Lower 48 Road Trip: Ohio and Pennsylvania

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” -Galatians 6:9

When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Lord raises up a standard against him (Isaiah 59:19). Have you been “flooded by trouble” before? Has the Lord raised up a standard for you? What does that look like practically? Over the past couple of weeks, I have been inundated with trouble and overwhelmed by the trials of life. In the midst of my distress, I leaned into Jesus. Do you know what he did? He surrounded me with his presence and spoke encouraging words to my soul. He directed me to this beloved set of verses which gave me hope: “I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. ‘All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you’ ” (Isaiah 41:9-13). It gives me such peace to know God fights for me, helps me and gives me strength. Did you know these promises are for you as well? Grab ahold of these verses today and make them yours. God knows we grow weary, but he does not leave us alone. He comes alongside us, takes our hand and leads us in His strength. Praise the Lord! If you are feeling overwhelmed, exhausted and weak, call on his name and you will find his mercy. He is so near to each one of us.

I was amazed at how the Lord gave us strength on this road trip. We were on the move almost constantly and were totally exhausted, and yet, the Lord provided just enough energy to keep going for another day. I am so glad we persevered and did not give up. I can’t imagine missing out on all the beautiful people and places we encountered. Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” How encouraging! Let’s keep going friends! We will not back down or give up. We are Overcomers in Jesus!

Speaking of beautiful people and places, check out our road trip adventures from the wonderful states of Ohio and Pennsylvania below!

Ohio: is the “heart of America.” I found Ohio to be very refreshing. We really enjoyed our time in this state. We camped in the countryside near Butler and stopped at the rustic Wolf Creek Grist Mill in Mohican State Park. We enjoyed exploring the old mill, cabins and equipment. Then we drove through the beautiful town of Millersburg on our way to Hershberger’s Farm and Bakery in Amish country. I absolutely love this farm store and bakery! They have all kinds of handmade goods, but I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount and variety of homemade foods like jams, snacks, cheeses, pies, donuts and candies. It was heavenly! I honestly wish I lived closer so I could be a frequent customer (although I do think they have a limited online store). We loved seeing the Amish living their everyday lives in old-fashioned garb and driving horses and buggies. I also loved waving to the them in their buggies as we drove by and watching them wave back. What a joy!

From there, we drove up to Cleveland. We made our way through downtown, passed by Browns Stadium and walked around Voinovich Bicentennial Park on Lake Erie. The views of the lake and city were gorgeous. Even though the area was pretty, I could feel the spirit of depression over Cleveland. My prayer is for hope and joy to come to this city! Lastly, we headed up to the adorable little town of Geneva-on-the-Lake. The town has a fun and festive atmosphere that reminds me of a classic seaside town. There are restaurants, souvenir shops, arcades and a Ferris wheel overlooking Lake Erie. It is a family-friendly destination. Overall, we had a wonderful time in Ohio and I would love to go back sometime.

Pennsylvania: is a “special state.” Our nation began and was saved in this state. As we drove through it, the name “TRUMP” came to me in all capital letters for emphasis. I believe the Lord was highlighting to me the importance of President Trump in this state. Trump has had, and will have, victory here. What is so fascinating to me is that I received his name here in the summer of 2023, almost a year before his assassination attempt in Butler. I really feel like God was giving me a clue to pay attention to President Trump in Pennsylvania. Isn’t it incredible how God knows the end from the beginning? Let’s watch to see what else God will do here with President Trump in the months to come.

We first popped into Pennsylvania when we left Ohio and were heading up to New York. In Erie, there is a peninsula that juts out into Lake Erie called Presque Isle State Park. The views of the lake from this state park are stunning. We drove up to see the Presque Isle Lighthouse, had lunch and quickly snapped a few pictures before getting on the road again.

Two weeks later, we were back in Pennsylvania on the east side of the state. Gabe and I are big fans of The Office, so we just had to go to Scranton to see the landmarks from the show! We toured around Lake Wallenpaupack, Cooper’s Seafood House, the Penn Paper tower, The Marketplace at Steamtown (The Steamtown Mall), Poor Richard’s Pub (which is located inside a bowling alley), Alfredo’s Pizza (Café) and Lake Scranton. The bartender at Poor Richard’s told us Brian Baumgartner (who plays Kevin Malone) was just in the pub recently to promote his chili cookbook. In fact, he said Brian comes into the pub every few months to visit! It was so much fun to see what the real places in Scranton look like and to see memorabilia from the show around town. There also happened to be an Italian festival going on in the Lackawanna County Courthouse Square the day we were there, so we definitely enjoyed some gelato. The next day, we made it over to Chocolate World in Hershey. We took the free factory tour, and shopped in the chocolate store of our dreams! There is a whole theme park, but we didn’t have enough time for it, so we bought some candy and made our way to The Amish Farm and House near Lancaster. This place was way overrated! Pennsylvania is known for its Amish country, but this Amish attraction seemed overly commercialized. We did see a few Amish people in the area, but since we had already been to Ohio, we were not impressed. If you want to see real Amish country, go to Ohio and you will not be disappointed. As we headed for the Philly area, we passed right by Longwood Gardens, where the fugitive Danelo Cavalcante was on the loose (we saw cops driving at high speeds and staked out on certain roads). It was interesting to see that situation unfold while we were in the area.

In Philadelphia, we toured Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed, and saw the Liberty Bell. It’s such a special place all Americans should experience at some point. While we were walking back to our van after our tour, we passed a man sitting on some steps who was crying with his head in his hands. He looked homeless, but he didn’t appear to be on drugs or any substances. Even though our parking meter time was almost up, we felt compelled to talk to him. We got down next to Leonard and comforted him. We talked to him about Jesus and he told us he comes from generations of pastors. He knew God had called him to ministry, but he was running from this call. He had tried all sorts of different religions, but he knew the truth. He told us the bookstore across the street was where he received his first Bible when he was young. We prayed with him and he prayed as well. God poured his grace upon him and he decided he was ready to pick up his mantle as a pastor and leader. It was such a powerful, sweet moment. As we started walking back to the van, we saw the meter maid coming. Leonard walked with us and started telling the meter maid not to give us a ticket because we had stopped to help him. What God did in his heart was precious. Moments like this gave our trip eternal significance. Think of how we had to be at the right place, at the right time, in order to meet Leonard. How good is our God! Before we left the city, we grabbed some Philly cheesesteak sandwiches at Oh Brother, where a very drunk homeless man sat down and talked to us. It was clear that he was hurting. He thanked me for listening to him and gave me a flower as a token of his appreciation. Even though it was an uncomfortable situation, God used us to show him love and kindness.

That’s all for now, friends! I have more great states coming for you next week! See you then!