What Lies Ahead?

I slept in at the Day's Inn. After getting up and finishing my laundry I took a soak in the hot tub. It really did feel good.

I had a Belgian Waffle at the continental breakfast in the hotel. I hadn't had a real waffle in years. I liked it more than I remembered. I like everything that doesn't require boiling water to make, better than I remember.

I called Diane as I was preparing to leave. My next scheduled stop was a Bed and Breakfast in Litchfield. She called for me and found out it was no longer in business. Diane asked me what I was going to do. I thought for a moment and asked her to start calling churches and see if they had any idea what I could do for tonight.

No problem. Diane to the rescue. She called the United Methodist Church in Litchfield and talked to the church secretary, a very nice lady whose name I think was Caroline. She said that they would love to have me and that Pastor Mike is a great guy. She also said that if I made it by 6:30 they would have dinner for me.

Real food had become a strong motivator for me after the first three days of rice, noodles and cup of soup. I would have to cover 11 miles in record time to make it in time for dinner. If I skipped a couple of breaks I had a chance.

Three days on the road had proved to be a charm.

It was a beautiful day and all went well. I kept my normal pace and took less breaks. I timed it perfectly. I think the Lord had a lot to do with it. I arrived at exactly 6:30 p.m.

The church had prepared a Lenten dinner as part of ministering for the community this evening and I know one fellow who benefited both physically and spiritually. For dinner I had chili, turkey soup, chicken soup, sausage and sauerkraut soup, bread, butter and three kinds of dessert. Clearly the Methodists know how to put on a Lenten dinner.

I talked to Pastor Mike for about 15 minutes before I realized he was the Pastor. He is a great guy and shows his godliness with a good spirit and a great personality for people. He was a joy to talk with and proved to be a good listener as well. For those of you who know me, I like to talk once I get going.

His wife is also in the ministry and she spends half of her week near Lansing taking care of her flock so she was not at home. I had a good nights sleep in their son's bed. He is a student at Albion college and lives in a dorm there.

Mike fed me a nice breakfast before we headed out that morning. On the way back to my starting point for the day, Pastor Mike followed the trail I would be walking for the next few days. We stopped in Albion to see his son. He showed me the Pastor of the Homer United Methodist's church and parsonage.

When we arrived back in downtown Litchfield we said our goodbyes and once again I was on my way.

Diane called the Homer church and made arrangements with Pastor Tom for that evenings lodgings. I had a long day ahead as once again I had 11 miles to cover.

The Lord was on my mind a lot today as I walked through the countryside. I thought about my conversations with Pastor Mike and how nice his church family was to me. Church people continue to be the best.