Ending our time away....

 We spent the last several days of our time away from home at a rather unusual place for a couple of old fogies like us.  Gwen and Tim had actually stayed at this resort several years ago to break up a trip to Baltimore.  They loved the beach and knowing that we were looking for a beach closer to home, they encouraged us to try out The Breakers at Cedar Point.  The interesting thing about this place is the amusement park that is directly around the hotel.  And I mean right there!  A perk of staying at the Breakers is a short walk to both the regular park and also the newer water park as well as early entry to both parks.  Of course admission tickets for the parks are NOT included in your hotel fee, which was great for us!  We did not want to visit either park!  We really came for the beach and the pools.  It was an different experience for us for sure.  I could not get over the noise of the big steel roller coaster that was directly behind the beach.  The rumbling - and the people screaming - were an interesting back drop to the lake view.  It did make for some wonderful sunset photos....
I call this one "Going Down!"

I am sure that Ken got many more great shots during the time we spent on the beach at sunset.  And the beach was mostly empty with the majority of the guests at the parks.

As you can see in this picture, we had the beach to ourselves during this time.  This was the last week that the parks were open, so they had an earlier than normal closing time of 8:00pm.  So after that time the pools and hot tubs were jammed with people.  This suited us just fine, since by 8:00pm we were quite happy to be relaxing in our room or on the wonderful screened in balcony.  We spent some time on the beach during the morning, when all but a few people were in the park.  The weather, though sunny, was not very warm.  We had been told that Lake Erie was shallow and the warmest of the Great Lakes.  However, thanks to rainy weather and very cold temperatures the lake was COLD!  Even the pools were not really warm enough to be comfortable.  The hot tubs were great and we enjoyed the indoor pool and hot tub when the wind was cold. There were many sitting areas scattered around between the pools and the walkways to the parks and the beach.  We found a great place to relax in one of these areas when the outdoor pools and beach were too cold and the indoor pool area was too hot.  It was secluded enough to be out of the wind, and had another amazing feature...

Even on the balcony of our 5th floor room we would see hundreds of monarchs flying around.  Apparently they were especially attracted to these flowering bushes that lined the walkway. When someone walked by there would be a cloud of butterflies rising from the bushes.  It was memorizing to watch the play of the butterflies against the plants and the building.  It was a great way to spend several hours.  

It is good to reflect at the end of a trip, to remember the really great things and to discard some of the not so good things.  Those hotel surveys sure make you take stock of your trip, don't they?  A conclusion of this recap for both Ken and I was that we would not go back to Cedar Point.  We were glad we tried it, but we would look for a different beach on our next trip.  We were extremely glad that we visited the Flight 93 - 9/11 memorial park.  It is  in such an out of the way place that we might never get back to that area.  While we finally made it to Cooks Forest, we did not get to tube or kayak on the Clarion River.  The last two times we tried to visit, the park was flooded!  This time it was cold and the river was very low.  Still, thankful to finally see another place that was important to Ken from his childhood. I got to visit an old friend and see a new (to me) city.  Ken got to revisit an old childhood home.  Yes, lots of positives from this vacation. 

I think all travel is beneficial.   It helps you to see from other people's perspective.  You get to encounter all kinds of new people along the way.  We got to try out lots of new to us places to eat.  I recently saw a video about a 57 women with early onset Alzheimer.  Her biggest regret was that she would never be able to travel - something that she had been putting off for her entire life.  When her son heard this, he decided to make her dream come true, and arranged several international trips with her.  She was able to see the places she had dreamed about.  How often do we make the mistake of putting off something, even if it seems like a good reason?  I know I have certainly been guilty of doing that.  I am so thankful that Ken and I have made travel a priority during these years - while we are still young enough to enjoy the journey.  It is, however, really good to be home! 

I began these blogs about our vacation talking about running into September.  And here we are, in September.  Last week was cold and rainy and certainly felt like fall.  Today, however is 82 and sunny.  Still, it is clear that the season change is upon us.  We saw more than one tree that had begun to change color.  The kids are all back to school.  Yep, soon enough we will be pulling out those winter coats.  I can't image living in a place that never had a change of season.  I really enjoy marking the time by the season changes.   Before I know it, September will be gone.  

Yes, time is going by and it is easy to put off those trips, those visits with family, or just that coffee with a friend.  I don't want to have a list of regrets in the years ahead.  Instead I want to have scrapbooks full of pictures of great adventures and the faces of all my loved ones.  I want to have memories of times spent laughing and talking with family and friends.  I want to have tons of hugs that will warm my heart.   

I am so thankful today.  Just sitting in my own little chair, reflecting back on the last couple of weeks.  I am feeling very happy and very blessed.  It is so good to stop and reflect as the seasons change.  It is good to add to your thankful journal all of those memories.  And it is good to look ahead to the next season. Yes, life goes on!

Jesus, thank you so much for this beautiful creation.  Holy Spirit give us courage to keep on seeking new adventures.  Jesus thank you for butterflies and the reminder that you will totally transform us into new creations!  Give us gentle nudges when we start putting off those things that will bring us joy.  Keep our eyes turned to you, Jesus.  Thank you for family and friends and home.  Amen

A couple of days worth of running to September...

This is a panoramic view out of my hotel window as I sit and type this blog.  Yes, that is a great view of downtown Pittsburgh, PA.  Ken and I have always had Pittsburgh on our bucket list of cities to visit because his family lived here from 1962-1964,  It was interesting to try to find his house since Ken did not know the street address.  He had various memories as a 10 year old riding a bicycle around but other than that, not much!  Finding his school didn't help much since he took a bus to school.  The roads and all of the shopping have changed in the last 55 years, but surprisingly once we got in the general area, he was able to drive right up to the house.

I know that I have never seen a picture of this house.  Ken's family moved into this house in December of 1962 and moved to Kentucky in the summer of 1964,  So that brief year and half didn't get many photos!   At least now we made note of the street address so that we can find the house again if we want.  So today was a great day to check an item off of that bucket list and Ken got to share many memories that I had never heard before.  

Yesterday I got to check another item off of that bucket list.  Ken and I visited the Creation Museum. This destination has been something I wanted to visit for many years.  I had a few bits of hesitation when I saw how expensive the admission was.  But Ken insisted that we should go.  Well you know how sometimes expectations don't equal reality?  This was certainly the case for us.  We were looking forward to the gardens that are a part of the Museum grounds.  Unfortunately, most of the foot paths and foot bridges were closed.  I know that it is past the summer "season", but we were not expecting this.  And it seemed very commercial.  My prayer is that people of the many tour groups that we saw during this visit would have a  better understanding of the message of the Bible. There were a couple of little streams and waterfalls on the walkway to the museum and we stopped to snap this photo.  Flowing water - my favorite!

We had a nice day in spite of the let down of the museum.  We spent time just driving around and seeing the beautiful Ohio River.  It was a very restful day - a good thing on a vacation. And we were happy to have a down day before our driving day today!

 In addition to the previously posted pictures of Ken enjoying some of his much anticipated foods (Skyline Chili and Tim Hortons), we also visited...

Yep - that is a Big Boy restaurant.  Both Ken and I  remember eating at Big Boys during our growing up years.  The Big Boy was the original "Big Mac" and we discovered that, sadly, the Big Boy was not that good.  Again, a bit of a disappointment.   But it was still one of those experiences that we had talked about for years and finally got there.  

So this part of our vacation has been not quite what we had hoped for in some ways.  Yet in spite of that, we are having a wonderful time.  I love this kind of trip when we don't have very tight timelines.  We are able to sleep later.  Eat more leisurely and stop and see something if it catches our eye.  We know that the weather is always an unknown so we never depend on the forecast.  But we have some outdoor fun planned in the next couple of days so we are praying for good weather!  

I am just loving the view out my window tonight.  Being right on the river, with the backdrop of this beautiful city, just calms my spirit.  There have been so many small boats darting across the water.  Directly in front of our hotel is a water cruise and I have watched the boats go off on tours and then return to the dock.  I think the best part of vacations is having experiences like this.  It is funny how valuable a good view can be. We have a week left of our time away and I am practicing breathing and being in the moment.  I know that before I know it, this time will be done and it will be September and we will back in our usual routine.  

At the creation museum Ken and I went to a 4D movie.  The creation story was shown, day by day.  The photography was amazing.   Driving through the hills today, and now watching the river, I am taken back to those scenes.  How beautiful creation is!  I have a much better appreciation for that beauty after seeing the earth come into being in that movie.  So I am grateful for that visual now and also thankful that we did visit the museum for this reason alone.  When things don't seem to meet our expectations, when the weather doesn't cooperate, and even when the food isn't as good as you remembered, you can always - yes ALWAYS find a sliver of good.  I love how Jesus gives us these little nuggets and helps us to appreciate each day no matter what.  And it doesn't matter if you have to be reminded to find the good, or if the good just shows up. It seems like the very best thing when it comes in spite of the bad.  The joy and peace are wonderful.  

So very thankful tonight.  And also so looking forward to the rest of our time away.  No matter what comes up along the way.  I'm just going to rest and be refreshed by the river flowing by my window tonight.  Praying you all are breathing in and out in joy and peace yourself!

Jesus, thank you so much for the ability to travel and see this wonderful world that you created.  Holy Spirit, keep our eyes focused on the things that bring us joy and give us grace to move through the things that are difficult or disappointing.   Thank you Jesus that you bring us exactly what we need.  Give us all courage to keep walking on.  Amen

When you get a chance to see the world...

One of the highlights of the last couple of weeks was an amazing trip I got to take with Gwen.  It was really a trip of a lifetime to visit Paris. One of Gwen's friends is currently living (temporarily) in Spain and wanted to see Paris.  So Gwen made this trip happen - she did all the research, found really great plane fare, got a hotel and figured out the logistics of the entire trip.  Ken encouraged me to go, after Gwen suggested it would be a great opportunity for me.  I figured if you are going to go to France it is best to go with a French speaker (Gwen speaks French), so I jumped on board.  I am so thankful that I listened to Ken!  It was an experience that I will not soon forget.

Gwen had arranged a sort of "itinerary" of places that we just needed to go.  And she was great at finding our way through their "Metro" system.  I rode more subways during this trip than I have in my entire life!  No kidding!

Our first stop was, of course, the Eifel Tower.  This was one of the most crowed places we visited.  And because of the crowds, we didn't even attempt to go up to the viewing area.  There was a very long line just for security to actually get near the tower and then another very long line to purchase tickets.  And then another very long line to actually go up the tower.  We opted for an outdoor cafe with a stunning view of the tower, instead of waiting in all of those long lines.  A funny side note about this picture that Steph took is that it was raining!  Looking at the blue sky you would never know that we were getting rained on.  In some of the pictures you can see other people with umbrellas, but it was seriously just a very light mist that actually felt good!  And that was the only short (the rain lasted less than 15 minutes) bad weather we had the entire trip.

On our last day in Paris, Gwen asked me my favorite thing about the trip.  It didn't take me long to answer.  It was Sainte-Chapelle, which is in the courtyard of the royal palace (which now houses administrative offices).  

The original building was built in 1250 and is mostly now "restored".  But the 1100 stained glass panels that depict Bible stories are simply fantastic.  I could have stood there for hours just looking at each individual pane of glass.  It was a holy place and you could almost feel the generations of people who had stood in that room and prayed and worshiped.   We also visited Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Basilica of Sacre-Coeur.  Somehow we managed to visit  both of these while Mass was being held.  Again, these were holy places that have been places of worship for many years.  Notre-Dame was actually built in 1163!  We visited so many other buildings and museums and it was awe inspiring to put your hand on a pillar that was from 40ad.  To see evidence of the Roman presence at Musee de Cluny as you are surrounded by Roman baths which were built around 200ad.    For me, one of the biggest take-aways from this trip is that there is nothing OLD in the United States!  

And then there was all of the art.  And statues everywhere (even in the subway!).  So wonderful, so amazing.  Again, we saw so much in a few days that it is hard to actually comprehend it all.  And the gardens are amazing.  We took a boat tour on the Seine, viewing most of the famous sites from the vantage point of the river.  The bridges are fantastic also.  Each one seems to be just a bit different.  We found the bridge famous for the "Love Locks" which was totally cleared of locks in 2015 and is now almost full again.  

We ate every meal at outdoor cafes or in the gardens and usually had a spectacular view along with amazing food.  We ate lots of breads (which were fantastic) and crepes made right in front of us, that were just heavenly.  

Our last day in Paris was just Gwen and I since Steph had to fly back to Spain.  We didn't have much to see on that day (with the exception of one art museum) and we spent the entire day in Gwen's favorite spot - Tuileries Garden.  In a way, it reminds me of Central Park in New York City.  It is right in the heart of Paris, surrounded by all that you want to see when you visit.  The garden is filled with small fountains and there are rows of chairs lining every walkway.  People sitting and chatting or eating (which we did often) and the most obedient dogs I have ever seen!  Most dogs were not on a leash and there were no dogs running away or chasing other dogs or causing any problems at all!  It was wonderful to see families greeting each other - even the little children - with kisses on both cheeks. Wonderful to just sit and look over the Seine at the Eifel Tower.  

Yes there were stark differences between Paris and Chicago.  But there were also so many times that I felt totally at home.  Walking through a church and seeing a women with her hands raised in worship.  And seeing another young lady with a journal, filling the pages with her thoughts and prayers. The presence of God was clear and strong.  

It was fitting to visit Paris in November.  I came home feeling so thankful for the the opportunity to share this experience with Gwen and Steph.  I am thankful for the newest aircraft that made a long trip really not so bad.  I am so thankful for the preservation of these old structures and the many, many artifacts that they contain.  And I am also grateful for home, for family and friends.   It was a great way to count my many blessings in the month of Thanksgiving.  

Jesus, thank you for your abiding presence with us, wherever we go.  Holy Spirit, help us all to see our similarities more than our differences.  Keep our eyes open to ways that we can relate to others, even when we are far out of our comfort zones.  Thank you Jesus for opportunities to see another culture first hand.  Keep us all aware of your presence.  Amen

Memories of a long ago trip....and another bit from Wednesday night!

On Friday night, Ken and I had dinner with Doug and Susie, followed by a wonderful time seeing their photos from their recent trip out west.  They got some amazing pictures!  And I couldn't help but remember my trip through Yellowstone and Glacier on my family vacation to Spokane to visit my aunt and uncle.  I was thinking of this picture of my mom, me and my aunt Bee from that vacation.  This was the only "real" vacation I ever went on with my family (other than going to the Lake).  Sadly, what I remember most about this trip was being crammed in the middle of the back seat (between my mom and my brother, since Aunt Bee needed to ride in the front seat).  On the entire trip to Spokane, I was miserable with an abscessed tooth.  As soon as we got to my Aunt's house, a trip to the dentist, a pulled tooth, and antibiotics and I was feeling much better.   I was almost 9 years old on this trip, so I remember the "important" sights.....Old Faithful, seeing snow in June, the mountains, Mt. Rushmore, and actually meeting my aunt and uncle for the first time (and sadly, the only time I ever got to see them).  Yes, seeing Doug and Susie's pictures made it clear that Ken and I will be putting a trip out west on our "bucket list".

In my last blog I shared about a meeting I attended on Wednesday night with Dr. Clarice Fluitt.   I have a page of "one liners" that I have been meditating on, turning over in my spirit, thinking about and just reading - over and over.  So I decided to just shoot them off to all of you, so that YOU can be meditating, turning over, thinking about and reading.  So here goes....

*change the atmosphere - choose to use your words.
*your participation is REQUIRED not REQUESTED
*you are the disguise of God - He is hidden within us
*be a thermostat - not a thermometer.   Set the atmosphere - don't report it.
*don't wait till it is too late......live in heaven NOW on earth.
*the church is waiting for God to do what God is waiting for the church to do!
*the root of the word culture is CULT!
*live FULL and die EMPTY
*say it in don't just pray it in (use your VOICE)
*be expecting God to do something through you rather than TO you.
*if you are called to be an overcomer you have a lot to over come!

Seeing that list....all I can say is WOW!  Sometimes you come away from a meeting with only one or two thoughts.  Obviously that was not the case with this meeting!  I encourage you to read through those one liners.  Listen to the Holy Spirit and I know that you will be blessed by these words of wisdom!

Jesus, thank you for time with family that includes sharing food and also wonderful photos.  Thank you for providing time  for Doug and Susie to rest and recharge while away enjoying nature.  Holy Spirit, use these amazing "one liners" from Dr.Clarice to bless and encourage us.  Speak your heart and message into us through them.  Amen

What I've learned about North Carolina

So we arrived in North Carolina for Ken's business meeting.  Some things we have seen, heard, or experienced in the two days we have been here.........
1.  There is a very, VERY large lake just north of Charlotte (right where we are staying and the location of Ken's company).  Lake Norman is a man made lake formed by a dam on a river and it consists of miles and miles of shoreline around all of the "fingers" of the lake.
2.  Because of this lake, this entire area is basically a tourist area.  A very wealthy tourist area. 
3.  Apparently they have some very restrictive sign policies in this town because you can't find anything just by driving down the road!  And to top it off, our GPS seems to have a hard time finding things also!  We spent quite some time looking for a place to eat last night.  It was frustrating!  We finally ended up at a sort of fast food place that did turn out to be pretty good.  Just not where we thought we were going.
4.  We aren't sure if it is just a local thing or if it is all over North Carolina, but they have this weird flashing YELLOW arrow for left turns.   We finally figured out that it means that you CAN make a left turn, you just have to watch for traffic (it is not a protected left turn).  But we had never seen this before! 
5.  When it rains here, it really rains!  HARD! But for a very short time.  It is always very humid so it seems like it is either going to rain, raining, or just rained.  Basically a lot like Florida.
6.  Apparently this particular town doesn't like Walmart either (see number 2) because I was shocked to learn that it was 12 miles to the closest Walmart.  I would have had to drive all the way through Charlotte and then further south to get there. So much for thinking that there was a Walmart in every town (see my previous post).
7.   On the up side, the people have been very friendly and pleasant to deal with.  As a matter of fact, one lady even rolled down her window to talk to us in a parking lot after another not-so-great driver really cut us off.  I can't imagine that happening at home!
8.  Everyone here seems to love this area.  It is about 3 hours to the coast and 2 hours to the mountains and then there is the lake.  The weather is very moderate (no snow or ice - no tornados, no earthquakes, no hurricanes) although it IS very hot.  Doesn't make me want to move here however. 

With all that said, we will be leaving late tomorrow after Ken completes his work meetings, headed for Savannah, Georgia.  There is a pretty good chance that it will rain the entire time we are there.  We are just hoping for a break in the weather so Ken can do some photography and we can sightsee in Historic Savannah district.  So, pray for a break in the weather for us please!

My thought for today comes from a little encounter I had at a Goodwill Store that shares a parking lot with our Hotel.  I went into the store mainly to kill some time, and to look for a light weight sweater for our dinner out (which by the way, was fabulous). The store was packed with people, but was neat, clean and very well stocked.  As a matter of fact, this particular store had about 90% clothes, which is very different from the stores at home.  In my experience, you find more household stuff than clothes.  Anyway, there was a women with 4 small children (2 in the shopping cart and 2 walking) and she was looking for clothes for the older 2 for school.  I heard the oldest girl saying she really wanted a princess shirt. But it didn't seem that there were any on the rack.  I was just sort of wandering around and found exactly the right sweater. As I was going to the checkout, I noticed a worker bringing out a rack of clothes.  And there first on the rack, was a pink Disney princess shirt that looked about the right size.  I grabbed it off the rack and scanned the store for that women and her kids.  I finally found them in the shoes, and presented the shirt to the little girl.  She was so excited that she just jumped up and down.  The mom gave me the biggest hug and thanked me for finding that shirt.  She said that she was trying to figure out how to pay full price for a new shirt so she could have it for the first day of Kindergarten.  When I heard this I told her my own granddaughter Ellie was starting Kindergarten also!  She almost dropped her armful of shoes!  The happy little girl's name was Ellie!  The mom said "Now I know that Jesus put you here today so Ellie can have the desire of her heart!" It was all about being in the right place at the right time.  Thank you Jesus!

Yes, Jesus, thank you for these little breaks in our everyday things that remind us that you are in control!  Please bless that women and her family and help BOTH Ellie's have calm and peaceful first days of school.  Thank you for your provision for our family through Ken's work.  Holy Spirit, thank you for your guidance, wisdom and protection, even when our GPS fails.  Jesus, what an amazing plan you have to bless us as we participate in your working for others.  Amen

Day 14 - Go to the Nations!

Kenya - 2004

 

So during the time that I was immersed in Children's Ministry, I received several very clear prophetic words about going to the nations.  I really couldn't make sense out of these words! I had no desire to go any where (except possibly to Israel) and most of all, I could not understand WHY I would get this kind of word.  Because I had been working closely with a Ministry that had an International focus, I figured that was the reason for the words.  I was quite happy to stay at home and pray for the leaders of this Ministry as they traveled the world.  Until 2002.  I had the amazing experience of being in a room with people from Mexico, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, and India.  I was sort of like a "fly on the wall" as I listened to them just talking.  They discussed how many languages they could each speak.  What common languages they had.  Where they had traveled, etc.  At some point on that day, the Holy Spirit, quietly spoke into my spirit, "Go to the Nations".  Suddenly it seemed possible that SOME DAY I might go to the nations! 

Now the interesting thing about this was that in 1994 I had gone on a mission trip to Mexico.  My purpose on that trip was to coordinate the Vacation Bible School program for the children in the villages that we visited.  That experience propelled me into the Children's Ministry that I have described over the last couple of days.  But somehow, that message in 2002 to go to the nations, was very different.  I just couldn't imagine how or when this might happen.  It seemed IMPOSSIBLE!

I forgot that Jesus is the God of the impossible.  Unbelievably, the entire trip to Kenya and Uganda, just fell into place.  I left the USA thinking that I was going to speak to children about their eternal destiny through Jesus.   When I returned from that trip, I knew that my message was for the ADULTS rather than to the children. Suddenly, the people that I needed to be reaching were the parents and the teachers and the pastors and the leaders, rather than the children.   Somewhere on that trip, Jesus gave me a clear message that I knew I needed to share. 

I wish that I could say that I have been successful sharing that message in the last 10 years.  But, sadly, I never really felt like I have accomplished that task.  But I do know that I was changed by that trip to Africa.  I made some amazing friends.  I understood much more clearly how Jesus was using me, just as he uses us all. 

Jesus, you are the God of the impossible.  Thank you for your provision that sent me to Africa and keeps me every day.  Holy Spirit, thank you for the reminder that even when we don't feel successful, you ARE successful.  Continue to remind me of all that has been sown into me through the years.  Thank you for reminding me that you will accomplish your plan in spite of our failings.  Amen

Being in the world.....

This is the view from our window, at night, just as the Falls Illumination started.  It was amazing.  Unfortunately, since it is not "summer" here yet, the fireworks are only on Friday and Sunday.  So we missed them.  It was still really great to see this.  As I said yesterday, this room is so worth it!

Today we did the "Behind the Falls" walk.  You are so close to the falls, it takes your breath away.  And you are in a constant shower of water.  And the noise is really something.  The cool thing about this walk is that you can stay as long as you like.  There is not a tour.  You can't believe how big the falls are until you are under them.  When you walk in the tunnel to the two viewing areas you are about 1/3 of the way around the falls, looking out.  All you see is white water cascading down.  And you can feel the movement of the water thundering over you.  This was the best thing we did.  While Ken was taking more photos, I had a friend that came right up to me.

 This picture is a little deceiving since you might think it was just a bird on some grass.  In reality it was much different than that! Here is a different shot of the same bird!

After he came right up to me and looked at me, he just turned and walked away.  What an environment for this bird!  He was walking right under the falls.  Just like that.  Isn't it amazing who Jesus planned exactly the right birds to live in this place?  Okay, he might seem like just a seagull, but still, really interesting.  I couldn't believe that he came up to me so close.  I love interacting with birds - especially at the beach.  So, I didn't miss the fact that Jesus sent me a little seagull, strolling along in front of me, here at Niagara Falls.  I love how Jesus knows our hearts and provides exactly what we need.  I didn't know that I needed this visit from the bird, but afterwards, I realized just how neat it was to have this encounter, under the falls. 

Tomorrow we head back to the US and leave Canada behind.  I have missed a couple of things.  I miss decent TV channels!  You can't find a thing to watch except news, news and more news.  Even the shows that I normally watch at home that are CANADIAN shows, are not on here!  What gives?? 
I miss fast food at every turn.  You name it, you can have it.  Not so much here.  AND I miss my phone!  It's not only being able to call and talk.  It's missing Instagram and missing text messages and missing having instant internet connection.  And it's missing taking pictures on my phone to upload immediately!  And the biggest thing.....no lie...... TELLING WHAT TIME IT IS!  I haven't worn a watch in years! Our plans in the US for the rest of the trip have been derailed by the weather, but we are hoping things turn around.  We are skipping the east coast and going to Ohio where the weather does not include 80% chance of rain and flooding.  Thankfully the weather has been great so far on this trip.  We could use a couple more days of sunshine and warmth!  Thanks for your prayers!

Today the Holy Spirit reminded me that sometimes you are in a place where the world comes to you, rather than you going to the world.  I mentioned yesterday just how many different languages I heard.  Today I was noticing the people because of their clothes.  Really interesting.  We had French people on the bus with us (from France, not Quebec), there are Asian people everywhere. In fact there is one whole floor of them in our Hotel.  And most don't speak much English!  At lunch today we sat across from two couples from Germany.  There was a man from Israel that I spoke to in the elevator.  And today we saw a Native American guy in full dress, singing and playing a drum.  Yesterday there was a group of Eskimos by us (and boy was their language unusual).  Yes, being in a place like this does remind you that we are citizens of the WORLD and thanks to air travel, the world comes to us.  It is good to get outside of our small view of the world and remember that there is much more out there.  Even when it means leaving behind some things that you like!

Jesus, today I was stuck by the diversity of the people.  We were all drawn here to see this amazing natural wonder, that you created.  Thank you for your love and care for ALL people.  Father I pray that each one walking here, that does not know you, would encounter you in your creation or through your people.  Thank you for your power that draws all people to Jesus.  Holy Spirit, give us all boldness and courage to be open to people who are not like us, whether we are traveling or in our own backyards.  Give us words and actions that would bring glory to you and your name. Jesus, thank you for knowing exactly what we need, even when we don't know it!  Thank you for a visit from a seagull.   Amen