September 1, 2014
We travelled in God’s care northward over the Grapevine (Interstate 5) without incident. Yesterday’s horrendous pileup in the Castaic area had been cleared away during the night. Because of the holiday, huge trucks were few and far between. Our fears of Labor Day travel appeared to be unfounded. There were many people, including families with children, both headed for and travelling in Sequoia National Park. But because it was a holiday, the feared delays because of road repair did not materialize. The signs remained in place: “Expect 30 minute delays,” but all work had been set aside for the holiday. Thus we were blessed with no delays whatsoever.
In Sequoia, in order to protect the ancient and massive trees so they might live out their 2-3000 years, protective fences and walkways have been constructed. One may no longer stand next to them to show how large they really are. Unfortunately, some people ignored the protective boundaries in order to get their picture. I am sorry to say that some of them were Chinese tourists. They seemed to have little respect for the desire to save these natural wonders of God’s creation for future generations. However, most family groups and individuals complied with the rules. It would be dreadful if the park had to be closed someday just because too many people ignored the signs telling us to remain behind the low fences.
These trees are truly awesome. Having passed through the coastal redwoods a month ago, I could now compare the two areas. I really love standing among these living giants, totally dwarfed by them and imagining that the oldest among them were slender saplings when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. They were already large when the Reformation began to return Christians to the simplicity of our individual walk with Jesus, and had become behemoths by the time our nation was founded. But the necessity of buildings to serve the crowds and the rangers who protect the environment has made meditating in the forest much more difficult. There are still many trails for hikers, trails through which one can experience the wilderness, but our bodies can no longer make use of them. In contrast, among the coastal redwood parks, there was still opportunity to walk unhindered within the massive beauty and silence, drinking in the sense of God’s awesome presence.
I know that it is people who are the crown of God’s marvelous creation, but sometimes, and in some places, I seem to need solitude. Still, we were very thankful to be able to experience one more time these remarkable natural wonders. Will they still be here in the “new heaven and earth” the Bible assures us are in our future? I truly hope so!
September 2, 2014
Monday night at our motel we couldn’t raise bathwater temperature abov e tepid, no matter how long we let the water run on the hot setting. Hot came from the sink faucet but not the one in the bathtub. That cooled us down considerably! At breakfast we met two young women from France. They were with a tour group travelling in the San Francisco area. Group travel is really a good way to move into foreign territory. There is no strain of driving, and places to stay and eat are already arranged for you! We arrived at the lovely home of Doyle’s niece, Janise, near Auburn, CA, northeast of Sacramento. She and husband, Paul Orcutt, live in the forested area of Applegate, just off Interstate 80. Janise loves antiques, and her home is tastefully arranged. She and Paul recently took a trip to Peru. We thoroughly enjoyed their photos and videos of that trip. They did some boat trips on the Amazon River, seeing many birds, brightly colored and uncommon in our northern zones. They are avid bird watchers, and
they told us that Peru has more varieties of birds than anywhere else in the world. That is true partly because of the terrain that rises from sea level to more than 20,000 feet in the Andes. Their photos of Machu Picchu filled us with wonder. Where did the builders learn their skills? Why did they choose that high altitude redoubt, and why did they leave it intact? Was there a period of drought that forced them to flee? Such questions remain unanswered, but what a fascinating mystery it is! Through seeing the Orcutts’ pictures, we almost felt that we had travelled the headwaters of the Amazon and walked among the ruins of Machu Picchu.
Mid-afternoon we drove to Sacramento to the home of Bill and Anna Haldeman, and the Haldemans led us to the abode of Pete and Mary Willms. The Willmses have a lovely home in a mobile home park for seniors. There we met Mr. and Mrs. Okano, dear friends visiting from Japan. Together we reminisced about the early years in Hagi, where Pete and Mary established the first Brethren in Christ church in Japan, and we shared stories of both our blunders and joys of those days.
Thursday we spent the entire day with the Willmses and the Okanos. Talk, talk, talk! What a relaxed and happy time it was—a time of memories and learning about the present state of the church. The realization of the firm faith of many believers filled us with thankfulness. I was reminded again that God prizes faithfulness in His people and that He never stops growing us in His graces.
We stayed the two Sacramento nights with Bill and Anna. What lovely surroundings and what fabulous breakfasts! Bill is Doyle’s cousin “once removed.” He was best man at our wedding. (Best? How about me! I got the bride! –the Typist!) Bill and Anna keep active with golf, and Anna still plays tennis! She also walks daily—a very determined little lady! Their condo is a symbol of gracious living—not ostentatious but nevertheless elegant. We slept in a “cupboard bed” that pulls down from the wall—very comfortable.
All day Friday, September 5, we drove toward home on Interstate 5. We were glad to avoid Highway 99, the bane of our northward trek with its potholes and construction zones. We saw many dry, dry lands. Some orchards are still flourishing because they are able to receive water from California’s precious and dwindling reserves. But many farmers have given up because, they say, the state government has refused to provide water for them.
Since we are back in Upland, a tropical storm from the south is dropping water on some desert areas, actually causing property damage and loss of life. These kinds of torrents are hard to imagine when we drive among dry gullies and fields. But this has been happening from cloudbursts due to monsoonal weather that has moved in. Such times are extremely rare in southern California, but August and September have brought some unusual weather patterns.
And now (the week of September 9-16), temperatures have climbed to 105-108 F. in our area. We think of firemen, clad in heavy, protective gear, having to fight the forest fires in this heat. We are grateful to them for their dedication to protecting us. And to think that there are places in our world where people carry on their lives in even greater heat and with no air conditioning!
I remember, as a small child in southern Ohio, lying on the floor to take a rest in the hottest part of the day. There was no such thing as swamp coolers or air conditioning in those days. We have become too soft in our old age, I fear.
Sunday, September 14, we heard a well-crafted message by Jay Smith on the origins of ISIS and why Muslim young people from all over the world are rushing to join in its violence. Jay urged us passionately to proclaim Jesus—passionately!—while we still can, even unto death, remembering Jesus’ promise to us in John 15:18 and 20b: “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first…If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.”
There are other verses in the Bible about persecution and suffering promised to believers in Jesus, but I don’t remember ever hearing a messa ge centered on that topic. Instead we are perplexed and hurt inwardly when it happens, but Jesus tells us to “rejoice greatly” whenever we suffer for His sake. I confess that I have not done well in internalizing and living out this teaching. We’d bette r get busy learning how to live this truth in view of the moving away from the fear of God that is taking place all around us.
Believers, “lift up your heads, for our redemption is drawing near.”
Love in Jesus,
Thelma
(Whew! --the Typist)