Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Saturday, October 27, 2012
The Trip of a Lifetime
How do I describe such a dynamic, fascinating, encouraging, challenging, touching and heart-warming adventure as my two weeks in Israel during the month of September?
About thirteen years ago, I had the privilege of traveling to Israel for the first time with our son Jonathan, who was about fifteen years old at the time. It was a monumental trip too. We were overwhelmed as we realized we were walking on the same streets as Jesus walked, viewed the hill where he was crucified and the tomb where he lay.
On this trip with Cherish, we visited some of these same sites, but being it was the second time for me, it was a deeper experience. We started out in Jerusalem with the Jerusalem House of Prayer All Nations Convocation. There were over 3,000 Christian delegates from 180 nations of the 230 in the world. Awesome. The underground church of China had 275 delegates; Indonesia had 90 delegates. Other countries represented were Malaysia, Tahiti, Algeria, Morocco, Uganda, Nigeria, Zambia, France, Iran, Iraq, the U.S. Canada and so many more. We stayed in a hotel with a lot of these beautiful people, ate with them, rode buses with them and got to hear such interesting stories of their lives and their lands. I feel like a huge expansion took place in my mind and heart for a vision for the nations.
What a grand experience to be in the Convocation meetings worshiping with this wide variety of humanity. I'm sure it will be what heaven is like. In quite a few of these countries, believers are giving their live as martyrs for the sake of their faith in Christ. In fact, we were not allowed to take pictures when some people shared from certain nations because they could get in big trouble with their governments if they knew where they were. They could not have their passports stamped in Israel. They came in via other nations.
One huge revelation I received was the power of continual 24 hours a days, seven days a week worship and prayer. When committed believers keep a vigil of prayer and worship going in their country, revival bursts forth and many give their lives to the Lord. Whole nations are turned around from corruption to righteousness and the people flourish.
After visiting special sites in Jerusalem like the Old City where our group of six from the U.S. paused and sang songs of praise at the Jaffa Gate, the wailing wall, Golgotha, and the tomb, we had a unique side adventure. Our small group went to the Jordan River and were baptized where it is believed that Jesus himself was baptized by John the Baptist. The usual place where tourists get baptized in the Jordan River is on the south end of the Sea of Galilee. They have a large tourist attraction there along with a store to buy souvenirs of the country. But where we went was the southern end of the Jordan River right next to the city of Jericho where there is a large Muslim population. We went through a sort of check point in a fenced area with mines planted on either sides of the road. It was quite sobering. But what a tremendous experience.
The next day we went to the Dead Sea. Nothing is alive in the Dead Sea. It is truly Dead because of the huge concentration of salt and other minerals. It makes your skin feel very soft and if you have any skin problems etc., they tend to heal right up after soaking in it just a little while. The weirdest thing is how you float so easily. Cherish and I went out into deeper water and literally bounced up and down to try to go under and the water only went up to our shoulders. You have to be careful not to get the water in your eyes because it burns.
Several days later, we traveled north staying two nights in Nazareth, which is the largest city in the north. For several days we visited different sites, like Mt. Carmel where Elijah the prophet of God put the false prophets of the god Baal to the test. Their god did not answer them, but Elijah's God, the Creator of the universe sent fire from heaven that consumed the sacrifice lapping up every bit of water poured on it.
We then visited the Sea of Galilee and the Golon Heights which Israel acquired during the six day war of 1967. All over the country, you see neat rows of banana trees, olive trees, orange trees and so many more kinds of fruits and vegetables being grown in what used to be barren areas, but which are now irrigated with lots of hoses with little holes in them releasing water. Israel reuses 80% of all its water for agriculture.
Our last night in the country, we all gathered in a 2000 year old outdoor coliseum in Cesarea right on the Mediterranean. There were 500 holocaust survivors present for the program which honored them by handing out a white rose to each one. Representatives from different nations including China, the U.S. and Iraq to name a few, asked them forgiveness for not helping them during their time of need, for turning a deaf ear, for forsaking them and leaving their families to perish in Hitler's death ovens. It was a very moving, deeply emotional moment. The culmination of the event was a spectacular fireworks display celebrating Jerusalem House of Prayer's 25 years as a ministry to Israel and the nations of the world. It was a trip never to be forgotten. I hope I can return again in the future.
Pictures. #1- Two young men in our team from U.S.,Cherish and I overlooking part of Jerusalem; #2 Cherish and I at Convocation; #3 Cherish and I standing in front of the wall and Old City of Jerusalem; #4 the western wall of the ancient temple of the Jews known as the Wailing Wall; #5 An alleyway in the Old City; #6 Building in Old City; #7 The dessert outside the city of Jerursalem where quite a few Bedouins live; #8 The Dead Sea; #9 Nazareth at twilight; #10 Sea of Galilee; #11 Jordan River where most tourists go; #12 The Jewish Quarter of the Old City; #13 Jaffa Gate of the Old City where we stopped to sing; #14 Coliseum at Cesarea.
About thirteen years ago, I had the privilege of traveling to Israel for the first time with our son Jonathan, who was about fifteen years old at the time. It was a monumental trip too. We were overwhelmed as we realized we were walking on the same streets as Jesus walked, viewed the hill where he was crucified and the tomb where he lay.
On this trip with Cherish, we visited some of these same sites, but being it was the second time for me, it was a deeper experience. We started out in Jerusalem with the Jerusalem House of Prayer All Nations Convocation. There were over 3,000 Christian delegates from 180 nations of the 230 in the world. Awesome. The underground church of China had 275 delegates; Indonesia had 90 delegates. Other countries represented were Malaysia, Tahiti, Algeria, Morocco, Uganda, Nigeria, Zambia, France, Iran, Iraq, the U.S. Canada and so many more. We stayed in a hotel with a lot of these beautiful people, ate with them, rode buses with them and got to hear such interesting stories of their lives and their lands. I feel like a huge expansion took place in my mind and heart for a vision for the nations.
What a grand experience to be in the Convocation meetings worshiping with this wide variety of humanity. I'm sure it will be what heaven is like. In quite a few of these countries, believers are giving their live as martyrs for the sake of their faith in Christ. In fact, we were not allowed to take pictures when some people shared from certain nations because they could get in big trouble with their governments if they knew where they were. They could not have their passports stamped in Israel. They came in via other nations.
One huge revelation I received was the power of continual 24 hours a days, seven days a week worship and prayer. When committed believers keep a vigil of prayer and worship going in their country, revival bursts forth and many give their lives to the Lord. Whole nations are turned around from corruption to righteousness and the people flourish.
After visiting special sites in Jerusalem like the Old City where our group of six from the U.S. paused and sang songs of praise at the Jaffa Gate, the wailing wall, Golgotha, and the tomb, we had a unique side adventure. Our small group went to the Jordan River and were baptized where it is believed that Jesus himself was baptized by John the Baptist. The usual place where tourists get baptized in the Jordan River is on the south end of the Sea of Galilee. They have a large tourist attraction there along with a store to buy souvenirs of the country. But where we went was the southern end of the Jordan River right next to the city of Jericho where there is a large Muslim population. We went through a sort of check point in a fenced area with mines planted on either sides of the road. It was quite sobering. But what a tremendous experience.
The next day we went to the Dead Sea. Nothing is alive in the Dead Sea. It is truly Dead because of the huge concentration of salt and other minerals. It makes your skin feel very soft and if you have any skin problems etc., they tend to heal right up after soaking in it just a little while. The weirdest thing is how you float so easily. Cherish and I went out into deeper water and literally bounced up and down to try to go under and the water only went up to our shoulders. You have to be careful not to get the water in your eyes because it burns.
Several days later, we traveled north staying two nights in Nazareth, which is the largest city in the north. For several days we visited different sites, like Mt. Carmel where Elijah the prophet of God put the false prophets of the god Baal to the test. Their god did not answer them, but Elijah's God, the Creator of the universe sent fire from heaven that consumed the sacrifice lapping up every bit of water poured on it.
We then visited the Sea of Galilee and the Golon Heights which Israel acquired during the six day war of 1967. All over the country, you see neat rows of banana trees, olive trees, orange trees and so many more kinds of fruits and vegetables being grown in what used to be barren areas, but which are now irrigated with lots of hoses with little holes in them releasing water. Israel reuses 80% of all its water for agriculture.
Our last night in the country, we all gathered in a 2000 year old outdoor coliseum in Cesarea right on the Mediterranean. There were 500 holocaust survivors present for the program which honored them by handing out a white rose to each one. Representatives from different nations including China, the U.S. and Iraq to name a few, asked them forgiveness for not helping them during their time of need, for turning a deaf ear, for forsaking them and leaving their families to perish in Hitler's death ovens. It was a very moving, deeply emotional moment. The culmination of the event was a spectacular fireworks display celebrating Jerusalem House of Prayer's 25 years as a ministry to Israel and the nations of the world. It was a trip never to be forgotten. I hope I can return again in the future.
Pictures. #1- Two young men in our team from U.S.,Cherish and I overlooking part of Jerusalem; #2 Cherish and I at Convocation; #3 Cherish and I standing in front of the wall and Old City of Jerusalem; #4 the western wall of the ancient temple of the Jews known as the Wailing Wall; #5 An alleyway in the Old City; #6 Building in Old City; #7 The dessert outside the city of Jerursalem where quite a few Bedouins live; #8 The Dead Sea; #9 Nazareth at twilight; #10 Sea of Galilee; #11 Jordan River where most tourists go; #12 The Jewish Quarter of the Old City; #13 Jaffa Gate of the Old City where we stopped to sing; #14 Coliseum at Cesarea.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Moose Hunter Prizes
Each fall, the men in orange visit us here at camp with the hopes of seeing and taking home a moose to fill their freezers. Two groups of our hunters were successful in bringing home the beef, or rather moose. Most of our groups at least got to see some adult moose in the area.
The top two pictures show our Italian Stallions who got a nice young bull not too far from camp. Orlando, in the second picture, is the one who actually shot the moose. He seems to have such good luck. He shot the moose last year. The guys in his group think it could be the moose like his smell the best. I'm not sure what that means.
Nona Baker, John's mother, was able to stay with us for a week during moose season. She decided to stroll up to the moose hanging pole to get a closer look at that large hairy creature. In comparison to the moose, she looks quite petite.
The fourth picture is Lee Larviere's group from Windsor and Kingsville, Ontario. Also pictured are Mirko, Jason and Raddseau. They along with some friends who were camping in the bush came across this bull. They didn't realize it at first, but there were actually two bulls in the same area, one was laying down. When the shot was fired, this bull fell to the ground and the other bull laying down got up and ran. At first they thought they had missed, but when they got up to the site, they found this bull on the ground dead.
The fifth picture is the man who actually shot the bull. I didn't get his name.
The general consensus among the hunters is that they so enjoy just getting out in the woods, being surrounded by the beauty, the smells, and virtual silence of Northwestern Ontario that taking home a moose is a bonus. According to studies recently conducted by the Ministry of Natural Resources, the moose population is increasing in our area. This is good news.
Our dog sled trip customers enjoy seeing moose at a distance along the trails we run in the winter. They are such majestic creatures. Hopefully, their numbers will continue to rise in the future.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Move the Deer Crossing Signs
A well-meaning lady called into a talk show one morning to tell them something she was really frustrated about. If you need a good laugh, you should take a look at this video. It is hilarious!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CI8UPHMzZm8
Eggstremely Serious Business
While I was gone on my trip to Israel, Joanna had quite an experience while boiling some eggs in a pan on the stove. I will let her tell the story herself...
"I had an embarrassing and hilarious event take place this afternoon that I am still laughing about... two police officers came here this afternoon and we were in the office visiting when suddenly we heard a loud bang upstairs in our house. Oh man, I forgot my hard-boiled eggs on the burner! As I raced up the stairs I heard
sizzling sounds and smelled, then saw billowing smoke!!! "There's a fire
on the stove!" I yelled to my dad but as I ran into the kitchen I saw
it wasn't on fire, just smoking bad. However.... an explosion had taken
place... hard-boiled eggs were everywhere!!!! Everyone had come quickly
running up the stairs after me when I hollered and we all stared in
amazement at the huge mess! It was even on the ceiling lol!!! Thankfully
the officers politely offered not to include my egg explosion in their
report! Whew! I know I will never live this one down... beats all my moms
burned eggs big time! lol Needless to say... I spent several hours
cleaning the floor, then the ceiling and working my way down the
walls/cabinets...:) Sabre helped with the floor eating all the biggest
chunks of egg... he enjoyed my explosion! What can I say? We try to keep
things exciting here in the woods! ;)
Oh and at least they were free eggs! Given to us by some guests before they left, didn't mean to blow them up but who knew eggs exploded???
Oh and at least they were free eggs! Given to us by some guests before they left, didn't mean to blow them up but who knew eggs exploded???
Monday, October 8, 2012
Goliath Has Fallen
Our nephew, Luke Krueger is pictured here with a recent brown bear kill in the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska where he lives. He and his brother have been bear guides with their Dad Tom Krueger for years up in Alaska. Everytime we get to see them, we hear all kinds of scary stories of their adventures hunting the grizzly and brown bears. I don't think I need that kind of adrenalin rush, but I guess it's a man thing.
Luke killed the bear with a single shot of his arrow. Imagine that. My brother asked if he used one of those Rambo arrows that has a bomb on the head of it. No, he is just an experienced hunter and knows where to shoot. Luke has a job of protecting men who work on highlines for the electrical company, to protect them from bear attacks. I think they found the right man for the job.
Fall Catches
Fall is a great time, second only to spring in getting in some good fishing. It's when the spring fishermen decide to come back for a second time knowing the feeding area has changed for the walleye and they know just where to find them. Plus you don't have to worry about bugs like you sometimes have to in June. It's a very pleasant time to be out on the lakes and rivers.
The top three pictures are the Allick family who camp here for almost two weeks each August. They never have trouble getting their limits. The last picture is Steve Hummel holding a handsome Lake Trout.
It's been a very good season all around and so enjoyable visiting with our guests. Now as things slow down here at camp, we press into high gear to get some major projects done before next year. I almost look forward to snow season when we give ourselves permission to relax a bit. Yeah!
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