Where the wind blows.........

We have been having a really good time on this trip, doing a bit of relaxing.  We have also been exploring this area, which is a new one for us!  The weather has been less than wonderful, very chilly and WINDY!  And I mean really WINDY!  It has been "red flagged" every day that we have been here, so sadly I have not gotten to swim - at all.  Sigh.  We have had lots of beach time and it has been fun to watch the waves, but this is right up there with "be careful what you wish for" things!  Remember I said I wanted waves?  Well, I got them.  Ten foot waves (very unusual for here).  So yesterday we went to a nearby state park pier.

Not only was it a RED flag day, it was also a purple flag day!  And what, you might ask, is a purple flag?  Well, I was glad for this sign....

You can't quite read it, but purple says "dangerous marine life"!  What?????  I was surprised by that!  We walked along the shore and got some great pictures of the waves, the pier, and then we spotted this....

I should have taken a picture with my foot in it to show the size of this Jellyfish.  It was bigger than a large dinner plate.... more than a foot across,  So, yes, this was the dangerous marine life that caused the purple flag!  Suddenly I was glad to not be swimming in these waters!

Today was another high surf day, so we headed off to Mobile to see the USS Alabama  Museum.  

I was surprised to find out that we could wander this battleship on our own with just a paper "tour guide".  I was amazed by so many things about this ship.  First of all.... the size!  It is really, really big!  Until you see that there were 2,300 men on this ship!  WHAT????  Suddenly it seemed very small.  And there were lots of places that were so narrow and had really no railings.  I imagined the ship rocking on the waves and wondered how the men kept from falling off.  We walked on so many "ladders" (they are so steep that you can't call them stairs.  And there were so many of them, Again I couldn't imagine running up and down them while the ship was moving - let alone in a battle!) We got down into the "bowels" of the ship and saw where the enlisted men slept. Stacked up four high on cots suspended from the ceilings.  We saw the officers quarters and the NCO rooms.  The kitchens and mess areas where interesting.  These were also converted to sleeping quarters at night.  The tables where stowed and beds where suspended from the ceilings.   All I could think about was my dad and Ken's dad.  Both served in the Navy during the time period that this ship was in use.  My dad was one of those enlisted men on the lowest decks.  Ken's dad was one of those officers.  I walked those decks and thought about the battles and the men that were lost.  All of the sacrifices made for the freedoms we have today.  This ship was near to Japan when the bombs were dropped, ending the war in the Pacific.  Honestly, I got quite claustrophobic when we were so far down in the ship.  I just wanted to get up into the fresh air.  And I got very queasy more than once, up on a high place with very little railings around.  I can't imagine the conditions during a war time.  Yes, I have a new respect for all of our veterans and those currently serving in the military.  And I so wish that our dads were still around to talk about their experiences.  There is so much I would like to ask them!  

Isn't that always the way?  We think about all of the things that we would like to say or ask of someone who is now dead.  It is a good reminder to pay attention to people around us.  I am sure that there are people that I know that have served in one of the more recent "military conflicts" that have stories to share.  Ken and I were discussing that most WWII veterans have already died.  Soon it will be hard to find any veterans of the Korean conflict.  I am so thankful for the preservation of this ship and others like it, that keep this history from just being a page in a book.  

So, once again, it is back to the importance of a testimony.  The telling of your story.  Our story - the United States of America - is a story that is grounded on God.  Founded on the principle that God has ordained and blessed this land.  Even now, when things look so.....well "ungodly"... our testimony is that God has called us and blessed us.  No matter what is happening right now in the government, in our schools, in our families..... we are a blessed people.  And every one of our testimonies needs to begin there.  We are a blessed people, who know Jesus and trust in His saving work on the cross.  

Jesus, thank you for this day, for who you are and all that you have done for me.  Thank you for museums that preserve our past and leave a testimony for the future.  Thank you for veterans and those in active service in the military.  Holy Spirit, remind us all to listen to the stories of those around us.  Give us nudges to seek out people who have life experiences to share.  Give us all courage and boldness to share our own stories.  Thank you for HIS story!  Amen

Reminder from 1942....

 Sometimes you find the most amazing things when you clean!  I know, I know!  I've said that more than one time on this blog.  So I cleaned my scrap room and took 4 large bags of books to Goodwill on Saturday.  That was actually just the tip of the iceberg on books that needed to go.  Today Ken and I actually took another 5 big bags of books to Goodwill!  We dusted and cleaned off book shelves and reorganized.  In the middle of the day we realized that Ken needed a book shelf for the Camera Room.  So off to IKEA we went for yet another assembly project.  There was more than one amazing find in
this cleaning process, but this was really amazing.

This little book belonged to Ken's dad, Mervin Rowley.  He served in the Navy in WWII and this was the book he carried with him.  When I opened the book, I couldn't believe what I found on the front cover and flyleaf....

I particularly liked that this prayer was important enough that it was pasted on the front cover.  The sweet little book includes a complete Protestant service, a Catholic service, and a Jewish service.  It also includes about 100 Hymns.  In the back of the book there is a guide for Army and Navy funerals, showing placement of honor guards.  And there are several special prayers for certain ranks.  Quite a complete little book.  

And here is the reason for this blog.  I was so saddened by an article I saw last week about a Marine who is now unemployed and without Veterans benefits because of a Bible Verse. 

A United States Marine was convicted at a court-martial for refusing to remove a Bible verse on her computer – a verse of Scripture the military determined “could easily be seen as contrary to good order and discipline.”

The plight of Lance Corporal Monifa Sterling seems unbelievable – a member of the Armed Forces criminally prosecuted for displaying a slightly altered passage of Scripture from the Old Testament: “No weapon formed against me shall prosper.”
Sterling, who represented herself at trial, was convicted February 1, 2014 in a court-martial at Camp Lejune, North Carolina after she refused to obey orders from a staff sergeant to remove the Bible verses from her desk.
She was found guilty of failing to go to her appointed place of duty, disrespect toward a superior commissioned officer, and four specifications of disobeying the lawful order of a noncommissioned officer.

Doesn't that just seem impossible? How did we get to this point from that wonderful book of my Father-in-Law?  From 1942 to 2015....... wow!.  Instead of giving out a powerful little book of prayers and hymns, our military men and women may get a dishonorable discharge for posting a one line passage of Scripture.  That change happened in under 75 years.  Yet that prayer from Washington had been around for 153 years! Yes, it seems there has been a sad decline in the last few years.    

 I know that even as there are so many people just seeing gloom and doom for the United States, this just sort of adds fuel to that fire.  But my message tonight is exactly the opposite of that!  I am really encouraged by this little book tonight.  I am blessed to know that my Father-in-law thought enough of this book to keep it.  And I know that my dad most likely had the same book.  I am thankful that our country has these deep, deep roots of faith and trust in God. I am blessed by this prayer of our first President.  I am thankful for all of the seeds that have sown by our military as they have prayed and trusted in the provision of Jesus.  And I am encouraged by the body of Christ that is still standing and praying today.  Jesus is Lord.  He is on the Throne and He reigns over the United States, whether we acknowledge Him or not.   

Jesus, thank you for the years and years of blessing and protection you have given to the United States.  Holy Spirit, bring encouragement and hope to all who are feeling overcome by fear and doubt.  Thank you Jesus for reminding me, even with the discouraging news these days, that you have a destiny for the United States and you are faithful to bring it about.  Thank you for people who are willing to take a stand for you, no matter what the cost.  Bless Monifa Sterling and the many others like her who are being persecuted for their faith.  Thank you for courage and boldness to proclaim your great power.  Amen  

What I've been waiting for...........

These are my feet in the Atlantic Ocean!  Yes, this is what I've been waiting for.  I can already feel my spirit just settling with the movement of the water and the waves.  Even though it was raining, Ken and I had to take a walk down to the beach.  It felt wonderful.  Our room is gorgeous....a third floor suite with a private ocean view balcony.  This room is truly a gift.  I did a survey last summer after our stay at this hotel and noted both some positive and negative things about our stay.  I got an email from the manager who asked for further clarification.  I took the time to respond to him, and received a certificate for a stay in this amazing room.  Ken and I actually stayed in this same type of room at this same hotel in 1999 when we came here for our 25th Wedding anniversary.  Back then we were using points from Ken's constant travel so we also didn't pay for this room.  I simply love this place! 

This morning before we left Savannah, we decided to go to the "Mighty 8th Air Force Museum".  It was just a few miles from our hotel so felt we didn't want to miss it.  I am so thankful that we made this choice.  We were the only ones in the place, except for the workers.  It was much larger than we expected and once again, I learned stuff that I never knew about history!  Kinda makes me wonder what I DID learn in school.  The first part of the museum included film strips and narrative about the destruction of London by the Nazi air strikes.  I just didn't realize the scope of the fighting and the amount of damage that London (and all of England) had.  I was honestly upset when they ran some newsreels showing Roosevelt before a large crowd and the people were all chanting "we won't go".  There was no way that the United States wanted to get involved in this battle.  Yet, just a short time later, after Pearl Harbor, our Mighty 8th Air Force, stepped in and finally turned the tide against Germany.  There were some amazing artifacts, clothing, and pictures through out the museum.  In one room there was a frame on the wall that contained small embroidered pieces of fabric that had been made by the Dutch women of the resistance in the concentration camps.  The idea that they could make such amazing work with NOTHING!  They used small broken needles and tore thread from their clothing.  I couldn't imagine the skill and patience of these women in such a horrible place.

 There was also a Memorial Garden outside of the museum.  Again, amazing.  And in the garden was this chapel.

It was designed to resemble an English Chapel.  I was surprised that I could go inside.  Ken was taking photo's of some airplanes, so I had the chapel to myself.  There was such a sweet spirit in that small space. 

This stained glass was behind the altar.  I loved that it was Jesus and a depicted airman of the Mighty 8th.  There were stained glass windows lining the side of the sanctuary also. 

I took pictures of each of the windows, but this one really stuck out to me.  I love that Jesus is walking on the ground below the plane.  These men truly believed and knew that Jesus was going ahead of them.  I love the power and strength that Jesus shows in this window.  Yes, they were on a mission.......... a mission from God. 

 

There was instrumental music playing and I sat in the quiet.  It was so powerful.  The way things are in 2014, it is easy to forget that such a short time ago, Jesus was in a prominent place in our military.  I was so thankful for this permanent reminder that these men who fought and many who gave their lives.  And I was reminded, as I sat there, that even if we can't see the obvious presence of Jesus today, He IS there in the same way.  I am feeling so grateful for the powerful Jesus that is the foundation of our country.  Yes, this was a highlight of this trip for me. 

 

Even though it was storming as we arrived today at our favorite spot, I am just filled with thankfulness.  I am just letting the sound of the waves wash over me.  And breathing deeply. 

 

Jesus, thank you for your guidance and protection of our military.  Holy Spirit, I am so grateful that you directed us to that museum today.  Thank you for the chance to grow in understanding of the great sacrifices that were made to maintain our freedom.  Jesus, thank you for provision that is allowing us to have this wonderful vacation.  But Jesus, could we see the sunshine tomorrow, please!   Amen