out in Michigan Lake, Beaver Island being the largest by far, the others are tiny dots on the map. So here we are on our way to ‘Tahquamenon State park’ in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula looking just like Canada and I have a feeling that the weather is the same – unpredictable. The road takes us through ‘Trout Lake’ it looks like wilderness Moose country, and we may as well be in Canada or Alaska for that matter, the town(s) seem very rural, a tiny Post Office (cannot be too many inhabitants), a bar, and a grocery store to buy fishing bait looks like that would be all that they need around here, hopefully they drink coffee! Tall Canadian looking trees either side of us and an ice blue sky follows us to our campground and it is around 4:30pm on a warm, sunny North Michigan Tuesday afternoon. Our campsite is right by the river and it is pristine reminding us both of Lake Kejimacugik, in Nova Scotia, however, as it gets later the wind starts to blow rather hard and there is rumor of rain tomorrow which seems odd as the LORD has us here for 2 nights, normally HE has us on our way out by the time the rain comes or in a hotel. We spend the evening walking by the lake, talking to Gabby (Gabriella, why do they shorten that beautiful name ?) and her family who lived in San Diego for many years. We laugh and sing to the LORD, read our Bible and play ‘Uno’ and Terry is about 15 games ahead of me, but I won’t give up. Thank YOU LORD for giving us YOUR Everything on that Cross at Calvery - we pray that we honor YOU LORD, may we be a sweet aroma to YOUR nostrils, LORD.