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Photo 1: Willy and I on the bus to Belfast"
It did good to have the extra day of rest yesterday and not have to get started so early today. As I was leaving the place where I stayed the night, the owner of the house saw me with my backpack and asked where I was heading. I told her that I was a pilgrim walking from Scotland to Germany. She then asked whether I could pray a prayer of blessing for her and her family.This was the first time on this trip that I was asked to do this... and gladly did so.

I then took the bus from Downpatrick back to Belfast in the hope that my phone could quickly be fixed and I would be back on my way.

Photo 2: "My help in the time of need"
Things do not always go as we hope...
Approaching the shop, I saw two young men in their early twenties waking up from having slept on the street. I went to the shop, and Sanket greeted me with the good news that the display screen for my phone had arrived and he would need about an hour to fix it. So I went back out to the two on the street, talked and prayed with them and bought their breakfast, thus passing on the blessing from Stewart from Belfast.

When I got back to the Phone Shop, Sanket was not yet finished with my phone. In fact he would not finish it at all. He replaced the display, but it would go blank every time it was closed and opened. He tried recalbirating the sensors in both parts of the phone. This took hours... but it did not work. The phone would need to be sent to their main shop to be repaired. That would take at least one week. I suggested trading my defected phone for a refurbished Samsung Galexy S23 that they had for sale for the cost of the display screen that I had already paid for. Sanket called his boss and got the okay on the exchange. He then transferred all my data from the one phone to the next and got things working for me. He even shared his dinner with me and worked 90 minutes overtime without pay to get it all done. Between customers and repairs, we had some good talks and I was able to pray a prayer of blessing for him before I left. I had been at the shop for 8.5 hours!

I decided then to book a bed at the International Youth Hostel in Belfast. On my way there I stopped at a store to get things for breakfast. The security man at the door was a few years younger than I. He showed me where I could put my beg while I bought my things. He also said he could tell that I was "a righteous" man. His name is John Paul and is a follower of Jesus as well. When I told him what I was doing, he asked me to pray a prayer of blessing for him, which I gladly did. The day was ending as it had begun. To top it off, I had a wonderful God-talk with a 13 year old and his mother at the youth hostel. Things may not always go as we hope, but if God is in it, it will be good in the end.

Photo 3: The St. Patrick's Cathedral in Downpatrick

Photo 4: A perspective from the cemetary looking out over the Irish landscape

Photo 1: "Ephesians 2:14 on the Peace Wall"
This morning as I walked along the Peace Wall I came to this relief depicting the peace that come from the cross of Jesus Christ. Below the cross is an inscription from Ephesians 2:14...

"For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility..."

The artful depiction of this verse was a joint project from Christians from both sides of the wall. I was so happy to see this.

Photo 2: Davy is 74 years old. He has a cross tattooed on his forehead which caught my attention... and Davy has been living on the streets on Belfast for 18 years. Walking as a pilgrim, I can somewhat relate to being homeless, particularly when you are looking for a dry place to eat your lunch when it is raining. Even though I carry a credit card and cash with me, every day is a quest for survival that asks the questions: Will I make it through this day? Where will I find food and water sources? Where will I find a sleeping space at the end of a day? Davy told me he was a follower of Jesus, said that as a kid he would walk a few milies to go to Sunday School. I told him about Stewart, how God helped him move from the streets to his own home. I prayed with Davy... and bought his lunch.

Photo 3: "Wrong way?"
What a day! I got off to a good start and needed to cover 40 kilometers to Downpatrick where St. Patrick's grave is. After about 5 kilometers on the outskirts of Belfast, the display on my flip cell phone fizzled out on me... no GPS, no map, no WhatsApp, no email, no telephone, no camera... nothing. In pressing the phone buttons trying to jerk the screen back to life, my phone somehow made a screenshot of the screen that no longer was working. This documents the moment of disaster. What do I do? I could not take another step towards Downpatrick. I said: "Jesus, you have a solution for this," and decided to take a bus back to Belfast. At the bus stop I saw a young man from India and asked him if he might know of a place where I could get my phone fixed in Belfast. "It just so happened" that his friend worked at a phone repair shop, and he took me there. A new display screen was ordered, would come the next day. Since I already had a room booked and payed for in Downpatrick, I decided to take the bus there, visit St. Patrick's grave and have an extra day of rest after the walk through Scotland.

Photo 4: "Alfie"
On my way to St. Patrick's grave, I saw 5 twelve year olds sitting on a park bench and enjoying the sun that had not been seen so much the last days. We started to talk. I shared my story of how God started to get my attention when I was their age and then prayed for them. Particularly Alfie seemed interested in what I had to say. He gave me a ribbon with a metal claps from his sports club and asked me to through it in a river near my home in Germany. I told him that I did not want to throw things in the river, but would carry the ribbon with me to Germany and post a picture of it on this Blog once I got to the Isar River near my home on my last stage of the Snail-Trail. You cannot really see it so well in this pucture, but ribbon is hanging down from Alfie's left hand. Had I walked the distance today to Downpatrick, I would not have met Alfie and his friends.

Photo 5: The story of St. Patrick fasinates me. Born around 385–387, he was kidnapped by pirates at age 16 and enslaved for six years in the Irish wilderness, where he developed a profound devotion to prayer. Following his escape back to Britain, he had a dream in which the Irish people begged him to return and walk among them once more. He returned to Ireland as a bishop to spread Christianity, famously using the Irish shamrock to teach the concept of the Holy Trinity. The working of the Holy Spirit was evident in his life and ministry. This stone marks Patrick’s final resting place. If you enlarge the photo, you can see that his name is still partially legibel on the stone. I sat there in the late afternoon and prayed that what God started in Ireland in the days of St. Patrick, he would awaken and continue today.

Video: "Because He Lives..."
Sunday morning at Belfast Living Hope Church... it was a wonderful time together with followers of Jesus in Blefast. I had the honor of speaking in the early morning service and sharing a few life principles taken from the pilgrim path.

Photo 1: Pastor Matt Davis is actually from England, but has been serving at Living Hope Church Belfast for 25 years, having been on staff since September 2001. In 2016, he transitioned into the role of Lead Pastor.

Photo 2: I spent the afternoon together with Stewart. We had lunch together and then went on a search for a new water filter that I would certainly be needing in the days ahead. Stewart insisted on paying for everything and suggested I pass on the blessing to others I might meet somewhere on the path. What was remarkable about this, is that not so long ago Stewart had been living on the streets of Belfast for about eight years. Through Jesus and the God connection Stewart was able to make a new start in life. He is working, has a place to live and drives his own car. He also goes into the city to talk with homeless people, to share the hope he has found in Jesus.

Photo 3: "Belfast Peace Wall"
The church put me up in a room in a town house for the weekend that was right across from the Belfast Peace Wall. After a few nights in the tent and some of those with rain, it was nice to have a roof over the head and a kitchen to use for the two nights.
The Belfast Peace Walls are a series of separation barriers built in 1969 during "The Troubles" to divide predominantly Catholic/Irish nationalist and Protestant/British unionist neighborhoods. Today, over 20 miles of these walls and fences still stand, reaching up to 26 feet tall.

Photo 4: "Cupar Way"
Located in West Belfast, this is the city's longest and tallest section (about 800 meters long, reaching 8 meters high) and features dense layers of political murals, street art, and visitor messages. My room was directly across from the Cupar Way.

Photo 5: "Belfast Living Hope Church"
I was intriged by the Peace Wall and thought that often men will build walls to keep peace, kind of like the barbed wire fences I had seen in so many places to keep the peace between the sheep and the wolves. Then I thought of what Paul wrote to the Ephesians, how God removed the walls of separation through Jesus Christ to make peace between us and God and between Jewish and non Jewish believers. This is a true and living hope. When I walk through Belfast tomorrow and from North Ireland to the Republic of Ireland in this coming week, I will be praying for this healing of the land and peace from heaven.

Video: "Marching Band in Belfast"
This was the first time ever that I was greeted with a marching band when I arrived at a country that I would walk through...
The first Sunday in July in Northern Ireland is Drumcree Sunday and sets off the beginning of a number of parades and celebrations leading up to July 12th, the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, a pivotal conflict in which the Protestant King William III defeated the deposed Catholic King James II. Its significance lies in securing the English Crown for William, establishing Protestant dominance in Ireland, and preventing James's attempt to reclaim the throne.

Photo 1: "Willy made it through Scotland... and found a pilgrim's shell on the beach."
The logo for the Way of St. James to Santiago de Compostela in Spain is that of a shell. Centuries ago after surving the long and difficult pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, pilgrims would continue on to Cape Finisterre on the coast which was the then known "end of the world". It was said that the Apostel James went this far in obediance to the commision of Jesus to take the gospel message to the ends of the world. Once pilgrims reached Cape Finisterre, they would search for a shell on the beach to take back home as proof that they had made journey.

Photo 2: "Family time on the Snail-Trail"
While waiting to board the ferry from Cairnryan to Belfast, I was able to make a WhatsApp family group call, always a nice moment in the journey.

Photo 3: Willy was so excited to take the ferry from Scotland to Ireland. It reminded him of former years when he would swim by the side of his mother through the ocean waters...

Photo 4: "Patrick at St. Patrick's"
As I was walking out of the port towards Belfast, Patrick pulled over with his car and asked if he could give me a lift into the city. He was the first person from North Ireland that I met, his name was Patrick, he wore a somewhat green shirt and took me to St. Patrick's Church in Belfast! We had a good talk in the car and at the church. He listened to me sing my pilgrim song in the church. I explained that it was an ancient form of spiritual worship and that St. Patrick, being the spirit filled and anointed man of God that he was, most likely prayed and sang in this way as well.

5. Today was July 4th, Independence Day in the United States, this year marking the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress. I was quite surprised to see this wall mural commemorating the event and showing the Irish connection to American politics.

Photo 1: "Cow blockade"
The old gospel song says it this way: "Some through the waters, some through the flood, some through the fire..." Today I had to get through the cows. When the lead cow took a step towards me, I sang my pilgrim song, looked down and showed it that I was submissive. A second mother cow then used her head to protectively nudge the younger ones aside, giving me access to the exit gate...

Photo 2: My last high path in Scotland

Photo 3: Tomorrow I will be on a ferry like this to Belfast, North Ireland.

Photo 4: On the top of the hill overlooking the coast was a World War II fortification and gunnery now peacefully occupied... by cows!

Photo 5: This is were I took my lunch break before going down the hill. I would then walk 2.5 hours in the rain and mostly on a busy road to the Port City of Stranraer. There was supposed to be a foot path along the coast that was once a railroad track, but it had become a junge with an overgrowth of thorns, brush and weeds. My foot journey through Scotland has come to an end... 495 kilometers. Thank you Jesus for bringing me through to this milestone.

Video: "God's Seashore Garden"

Photo 1: "The Turnberry Lighthouse built in 1873"

Photo 2: "Small fishing town"

Photo 3: "Sheep up high on the Coastal Path"
It was just me and Jesus walking the beaches and the high places today. Today was another long walk of almost 43 kolometers. To be quite honest, I am glad when I do not have many encountets on long walks like this, because I need the time just to make it through the stretch. The long walks, though, give me more time to think about the encounters I have had, to pray for people I have met and for the country I am walking through.

Photo 4: "Birds on a Rock"

Photo 5: Wild camping in Ballantrae"
The evening and night were much more gentle than the night before. I slept really good to the sound of waves hitting the beach through the night.

Photo 1: "Greenan Castle on the Ayrshire Coastal Path"

Photo 2: "Willy's first peek at the ocean"

Photo 3: "Catholic Priest Patrick"
There were not many people on the coastal path and those that were, were mostly dog walkers. So I was really curious when I actually saw this man coming my way carrying a backpack. He is a Catholic Priest named Patrick. He was on the last stage of a pilgrimage called The Whithorn Way. It is a 155 mile walking and cycling route, which follows much of the westerly pilgrimage route to Whithorn, travelled by pilgrims for well over 1300 years. Patrick saw my Way of St. James Logo on my hat and showed me the one he had on his felt jacket. We understood each other and prayed for each other.

Photo 4: "The Coastal Path"
A little before this point I saw four young guys attemping to light a fire. They asked me if I might be able to help. I saw some hamburgers that they were wanting to grill. It was starting to rain and the wood was getting damp. I saw that their biild up for a fire was completely wrong and rearranged the wood and igniters. My years with the Royal Rangers was helping me here. We got the fire started. I then shared a few words and prayed that God would light his fire in their hearts, to burn everything away that should not be there, and burn everything in, that should.

Photo 5: The next 2.5 hours I would see practically no one and walk in the rain. For the first time this trip I needed to put my tent up in the rain. Fortunately I was at a campground and could get things dry in the laundry room. It rained all night with a strong wind. I slept well though... was exhausted after the 45 kilometer walk.

Photo 1: Willy would rather swimm in the ocean than walk in the rain. I know the feeling...

Photo 2: Part of the bike path Nr. 7 was once a railroad track. It took some of the ups and downs out of the walk.

Photo 3: "Cows chewing their cud"
A lot of us are chewing on things. As I was leaving Lochwinnoch this morning, a lady wanted to know where I was going. When I eventually mentioned that I was walking with Jesus, she said she had a more earth based belief. I am not sure exactly what she meant, because the conversation did not go much further.
Shortly after that another elderly lady was curious about my walk and asked a number of questions. Then she asked: "What made you want to do a walk like this?" I said one word, and she turned around, said good-bye, have a good trip and walked away. That one word that I said was the name of the Word who became flesh and lived amongst us. He is the Living Word who was with the Father in the beginning and through whom all things are. It is the name if the One who took the nails on the cross for us, so that sin could no longer separate us from our Creator God and loving heavenly Father. That Word, that Name is Jesus. I would have liked to have heard her story to know what caused such a reaction in her.
A bit later I actually walked and talked with a man, David, for about 15 minutes who was going the same direction I was. He said he believed that there was something out there, but it was a mystery he could not know. I asked him that if God was real, whether he would want to know this. He responded no, that he would rather just be surprised by the mystery that would be revealed after he dies. I just hope it is not a rude awakening. As we walked I became aware of several felt needs in David's life. As we parted ways he accepted my offer to pray for him. I think there might have been a tear in his eye.
Then there was Charley. I got an email from him today that came over the Snail-Trail webpage. I had met him on the West Highland Way a week before. He was one of those to whom I said, "If you walk the Devil's Staircase with Jesus, it will become a Stairway to Heaven." Charley wrote in his email: "You touched my heart. and for some reason I became emotional as we departed... you truly inspired me and walking thinking of God made my walk easier, thank you, God bless and have a great journey home, you did your job that day!"
Thanks Charley for your comments... made my day today. You just never know what God is going to do. Sometimes you just need to give someone something to chew on for awhile...

Photo 4: "Stone Bridge"

Photo 5: "Walk along the River Garnock on the way to Irvine"

Video: "Home away from home..."
This night was a wild camping night. I was happy to find to this spot. Wild camping is officially permitted in Scotland if there is no sign saying otherwise. It rained most of the night, but stopped in the early morning. The gentle wind was sufficient to mostly dry the tent before I had to pack it up... a blessing from heaven.

Photo 1: "The Clyde River that flows through Glasgow, the most populated city in Scotland"
It was different walking much of the day. I heard more traffic than I did lambs bleeting after their mamas. Still I appreciate walking through urban centers. I see how the people live and pray for their communities.

Photo 2: "Pastor Damilola Aje"
Today and the next days I would be following bike trail Nr. 7. Right away there was a detour where a bridge over the highway no longer existed. I have learned that detours can be used by God to redirect my path. So it was today. The detour brought me by an old church that had stood vacant for eight years. I had actually been praying that these old churches would be filled with new life once again. I saw that the front door was open to this church and felt compelled to go in. There I met Pastor Damiloa from Nigeria. He was waiting for some people from the church to come and do some work on the biilding. That had just purchased the old church a week ago and today was the first day to start the needed renovations. Their first service would be on Sunday. They are a Christ Apostolic Church House of Prayer. We have congregations like this affliliated with our Union of Free Church Pentecostal Congregations in Germany. It was just a God ordained moment. We prayed for each other and I sang my pilgrim song of blessing in the sanctuary. Pray for Pastor Damilola and the House of Prayer congregation and their ministry outreach in Glasgow.

Photo 3: "ACCORD Hospice in Glasgow"
You cannot read it, but on the side of this lion is the motto of hospice services: "While we cannot add days to life, we can add life into days." My wife Astrid is part of a hospice team where we live in Germany, so we have a heart for such points of care that are often the birth departure of the soul into eternity. It just so happened that Dr. John Walley with whom I spent part of the weekend works at this facility. I went in for a brief visit, had a cup of tea with John... and a "wee" talk with the receptionist led to a moment of prayer and a time of blessing for the hospice team.

Photo 4: "Castle Semple Collegiate Church:
This church was founded in 1504 by John 1st Lord Sempill. It is a remarkable example of the latest phase of gothic ecclessiastical architecture in Scottland. It was here that I wanted to put up my tent... but one of those signs was there stating that it was not allowed.

Photo 5: "Ryan and Jackson"
A few hundred meters down the path from the church I met Ryan with his son Jackson. They gave me the tip where I eventually found the place to put up my tent (see video). They were also real interested in my walk from Scotland to Germany. I told them that I cannot walk across the waters of the English Channel, but that I walk with the One who can. That started a God-talk that led to a prayer for the two. So I guess it was good that I did what the sign said...