Hitchhiking with God

Stories in my mind

 

Squirrels are responsible for planting more Oak trees than all humans

 

"Tree squirrels are one of the most important animals for helping oaks spread, because they store acorns in the ground, practically planting baby oak trees," says Smallwood. The researchers note that evidence is accumulating that along with blue jays and a few other small animals, squirrels are important in maintaining and regenerating second-growth oak forests, and may even have been responsible for spreading the vast stands of oak throughout North America.

 

Trucking in Lake effect snow

               

I remember when I was in training for truck driving, and I was driving with my trainer up on I-90 in New York.  It was at night and the roads were perfectly clear and visibility was as far as my headlights could reach.  My trainer, Michael, was in the passenger seat next to me.

                All of a sudden, it became white out conditions.  A Lake Effect snow squall hit us hard.  My windshield became covered in snow almost instantly.  Michael scrambled to help clear it for me.  The wipers were no help.  Michael managed to get a small spot opened up down low in the window.  All I could see were the warning tracks on the side of the road covered in snow.  I could make out the ridges enough to follow them.  I drove that way for what seemed like forever.

                Then it ended.  The road cleared and there was not even a snowflake on the road.  We worked on getting the rest of the windshield cleared off and finished the drive for the night. Didn’t see any more snow for the rest of the night.

 

 

I was once a follower of satan

               

It was in the mid 1980’s.  I had graduated from South Royalton High School just a few years ago in 1981.  I had found myself interested in spiritual things.  I started researching the occult.  One or two books on different subjects, here and there, eventually found me with a copy of the satanic bible, written by anton leyve.  I was hungry for spiritual power.  I figured that the devil would give me power sooner than God, because he needs all the help he can get. 

I believed in God.  I believed in the devil.  I knew that they are at war with each other.  And I knew that God was stronger.  My thing at the time, is that I knew nothing about God and His salvation.  I wasn’t even looking for salvation.  Didn’t even know what that meant.  Jesus was a name I did not even know.  I just knew that God existed.

I found myself doing some rituals and chants or whatever one day in the summer of 1983, and I was feeling very spiritual.  I had a boldness in my being and decided to put a challenge before God and the devil.  I lifted up a prayer to both of them at the same time. “Whoever of the both of you, will give me spiritual power first, I will follow you.”, were the words that came out of my mouth. 

I can imagine that the enemies of God that were influencing my life up to that point were sitting there happy as can be from the little bit of stuff I was doing out of the satanic bible.  I was not a serious follower.  I might do a few chants or prayers now and then, but really not much.  But they were happy to be leading me in the direction I was going.

Then I lifted up my prayer.  They might have first thought I was going in the way they wanted me too.  Lifting up another prayer to them.  And after, they might have taken a second or two to realize that I was sending them a prayer.  But then they saw who else was copied in.  I think they shuddered to the depths of their being.  They realized at that moment, that I had opened a door of invitation, for God to come into my life.

Within six months, I was saved by the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.  The only One True God. 

Having lifted up my prayer, I continued to seek out following the devil.  Since I figured he needed my help more.  Within a couple of months I felt a draw to leave where I lived in Connecticut, and move to Alaska.  My goal was to become a Hermit searching out spiritual power.  Live out in the wilderness.  I was in no way prepared or ready to do such a thing, but I was determined to go.  I sold everything I had, which was not much, and proceeded to buy a bus ticket for as far as I could get on my journey to Alaska.  I had enough to get me to Seattle, WA. 

I made it to Seattle, and near the bus stop, there was a book store.  It had been my habit to go look in the occult section of any book store I went into.  I went in.  Looking through what they had to offer, I found a book that basically said you could tell God what to do.  I purchased it leaving only a couple of dollars left to my name.

My journey continues.  Having no money, I proceeded to hitchhike to get further north toward Alaska.  Having made it to the Canadian border, I was not allowed to legally enter Canada, because I did not have enough money in my pocket to support myself if I ended up in Canada instead of Alaska.  I then walked south of the crossing point to where they could not see me and stuck my thumb out.  I was hoping someone would pick me up and I could ride through in their car.

Standing out there for just a little while, a car stopped.  A Canadian couple were driving home to Canada with their groceries.  It was less expensive to buy them in the US.  However, they would not be allowed to enter with purchases from the US without paying taxes on them.  They had a different plan.  There was a border road that followed the border on the US side.  They were going to drive out there for a ways and drop the groceries off over the fence on the Canadian side.  They offered to let me wait with the groceries, and then they would pick me up after they crossed into Canada.  I accepted the offer and hopped over the fence with the food.  There was a similar border road on the Canada side.  They returned to the spot in a short time on the Canadian side.  Picked up the food and me and continued north into Canada.  About an hour north of there, they dropped me off and set off on the rest of their way home.

Up to this point I had not had a chance to look into my book.  I was in southern British Columbia, Canada.  About 3 hours east of Vancouver.  I decided that I would pause my journey north for a moment.  I found a quiet place in the nearby woods and started reading the book.  The very first chapter stressed the importance that you have a very good relationship with God.  This idea struck an accord with me, and that became my goal.  Seeking out how to do that.

                An idea came into my head that I would seek out a church that would give me a place to stay long enough for them to teach me about God.  In exchange I would offer to do odd jobs around the church.  I was in this small town with what looked like a few churches.  I went to one, not knowing anything about anything regarding churches.  No one was there.  I found a couple others with the same result.  Then I came to a Catholic church.  There was a priest inside.  I explained to him what I was seeking, and he said that there was no way their church could accommodate my request.  However there was a Roman Catholic Monastery, about 2 hours west of there, in Mission, BC that might to be able to help me out.

                As soon as he told me this, I immediately knew this was the right direction to follow.  Maybe about four hours later(I was hitchhiking), I found myself walking onto the grounds of the Monastery.  Upon entering one of the buildings, I found one of the priests who was there to greet people.  I explained to him my request.

                Westminster Abbey was a busy place.  They had a seventy room guest house there, which was open for groups to come and have retreats.  They ran a seminary, so there were the instructors who live there.  They had their own quarters, along with the rest of the full time residents, separate from the rest of the main activity areas.  They operated a small farm, which they used to raise much of the food they ate.  Everybody had a job or function they performed throughout each day.  They had regular services in the church.  Most of them were attended by just the brethren.  Some of the services had regular people attend who were from outside of the community.  This is just a small part of what I walked into. 

Having explained to the priest, Father Francis, what I was seeking to do, he said that he would need to talk to someone about what they could do for me.  He left and came back a short time later to let me know that they would put me up in one of the rooms in the guest house.  Over the course of just a few days, I was living the life of a monk. I was present for a few of the services they had each day. I ate meals with them, and worked on tasks during the day.

I did not live in the cloister, which is what you call the full time residence section of the building.  And I did not attend all of the services they attended.  Especially the 5am service.  I was assigned to work with Brother Steven as part of my daily responsibilities.  They must have figured that I would quit and leave being assigned that task.

Brother Steven was a former Mason.  He was built like a horse.  He had lived most of his life as a mason.  Up to about age 50 when he decided to enter the monastery.  He was a very humble, peaceful man.  Very easy to work with, but with one catch:  Brother Steven was given all the dirty, horrible jobs that no one else wanted to do.  And me, by assignment, was called upon to help.

The Abbot of the monastery took a liking to me.  He had one of the priests assigned to teach me the Catholic Catechism.  Maybe a couple times a week.  Over the course of about two months, I had been instructed very thoroughly on the doctrine of Jesus Christ and all that the church believes in regards to who He is as God, and what His salvation means to all mankind.  Part one of the Catholic Catechism.

This of course led me to want what Jesus offers me.  Salvation and rebirth to become one with Him.  On November 12, 1983, during a Roman Catholic confirmation service, I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, as well as the anointing of the Holy Spirit.  I became Born Again.

Being the time of the year that it was, the Advent or Christmas season, my time with the priest teaching me the catechism was put on hold.  Part one was done, but there is much more to the catechism.  Teachings about the Catholic Church and the sacraments.  Following the saints and other similar doctrines.  Normally they would not have confirmed anyone until the whole catechism is learned, but they made an exception with me.  For unknown reasons.  God knows.

At the end of December of 1983, the Abbot met with me and said that I should find some sort of devotion to follow.  As well as to continue with the catechism.  Devotions could mean prayer to Mary or some other saint.  At this point I agreed.

Within 24 hours, God came to me and said it was time to leave.  I did not know it, but He had other teachings and devotions for me to follow.  I informed the Abbott that God had directed me to leave, but he was not convinced.  He advised me to stay longer, but God had already made up my mind.

January 1^st, 1984.  North America was in the middle of a severe cold spell.  Pipes were freezing in Dallas. The whole region was well below average.  This is when I started my journey hitchhiking back to Vermont.  Being that is was so cold I planned to travel south first to get into less cold air.  I made my way down to the southern tier states in the US.  Finding myself on I-10, I started east.  When I got to Mississippi, I started Northeast toward New England.  The whole trip took me seven days.

During this trip, I was sticking my thumb out east of Dallas.  A young soldier picked me up who was headed for Meridian, Mississippi.  Him and his wife managed a small motel there, and he was stationed at the base in Meridian.  Some way into the trip, he offered me a room for the night at the motel and dinner with his wife at their place.  By the end of that day, that’s where I was.  Over the course of dinner I explained to them where I had just been.  My salvation and the teachings I had learned while at the monastery.  They asked me if I knew about the bible.

I had, but the Catholic Church does not promote free reading of the bible.  Yes, you know about the bible from the teachings they want you to know, but not the whole thing.  The husband and his wife presented to me the benefits of reading the bible.  They also gave me a green Gideon’s pocket bible of Psalms, Proverbs and the New Testament.  I spent the night with them and departed in the morning.  I thanked them for their blessings and left with the written word to guide me into all of God’s blessings and direction for my life.  I ate that book up.  Every chance I had I was reading it.

First, God introduced me to His Son, Jesus Christ.  Having received Him as Lord, He then gave me a treasure map to find the richest blessings of spiritual power through salvation and the guidance of His Holy spirit.

God answered my prayer, and gave me pure, Holy spiritual power.  The greatest and most powerful gift of salvation, through the death and resurrection of His Son.  No power can match this gift found only in the Holy, One True God I prayed to.  The devil had his chance.  He had to bow down to the name of Jesus Christ.