Greetings in Jesus Name to All who read this,
I have a lot on my mind these days about neighbors and loving them as thyself. Since being out on the trail, we have met a lot of people from many different backgrounds, cultures, social standings and beliefs. What has my interests and focus though, has been the common ground of LOVE. The glue or ties that bind people together.
We have been shown unconditional love on the trail. We have had people open their homes, loan us cars, open their hearts, feed us when we were hungry, give us something to drink, a place to lay our heads........! We are walking across America to show this kind of Love to ALL we meet and the Lord is blessing us with the same kind of LOVE in return. There are several messages in God's word, that relate to what we have been shown on the trail.
God's word says, you reap what you sow......
Love thy Neighbor as thyself.......
Love your enemies.......
Love the Lord thy God with ALL thy heart, mind and soul.......
So, we started this mission to take the LOVE of Jesus to every elevation across our Nation, and this is what we felt was needed in our Nation, The Love of Jesus! You see, without true love, unconditional love, how can the hurting be found? If one is not shown the LOVE of Jesus, how can he know the true way? We have been walking now for over 300 miles and have talked to hundreds of people from all walks of life and all kinds of countries and they have all asked us questions about what we are doing. We have been able to share the Love of Jesus with many non-believers, as well as people with different faiths. This has all been through Love. Jesus walked with and ate with and prayed with the lost, broken hearted, and so many more.... So why can't we??
We have experienced on our short mission thus far, the True Love of Jesus! If you show unconditional CHRIST kind of LOVE, you will receive it in return. How many of you today, would just open your home to a complete stranger, or give them your nicest car to drive, or have them sit down and share a meal with?
This is what it means to truly LOVE thy neighbor as thyself. The material things in this world like cars, homes, china and much more, are just that NOTHING. We are to show the LOVE of Jesus and nothing else should matter to us in this world but to do just that. ALL these others things will pass away but Jesus will remain forever in some ones life. Eternity matters! We, You, and I can make a difference in some ones life by living Jesus and showing HIS true LOVE to everyone we meet daily.
We; as people, are the ones who complicate God's word and HIS plan. We; as people, want to add to or take away, to rate , or to judge another by doctrines or by beliefs, but this should not be this way. We should only want to take the LOVE of Jesus to everyone in this world. This is our mission on this walk is to show LOVE of Jesus and not divisions.
We have been truly blessed thus far and it has changed our family tremendously and we can not wait to be back on the trail to see what God has in store for us up ahead. The walking at times has been difficult and painful but the blessings have surpassed any pain we have endured. Our Lord, Jesus Christ, endured much more pain than any one of us in this world could ever know and HE did it in LOVE! So, I ask you to go out and show some one unconditional LOVE today and see how it changes people and yourself and your relationships with Jesus and others.
Please continue to keep us surrounded in your prayers. We will be hiking again in the morning, Lord Willing. It may be a while before we can post again.
Many Blessings and Love of Jesus to ALL of YOU,
GentleFir
Backpacking Believers
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Monday, April 14, 2014
Trying to find Beauty in a Port O John OutHouse in the wilderness..........
Hello Friends,
It has been a while since posting.....We have been out on the trail.
The title of my post says it all. Trying to find BEAUTY in a PORT O JOHN in the wilderness. Before coming to the trail the thought of using a port o john was not very inviting. I would not use on of these disgusting, vile, stinky things. I also had almost a PHOBIA of getting in one and having it dump over with me in it and having yuck and the blue stuff all over me. I know this is hilarious, even to me, but still true.
Since being on the C & O National Canal my view of the stinky, vile port o john has changed. I have found humility in a port o john now. I know that too sounds strange. We have only had these disgusting things to get dressed in and to find some way of looking presentable on the trail now for nearly 60 + miles. Most of you know that our hair is very long and we wear long skirts and we are female..... we like to look pretty. It is hard let me tell you to look pretty or to feel pretty in a Port O John in the wilderness. You get dressed in a HURRY, you get out as QUICKLY as possible and you pray you do NOT smell like that yucky blue stuff. This is hilarious, I know but still true life for us ladies these days. Now, when we are tired and have been walking 5 to 10 miles on the trail in the wide open and we see the white roof shining in the HOT sun, we see relief. How ironic; we now find relief, when we see one of these once disgusting, vile, stinky green buildings. You see there is not a town or public clean nice smelling restroom out here on the canal. This is it and they too, are far and few between. It is like a dream when you find a handicapped size one or a newly cleaned one to use. My what we take for granted some times.
This has been truly a humbling experience in deed. We have been told by people we met that they can not believe, we have been sleeping in tents and in the rain and dirt, so I guess we have been able to find...... BEAUTY in a PORT O JOHN in the wilderness.
I hope that God continues to use the VILE things we once did not like to change us and to mold us into better Christians and better people, while we out here on this journey.
I hope you enjoyed this hilarious but truly humbling experience of our walk.
May God use you today to be a light.
GentleFir
It has been a while since posting.....We have been out on the trail.
The title of my post says it all. Trying to find BEAUTY in a PORT O JOHN in the wilderness. Before coming to the trail the thought of using a port o john was not very inviting. I would not use on of these disgusting, vile, stinky things. I also had almost a PHOBIA of getting in one and having it dump over with me in it and having yuck and the blue stuff all over me. I know this is hilarious, even to me, but still true.
Since being on the C & O National Canal my view of the stinky, vile port o john has changed. I have found humility in a port o john now. I know that too sounds strange. We have only had these disgusting things to get dressed in and to find some way of looking presentable on the trail now for nearly 60 + miles. Most of you know that our hair is very long and we wear long skirts and we are female..... we like to look pretty. It is hard let me tell you to look pretty or to feel pretty in a Port O John in the wilderness. You get dressed in a HURRY, you get out as QUICKLY as possible and you pray you do NOT smell like that yucky blue stuff. This is hilarious, I know but still true life for us ladies these days. Now, when we are tired and have been walking 5 to 10 miles on the trail in the wide open and we see the white roof shining in the HOT sun, we see relief. How ironic; we now find relief, when we see one of these once disgusting, vile, stinky green buildings. You see there is not a town or public clean nice smelling restroom out here on the canal. This is it and they too, are far and few between. It is like a dream when you find a handicapped size one or a newly cleaned one to use. My what we take for granted some times.
This has been truly a humbling experience in deed. We have been told by people we met that they can not believe, we have been sleeping in tents and in the rain and dirt, so I guess we have been able to find...... BEAUTY in a PORT O JOHN in the wilderness.
I hope that God continues to use the VILE things we once did not like to change us and to mold us into better Christians and better people, while we out here on this journey.
I hope you enjoyed this hilarious but truly humbling experience of our walk.
May God use you today to be a light.
GentleFir
Monday, April 7, 2014
Humbling Oneself
Hello Friends, Family and Fellow Hikers,
I thought I would write about my humbling experiences this week while hiking. On Saturday, we hiked 22 miles on dangerous roads and it became mentally and physically exhausting on us. When it came time to stop, we sat on the side of the road waiting for our ride to pick us up, a lot happened that made me think. As we sat there on the road cold and tired, reality sat in that we were actually homeless now...voluntarily homeless..... but still homeless. While this thought crossed our minds and we began to talk about it, a family came up with a pan of food and some juice and bread and offered it to us to eat. This was very humbling. We were not needy nor were we starving or begging but yet, we were homeless and cold. It was very nice to be on the receiving side to see what it is really like to others who are homeless and hungry. We graciously took the juice and bread but not the food. What a blessing those nice people were to be thinking of trying to meet others needs.
Than today another humbling experience happened to me in D.C. at the American History Museum. We were all hiking around the sites being tourist and all of the sudden I found myself in the midst of a large group of mentally and physically handicapped adults. While I was trapped in the middle of them I began saying The Lord loves you and hello and how are you......? Then at once this very tall mentally challenged man just bear hugs me smiling very big and would not let me go and I began to cry. I wanted to help them to know Jesus but yet He showed me the Love of Jesus in his hug. From then, I tried to talk to another lady and she could not speak or hear me, form her challenge. This nearly broke my heart to see about 75 of them smiling and laughing and touring D.C. with a child like enjoyment and not a care in this world. It made me realize that life is fragile and short and we should look at everything with a child like faith or heart as these adults did today. I was hurting from my hiking pains and limping around today and here I find myself stuck in the midst of loving people with disabilities much greater than mine. God reveals Himself in many ways if we just take time to look for HIM. That hug spoke loudly the love of Jesus to me today and humbled my heart completely.
Sometimes it takes the simple things to confound the wise. I was trying to show love and found myself receiving it instead. God is amazing.
I hope this will inspire you to look into the little things in life and you may be surprised. God Bless You all.
Love in CHRIST,
GentleFir
Backpacking Believers
I thought I would write about my humbling experiences this week while hiking. On Saturday, we hiked 22 miles on dangerous roads and it became mentally and physically exhausting on us. When it came time to stop, we sat on the side of the road waiting for our ride to pick us up, a lot happened that made me think. As we sat there on the road cold and tired, reality sat in that we were actually homeless now...voluntarily homeless..... but still homeless. While this thought crossed our minds and we began to talk about it, a family came up with a pan of food and some juice and bread and offered it to us to eat. This was very humbling. We were not needy nor were we starving or begging but yet, we were homeless and cold. It was very nice to be on the receiving side to see what it is really like to others who are homeless and hungry. We graciously took the juice and bread but not the food. What a blessing those nice people were to be thinking of trying to meet others needs.
Than today another humbling experience happened to me in D.C. at the American History Museum. We were all hiking around the sites being tourist and all of the sudden I found myself in the midst of a large group of mentally and physically handicapped adults. While I was trapped in the middle of them I began saying The Lord loves you and hello and how are you......? Then at once this very tall mentally challenged man just bear hugs me smiling very big and would not let me go and I began to cry. I wanted to help them to know Jesus but yet He showed me the Love of Jesus in his hug. From then, I tried to talk to another lady and she could not speak or hear me, form her challenge. This nearly broke my heart to see about 75 of them smiling and laughing and touring D.C. with a child like enjoyment and not a care in this world. It made me realize that life is fragile and short and we should look at everything with a child like faith or heart as these adults did today. I was hurting from my hiking pains and limping around today and here I find myself stuck in the midst of loving people with disabilities much greater than mine. God reveals Himself in many ways if we just take time to look for HIM. That hug spoke loudly the love of Jesus to me today and humbled my heart completely.
Sometimes it takes the simple things to confound the wise. I was trying to show love and found myself receiving it instead. God is amazing.
I hope this will inspire you to look into the little things in life and you may be surprised. God Bless You all.
Love in CHRIST,
GentleFir
Backpacking Believers
Friday, April 4, 2014
The Enviromentalist and Coastal Ecology side of Me.....
Let me start by saying, I grew up on the coast myself and have always loved the sea and coastal waterways my whole life. It has been a very long time since I have been able to enjoy the ocean waves and the smell and sounds of the ocean. While we have been walking along the coastal shores I have been excited and yet discouraged. The state of Delaware is beautiful and clean and the ocean and waterways seem to have protections set up for them. We saw the highest Dune there and places set aside and blocked off for migratory birds to nest on the shores. This was very encouraging to me. The dunes were protected from human destruction but you could still enjoy their beauty. They had nature centers and conservation and education centers set up near the beach for you to learn more about the coastal waterways and what lives there on the land and in the water. I really loved that KatyDid could go to these centers to learn more about the ocean life and of the horse shoe crab and the birds and how they work together. We could walk on the beaches and find seashells and horse shoe crab sheds and much more. This was the pleasant side of things.
While we were in Maryland things have been different. We have seen Osprey and Eagles and more shore birds , which has been great but the waterways, have not been the best.
All along the coastal trails there has been trash and lots of it. ALL of the coastal waterways and trails and roads have been filthy. I have been surprised to say the least. The inlets and coast have been covered in plastic bottles, bags, glass bottles, tires and just trashy. The coastal birds and wildlife that lives in the waters here must have a hard life. We saw a Oil holding tank facility on the water , right on the main coastal way. Grounded Haug told me not to spew like the oil, when I saw it. I am not an activist or anything but it has been filthy.
A place with so many Bald Eagles and shore life and yet the water ways are contaminated. There has to be a way to report it or fix it. We did call on one river, it was full of dead deer people had thrown out and a horse as well. Just the plastic and glass bottles alone could be recycled and put that money into the clean up of the rivers and coastal ways.
I have taught KatyDid to cut the soda six pack rings so they do not kill an animal or birds. She has been doing this along our walks, as we find them. The plastic rings are terrible on marine life and shore birds. You would think in this day of GREEN.... it would not be this way. There has to be a solution. We have not finished Maryland yet and I am sure we will see a whole lot more trash in the rivers, streams, coastal marshes and bays to come but it has really saddened my heart to think of all of that in the waters. It is not healthy for the wildlife, marine life or the human lives to be drinking , swimming, fishing or much more in these waterways that we have seen thus far. I hope this will change in the near future. We will have to see and pray that it will.
I pray that this Spring and Summer you will stop and think before you throw a piece of trash, plastic , glass or anything else in the water you will be in enjoying. We are to be caretakers of this world we live in not destroyers. We need to try to be good stewards of what God has given us. I hope and pray this will make someone want to go out and clean up a waterway somewhere, where you live. There are a lot of good volunteer places to do something like this to give a little bit back. I pray you enjoy the water and all that it has to offer.
Thank you
Many Blessings,
Gentle Fir
While we were in Maryland things have been different. We have seen Osprey and Eagles and more shore birds , which has been great but the waterways, have not been the best.
All along the coastal trails there has been trash and lots of it. ALL of the coastal waterways and trails and roads have been filthy. I have been surprised to say the least. The inlets and coast have been covered in plastic bottles, bags, glass bottles, tires and just trashy. The coastal birds and wildlife that lives in the waters here must have a hard life. We saw a Oil holding tank facility on the water , right on the main coastal way. Grounded Haug told me not to spew like the oil, when I saw it. I am not an activist or anything but it has been filthy.
A place with so many Bald Eagles and shore life and yet the water ways are contaminated. There has to be a way to report it or fix it. We did call on one river, it was full of dead deer people had thrown out and a horse as well. Just the plastic and glass bottles alone could be recycled and put that money into the clean up of the rivers and coastal ways.
I have taught KatyDid to cut the soda six pack rings so they do not kill an animal or birds. She has been doing this along our walks, as we find them. The plastic rings are terrible on marine life and shore birds. You would think in this day of GREEN.... it would not be this way. There has to be a solution. We have not finished Maryland yet and I am sure we will see a whole lot more trash in the rivers, streams, coastal marshes and bays to come but it has really saddened my heart to think of all of that in the waters. It is not healthy for the wildlife, marine life or the human lives to be drinking , swimming, fishing or much more in these waterways that we have seen thus far. I hope this will change in the near future. We will have to see and pray that it will.
I pray that this Spring and Summer you will stop and think before you throw a piece of trash, plastic , glass or anything else in the water you will be in enjoying. We are to be caretakers of this world we live in not destroyers. We need to try to be good stewards of what God has given us. I hope and pray this will make someone want to go out and clean up a waterway somewhere, where you live. There are a lot of good volunteer places to do something like this to give a little bit back. I pray you enjoy the water and all that it has to offer.
Thank you
Many Blessings,
Gentle Fir
Birds, Eagles, Osprey and more......
Hello Everyone,
I thought I would post about all of the beautiful things we have seen on our trip across America, so far. We started in Delaware on the ocean where it just so happens to be part of the major flight highway for migratory birds. Here is a list:
7 Mature Bald Eagles Cormorants
10 Osprey Flickas
Terns Downy Wood Peckers
Red Tailed hawks Warblers
Chickadees Ibis
Ravens Great Blue Herons
Piliated Wood Peckers Snowy Egrets
Doves Turkey Vulture
Red Winged Black Birds Black Vultures
Nuthatch Wild Turkey
Golden Finch Northern Blue Bird
Indigo Bunting Other Hawks
Loons Falcons
Wrens
Many More this is just the beginning.......
We have seen lots of big deer, squirrels of all kinds, ground hogs, river otters and beavers.
We also counted 35 Case Moth Cocoons today.
God has been so good to us on our journey so far; I can not wait to see what else in HIS creation, HE has for us to see.
I will continue to add more to our list as we continue across America.
Lord Bless,
GentleFir
I thought I would post about all of the beautiful things we have seen on our trip across America, so far. We started in Delaware on the ocean where it just so happens to be part of the major flight highway for migratory birds. Here is a list:
7 Mature Bald Eagles Cormorants
10 Osprey Flickas
Terns Downy Wood Peckers
Red Tailed hawks Warblers
Chickadees Ibis
Ravens Great Blue Herons
Piliated Wood Peckers Snowy Egrets
Doves Turkey Vulture
Red Winged Black Birds Black Vultures
Nuthatch Wild Turkey
Golden Finch Northern Blue Bird
Indigo Bunting Other Hawks
Loons Falcons
Wrens
Many More this is just the beginning.......
We have seen lots of big deer, squirrels of all kinds, ground hogs, river otters and beavers.
We also counted 35 Case Moth Cocoons today.
God has been so good to us on our journey so far; I can not wait to see what else in HIS creation, HE has for us to see.
I will continue to add more to our list as we continue across America.
Lord Bless,
GentleFir
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