Lana & Cherie's Algonquin Adventure - Part 2

So, I told you about the killer portage, and the drive down, and our angel in disguise. The rest of this is pretty disjointed, so hang on as I change gears frequently.

Here is a song I wrote if any of you want to compose the music.

Sing to the Lord sweet praises
Offer them up as incense burning
Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving
Come to His throne and worship
Worthy is the Lamb
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
Worthy is the Risen Lamb
Worthy is the Lamb
Sing to the Lord sweet praises
Worship Him with all your might
Sing to the Lord with rejoicing
Give Him all honour and glory and praise
Worthy is the Lord
Worthy is the Almighty One
Who was and is and is to come
Worthy is the Lord

This trip was different from all the others (of course); I'm still trying to process how different, exactly. Primarily it was a difference in my perception of God. I go to Algonquin to meet with Him. That may sound funny to some of you, and I don't mean to imply that God can only be found in the wilderness or that I only speak to Him once a year. What I mean, is that Algonquin is my personal mecca. Because I often go just by myself, I rely on God to look after me. Physically as well as spiritually. And this trip was different, maybe because I didn't have to search so hard to find Him.

My last night there, I had this dream:

I dreamed about a kingdom in trouble. My partner and I were there to help and we were to be given anything they could provide that would aid us. One eager young lady brought us a device that was used to make a straight line - to underline a book. It looked kind of like a giant paper press (seal) or a 3-ring paper punch. All metal; heavy and bulky. It even had a ruler, about 4 or 5 inches long, welded to the top. I asked the lady if a simple ruler wouldn't be easier and she agreed that it would, but there were none in the kingdom. I called for a servant, and gave directions for a metal ruler to be fashioned. I wanted it 12 inches long, 2 inches wide, and marked off into quarter inch segments. He left terrified and throughout the rest of my dream, I had an awareness of him and how his quest was transpiring. He'd gone to the blacksmith - who had said he could accomplish the making of this ruler, but now he was delaying and the servant was growing angry with him, and threatening him with the Queen. Meanwhile, back at the palace, we heard something loud approaching through the air. This was a medieval kingdom - it shouldn't have planes or helicopters! I looked through an open window, high up on the wall, and saw a small blimp. I think there was an elephant logo (a pink elephant, with tiny wings) on it's side. "They" (the bad guys from the neighbouring kingdom, who were making war against "our" kingdom) had somehow acquired this circus blimp and made it work. They flew over the courtyard and dropped a couple of large baskets or crates down - they split open upon landing and all kinds of treats came spilling out. I was aware that as they flew on, over the town area full of peasants and "common folk", they dropped more crates full of treats and treasures. So my partner and I checked out the things that had been dropped in our courtyard. One was full of ice cream - mango and peach and chocolate and others, in all kinds of tempting combinations, plus other goodies like pies and cakes and candies. I don't remember what was in the second basket. Not food. But maybe books or something that held knowledge we could benefit from. My partner was "in charge" of this second basket - exploring its contents. I went to the kitchen and started tasting all the ice creams. They were all delicious and I began to get carried away - pigging out - until my partner came and she tasted a few things. She agreed they were delicious, but she was focused on the second basket, and I went with her to ponder over that.

I also want to sing the praises of my tent. It's a solo tent by LL Bean and I simply love it. It was obviously designed by someone smart, someone who has actually camped, and is aware of what is needed in a tent. It's quite roomy inside, a large rectangle. With the rain fly on, you also have two large vestibules for your gear. Without the fly, you can look up at the stars through the mesh top. I'm going to check if they make a 2-man version!

My final account of our Adventure: the journey home. It rained all day. It rained while we were packing up. It rained all during the 3 hour portage, in the mud, with the mosquitoes, carrying everything ourselves. It rained during our canoeing back to the parking lot. The sun came out once we had the truck loaded. I want to remember this rain. How it came suddenly, fierce and hard. You couldn't look up during this squall - the rain hit your face and eyes and blinded you. I looked down, into the bottom of my canoe, and watched the water level rise. What is the purpose of all this rain, Lord? We are already wet. Soaked even. Saturated. All our stuff is wet, too. And now my canoe is filling up. This is really speaking to me, but I'm not sure exactly what the message is. And then I hear my Lord to say to me, "You are the rain, Cherie". This rain - this penetrating, soaking, relentless rain. This rain that doesn't give up, doesn't quit even after it has seemingly accomplished its purpose. This rain that pours out an abundant overflow. My Lord has equipped me to pour out His rain into the lives of His people, and not just into their lives, but into their spheres of influence, and even into their vehicles of ministry. Wow. You're so cool, God.