THE HEAVILIN HERALD
JULY, 2005

 

This has been a month of enjoying God’s delight in a variety of country. Last month we enjoyed His creation of snow capped mountains, beautiful waterfalls and hundreds and hundreds of antelope grazing in fields of green. In June we have traveled from the water wonderlands of Michigan, through Indiana, into the beautiful rolling hills in the Amish country of Ohio.
 
The scenes have moved from Amish horse and buggies complete with families coming home from a Sunday meeting to busy freeways of modern day cars and other fast moving vehicles.

 

We have wandered through the various shops displaying handmade quilts and furniture to hand woven baskets and other beautifully finished crafts. I have also watched caravans of completely modern “houses on wheels” parade by our RV windows as I sat using my computer and checking my e-mail.

 

We drove by an exotic animal farm in Berlin, Ohio. We visited Walnut Creek Mennonite Church in Walnut Creek, Ohio on Sunday morning. We were guests of friends we had met when we visited the area last fall.

 

We traveled The National Road authorized in the Jefferson administration of 1806. The road took us through towns with houses built right up against the road. Obviously these buildings were not built with room for a state highway in mind. Nor was the road built with 39' RV’s in mind.

 

We parked at Granite Hill RV Park near Gettysburg, PA. We have visited there many times before but there always seems to be more to explore in that history-filled area. We took the tour to the Eisenhower Farm. We had visited there before, but that time it was raining, so we spent very little time outside. This time we walked the path from Farm #1 to Farm #2 and discovered that Ike was very interested in raising cattle to show in competitions. There were many blue ribbons displayed that confirmed his success, and also a nice display of farm machinery from the 1950's and 60's.

 

We took a walking tour of Civil War churches. This is a fairly new tour, but extremely successful. We highly recommend this tour. Nearly all of the churches and public buildings in Gettysburg were turned into hospitals during the battle in July. Can you imagine a town of 2400 in 1863 being left with more than 22,000 wounded soldiers to care for even after the battle moved to another area? Many of the churches we visited presented stories of people’s recollections of that time. We visited an Episcopal church, a Catholic church, a Lutheran Church, and an AME Zion church.  We learned that the African Methodist Episcopal Zion denomination was established when blacks were not allowed to pray at the altar and were required to sit or stand in the balconies of many established churches. As I listened to the very moving reports basically “In their own words,” I couldn’t help but be amazed about how differently this country approached war a hundred and forty years ago. And it was a war on our own soil. Glen and I have visited this area four or five times now, but I still have the feeling I am walking on hallowed ground. 

 

We had the privilege of attending a Living History presentation at the National Cemetery. The young guide quite easily convinced us to walk through a time warp with him as he took on the persona of a Sargent who fought in the Civil War. He led us through the cemetery, marker to marker, as he reminisced of his friends who had died in the war.  In the off season this young man is a junior high social studies teacher. If his teaching is even half as good as his acting, his students are very fortunate to have him teach their classes.

 

We found out recently that our son-in-law was appointed as a superior court judge of California. We will have the privilege of attending his swearing in ceremony in Sacramento on July 5. Mike is a young man who loves the Lord, and we are holding him and his family up in prayer. Mike also recently completed a 100 mile endurance race in 25 hours and 44 minutes. I thought I was doing well to walk a mile in twenty minutes!

 

We just got an e-mail from Matt and his family from Alaska. They actually drove to the Arctic Ocean, 400 miles on dirt roads! It appears we have a very adventurous family. I am proud of all of their accomplishments, but these days the height of my adventures is driving in New Jersey! That’s adventure enough for me.

 

When I visited Harvest House Publishers in April, they told me they have decided to reintroduce Roses In December in the Spring. They have asked me to write two new chapters on the death of a loved one to AIDS and to suicide. As you can see, my summer’s work is well planned.

 

We arrived at Keswick on June 20. We feel we have come home. Our former parking spot was all ready for us and we have settled in for the summer. We have been here a week and have enjoyed watching two of the men at Keswick, Bill Welte, the Executive Director, and Robert Hayes, the music director, participate in a fund raising effort of playing piano for six hours, non-stop, with no music. Nearly $16,000 was raised. We attended a couples’ conference, attended a dinner concert with Stewart Neil, an outstanding operatic tenor, and did a week’s worth of radio interviews. All in the first week!  I hope you will take time to check out the Keswick website. www.americaskeswick.org. It is our prayer that some of you will come to Keswick this summer to enjoy the conference programs. If you visit, I know you will begin to understand what draws us back here every summer.

 

I am also working on another dollhouse. Progress has been hindered somewhat because of the rain and subsequent humidity. The glue doesn’t want to set when the weather is so warm. Thank goodness we have air-conditioning in the RV.

 

Please pray with us that our trip to Sacramento, July 4-6, will be safe and uneventful.

 

In His love,

 

Marilyn and Glen Heavilin