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Video: Worship at the Pärnu-Jaagupi Lutheran Church.

Photo 1: I was glad for the day of rest today. The Lutheran minister from the church in Kivi-Virgala also serves the congregation in Pärnu-Jaagupi. So the service today took place at 2.00 pm. That meant that I could sleep a bit longer and take it easy this morning. You may notice the number 700 on the church tower. The congration dates its roots back to the 1300's when Christianty first took root in Estonia. Unfortunately that turn from paganism occurred mostly through the pain of the sword. I often wonder how church history and world history might have been had the church carried the cross instead of the sword.

Photo 2: I know it is difficult to read what is on this tablet. It is a listing of all the ministers of the Pärnu-Jaagupi church from 1567 all the way up to 2005. An update will soon be engraved. From 1567 to 1930 all of the ministers had German last names. What a heritage! I was impressed.

Photo 3: I thought I would post a few more pictures of Tallinn. This one was taken from the tower of the St. Olav Church.

Photo 4: Tallinn was a medieval fortress. It reminds of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Germany today.

Photo 5: The Estonian flag flying from a tower in Tallin. Blue represents the sky, sea, and lakes, symbolizing faith, loyalty, and devotion. Black symbolizes the soil, the nation's past, and the dark coats traditionally worn by Estonian peasants. White represents the striving for enlightenment and virtue, as well as the snow that covers Estonia for much of the year.

Knocked down, but not knocked out...

I was walking on a dirt road yesterday, enjoying the hike and the day when suddenly... it happened. I fell. I hat spotted a low stone wall and thought about taking a short break and sitting on it. In that moment my foot hit a pothole in the road or a rock or both. Down I went. My right hand took the brunt of the fall, then my nose hit the ground. Now I know why I carry a first aid kit! After cleaning the wound with my drink water mixed with orange juice and stopping the blood flow from my hand, a car drove by. I was sitting on the ground with blood on my face and surrounded by bloody toilet paper. The driver looked at me and continued on. I guess I did not look desperate enough. I called the Lutheran Minister from the hostel connected with the Lutheran Church in Kivi-Vigala where I had planned to stay the night. She was unfortunately out of town, but she contacted her co-worker from the next town where I was planning to stay Saturday night. Her name is Epp. She is active in the St. James Society in Estonia and manages the church office in Pärnu-Jaagupi. Together with her husband Alan from Scottland, they came to pick me up. I continued walking to the main road where they could easily find me. They took me to the emergency care in their town. Two women went to work on me and sowed three stitches in my right hand. They warned me that it would hurt when they pushed the needle through my skin. It did... felt like a bee sting three times in the same spot. I sang my pilgrim song softly as they pulled the threads together. Afterwards I asked Epp to translate for me. I thanked the two emergency care workers for stitching me up and said a prayer of blessing for them. God's presence touched all of our hearts in that moment. This time I said it: Epp, Alan and the ladies at the emergency care... "They made my day! By the way, such an emergency treatment is free in Estonia. My thanks go to the country's taxpayers!

Walking with Jesus does not mean that there will never be pain on the path. It means that the power of the resurrection will be there to help us get back up and continue on. Perhaps there is someone reading these words and you needed to hear this...

Photo 3: One of the ladies at the emergency care

Photo 4: I look like I lost a fight, but I am still standing. I felt a lot better after a good night's rest. Since I am already at what would have been my destination point for today, I decided to just stay here and take an extra day of rest to allow my wounds to stabelize. Snail-Trail 3.0 will now only be 85 stages instead of 86...

Photo 5: Epp and Alan, my rescuers in a time of need.

Photo 1: I was hoping to see the lady from yesterday evening afain at the reception. I felt in my spirit that the conversation from yesterday was not yet over. And so it was...

I may not have the name right, but Berit was the only person at the reception. It was quiet. Berit wanted to know if something had happened in my life that led me to say yes to Jesus when I was 16. I shared with her my story and encouraged her to seek after Jesus. She promised that she would read the biography of Jesus when she would be on vacation to get to know him. I offered to pray for her. When I did, God's love and peace touched her heart. Tears came to her eyes. Berit said: "You made my day today!" She gave a blue towel from the sports center to remember my stay there and to show her appreciation for the God-moment. (Photo 2)

It was a nice walk today, mostly off road and through the forests and meadows. (Photos 3-4)

I then came to the Konuvere Bridge built in 1861 (Photo 5). At the time of construction, it was the longest limestone bridge in Estonia. The bridge is now only for pedestrians to use. It was a nice place for a lunch break.

I continued on after lunch feeling good. I was in rhythm, making good progress, and then all of a sudden...
(to be continued in tomorrow's blog)

Video: Walking across a foot bridge in Estonia

Photo 1: Today was my first hike over 30 kilometers (30.76 km). There will be many more to come.

Photo 2: An old estate house built with wood in the typical Estonian fashion

Photo 3: Estonian meadow. I am not always walking on dirt roads along grassy fields and through forests. But they are nice when I have them.

Photo 4: I think I would much rather have a moose cross my path than a bear. I have not seen one yet, but I think I have heard one in the forest.

Photo 5: Church tower in the town of Rapla. I had a room booked at a sports complex and arrived just before it started to rain. The whole day I saw almost no one. I said to God that he knows where I am and where I am going, and that if there would be someone he wanted me to talk to, he could certainly make it happen. When I got to the reception of the sports complex, that talk took place. The lady was very friendly and curious to know about my walk that day and where my destination would be. She was surprised that I was 68 and walking such a distance with such a heavy backpack. I said that I was walking with Jesus and he helps me do it. She said that she tries to experience Jesus when she would go in a church to pray. I explained that experiencing Jesus begins when we open our heart and say yes to him. Her colleague was then waiting to show me my room. I then asked them if they would like to try to lift my backpack. It was too heavy for them. I said that Jesus gives me the strength to carry it...

Photo 1: Many of the larger grocery stores in Estonia have a buffet section where you can buy a salad or a meal to take with you. That is nice for walking like I do. When that is not the case, I often take a can of tuna fish with me on the trail. When I bought this one, I asked the person at the cash register to confirm that I was buying tuna fish and not cat food...

Photo 2: There are some markings for the Way of St. James like this yellow arrow, but nothing like in Switzerland, France and Spain. It is good that I have each hike already mapped out in my hiking app. The occasional yellow arrow is a nice confirmation that you are heading the right way.

Photo 3: Walking through Estonia...

Photo 4: There are many birch trees which speaks to the fact that there is much water for them to drink. Indeed it has rained almost every day since I have been, fortunately not so much while I was walking, and thankfully that I not yet have needed to sleep in the tent. That will come next week...

Photo 5: In Rapla I stayed the night at the Rapla Free Church (Baptist). I joined in on the men's Bible study that evening. They were working their way through a Kay Arthur Bible Study on the subject of "Getting connected to God." I was able to share some insights and Snail-Trail stories and prayed for the men at the end of the meeting. One man said he would remember that evening for many years to come. I guess they do not have many pilgrims come through who participate like that. Actually I was just the fourth pilgrim to stay at their church so far this year.

Video: Men's prayer breakfast in Tallinn. My host in Saku, Felor, invited me to go with him. He is part of the worship team at the Pentecostal Church in Tallinn and has been involved with this weekly men's prayer meeting almost since its beginning eight years ago. It started with two or three men who had then recently gone through a painful divorce. To encourage each other, they met every Tuesday morning before work to read God's word together and to pray. Eventually more men joined and the breakfast was added. Today between 60 -100 men come together for the prayer meeting every Tuesday, even on holidays. They meet in a Baptist church, but pastors and people from all denominations come. Could this be a seed for a spiritual awakening in Estonia? The prayer meeting is a testimony of how God can take brokenness and by his grace transform it into something that brings wholeness. What was interesting for me was that my walk yesterday went right by this church and I did not have a clue what was taking place there on Tuesdays. I remember praying a special prayer for that area and the churches there.

Photo 1: Felor was a very kind host who made sure I had everything I needed to recover after my first walking stretch. He understands what it is like to walk and carry a heavy load. Felor is part of a group that is walking and praying and carrying a large cross around the perimeter of Estonia.

Photo 2: Getting ready for the next round. Even though my feet are hurting the end of a walk, they are ready the next morning to put on the shoes. That always amazes me... amazing grace!

Photo 3: I walk by and sometimes through many meadows with high grass and wild flowers. When it is wet, you need to put on the rain pants.

Photo 4: Estonia is flatland.

Photo 5: The pilgrim path through Estonia leads to the Lutheran Church in Hageri. Pastor Jüri greeted me at the former parsonage where I would spend the night. He is the same age as me, speaks German, and said he could retire if he wanted, but there are not enough ministers in Estonia to fill the pulpits. So he agreed to continue on until his 70th birthday. Pastor Jüri has a heart for Jesus and the sheep. I prayed with Pastor Jüri that God would raise up called people for God's kingdom purposes in Estonia.

When Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman at the well, he went against cultural norms. The reaction of the woman is to be understood: "What? You dare to talk to me a Samaritan woman and you being a Jewish man?" Sometimes cultural norms can be a barrier to people coming to know Jesus. It takes sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit to know when and how to break through those cultural norms.

In Estonia people will completely ignore you if they do not know you. If you pass them on the street, they will keep their eyes straight ahead, look away or, if they are curios enough, look down to your shoes. With the past two Snail-Trails people were constantly coming up to me wanting to know who I was, were I came from and where I was going. I would greet people as I passed by and many times a conversation would develop that led to a God-talk. But here it is different.

As I was leaving the Old Town of Estonia today, I decided to change my route a bit to walk through two small parks. As I walked through the second park, I noticed a young man sitting by himself on a parkbench. Next to him was another empty parkbench. A whisper came from heaven to go talk with him, but how? So I went over and put down my backpack on the empty parkbench. No reaction. No eye contact. I finished off a jogurt drink that I had and drank some water. No turn of the head. No indication that I existed. I then dared to ask the question: "Do you speak English?" The answer: "Yes, but I want to sit here alone in the quiet."

He was not being inpolite. I was searching for something to say, I noticed I large bird behind him and said: "I was just wondering what kind of bird that was." The young man took a quick look and said: "It's a crow." I think I knew that...

But then the young man, Kristjan, noticed my heavy duty backpach and said that he had one just like that. For the next half hour we were exchanging hiking stories which eventuelly led to talking about our spiritual journeys. Kristjan adheres to the ancient pagan god of the Estonians, Taara. The spiritual world is very real to him. I will not go into all the details, but there were some intetesting parallels in our spiritual searching. When he was 16, for instance, he saw his first ghost. When I was 16, I said yes to Jesus. It was the leading of his Spirit, I said, which has brought me to this parkbench in Estonia today. We connected. Kristjan has a good friend who is a followerer of Jesus and they like to discuss their spiritual points of view with each other. So our convetsation was another knock from heavon on the door to Kristjan's heart. At the end of our conversation I asked Kristjan if I could pray for him and speak out a blessing for his pathway through life. Tears came to his eyes as I prayed. Afterwards he said: "You made my day!"

There are many young people like Kristjan in Estonia who are searching for spiritual reality and orientation in life. I will continue to pray for Kristjan and his generation on my walk. Would you like to join with your prayers as well?

Photo 1: I met Kristjan at a park today on my way out of Tallinn. I think if I would have stayed in the area, we would have become good friends... maybe even spiritual brothers.

Photo 2: Tallinn was for many years one of the "Hansa Cities" that doted the Baltic Sea, a network of primarily German merchant cities. The German influence can still very much be seen in Tallinn.

Photo 3: A view of Talliinn looking through the window of a castle tower.

Photo 4: The Way of St. James through Estonian begins at this Catholic Church.

Photo 5: I really enjoyed walking though this swamp area on my way to Saku. Fortunately it is not yet the high season for mosquitoes.

Photo 1: I am standing on the tower of the St. Olav Church with the view of the city of Tallinn in the background. It is the highest tower in the city. The church is by no means just a tourist attraction. I started talking with the man, Kristjan, who took my entry ticket about the history of the church. He said that during the Soviet occupation eight different Christian congregations were forced to join together and hold their meetings at St. Olav Church which was located right next to the KGB Center of Opperation in Tallinn. The communist authorities thought that the forced union would ultimativly lead to the demise of the church through conflict and infighting. The opposite happened. The Christian groups learned to love and respect each other... and they learned to pray together. A great spiritual renewal and revival took place. It is Kristjan's prayer that visitors to the church and tower will sense God's presence as had been the case during this time of spiritual awakening.

Today after the Sunday church service I had lunch with Pastor Ivo from the Tallinn Pentecostal Church. He continued the story of the St. Olav Church. He called it "the great revival that no one has ever heard of". People throughout the Soviet Union were drawn by the Holy Spirit to come to the church in Tallinn. People would have dreams and see the high chuch tower of St. Olav. They would come by train, and many people would already have a God encounter as their train approached the station. Once they arrived at the station, they could see the church tower and knew where they needed to go. Many of those who were touched by God's power, presence and grace, returned home and started new churches throughout the Soviet Union. All this happened under the shadows of the KGB.

I was fascinated by this story of God's soveign workings. It showed me that God can take care of himself and Jesus can build his church in any political circumstance and time of history. It also showed me how important prayer and unity is for God's Spirit to break through with the grace and power of God's kingdom.

Photo 2: It is never easy saying good-bye when you leave on a trip like this. My son Sorin picked me up at 6.45 in the morning on Friday to take me to the airport. There my daughter Jacky met us. Because she works at the airport and has security clearance, she was able to escourt me to my gate. It only took two hours and twenty minutes to fly the entire distance that I hope to walk in 100 days. In the past two Snail-Trails every step took me further from home and I could gradually adjust to the changes in culture and language along the way. Now each step takes me closer to home. When I arrived at the airport in Tallinn, I not only entered a different time zone, but a different cultural and language world. The weather is also cooler which is nice for walking.

Photo 3: On Saturday I walked 17 kilometers along the harbor and through the Old Town on Tallinn... without the 20 kilo backpack! Coming into the Old Town I stopped by this Coffee House operated by Assembly of God intercultral workers. The Coffee House is a meaningful point of contact and ministry in the community. They are applying for a kitchen permit so they can make and bake their own products for purchase. Pray for this ministry endeavor in Tallinn. As I was about to leave, Fabio from Brazil (on the right in the photo) came into the shop. He was wearing a shirt that had "Holy Spirit" written on it. I said some words that really encouraged him. He said the encounter had made his day. I would hear that statement a few times during my first week of walking. Talking with Fabio was the first hint that Jesus would be walking with me these days.

Photo 4: Pastor Ivo from the Tallinn Pentecostal Church. He has a vision in his heart for Estonia to turn towards God, not by some imported strategy from somewhere else or through one special group or church in the country, but through Estonian believers being salt and light in society, like yeast that slowly penetrates a whole batch of dough. I carry this thought and prayer with me on my walk through Estonia.

Photo 5: Pascal from Germany and his wife Merle from Estonia where my contacts in Tallinn. They helped me arrange accommodations at the Methodist Seminary and took me to church on Sunday. Both are active in the music ministry at their church. In the video Pascal is playing the guitar. We spent the afternoon together and celebrated their oldest son's third birthday. They are a wondeful family!

Video: Worship during the Sunday service at the Tallinn Pentecostal Church.

Thank you so much for your interest in Snail-Trail 3.0. Each journey is a new challenge. It is kind of like jumping in cold water. You might know how to swim and have done it many times before... but there you stand and ask yourself: "Do I really want to do this to myself?" The past months have been very intense with planning the route, doing push-ups, walking bare foot on pebbles and just getting ready physically, mentally and spiritually for that next "cold jump".

WALK: From Estonia to Germany. 100 days. 86 hikes. 2600 kilometers... That's the plan.

TALK: I will mostly be following the Way of St. James, hope to come in contact with other pilgrims and hikers. Often they have many questions about God and life and have time on the trail to talk and think.

PRAY: There is a lot of tension in this region... and many people without the God-connection. I want to pray that God's will and purposes will be done in these countries and in the hearts of the people who live there.

SNAIL-TRAIL: Slow and steady. Hope to leave a trail of blessing behind me and not a slime one!

Photo 1: One of my practice routes near the water tower in Buch am Erlbach...
Photo 2: Sometimes Astrid joins me on such walks...
Photo 3: I have had a few training hikes with the Moosburg German Alpine Association
Photo 4: Robert is a friend of mine who recently decided to follow Jesus. We like to walk-talk-pray.
Photo 5: My new hiking shoes. The type I had the last two years were comfortable, but did not keep my feet dry in wet conditions. One out of three days on Snail-Trail 3 could see rain. So I chose this time dryness over comfort. I hope I do not regret it...