On the way!
till I arrive back at home.
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Following Jesus...
When I was sixteen, I got to know Jesus by reading his biography, the first four books of the New Testament. I often wondered how it would have been to have actually walked with Jesus, heard his words and been part of his encounters with people. It would have certainly been life changing. A bit of that I was able to experience in 2023 on Snail-Trail 1 as I walked from my home in Germany to the west coast of Spain, and in 2024 on Snail-Trail 2 as I walked again from Germany and then through the Balkans to the city of Corinth in Greece. Both were amazing experiences. Even though I could not see Jesus, I sensed his presence, leading and enabling. I got to be a part of his encounters with people through conversations and prayers that I had with them.
Snail-Trail 3.0...
Following Jesus does not end by reaching a certain destination, completing a certain task or reaching a certain age. The call continues. The path leads on. This year I will head north, starting in Tallinn, Estonia and then walking back to my home in southern Germany. My steps on Snail-Trail 3 will take me through the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and then through Poland and the Czech Republic before crossing over the Bohemian and Bavarian Forests into Germany. I plan to arrive back home by the last week of September. I invite you to join me on this walk-talk-pray journey by way of the photos, thoughts and film clips on the blog.
Baltics…
At one point I will be walking through a narrow land corridor leading from Lithuania to Poland between the Russian exclave Kaliningrad to the west and Belarus to the east. This land strip is a reminder of the volatile history of the three Baltic States – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – marked by periods of independence, foreign domination, and the struggle for self-determination. The Baltic States gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1990–1991 and became a part of the EU and NATO in 2004. Current political developments threaten the fragile stability of the region. The past influence of communistic-atheistic thought has eroded the seedbed for faith. Estonia for instance has been called the least religious country in the world. A similar spiritual challenge can be found in Poland and the Czech Republic, two former Warsaw Pact countries that I will be walking through. Our prayer is that God’s grace and goodness will be at work in this region of Europe. Please join me in this prayer journey.
Together...
Prayer: I would greatly appreciate your prayers as well…
- Pray that God will be in the daily details, for God appointments along the way, for hearts to be touched by God’s heart.
- Pray for church planting efforts in the Baltics, Poland and Czech Republic.
- Pray for protection from wild animals and drivers and extreme weather conditions.
- Pray that my 68 year old bones and muscles will make it through another Snail-Trail!
Project: If you would like to be a part of what the Assemblies of God is doing in this region of Europe (church planting, children/youth/student outreaches…), please click on this link to make an online donation: https://giving.ag.org/donate/600001-226052?class=88
You can make a one-time contribution or wait to see how far I go for a per kilometer pledge. Please click on the option “88 Snail Trail”. Many thanks!
Blog
07.
Sep
Photo 1: I spent Saturday and Sunday, my day of rest, in the small village of Pisková Lhota. I was happy to find this place to stay that had a restaurant and offered breakfast with the room. That way I would not need to find food sources and prepare meals from Saturday evening to Monday morning. However the restaurant was no longer in opperation other than for breakfast. Restaurants were a number of kilometers away and there was not much of a grocery store in the village. The hotel owner understood my situation and was very helpful to order meals and have them delivered to me. At lunch on Sunday I was invited by the hotel team of the owner, Jan, his wife Alena and an Ukrainian woman to eat with them. They wanted to know about my walk, and I said that Jesus walks with me. Alena wanted to know how the church situation in Germany is. Before I could answer, she said that very few people in the Czech Republic attend church, that communism eroded the Christian foundation. I then asked her if Jesus was a part of her life. She struggled to give an answer, but the said no. I asked her if she had ever read his story, whether she had a Bible. Again she said no. I asked her if she would like to have a New Testament so she could read the words of Jesus for herself. She said yes. So I contacted my collegues in the Czech Republic, Victoria and Adam Huňát, to send her a New Testament in a more modern translation of the Czech language.
The rest of the day I spent working on my blog.
Photo 2 - 5 are other impressions from the past week that did not get posted:
Photo 2: The official coat of arms for the Czech Republic which features a quartered shield containing the symbols of the historical Czech lands: a silver, two-tailed lion for Bohemia, a red-and-white checkered eagle for Moravia, and a black eagle for Silesia.
Photo 3: A bee on a thistle along a oath through the woods
Photo 4: On this site the first tree was cut down in 1722 to start the building of the Herrnhut community. Great things often have small beginnings.
Photo 5: One of the sculptures along the path to Herrnhut were these giant hands. It was called "Under the care of the Lord". So I placed myself under his caring hands.
The rest of the day I spent working on my blog.
Photo 2 - 5 are other impressions from the past week that did not get posted:
Photo 2: The official coat of arms for the Czech Republic which features a quartered shield containing the symbols of the historical Czech lands: a silver, two-tailed lion for Bohemia, a red-and-white checkered eagle for Moravia, and a black eagle for Silesia.
Photo 3: A bee on a thistle along a oath through the woods
Photo 4: On this site the first tree was cut down in 1722 to start the building of the Herrnhut community. Great things often have small beginnings.
Photo 5: One of the sculptures along the path to Herrnhut were these giant hands. It was called "Under the care of the Lord". So I placed myself under his caring hands.
06.
Sep
Kláster Hradiště -Pisková Lhota
Photo 1: Quite often in churches or along walkways I will see such Ways of the Cross which depict fourteen events that occurred as Jesus walked his way to the cross and was crucified. This particular one that I saw today on a path through the woods had deep cuttings on each picture. Especially the name of Jesus and his face were carved into. Again someone will have some explaining to do when they stand before the resurrected Lord of heaven and earth. I then thought of what Sherry Sabella had said to me who had been a missionary with her late husband Jim in the Czech Republic. She said that this region of the Czech Republic was particularly Gospel resistant, having been hardend through the decades of communistic and athiestic and now secular thinking. Obvoiusly there are those who care not to hear and understand the message of why Jesus went to the cross and what it means for us.
Photo 2: It is starting to look like fall...
Photo 3: A picture of St. James over the back door of a St. James Church in Bakov nad Jizerou. I kind of look like him when I wear my rain hat and poncho except I do not have a beard and walk with two trekking sticks.
Photo 4: I was hoping to find a dry place to sit for my lunch break. The plastic chair was cracked, but it held me. I had a nice view of the river, was secluded in the woods away from traffic and could even hang up my poncho to dry.
Photo 5: The fortress city of Mladá Boleslav.
Photo 2: It is starting to look like fall...
Photo 3: A picture of St. James over the back door of a St. James Church in Bakov nad Jizerou. I kind of look like him when I wear my rain hat and poncho except I do not have a beard and walk with two trekking sticks.
Photo 4: I was hoping to find a dry place to sit for my lunch break. The plastic chair was cracked, but it held me. I had a nice view of the river, was secluded in the woods away from traffic and could even hang up my poncho to dry.
Photo 5: The fortress city of Mladá Boleslav.
05.
Sep
Český Dub - Kláster Hradiště
Photo 1: In some villages I would see tea cups like this on the tips of the fence posts, but this one was by far the one I saw with the most cups. It is a unique form of decoration which may have an act of kind hospitality at its root to offer passerbyers a cup to get a drink of water.
Photo 2: One last glance at Česky Dub before I went over the hill. At administration office there this morning I was able to get a stamp for my pilgrim passport. I had a brief but good God-talk with the young woman who gave me the stamp. On a number of occasions getting that stamp has led to talks and encounters with people.
Photo 3: Some churches will have a pilgrim stamp box somewhere near the church so that a person can get the stamp at any time. This is helpful when there is no office or official around.
Photo 4: The rain eventually caught up to me... and it rained all through the night. This would have been one of those five camping nights I had left.
Photo 5: I stayed the night at a village called Kloster Hradiště which is just about 2 km away from the town Mnichovo Hradiště. The path went right by this castle, so I went to take a look. It had been the residence for the family of Albrecht von Wallenstein. For those who do not know that name, he had been the supreme commander of the Habsburg Emperor Ferdinand II's armies (Catholic forces) and a central figure in the Thirty Years' War. This devastating war resulted in a total of 2 to 4 million deaths caused by war, famine, and disease. Wallenstein might have thought he was serving God's purposes with his military endeavors. He will have much explaining to do when he stands before the Lord of the universe and sees those joined with Jesus whose blood was on his hands. It took hundreds of years for the Catholic and Lutheran Churches in Germany to come to terms with each other. Every New Year's Eve, for instance, the Catholic and Lutheran Churches in Moosburg celebrate a joint end of the year service... a great miracle when considering the pain of the past.
Photo 2: One last glance at Česky Dub before I went over the hill. At administration office there this morning I was able to get a stamp for my pilgrim passport. I had a brief but good God-talk with the young woman who gave me the stamp. On a number of occasions getting that stamp has led to talks and encounters with people.
Photo 3: Some churches will have a pilgrim stamp box somewhere near the church so that a person can get the stamp at any time. This is helpful when there is no office or official around.
Photo 4: The rain eventually caught up to me... and it rained all through the night. This would have been one of those five camping nights I had left.
Photo 5: I stayed the night at a village called Kloster Hradiště which is just about 2 km away from the town Mnichovo Hradiště. The path went right by this castle, so I went to take a look. It had been the residence for the family of Albrecht von Wallenstein. For those who do not know that name, he had been the supreme commander of the Habsburg Emperor Ferdinand II's armies (Catholic forces) and a central figure in the Thirty Years' War. This devastating war resulted in a total of 2 to 4 million deaths caused by war, famine, and disease. Wallenstein might have thought he was serving God's purposes with his military endeavors. He will have much explaining to do when he stands before the Lord of the universe and sees those joined with Jesus whose blood was on his hands. It took hundreds of years for the Catholic and Lutheran Churches in Germany to come to terms with each other. Every New Year's Eve, for instance, the Catholic and Lutheran Churches in Moosburg celebrate a joint end of the year service... a great miracle when considering the pain of the past.
04.
Sep
Chrastava - Český Dub
Photo 1: Today was a long hike with 38 km and 1091 altimeters. I was glad that I was no longer carrying the tent!
Photo 2: The moutain village of Kryštofovo Údolí (Christopher's Valley). There was a nice bench in the shade there where I had my lunch break.
Photo 3: The village church
Photo 4: The day started off with a nice stretch along the Neisse River. I now leave this river which was part of several walks since Görlitz.
Photo 5: My destination for today: Česky Dub. I stayed the night at a sports complex that had a school group there the past few days. Children from three different grade schools were coming together to form a new class for high school. This was a special time for the kids to get to know each other at the start of the school year. At breakfast I would meet and talk with one of the instructors who teaches math. He seemed to embrace faith in Christ. I encouraged him to be a positive influence in the lives of the young people he works with, to help them see spiritual reality and truths beyond the digital realm that so captivates them.
Photo 2: The moutain village of Kryštofovo Údolí (Christopher's Valley). There was a nice bench in the shade there where I had my lunch break.
Photo 3: The village church
Photo 4: The day started off with a nice stretch along the Neisse River. I now leave this river which was part of several walks since Görlitz.
Photo 5: My destination for today: Česky Dub. I stayed the night at a sports complex that had a school group there the past few days. Children from three different grade schools were coming together to form a new class for high school. This was a special time for the kids to get to know each other at the start of the school year. At breakfast I would meet and talk with one of the instructors who teaches math. He seemed to embrace faith in Christ. I encouraged him to be a positive influence in the lives of the young people he works with, to help them see spiritual reality and truths beyond the digital realm that so captivates them.
03.
Sep
Herrnhut - Chrastava
Photo 1: Many times Zinsendorf walked this path towards Euldorf. His passion was to have "fruit that would remain". What compels us in our walk through life?
Photo 2: Approaching the hills and mountains...
I saw a young family walking up a hill in front of me. It seemed like they had stopped as if they were waiting for me. As I got closer, I could see that they were waiting for the youngest child to take some steps and catch up to the rest of the family. I prayed: "God, is this your appointment?" Steffi, Basti and their two children and dog were out for a walk. I greeted them in German, and we started to talk. They were typical east Germans who had grown up without much religios influence. They wanted to know if I had been walking this whole distance alone. I answered that Jesus was with me and then asked whether Jesus was a part of their life. Basti said no. Steffi said she tried to read the Bible once, but found it to be too difficult. She had most likely been in the Old Testament with an older German version of the Bible. I encouraged them to go to the source, to read the words of Jesus in a newer translation, and to talk with God with words from their heart, that they did not need to quote memorized prayers. The oldest daughter was very shy. I shared my story of how I had difficulty speaking correctly as a child and how God helped me to overcome this and the fear of people that came with it. I then prayed a prayer of blessing for them as a family before I continued on.
So much of the spiritual soul of former East Germany had been hardend through the years of communist athiest indoctination. The light and truth that comes from God's word can bring a change. This was my prayer as walked today to the Czech border.
Photo 3: My direction is continuously south.
Photo 4: City center of Zittau
Photo 5: Not far from Zittau the corners if three nations meet together: Germany, Poland and Czech Republic. I actually crossed back into Poland before entering Czech. In the photo you can see Germany on the one side of the Neisse River and Poland and Czech on the other which are divided by the the Oldřichovský Brook, practically a ditch you can jump over, but there is a bridge there.
At the beginning of time in God's garden there were no borders except one: "Do not eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." When man crossed that line and ate that fruit, that is when borders were created, walls went up, fortresses were built, prisons were constructed, police forces and armies were formed, weapons were made. Man needed to protect himself from the evil he bit into. May God's kingdom come, one of peace and righteousness... and no borders.
Photo 2: Approaching the hills and mountains...
I saw a young family walking up a hill in front of me. It seemed like they had stopped as if they were waiting for me. As I got closer, I could see that they were waiting for the youngest child to take some steps and catch up to the rest of the family. I prayed: "God, is this your appointment?" Steffi, Basti and their two children and dog were out for a walk. I greeted them in German, and we started to talk. They were typical east Germans who had grown up without much religios influence. They wanted to know if I had been walking this whole distance alone. I answered that Jesus was with me and then asked whether Jesus was a part of their life. Basti said no. Steffi said she tried to read the Bible once, but found it to be too difficult. She had most likely been in the Old Testament with an older German version of the Bible. I encouraged them to go to the source, to read the words of Jesus in a newer translation, and to talk with God with words from their heart, that they did not need to quote memorized prayers. The oldest daughter was very shy. I shared my story of how I had difficulty speaking correctly as a child and how God helped me to overcome this and the fear of people that came with it. I then prayed a prayer of blessing for them as a family before I continued on.
So much of the spiritual soul of former East Germany had been hardend through the years of communist athiest indoctination. The light and truth that comes from God's word can bring a change. This was my prayer as walked today to the Czech border.
Photo 3: My direction is continuously south.
Photo 4: City center of Zittau
Photo 5: Not far from Zittau the corners if three nations meet together: Germany, Poland and Czech Republic. I actually crossed back into Poland before entering Czech. In the photo you can see Germany on the one side of the Neisse River and Poland and Czech on the other which are divided by the the Oldřichovský Brook, practically a ditch you can jump over, but there is a bridge there.
At the beginning of time in God's garden there were no borders except one: "Do not eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." When man crossed that line and ate that fruit, that is when borders were created, walls went up, fortresses were built, prisons were constructed, police forces and armies were formed, weapons were made. Man needed to protect himself from the evil he bit into. May God's kingdom come, one of peace and righteousness... and no borders.
02.
Sep
Hirschfelde - Herrnhut
Photo 1: I stayed the night at this "Pilgerhäusl"... Little Pilgrim House. It was originally a barn and had been purchased by the Catholic Church in 1917 to provide a Catholic church meeting place for Catholic miners coming from Poland. Later a church building was constructed and the barn became the parsonage. The 300 year old building was slowly succoming to the forces of nature. Instead of demolishing it, the decision was made to revamp it as a pilgrim hostel on the St. James path from Görlitz to Zittau. I love staying in historical buildings like this... and I slept well.
Photo 2: It rained all morning. I was really looking forward to this hike to Herrnhut. The stop is not officially on the path of St. James, but it was worth it for me to walk the extra 18 kilometers to this place where church and world missions history were written. There was a sculpture path with biblical themes for about 5 kilometers leading to Herrnhut. This one says: "Be like the children"
- ready to hear and willing to believe
- and not like the old grey grumps in the background who and set in their ways
Photo 3: As you enter Herrhhut on the sculpture path, you will see this statement engraved in the wood: "I am the way / Go."
The Moravians went. The Herrnhut/Moravian/Brethern movement began when persecuted reformed believers from Moravia sought refuge on the plantation of Count Ludwig von Zinzendorf who was himself a follower of Jesus and led a group of reformed believers. The two groups became one and then expierenced an outpouring of the Holy Spirit which sparked a world missionary movement that was until then unprecedented. It was Moravian missionaries, for instance, who led John Wesley to faith in Christ. The oldest settlement in Ohio, Gnadenhutten (Grace Dwellings), was established by the Moravian missionary David Zeisberger. He was just 17 years old when he came to America in 1738. His heart was for the unreached indians. He lived among them and taught them the ways of Jesus until his death in 1808. David Zeisberger, born in Czech and sent out from Germany... his bones became American dust. I remember standing before his gravestone during my last round of deputation in 2018. I, born in America and sent out from Ohio, laid my hand on it and said: "I hope to return the favor."
Photo 4: The town of Herrnhut today looking down from the hill at the Moravian cemetery called "God's Acre".
Photo 5: Five years after the Herrnhut community was established, Leonhard Dober was the first missionary to be sent overseas. He went to the island of St. Thomas in the West Indies. In one generation the Moravians had sent missionaries to almost every continent with the message of Jesus Christ. His grave lays opposite to that of Zinsendorf's.
Photo 2: It rained all morning. I was really looking forward to this hike to Herrnhut. The stop is not officially on the path of St. James, but it was worth it for me to walk the extra 18 kilometers to this place where church and world missions history were written. There was a sculpture path with biblical themes for about 5 kilometers leading to Herrnhut. This one says: "Be like the children"
- ready to hear and willing to believe
- and not like the old grey grumps in the background who and set in their ways
Photo 3: As you enter Herrhhut on the sculpture path, you will see this statement engraved in the wood: "I am the way / Go."
The Moravians went. The Herrnhut/Moravian/Brethern movement began when persecuted reformed believers from Moravia sought refuge on the plantation of Count Ludwig von Zinzendorf who was himself a follower of Jesus and led a group of reformed believers. The two groups became one and then expierenced an outpouring of the Holy Spirit which sparked a world missionary movement that was until then unprecedented. It was Moravian missionaries, for instance, who led John Wesley to faith in Christ. The oldest settlement in Ohio, Gnadenhutten (Grace Dwellings), was established by the Moravian missionary David Zeisberger. He was just 17 years old when he came to America in 1738. His heart was for the unreached indians. He lived among them and taught them the ways of Jesus until his death in 1808. David Zeisberger, born in Czech and sent out from Germany... his bones became American dust. I remember standing before his gravestone during my last round of deputation in 2018. I, born in America and sent out from Ohio, laid my hand on it and said: "I hope to return the favor."
Photo 4: The town of Herrnhut today looking down from the hill at the Moravian cemetery called "God's Acre".
Photo 5: Five years after the Herrnhut community was established, Leonhard Dober was the first missionary to be sent overseas. He went to the island of St. Thomas in the West Indies. In one generation the Moravians had sent missionaries to almost every continent with the message of Jesus Christ. His grave lays opposite to that of Zinsendorf's.
01.
Sep
Görlitz - Hirschfelde
Photo 1: It was a very sunny morning today when I crossed the bridge from Zgorzelec to Görlitz. For three days now my feet will be walking on German ground until I reach the border of the Czech Republic. Almost immediately I had a sensory overload. All the letters in a row on signs were now words that I understood. Bits of conversations that I would hear when I would pass by people who were talking I could understand. That is something that I did not experience since I landed in Tallinn on June 13th.
Photo 2: The Neisse River which since the end if Worl War II divides the city and sets the border between Germany and Poland. The German border marker can be seen on the left.
Photo 3: My first stop in Germany was the post office to send my tent and a few other things back home. This lightened my carrying load by 4 kilos (8.8 pounds). There were just five more nights where I had planned to sleep in the tent, but only two of those were places where there were no other options for accommodations. I decided to change my route at those points and was able to book a room at each place. The hills and mountains are coming and this way I will have a dry place to stay should it rain... and it will.
Photo 4: What was once an open brown coal mine is now a recreational lake near Görlitz. I walked about 5 km along the east shore.
Photo 5: The rest of the day I was walking along the Neisse River to Hirschfelde. German border markers could be seen here and there along the way.
Photo 2: The Neisse River which since the end if Worl War II divides the city and sets the border between Germany and Poland. The German border marker can be seen on the left.
Photo 3: My first stop in Germany was the post office to send my tent and a few other things back home. This lightened my carrying load by 4 kilos (8.8 pounds). There were just five more nights where I had planned to sleep in the tent, but only two of those were places where there were no other options for accommodations. I decided to change my route at those points and was able to book a room at each place. The hills and mountains are coming and this way I will have a dry place to stay should it rain... and it will.
Photo 4: What was once an open brown coal mine is now a recreational lake near Görlitz. I walked about 5 km along the east shore.
Photo 5: The rest of the day I was walking along the Neisse River to Hirschfelde. German border markers could be seen here and there along the way.
31.
Aug
Video: Sunday morning service at the Pentecostal Church in Zgorzelec. Pastor Chriss (Krzysztof) asked me to preach this morning and his wife Agnieszka translated for me from German to Polish. There are not very many evangelical churches in Poland and they are mostly smaller groups.
Photo 1: Tomorrow, September 1, is the first day back to school in Poland. The children came forward to be prayed for at the end of the service.
Photo 2: Pastor Chriss with his wife Agnieszka and their four children and dog...
In the afternoon the congregation met at their home to have pot-luck cook out in their back yard. It was a great time of fellowship. Also yesterday evening and this evening I had long talks with Pastor Chriss and Agnieszka and we prayed together. This meant though that I did not have much time to work on my blog. I hope to catch up during the week to come...
Photo 1: Tomorrow, September 1, is the first day back to school in Poland. The children came forward to be prayed for at the end of the service.
Photo 2: Pastor Chriss with his wife Agnieszka and their four children and dog...
In the afternoon the congregation met at their home to have pot-luck cook out in their back yard. It was a great time of fellowship. Also yesterday evening and this evening I had long talks with Pastor Chriss and Agnieszka and we prayed together. This meant though that I did not have much time to work on my blog. I hope to catch up during the week to come...
30.
Aug
Lubań - Görlitz
Photo 1: Old city wall in Lubań
Photo 2: Tree trunk showing the two different Way of St. James waymarkers.
Photo 3: An old epithaph from 1684 in German on a church wall quoting Job 19:25-27 and 1. John 1:7b. For over three centuries these words have been a silent witness to anyone who would read them to the grace of the forgiveness of sins and the power of the resurrection from the dead. I think it was an old Lutheran Church.
Photo 4: The weather was great today for walking untill the last 10 - 15 minutes...
Photo 5: Pastor Chriss from the Pentecostal Church in Zgorzelec was to meet me at a bridge right on the border to Görlitz and to Germany. What we did not know, was that there would be an Old Town City Festival on that day. The road to the bridge was blocked off and Pastor Chriss could not get there. It started to rain right before I got to the meeting point. I did not bother to put my poncho on, because I thought a car would be waiting there to take me away. That was a big mistake. A heavy rain came quickly before I could find cover, just as hundreds of other people wanted to do so. My bag and I got really wet. Good that tomorrow is a day of rest and I can get everything clean and dry again. I will be staying the weekend with Pastor Chriss and his family.
Prayer Request: When I walk from the Czech Republic to Germany, I will cross through the mountains of the Bohemian and Bavarian Forests for three days on September 16 - 18. Since the tread on my shoes is wearing thin, it would be good if it did not rain these days to avoid slippery slopes.
Photo 2: Tree trunk showing the two different Way of St. James waymarkers.
Photo 3: An old epithaph from 1684 in German on a church wall quoting Job 19:25-27 and 1. John 1:7b. For over three centuries these words have been a silent witness to anyone who would read them to the grace of the forgiveness of sins and the power of the resurrection from the dead. I think it was an old Lutheran Church.
Photo 4: The weather was great today for walking untill the last 10 - 15 minutes...
Photo 5: Pastor Chriss from the Pentecostal Church in Zgorzelec was to meet me at a bridge right on the border to Görlitz and to Germany. What we did not know, was that there would be an Old Town City Festival on that day. The road to the bridge was blocked off and Pastor Chriss could not get there. It started to rain right before I got to the meeting point. I did not bother to put my poncho on, because I thought a car would be waiting there to take me away. That was a big mistake. A heavy rain came quickly before I could find cover, just as hundreds of other people wanted to do so. My bag and I got really wet. Good that tomorrow is a day of rest and I can get everything clean and dry again. I will be staying the weekend with Pastor Chriss and his family.
Prayer Request: When I walk from the Czech Republic to Germany, I will cross through the mountains of the Bohemian and Bavarian Forests for three days on September 16 - 18. Since the tread on my shoes is wearing thin, it would be good if it did not rain these days to avoid slippery slopes.
29.
Aug
Bolesławiec - Lubań
Photo 1: The City Hall in Bolesławiec...
Photo 2: The first sign of Germany...
On Monday, September 1, I will be crossing over the border from Poland to Germany at the divided city Zgorzelec-Görlitz. I will then have three stretches in Germany before I cross the border near Zittau where the three nations of Germany, Poland and Czech Republic come together.
Photo 3: It rained all morning and sometimes very hard. My shoes are no long waterproof through the wear and tear of 2000+ kilometers of walking. There are actually some advantages to walking in the rain:
* It is cooler and you do not sweat as much.
* Since you do not sweat as much, you need less water.
* The ground can be softer to walk on which is easier on your feet and joints.
* You do not need to smear sun lotion on your skin.
* There may be less traffic on the roads because of the weather.
*The air becomes cleaner.
* You finally get to wear your rain gear that you have been carrying with you.
The disadvantage of walking in the rain: You get wet!
With so many positive aspects to walking in the rain, why do we not want to do it si much? Maybe we do not like getting wet. This may help explain the evolutional theory why we wanted to get out of the water, go on dry land and become mammals. Or is it that we have a collective memory etched into our DNA of sitting in a very large boat while it rained for forty days and forty nights???
Photo 4: Curious turkeys calling out to those passing by...
Photo 5: Approaching the city of Lubań... The sun came out in the late afternoon, but my socks were completely wet.
Milestone: 2000 kolometers
Photo 2: The first sign of Germany...
On Monday, September 1, I will be crossing over the border from Poland to Germany at the divided city Zgorzelec-Görlitz. I will then have three stretches in Germany before I cross the border near Zittau where the three nations of Germany, Poland and Czech Republic come together.
Photo 3: It rained all morning and sometimes very hard. My shoes are no long waterproof through the wear and tear of 2000+ kilometers of walking. There are actually some advantages to walking in the rain:
* It is cooler and you do not sweat as much.
* Since you do not sweat as much, you need less water.
* The ground can be softer to walk on which is easier on your feet and joints.
* You do not need to smear sun lotion on your skin.
* There may be less traffic on the roads because of the weather.
*The air becomes cleaner.
* You finally get to wear your rain gear that you have been carrying with you.
The disadvantage of walking in the rain: You get wet!
With so many positive aspects to walking in the rain, why do we not want to do it si much? Maybe we do not like getting wet. This may help explain the evolutional theory why we wanted to get out of the water, go on dry land and become mammals. Or is it that we have a collective memory etched into our DNA of sitting in a very large boat while it rained for forty days and forty nights???
Photo 4: Curious turkeys calling out to those passing by...
Photo 5: Approaching the city of Lubań... The sun came out in the late afternoon, but my socks were completely wet.
Milestone: 2000 kolometers