The Pilgrimage Road

June 7th, 2004

I had had the sense that I needed to knock on the "Church House" door and ask for the Ministry of Hospitality since Friday evening. It is awkward and embarrassing to think about doing this let alone actually carrying through.

However, Emerald Star, a Charismatic Christian of half Jewish and Half Icelandic heritage invited me in. She commented she was an "emotional wreck" recovering from many illnesses and a daughter's visit. She had just asked God for a handmaiden. I have needed re-grouping time wanting to give back for food and shelter. Seems like a fit.

I'm trying to write of 48 hours---an overwhelming 48 hours. Emerald shared many miraculous faith stories. I am having some difficulty with the evangelical "limits" around what is "Christian" and what isn't. A lot of difficulty to be honest. Yet, here is a woman who prays constantly, who really does hear her Guide and Lord speak to her thru scripture and in her head. That Emerald Star IS a Portal to the Holy I have no doubt. I left her for an hour to pray about whether it was "okay" for me to stay and she got 3 scripture passages. The one that blew me away was 3 John: 2-8:

Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you that
you may be in good health, just as it is well with
your soul. I was overjoyed when some of the friends
arrived and testified to your faithfulness to the
truth. I have no greater joy than this, to hear
that my children are walking in the truth.
Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for
the friends, even though they are strangers to
you they have testified to your love before the
church. You will do well to send them on a manner
worthy of God: for they began their journey for the
sake of Christ, accepting no support from non-believers.
Therefore we out to support such people, so that we
may become co~workers with the truth.

She has told me that Gold River is considered to be the Western Gateway to Canada. That Friendly Cove, which has been one of the places I've wanted to go since I read about the Sea Otter King Maquinna, as a place where all four winds meet.

Emerald Star also seems to be very knowledgeable about a gathering of Jewish people from persecuting places of the world, to eventually bring them back to Israel. Many are being brought secretly out of Russia apparently. One man is looking at a plan to bring them out by ship to Canada and Emerald informed him that Friendly Cove has a different experience of the tides that makes it an ideal location for such a destination. Friendly Cove is also the most Western part of Canada.

I am overwhelmed with this. Apparently there are people in Canada and the States preparing homes with secret rooms to hide the Jews like in Nazi threatened Europe in WW II. When I expressed I didn't understand the need for all this secrecy, Emerald said that the Anti Semitism of the planet is growing very vicious and thus the need for save havens for Jews.

My mind is boggled.

Sunday I spent time doing a lot of laundry. Emerald is renting this Church House and despite the fact it has 3 good size bedrooms they have only supplied a very small sized washer drier. We went to the grocery store and happened to catch some of the Pet Contest and decorated boots all part of the Blossoming Boot Festival. The 64k walk to Tahsis is all part of the same thing. A friend of Emerald has a boxer who won the most handsome pet!!

While we wandered through a gift store there was a bookmark with the sea otters on it and a quote from Revelation 7:3: "Hurt not the earth….Neither the see nor the trees…."……again "End Time stuff".
Oh, yes, another part of Emerald's discussion Saturday evening was on the Rapture. I haven't had discussions about that since I was in Goulais River in the summer of 76….28 years ago. Then I was informed that there were people ready with ships, planes and automobiles to take Christians to the Wilderness during Armageddon or something. The stuff with the gathering of the persecuted Jews has the same flavour. It all sounds too out there, too foreign, too other worldly for me to compute…yet here it is….again.

And I discovered a card with the Image of my "Learning to Dream Big"….complete with my own totem Cougar as part of the Image.

Today I was planning on a low-key day. HA!!!! I unloaded a very full dishwasher and started catching up journaling. Emerald got up around 11:00 and we talked more. Then around 1:00 her son~in~law, Raphael phoned from Vancouver to say her daughter was in tears. Another call and it came out her daughter was trying to leave because they had hit each other. Between Emerald star and myself on the phone, Emerald's son was called to the rescue, her daughter is out of the house and we are exhausted.

I bought a box to put stuff in to mail but it's not big enough. I need to figure out what I'm doing!! At this point I'll stop and do a little.

10:10 pm

Holy God,
Help.
I am feeling overwhelmed.
I am worried about what to mail home and not pay a fortune. I don't know when I'm to go again or where I travel to by boat. Help. As I sleep Please Clarify.

Post Script.



I didn't journal much in Gold River after this. As I look at the pictures I took certain memories flood my mind. Emerald's Daughter and Grand~daughter arrived and I was able to take the little one out for a walk and playground while mother and daughter had time together.














The Mountains that surrounded Gold River reminded me of Mount Sinai…..hidden by cloud, I felt as thought it would be easy to climb to the top to have a conversation with God. Interesting too, when you think how dominated my thinking has been about the Jewish history for freedom.

When I told Emerald my first name was Deborah, she said, "Oh, a Warrior Woman"….gave me a whole different sense of my first name. Her house was decorated with Butterflies and her china with a Blue heart…..many symbols of my journey…..even the domestic violence her daughter and grandchild were escaping from….all themes of my pilgrimage for Peace.

Emerald shared with me the "origins" of her name….a Spiritual name that she received through prayer and mediation. It seemed only appropriate that I would give her the little silver 6 pointed star I had worn around my neck for the last year or so….. reminding me of the Shekinah….the Radiant indwelling Presence of God….and for Emerald Star….her very name.

I am grateful for Emerald's Hospitality. I wish her Peace in all her dreams and endeavours….and to thank her for being a Portal to the Holy.