Upper Room Dedication

On Sunday, June 22nd, we held an Open House/Dedication for the UPPER ROOM. It took a lot of time and effort in the spring to get it finished and ready, but we are so grateful to have it available for use.

This first picture gives you a glimpse of the stairway up to the room. One of our wonderful volunteers donated this beautiful stained glass window from an old church in the Milwaukee area. He prepared the frame and mounted it in the window space at the bottom on the stairs. It is a fabulous addition as people enter and leave the quiet of the Upper Room.

From this angle you can see how functional this space is for groups...a large table (seats 10-12) near the countertop, sink, and refrigerator and then the comfortable seating for more informal gatherings.

We still need to raise funds to dig a well and install a pump to provide water for the kitchenette and the bathroom in the Upper Room. We would also like to install a gas stove at the far end of the living room space for additonal ambiance and heat in the winter.

On the aftenoon of the celebration, guests placed a rock of remembrance just outside the entrance to the Upper Room as they prayed, thanking God for what He has done in providing such a wonderful place for groups to pray and plan. We cannot describe how much pastors in the area have loved coming to the Upper Room in the past few weeks. Several groups have used it (some a couple of times already). We are also using it as a back up for pastors to use when the Prayer House is full for the day they wanted to come. Resident guests have also spent time up there and enjoyed the quiet, peaceful time with God. Join us in thanking God for each volunteer and each donation that made it possible, and now each pastor who comes...

Something New and Different

Here's the stairway up to the top of Point Betsie Lighthouse. One lady took one look at the 10 story climb on open stairs and left the tour. Another woman got a little queasy about half way up and wanted to leave the tour but couldn't at that point. I thought it was fun.
Here's a shot of the shipwreck just off of South Manitou Island and the boardwalk I enjoyed so much in Manistee...

The winds and the waves kept us in Frankfort for a couple of days. One morning I biked around a bit...they have a pretty bike path from Frankfort to several other towns in the area. Another afternoon we rented mopeds and cruised the county...riding up to the Pointe Betsie Lighthouse, a pretty country club estate, and around Crystal Lake. It was my first experience riding a moped and I loved it.

We also celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary (8/8/69) while in Frankfort. A guest from Cedarly recommeded THE FUSION, an Asian resturant in town, and it was excellent.

On Sunday morning we attended church at a classic pretty little white 150 year old Congregational Church right down town. As it ends up, we knew the pastor ~ she had been at Cedarly as a guest earlier this year.

Leland is a quaint little town, complete with a 140 year old fishing village...lots of cute shops, galleries, and home made ice cream.

Not far away is the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, including North and South Manitou Islands.

The weekend we were stuck in Manitowoc, the EAA Fly in in Oshkosh was taking place. So on Sunday we took off for the day and went over to check it out. Before and after this weeklong event, we see planes flying thru our area making their way to the show. It was fun to see it in action. Lots of planes on the ground and many of planes taking off to head home. There was a large military display area...Warbirds of America. The plane above is one of the B-25s that flew in the Doolittle Raid on Japan 18 April 1942. Late in the afternoon we enjoyed an airshow with 4 or 5 different aerobatic performers showing off and amazing the crowds.

Here's something different...it was windy and cool on the lake as we sailed from Leland to Arcadia. The only way I found to keep the wind at bay was with clothespins. We actually got some pretty nice sun tanning in, but not this day!
That's all for now.

Sailing on Sabbatical

Our sailing trip to Michigan was filled with beauty and wonder, fun and good eating, frustration and work, good weather and not so good weather. But all in all it was a wonderful get away and time to begin to relax and separate from the business and busyness of life and ministry at Cedarly.
We left home on Friday, August 1st, hoping to sail to Michigan on Saturday. But alas, it was not to be...engine trouble, a temporary crown thrown overboard by accident, rough waves developing...and we were headed back to the Manitowoc. It was Wednesday by the time we were ready to sail...with some doubts as to whether or not we were supposed to go. In the end, we were glad we went ahead with the trip. Altogether we were ON the boat for 2 weeks...our longest time aboard. We were actually in Michigan 8 days, docking in Manistee, Frankfort, Leland, and Arcadia. We motor-sailed across from Manitowoc to Manistee, MI (about 56 nm) on a pretty sunny warm day. It took 9 hours and a storm developed in the last 1 - 1 1/2 hours. Fortunately it was just a little rain and wind that cleared soon after we docked at the city marina. We have been to Manistee before and I fell in love with the 2 mile board walk along the river from downtown to the beach. The sunsets are magnificent...one of my favorite things about being in Michigan.

One of the things I love best about sailing is watching for lighthouses ~ and visiting them when we can. I find the history of the lighthouses and the ships they served to be facinating. The stories of the lighthouse keepers and their families was often lonely and difficult, but they saw purpose and meaning in their work.

This trip we were able to see several and visit/tour two. The one above is the Pointe Betsie Lighthouse in Benzie County, just north of Frankfort. It is the 2nd most photographed lighthouse in the USA...and I took my share of pictures. The lighthouse was in operation from 1858-1984 (the last manned lighthouse in mainland Michigan).

The lighthouse below is the South Manitou Island Lighthouse and is a part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. It was in operation from 1871-1958 and was key to the shipping route through the Manitou Passage to Chicago. For many years the Island provided a natural harbor for ships needing a safe refuge and it also was a wood fueling site for steamers.

Twice along the way we had some gas leakage into the engine compartment...a bit disconcerting to say the least. Both times, God placed men in sailboats next to us or across from us in the marinas to give Andy sound advice and encouragement...a wonderful provision.

Along the way we spent many hours thinking, reflecting, and reading. We realized later that we really didn't talk that much. It was our own little mini retreat (minus the services of Mike, the chef). Andy read WALKING WITH GOD ~ John Eldredge's newest book. On our road trip, I plan to read it and we will talk about it as we drive.

I read a variety of books (almost one a day). One of the most challenging ones was a biography about Madame Guyon. She was shunned by her mother, given in marriage as a young teenager to a much older wealthy man, abused by her mother-in-law, and persecuted by church leaders. From 1698 to 1702 she lived in solitary confinement in the notorious Bastille (at the same time and place as the legendary prisoner #64389000, the man with the iron mask). In all, she stayed in prison eight years. Then she lived in exile for the rest of her life. Her crime? She believed that anyone could pray to God any time, any where. She wrote a book calaled A SHORT AND VERY EAST METHOD OF PRAYER.

The Manistee North Pierhead Light has been working, providing a fog signal and a light tower, since 1871. This particular one was actually built in 1927. One of the nights we were there, the waves were 3-5 feet ~ the water looked foreboding, fierce, almost angry. The waves crashed against the breakwater and provided quite a show.

We left for home on Thursday, the 14th. It was a 62 nm trip and took us 10 1/2 hours. The water was completely still and like glass when we left Arcadia. By the time we were 15 miles from Manitowoc, the wind and the waves were pounding the White Iris. We are grateful for favorable winds both ways so we could motor-sail and make good time. We were especially grateful for safe passage.