19. Aug 2025

Pobieziska - Pozań

Photo 1: Sometimes you need faith to go through the water...

Photo 2: ...and sometimes you need faith to go over the bridge. Always happy when I make it!

This morning before I left the hotel in Pobieziska, I again had a brief talk with the lady propiertor. She prepared an excellent breakfast and said I could make myself a lunch package at no extra charge, even filling my themos with mineral water and apple juice at no charge. I prayed for her, her husband and family and their hotel business. She said that they have never had a guest like me before, that she would never forget me. I have heard an expression like this several times now on the Snail-Trail. It is the fragrance of Jesus, as Paul mentioned in 2. Corinthians 2:14-16. To some we are the smell of death, confirming their state of lostness when they reject the message of Jesus. To others we are the aroma of life and hope when they respond positively to who Jesus is and what he has done for them. In this sense, I hope to be a real "stinker" for Jesus!

Photo 3: A peaceful place for the banane break

Photo 4: It was a 36 km hike to Poznań, and I did not want my telephone battery to get so low before I ended it. I tried to charge the battery at lunchtime, but it did not take. I thought I just did connect the charging cable correctly. In the late afternoon I tried it again and realized that something was keeping the cable from clicking in to my telephone. Without my phone, I have no GPS, and without the GPS, I have no hiking app and no idea of how to get where I need to go. Panic started knocking on my brain. In that moment Luca came by. He recognized that I was a pilgrim and that I seemed to have a problem. He spoke a little English, and understood that my phone was quickly losing power and I could not charge the battery. He then went quickly to his house and brought me a cable that he had. It worked, but the connection was very unstable. I thanked Luca and prayed with him before I took off.

I was to stay with Pastor Piotr (Peter) in Poznań and walked as quick as I could the last 7 kilometers. Pastor Piotr took me then to Media Markt. A technician there went to work on the phone right away. He said I was sleeping too much in the grass... dirt had gotten into the connector space and was keeping the cable from clicking with my telephone. He cleaned it and tested the cables. He said the cable from Luca was much bettet. So Luca, if you are reading this blog, I am using your cable! The technician's name just happed to be James/Jakub. We talked briefly about my journey on the Way of St. James, and then I prayed for him and his journey through life. Maybe that is why I needed to have the problem with my cell phone.

Photo 5: One of the many apartment blocks near where Pastor Piotr's church is.