“The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” -Genesis 2:15
For better or worse, fall is definitely here now. Even though September is not my favorite month, it has been an eventful month for sure. With the Trump and Harris debate, ABC whistleblower, second assassination attempt on President Trump and teams of assassins currently in the United States targeting Trump, things are really heating up this month. What a crazy election year we are having, but I’m not surprised… are you? On a personal note, I recently traveled to New Mexico for a family reunion and to Austin, Texas for our friends’ wedding. Traveling can be exhausting, but after a few days at home, I am finally feeling refreshed and trying to get into the idea of the fall season. I’m not quite into it yet, but I’m getting there. In busy and trying times like these, I regularly remind myself to keep my eyes on Jesus. When life is so distracting, it can be hard to stay focused on Him, but it’s always worth the effort. Problems that look like mountains seem to shrink into molehills when our eyes are on Jesus. Stress gives way to peace in His presence. Fear melts into trust when we remember His faithfulness. Worries become prayers of faith when we shift our gaze to Him. Overwhelming to-dos narrow into a few important tasks when we follow His lead. Even though our world is so unstable right now, we can breathe easy knowing we are held by the One who holds it all together. How sweet is this reality!
This perspective helps me stay focused on what’s important each week. Honestly, this road trip writing project is much more work than I initially thought it would be. As I stay in peace, persist and refuse to give up despite the obstacles, God is providing strength and energy to keep going. I feel there is great purpose in sharing what God thinks about these 48 states, and I hope our adventures will inspire you to get out and see more of our beautiful United States of America. Next up on this journey are the wonderful states of Connecticut, New Jersey and Delaware. Enjoy!
Connecticut: They are “people who welcome me.” Our first stop in Connecticut was in the historic town of Mystic, which was made famous from the movie Mystic Pizza. This movie was considered to be one of Julia Roberts breakout films and it was inspired by an actual restaurant called Mystic Pizza. Even though the movie was not filmed in the actual pizza parlor, it was filmed in the town and surrounding areas. We arrived on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, so the town was jam-packed with people and we couldn’t find parking anywhere for our van. We almost left, but we really wanted to eat at Mystic Pizza, so we drove around until we found street parking up the hill by a church. Then we walked down to the restaurant and enjoyed “A Slice of Heaven.” Really though, I don’t know what they put in their pizza, but it is absolutely incredible! The restaurant also has memorabilia from the movie all throughout, which made the whole experience extra fun and special.
After our meal, we drove up through Hartford on our way to see Gabe’s birth home just over the state line in Agawam, Massachusetts. After a quick photo op, we drove back through Hartford and stopped in New Britain for gas. While Gabe was outside filling up the van, a man approached him with a gas can and asked for some change. Gabe told him he would just fill up his gas can for him. The man was shocked and became speechless. Then he began to open up about his life and Gabe shared scripture with him and spoke life over his future. The man seemed to have a real faith in Jesus, but he was just really struggling. They had a great conversation and Gabe also gave him some money for food. The man was overwhelmed with gratitude and thanked Gabe at least 15 times during their time together. During this interaction, the man experienced the love, generosity and provision of God.
After this, we left and drove to our camping spot in the Newtown area. We found this spot through Hipcamp, which is like Airbnb for camping. An incredibly sweet, warm and welcoming couple hosted us on their property in the countryside. They have fruit trees there and invited us to help ourselves to their pears. I never knew you could still find forests and farms in Connecticut. It’s such a pretty state! The next morning we headed on our way through Upstate New York over to Pennsylvania. Our time in Connecticut was short and sweet!
New Jersey: “Take me back to the garden.” It is interesting that the Lord spoke this in New Jersey, since the state nickname is “The Garden State.” I also felt the Lord hinting at the Garden of Eden in this statement. I believe this word is an invitation for the people of New Jersey to come back to purity and fellowship with Jesus, and to restore what’s been lost. We spent a couple nights in the quiet countryside of Clarksboro while we were sightseeing in Philadelphia. After leaving this area, we drove through beautiful and quiet forests and farmland to get to the coast. We were excited to see the famed Atlantic City, but we were shocked by what we found. It was a beautiful day on a Thursday afternoon, so it wasn’t a weekend, but the city and boardwalk were like a ghost town. This is not what we expected since it’s a major tourist destination. Many hotels and casinos were out of business. There were so many abandoned buildings, that the Rainforest Cafe had a sign on the outside which said, “We’re Open.” It’s pretty bad when the remaining businesses that haven’t gone out have to inform people that they’re still in business. The famous boardwalk had homeless and drunk or high people everywhere in broad daylight. People were approaching us asking for money. It was dirty, not well cared for, smelled bad and felt somewhat unsafe. It looked like a party place that has gone downhill fast. We were really disappointed to see the city so poorly managed, so we looked up who the city mayor was and found out he is a Democrat and a convicted criminal. The word I got for Atlantic City is “SOS!”
The next day, we drove down to Ocean City and were so pleasantly surprised to find a beautiful, clean, safe and family-friendly city and boardwalk. The difference between Atlantic City and Ocean City is like night and day… it is the tale of two cities. In all the ways Atlantic City failed, Ocean City met and exceeded expectations. It felt like a boardwalk theme park. The businesses were open and looked nice. There were more people as well. I don’t remember seeing any homeless people or those who were on substances. There were rides, arcades, restaurants and ice cream stands. It had a wonderful atmosphere. We enjoyed walking the boardwalk, had lunch at Ocean Cafe and played games at an arcade. I won two small stuffed animals that we had fun laughing about during the rest of the trip. I enjoyed some frozen custard from Kohr Brothers and we marveled at what a wonderful and redemptive experience this was. Since this city was managed so well, we were curious to see who the mayor was. We were somehow not surprised to find out he is a Republican. I believe Ocean City is the “blueprint” for a successful city for New Jersey. We had such a lovely time there, so if you are looking for a great experience on the Jersey coast, I highly recommend Ocean City.
As we were walking back down the Ocean City boardwalk to leave, we saw two young men who were wearing shirts and holding signs that urged people to stop having kids. I had never in my life even heard of antiprocreation activists. I immediately felt stirred up to confront these two guys, so I walked over to them and began asking questions about their cause. We had a peaceful and calm debate as I tried to get my head wrapped around how anyone could support such a terrible cause. I shared my perspective as a Christian, and one of the young men tried to use a verse from the Bible to justify his reasoning. It was obvious to me he didn’t understand the scripture he was trying to use, so I explained it to him and then shared some of my own testimony with them. This turned their whole narrative upside down. Gabe stayed out of the conversation for the most part, but then he couldn’t resist getting involved. He asked one guy why he doesn’t just kill himself now if he believes people shouldn’t exist. Gabe said this to prove a point, but sadly, the guy said he was actually planning to kill himself at some point in the future, but he believed he still had work to do so it wasn’t time yet. I told them I believe God creates every life and that every single person has a purpose. Then the man who wanted to take his life asked if we would pray for them. We laid our hands on them, prayed for God to reveal the truth and blessed them with God’s love. After we prayed, one of the men said he felt peace while we were praying. It was such a powerful moment! I know challenging these two men with the truth in love may save their lives, and hopefully, the lives of many others as well. I hope they give their lives to Jesus and find abundant life. After this encounter, we left and headed for Delaware.
Delaware: is a “seed bed.” I believe God is “sending the rains” here for the revival harvest. Delaware is a small state, but we had a fantastic time here. We drove through the Wilmington area and stayed about an hour south of the city at Killens Pond State Park. The next day, we headed back up to the city to visit the New Castle Farmers Market. This was a wild and fascinating experience. It’s a large indoor flea market with several restaurants, international shops, bakeries, clothing and grocery stores. We saw people there of so many nationalities that it felt like we were in another country. The market itself reminds me of something you would find in Mexico or an African country. It was so interesting to see all of the different items for sale… I could have got lost in there for hours shopping! We decided to eat lunch at Los Jarritos Mexican Restaurant and had the most delicious and authentic Mexican food. We knew it was a good sign when we saw some local Latino men eating there on their lunch break. After this multicultural experience, we headed back to our camp for the night.
Then next day, I was again surprised to see so many cornfields as we drove through the countryside. I wanted to see a little more of Delaware before we went over to Maryland, so we drove a little farther south to Greenwood before heading west. As we were driving along, our van was suddenly filled with the most scrumptious smell and we wondered what it could be. We looked to our left to see a couple of men roasting some chicken, so we turned into the parking lot and made a wonderful discovery. Some teens from a local Kiwanis club were selling roast chicken lunches for a fundraiser. We were so delighted, we couldn’t resist buying a couple of lunches, which included half a roast chicken, pickles, a roll, Herr’s chips and a drink. The chicken was perfectly seasoned and so tender. We were in chicken heaven! Before we left, we noticed a small sign next to the Kiwanis Chicken Bar-B-Que sign that simply said “They’re Ready.” How hilarious! It was such a happy accident that we just happened to pass by this chicken stand at just the right time. As we continued driving just a minute up the road, we stopped at the adorable Vanderwende Farm Creamery for some thick and delicious ice cream. They have a large variety of gourmet flavors, as well as other goods in their store for purchase. It was clearly a popular ice cream spot since there were so many Maryland license plates in the parking lot. I’m so glad we took the longer route because otherwise we never would have stumbled upon these two local gems. Delaware was such a treat!
I hope you found this blog insightful and interesting. Now you know where to go, where to eat and where to avoid. These states might be small, but they are such a joy to experience. Stay tuned for more great states coming up next week!
The Overcomers 
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