03. Sep 2025

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.