Well, It's An Old Vehicle

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We are, in Manassas, (near Falls Church), Virginia.


Tuesday, January 6, our first day of travel, went well and we crossed the border without any problems. The first night of our trip was spent at Cross of Christ Lutheran Church in Syracuse, New York. Pastor Jeremiah Gumm kindly loaned us the key to the church and set us up with an outside electrical outlet so our camper had heat and light. It was a quiet and reasonably restful night after our first day of driving. We woke up the next morning to freezing rain, .... not ideal travel weather, especially when your front windshield leaks.


Wednesday morning, January 7, after leaving Syracuse, we drove south on Highway 81 to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, through the rain and fog patches of the Adirondack Mountains. It was a harrowing trip, taking much longer than the four hours predicted by the GPS. A serious accident in the north-bound lanes, at around mile 132, sobered our thoughts and made both Nathanael and me much more conscious of safe driving practices in the darkness of winter's early nightfall. We stayed one night with Pastor Bob Green and his wife, Dr. Jean Green in Camp Hill, just outside of Harrisburg, PA. A second-career pastor, Pastor Green shared with us a little about his past and ministry. It was a truly enjoyable evening. We were grateful for this family's friendship and hospitality and the respite from the stress of travel.


Thursday, January 8, found us starting out in wonderful sunshine but cold. Following a day of difficulty when making lane changes and people not letting us in, we arrived in Manassas at about 14:30 hours. It was then that we discovered the camper had no rear brake lights or turn signals. All day we were thinking how 'not courteous' Maryland and Virginia drivers were and they were probably thinking how rude Canadian drivers were, not signaling, etc. It was by God's grace we came through the rain and foggy conditions from the night before.

We are staying at the home of Lynnette and Don Hupman. (Lynnette is the Lutheran Women's Missionary Society President.) She found us a service center and we took the camper in to be checked. Parts had to be ordered and they are expected to arrive on Monday. The Hupman's graciously invited us to remain with them until the camper is fixed so we will be spending the weekend here and will enjoy the blessing of worshiping with Lynnette and Don at their church, Bethlehem Lutheran in Manassas. (Nathanael received a haircut to be presentable on Sunday.)

We appreciate the Hupman's generosity, good humor, and easy-going ways. It is a lot of fun being with this wonderful couple.

The temperature in Manassas today is 4 degrees Celsius, 38 degrees Fahrenheit. There is no snow and the grass is actually green. There are some plants and shrubs in the gardens that still have their leaves and seem to be growing. Apparently winter can go either way in Virginia, mild or snowy. Of course we prefer the mild!

Nathanael and I hope to be back on the road by Tuesday, January 13, weather permitting. If all goes well, we expect it will take about three days to get to Florida. Watch for further updates once we get there. Bye for now, everyone.

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Photos

Cross of Christ, Syracuse, N.Y.
Wednesday morning, January 7, dawned with freezing rain.

Arriving at the Hupman's
Lynnette was at the door to greet us as we came up the walkway. What a wonderful welcome!

Nathe Gets A Haircut
Mom just couldn't wait until Florida. It's important to look your best for church.

Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Manassas
We will worship with the Hupman's at their church on Sunday, January 11. We look forward to the fellowship.

Comments

[Lynnette]

Glad to have you visit!
It was wonderful to spend so much time with you and Nathanael. The Lord provided us with so many things to do and I appreciate your willingness to try so many new things. May he continue to bless your travels as you head to Florida.