March 23, 2019
There's been some new developments in our faith journey.
April 30, 2019 ~ Another new development.
As the anniversary date of Jane's last spoken words of promise approached I said to my husband, "April 28 falls on a Sunday this year. It feels like we should do something special to commemorate the amazing events of this day." It was just a few days before the 28th and we were already in bed for the evening. We tossed around a few ideas and then it hit me—maybe we could go out to Jane's area of the Appalachian Trail in PA and return to the beautiful overlook where we knew our A.T. journey was over.
I got up and checked availability at the B&B's we stayed at in the past. Amazingly, the Red Cardinal Bed and Breakfast (where we stayed five years ago [2014] and we realized our dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail was ending - See The Land In-Between) was available for Saturday the 27th, and Pheasant Field Bed and Breakfast (where we stayed seven years ago [2012] and we randomly felt we were to begin praying about "New Beginnings" - See The New Beginning: Where and How it Began) was available for Sunday the 28th. Wow! The exact rooms where we stayed in 2012 and 2014 were both available!! Let's do this! Let's take a fast weekend trip and go back to Carlisle, PA. Let's spend time at the very places where God so clearly spoke to us in the past, and let's spend April 28 hiking in the exact areas where Jane lived and hiked. Oh my goodness, this is a very spur of the moment decision, but let's do it—and we did.
I can't adequately express how much it meant to return to the area where so much of our faith journey has taken place. It was calming, relaxing, and soul cleansing. We stood on the old 1890 Iron Bridge where the Appalachian Trail crosses Swartara Creek just outside Lickdale, PA. This old bridge is within easy walking distance of where Jane grew up. We watched as the river's water flowed swiftly beneath us. We talked about how God's faithfulness is never-ending like the flowing water of a river. We reminisced about our journey, talked about the impact Jane had on our lives, and thanked God for His faithfulness.
We left Swatara Creek and drove through the scenic countryside to where PA 501 crosses the Appalachian Trial near Pine Grove. We parked the truck and hiked the short distance to the same overlook where we sat dazed and confused in July of '14. This time there was no confusion and no distress. We sat down on the huge boulders that spill down the mountainside and gazed out over the 180 degree panoramic view of the valley below. It had rained the night before and the skies were still slightly overcast, but the valley (The Land In-Between) before us was peaceful and serene. A rooster was once again crowing in the distance and the ravens were once again soaring on the air streams beneath us. We thanked God for teaching us that "valley" life experiences are beautiful when viewed from a higher perspective. We quoted the scriptures Jane told us to read: Psalm 150, Psalm 140, Psalm 8, Psalm 1, and portions of Isaiah 30 and Jeremiah 33. We prayed. We thanked God for the opportunity to spend this very special day, April 28th, in the exact area where Jane grew up and hiked. We praised God for His faithfulness and mercy which He has shown us over and over, and we once again surrendered ourselves to His total control.
We left the overlook and hiked a little farther down the trail. We talked about the blazes of the A.T. and how they direct your path. I took a picture of a white blaze painted on a rock in an open clearing so hikers would know which way the path led. We thanked God for how He has so faithfully guided us on HIS footpath. It started to rain so we turned around and hiked back to the overlook again. As we stood there we once again marveled at the beauty of the expansive valley below. So peaceful. So very, very peaceful.
With our hearts full of gratitude, we turned to leave. This time there was no sadness, just a quiet and peaceful understanding that we were soon going to be embarking on a new path and a new journey. When we turned to leave the overlook in 2014 it felt as if we were walking away and leaving something we loved behind, but this time as we turned to leave our spirits were uplifted and encouraged because we understood a new truth: it's not about what you are leaving, it's about where you are going. We aren't walking away and leaving something we love behind—we are walking towards a New Path and a New Journey. We felt as if God was preparing us for the next step in our faith journey and that it is almost time—it is almost time for the telling of HIS Story.
May it be so, LORD. May it be so. May YOUR will be done.
When I began to add the new development of our quick trip to PA to this entry I noticed the title I wrote in March for the other new developments—and I just had to smile. The original entry of new developments was titled A New Path—A New Journey a month before there was even a thought of returning to the very spot where our section hiking of the Appalachian Trail ended and a month before that very message was pressed upon our hearts when we returned to the trail on April 28, 2019.
We are walking towards A New Path—A New Journey.
Next Entry: A Divine Mandate
There's been some new developments in our faith journey.
- My Mom passed away on August 31, 2018 after an unexpected medical event. My brother and I took care of her for seventeen days. See: A Mother's Love. I will miss Mom (and her faithful prayers) terribly. I wish she could have walked with us to where this part of our faith journey ends and a New Path and a New Journey begins, but that wasn't part of God's sovereign plan. I'm grateful for all the time we had together, her faithful prayers, and Mom's support and encouragement during these "trial" years. I'm also grateful that my Mom (and my Dad) were able to live out their last days in their own home.
- In early 2019, my sister and brother-in-law petitioned the courts to set a date for a trial. The judge still had not set a date so they took matters into their own hands. After several phone conferences between the lawyers and a judge, the date for a trial has been set for 2020. A different judge has been appointed to handle and hear the case.
- Sometimes we just don't know what we don't know. It took me seven years to read, write, and then transcribe those writings into this blog. I thought I was done and I thought I was just waiting—waiting for when HIS Story could be told. But I thought wrong. HIS Story wasn't ready. The problem was "I" thought. Every time I thought I was done and I had reached the peak of the mountain, the path turned and the trail continued. I am currently going back through my entries to make punctuation edits (I discovered I placed the period wrong when putting quotes around a single word... who knew??) and adding some pictures.
Just a few weeks before my sister and brother-in-law petitioned the courts, I said to my husband that maybe the reason the lawsuit was still sitting stagnant in the court system is because my sister and brother-in-law were going to change their hearts and minds. The arrow on the "hope" meter was a little right of center. Then we received notice they petitioned the courts for a trial date and we had to come face to face with the truth once again—there has been no change. They are still actively pursuing their deceit and our destruction through this lawsuit. The arrow on the "hope" meter went back to the left and bottomed out.
Even though a date for a trial has been set, it doesn't change anything. We still do not believe this lawsuit will ever proceed to trial. There is no legal rationale or logical explanation for our beliefs, it is just a strong conviction of faith. The only option left in the "world's" court system is a trial, but we do not believe this lawsuit will be decided by the "world's" court system. No earthly thing or person can put a stop to my sister's obsession. Only God...only God. Isaac was on the altar and Abraham's hand was raised and THEN God provided the lamb. We will continue to believe God's promise of protection and provision and pray for His will to be done. See: By HIS Great Power.
Even though a date for a trial has been set, it doesn't change anything. We still do not believe this lawsuit will ever proceed to trial. There is no legal rationale or logical explanation for our beliefs, it is just a strong conviction of faith. The only option left in the "world's" court system is a trial, but we do not believe this lawsuit will be decided by the "world's" court system. No earthly thing or person can put a stop to my sister's obsession. Only God...only God. Isaac was on the altar and Abraham's hand was raised and THEN God provided the lamb. We will continue to believe God's promise of protection and provision and pray for His will to be done. See: By HIS Great Power.
April 30, 2019 ~ Another new development.
As the anniversary date of Jane's last spoken words of promise approached I said to my husband, "April 28 falls on a Sunday this year. It feels like we should do something special to commemorate the amazing events of this day." It was just a few days before the 28th and we were already in bed for the evening. We tossed around a few ideas and then it hit me—maybe we could go out to Jane's area of the Appalachian Trail in PA and return to the beautiful overlook where we knew our A.T. journey was over.
I got up and checked availability at the B&B's we stayed at in the past. Amazingly, the Red Cardinal Bed and Breakfast (where we stayed five years ago [2014] and we realized our dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail was ending - See The Land In-Between) was available for Saturday the 27th, and Pheasant Field Bed and Breakfast (where we stayed seven years ago [2012] and we randomly felt we were to begin praying about "New Beginnings" - See The New Beginning: Where and How it Began) was available for Sunday the 28th. Wow! The exact rooms where we stayed in 2012 and 2014 were both available!! Let's do this! Let's take a fast weekend trip and go back to Carlisle, PA. Let's spend time at the very places where God so clearly spoke to us in the past, and let's spend April 28 hiking in the exact areas where Jane lived and hiked. Oh my goodness, this is a very spur of the moment decision, but let's do it—and we did.
I can't adequately express how much it meant to return to the area where so much of our faith journey has taken place. It was calming, relaxing, and soul cleansing. We stood on the old 1890 Iron Bridge where the Appalachian Trail crosses Swartara Creek just outside Lickdale, PA. This old bridge is within easy walking distance of where Jane grew up. We watched as the river's water flowed swiftly beneath us. We talked about how God's faithfulness is never-ending like the flowing water of a river. We reminisced about our journey, talked about the impact Jane had on our lives, and thanked God for His faithfulness.
We left Swatara Creek and drove through the scenic countryside to where PA 501 crosses the Appalachian Trial near Pine Grove. We parked the truck and hiked the short distance to the same overlook where we sat dazed and confused in July of '14. This time there was no confusion and no distress. We sat down on the huge boulders that spill down the mountainside and gazed out over the 180 degree panoramic view of the valley below. It had rained the night before and the skies were still slightly overcast, but the valley (The Land In-Between) before us was peaceful and serene. A rooster was once again crowing in the distance and the ravens were once again soaring on the air streams beneath us. We thanked God for teaching us that "valley" life experiences are beautiful when viewed from a higher perspective. We quoted the scriptures Jane told us to read: Psalm 150, Psalm 140, Psalm 8, Psalm 1, and portions of Isaiah 30 and Jeremiah 33. We prayed. We thanked God for the opportunity to spend this very special day, April 28th, in the exact area where Jane grew up and hiked. We praised God for His faithfulness and mercy which He has shown us over and over, and we once again surrendered ourselves to His total control.
We left the overlook and hiked a little farther down the trail. We talked about the blazes of the A.T. and how they direct your path. I took a picture of a white blaze painted on a rock in an open clearing so hikers would know which way the path led. We thanked God for how He has so faithfully guided us on HIS footpath. It started to rain so we turned around and hiked back to the overlook again. As we stood there we once again marveled at the beauty of the expansive valley below. So peaceful. So very, very peaceful.
With our hearts full of gratitude, we turned to leave. This time there was no sadness, just a quiet and peaceful understanding that we were soon going to be embarking on a new path and a new journey. When we turned to leave the overlook in 2014 it felt as if we were walking away and leaving something we loved behind, but this time as we turned to leave our spirits were uplifted and encouraged because we understood a new truth: it's not about what you are leaving, it's about where you are going. We aren't walking away and leaving something we love behind—we are walking towards a New Path and a New Journey. We felt as if God was preparing us for the next step in our faith journey and that it is almost time—it is almost time for the telling of HIS Story.
and
May it be so, LORD. May it be so. May YOUR will be done.
********
When I began to add the new development of our quick trip to PA to this entry I noticed the title I wrote in March for the other new developments—and I just had to smile. The original entry of new developments was titled A New Path—A New Journey a month before there was even a thought of returning to the very spot where our section hiking of the Appalachian Trail ended and a month before that very message was pressed upon our hearts when we returned to the trail on April 28, 2019.
We are walking towards A New Path—A New Journey.
Next Entry: A Divine Mandate
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