Stop 14 - Washington DC - The Call

Excited about fasting. Yes, Really! I was very excited to have a chance to fast on the Capitol Mall in Washington DC with 70,000 other people. Despite the lack of physical food, my soul was well nourished and I had an amazing spiritual experience with Jesus. The Call (http://www.thecall.com/) was part of a series of gathering by Christians from around the country to pray for God to bring great blessing and healing to the United States. Although I love the USA and thank God for the many blessings we have in America, several tragic national decisions (slavery, abortion, Native American deportation) have caused innocent bloodshed. A solution to the past mistakes can be found in Joel 2 of the Bible where an entire nation is called to fast and pray for God's forgiveness. In Washington, many people rallied to pray for God to forgive past sins, bring great healing to national divisions, and pour out tremendous blessings on the US government. Besides a radical encounter with God, The Call really gives me hope that better days are ahead for the United States and the people serving in the Federal government.

Stop 13 - London

During my three hour layover in London, I decided to leave Heathrow Airport and take a whirlwind visit to England's capital. By taking a 15 minute express train I found myself in Paddington station. (ie Bourne Ultimatum) After walking around Westminster for 20 minutes and drinking some excellent coffee, I rushed back to Heathrow for my plane to the United States. Along the way, I realized that I may want to learn British for my next trip across the pond. As an example, the picture above is a warning sign for people to not stand to close to approaching trains.

Stop 12 - Koln Germany

The picture was not in Boston, but Germany. My coffee gulping seen above took placed at a Dunkin' Donuts in Koln, and I wanted to have documented proof that you can get American coffee in Europe. (even with English writing on the cup)

Stop - 11 Oradea, Romania

Farmer Weddings. Jeff and I were able to travel with the host family to visit a grandmother in the Transylvania countryside and help with farm work.

Along with harvesting plums and cutting firewood on the farm, Jeff and I were invited to a rural Hungarian wedding. After the church ceremony, the reception reminded me of Bilbo's 111th birthday party in Fellowship of The Ring by JRR Tolkien. The joyful throng paraded to the banquet hall with musicians, singing, and rings of dancing. With appetites enhanced by rigorous dancing the hundreds of guests packed into a hall with long benches for food. At the peak of the evenings festivities a massive three tiered wedding cake with huge sparklers (fireworks) was rolled across the hall like a giant flaming wagon (see picture above). Although I left at 3am, many guests (and elderly grandma's) stayed far longer. The joyful festival of marriage made me wonder how much better heaven's wedding feast in the Bible will be (Revelation 9, The Bible)

Stop 10 - Budapest and Voz in Hungary

While traversing to and from Eastern Europe, we stopped in two amazing Hungarian cities. Visting the Royal Palace, St. Stephen's Church and the Danube were delightful experiences. An even greater attraction to Budapest was the monumental effort to make the city tourist friendly. Before our exit from the train to Budapest, we had a tourism official come to our seat and offer free maps and advice. Furthermore, the city was blanketed with smiling people offering you help finding a hostel. Even more, the food, books and other needed items were far cheaper in the easterly sections of the old Hapsburg Empire.

Later in rural Hungary, we attempted to inject vast quantities of manliness into the trip by hiking a mountian outside of Voz. The picture above is not a cling for life from the mountianside, but simply a human imperession of a monkey. After reaching the top, I surveyed a massive section of the Danube. The picturesque scene reminded me of how God must see the big picture, while people can walk through a dense valley with limited visability. Nature's reminder of God's soverieghn power brought great peace as I spent time praying to a living God.

Stop 9 - Czech Republic

Cross country biking was not as intimidating in Austria. With an Austrian friend at my side, we biked across rural Austria into the Czech Republic. Along the roads, I surveyed the scenic landscape of rural Austria. After a brief stop to eat delicious fruit fresh from the tree, we arrived in the Chezk Republic. An attempt to buy a bottle of water reminded me that some areas of the EU still do not use the Euro (you need crowns in the Czech Republic).

In order to replenish our strength, we stopped at a grandmother's house and had a wonderful meal consisting of black bread, cheese, coffee and fruit. Along with my stomach, my mind also expanded with the hearing our host's stories about life in World War II. Many of the German people from the Czech Republic were secretly killed or expelled to Austria after the war by the local government. Although US troops gave meals to help the refugees, the survivors suffered difficult atrocities. Despite the wounds on the hearts of the survivors, my hope is in the power of Jesus Christ to help both nations apply the healing balm of forgiveness and repentance.

Stop 8 - Croatia and Slovenia

Entry denied! Staff member's from our host church in Vienna heard the preceding statement when they tried to return to he European Union through Slovenia. the visa technicality resulted in several visits to the austrian consulate, nights in a Croatian hostel, and prayer meetings for a safe return. After several days of suspense, Vienna Christian Center was able to celebrate the staff's return on a direct flight to Austria (without the church van).

In response to the lost van, Jeff and I were sent on a rescue mission. Operations stated with a train ride to Zagreb (see picture) and a hunt for the local bus to the airport parking lot. Miraculously, we found the van in great condition and plenty of gas. As we trekked through roads with signs in a foreign language trying to remember the art of driving with a manual transmission, we surveyed the beautiful Balkan countryside and had great fun.

Along the way, we encountered many interesting adventures including entering highway behind a large convoy of cars celebrating a wedding (with lots of random stops). In addition, I saw an amazing traffic light on the main highway which lasted longer than 15 minutes. During the red light, drivers would subsequently leave their cars to talk and smoke only to scramble back in when he light turned green.

Even with the circumstances and adventures god blessed us with safe travel, the ability to drive in the Balkans, and no visa hassles while driving through the same Slovenian border.