Sweet Sailing

Captain Dave... actually he just got to take the wheel for a time.

Pastor Greg and his lovely daughter, Naomi.

While we were parked in Mims, Florida, we sang at Pastor Greg's church, Christ Lutheran in Cape Canaveral.  During our conversation it came up that he has a ministry apart from his regular church duties - he owns a sailboat called Freedom. Of course we followed that up by figuring out how we could get a ride. Later in the week, we sailed with Captain Greg and Naomi around the Indian River area for two hours and quite honestly I could have gone for two more.  If you are in the Cape Canaveral area, check out Freedom Sailing Adventures.

Pastor Greg loves sailing and grew up around boats.  He has always wanted to sail.  Then the Lord impressed upon him to become a pastor; he chose the ministry thinking his sailing days were over.  How good is our faithful Father to give Greg his hearts desire to sail, and be a pastor.  Whatever is in your heart ask your heavenly Father who loves you more than you could ask or imagine.  

Home Town

This is Jeff, we were laughing while smiling...

Better

Jeff is a teacher at Trinity in Holly Hills, Florida.  He grew up in West Bend! I grew up in West Bend, too - about twenty years apart. 

When I asked about his experience at St. John's Lutheran School, which we both attended, he credited the teachers with sharing Jesus, giving him a great foundation for life.  In his post high school years, he drifted away from the Lord.  When the Lord brought to mind his early years and St. John's, the Lord reeled him back with fond memories of caring teachers and a Christian church family.  He attended college, became a teacher, and now Mr. Potter is enjoying year five of teaching.  

It was a joy to watch him with the children, he is a caring Christian man who is on a mission to win souls for the Lord!  

I enjoyed my years at St. John's, too.  While there I made life-long friends and gained confidence to be a Christian in real life.  In my college years I moved away from the Lord, but you know that Good Shepherd... He found me and pulled me back through the love of dear people in Corvallis, Oregon, at Zion Lutheran.  Thanks be to God, the journey continues.

If you are a teacher and you are reading this, please do not despair of ever reaching and making a difference for the children you teach.  Your prayers and dedication may take awhile to take root. But with the Lord helping you, it will make a difference. It made a difference for these two. 

Butrico Groves - Fresh Oranges

The machinery on the right is used to clean the fresh-picked fruit.

Butrico Groves is located very close to our campground in Mims, Florida.  
We met the owners, Lee and Barbara, and were delighted by their testimony of how the Lord worked in their lives moving them from Virginia, to become Orange farmers in Scottsmoor, Florida. Click on the link above to read the newspaper article.

Our bag of fruit is like the one on the right - $7.00  :)

Dave grew up driving Farmall on the farm and always likes to meet a Farmall man.  

This young man prides himself on carrying produce right to your car.

Isn't this fruit beautiful?  It is mighty yummy - see the partially eaten tangelo, Dave and I ate that.  We are hoping to get through our current bag of fruit so we can stock up before we leave the Cape Canaveral/Titusville area.

A Day at the Beach

Great Egrets, Roseate Spoonbill, Snowy Egret, all in one shot.  What a great birding day.

When we entered Florida, my birding goal was to see a Roseate Spoonbill - we can leave now!  Happily, our time in Florida, will last until mid-March. :)

Nope, that is not a hunk of wood! 

A look at the saltwater flats

A trail within the National Seashore Nature Park.

Do you see what I see? 

Sharing

The bananas have been used to provide perspective and eyebrows

While parked in Jacksonville, Otto, stopped by to give us some oranges from the tree in his backyard.  

This country is like a box of chocolates, you just never know what you will get! When we were in Washington state, we were given fresh sea scallops; in Oregon, it was plums right off the tree as well as pick your own produce; in Georgia, pecans from my cousin's tree; in California we were given wine from the Steinbeck Winery. Our Heavenly Father cares for us and provides such a variety of gifts. There is so much for which to be grateful and like a box of chocolates, you never know what He will do or provide. We are humbled by the generous people we have met in our travels. They open their hands and joyfully share.