The lazy life in Florida is stirring.
Major changes may be on the immediate horizon, but things could also
stay the same for a while. For now, I'm waiting to see how job
opportunities pan out. I've just used my savings and tax return to
pay off the last of my credit card debt, so it's nice to be
debt-free, but it's also a little unnerving to be broke. I've got
enough work for now, but I need a plan.
Plan “A” has been that I would
return to the Canadian border in the spring and re-start the
walkabout as originally planned, tracing the eastern coastline all
the way to the bottom of Argentina. A few weeks ago I met a man named
David Lewis who has probably changed the course of my entire life.
David has traveled extensively around the world and seems to have
intimate knowledge of every significant location on the globe. When
he heard my walkabout plan, he suggested that I forget about walking
through the Americas and look towards Europe instead. I brushed it
off at first. I already had a plan laid out and a route mapped for my
trek to the far end of South America; I usually prefer to stick with
a familiar plan rather than change things up mid-course. But, the
more I thought about it the better the idea sounded. I still haven't
thought of a good way to circumvent the dangerous areas in South
America where I'd be likely robbed several times a week. In Europe,
that wouldn't be such a major concern. Walking down through the
United States would be fun, mostly because I have many friends to
visit all along the way, but that's only the beginning of the trip;
once I left the US, I would still have many thousands of miles
through unfamiliar jungles and wasteland in Central and South America. Europe, on the other hand, would have more frequent towns and villages where I could resupply
and find odd-jobs. Survival can be a very persuasive factor, but the
biggest advantage to me was the historic land marks. From the very
beginning, this whole adventure has been about studying the Bible and
learning more about God and Christianity. Walking South America would
be an exercise in solitude and jungle survival(not exactly conducive for scholarship), but Europe is packed
full of ancient churches, significant landmarks, and historic sites.
I'm mostly interested in literal Bible scholarship rather than church
history, but the history does reveal how Christianity came to be so
off-base and contrary to the original Bible. If I can grow to better
understand how we got to be this way, maybe I will understand how to
restore our beliefs back to the pure teachings of Christ and the true
messages of Scripture. This has been my life's passion for many
years, and a walk through Europe and into the Holy Land would give me
the best possible education for that mission.
After much thought, prayer, and
deliberation I have finally decided that I want to continue my
walkabout on the other side of the puddle, but this introduces
several new factors to consider. The first is expense. Not only do I
need a way to get there, but general expenses in Europe would be
higher. It's also unfamiliar territory, and I won't have a string of
friends to visit along the way. With all these complications, I'm
feeling like I am not ready to leave right away. I need time to plan
this out and I need to save up some finances to pay for it all. So my
plan is to wait a year and travel to Europe next spring to start in
England and work my way to the mainland and south toward France and
finally east toward Israel visiting historic Christian sites along
the way.
That leaves me in another dilemma.
Where should I spend this next year working? I could probably get my
summer job back at the golf course in Maine, so that's one option,
but even in the summer, the climate in Maine is a lot cooler than I
prefer. To be honest, I'd really like to stay here in Florida. I love
the community here at Sunsport Gardens and I love my church here
where I've been getting involved. I feel at home here like I can't
remember ever feeling before. I could make a home here and finally
start a family. Honestly, if I spend the next year here, it's going
to tear me apart when I have to move on next spring. I can easily see
myself settling down right here and forgetting about the entire
walkabout. I've thought about it, and it's tempting, very tempting.
But then I think about all I'd miss. The people and places I'd never
see and the lessons I'd never learn. It's easy to give up the unknown
in favor of security, but I'm not ready to do that yet. The fear of a
stagnant life keeps my heart on the horizon. As much as I long for a
settled life, it's too early. Someday I'll settle down, maybe, but
not yet.
So, the new plan is to head to Europe
next spring. Mary-Anne doesn't think she will have enough work to
keep me fully employed all summer, so I'm trying to get a regular job
in the area, but if I can't find work here, there's still a
possibility of returning to Maine for the summer. Right now it's all
up in the air. As usual. Please pray with me for wisdom, guidance,
and provision through the coming months.
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