New Jersey Highlights

I'm updating from my phone for the second time this week.  As usual,  we have had some late nights and I'm having trouble updating.  I will get some pictures up when we get home. I have plenty.

We are on our way home from Point Pleasant Beach.  It was chilly today here so there was no swimming,  however,  that didn't stop them from getting wet!  But I get ahead of myself.   Today we saw the site of Log College which later became Princeton University.  We stood on the site where George Washington crossed the Delaware River.  That was exciting! ! God blessed once again.  It's so exciting!  We were running late today.  (Totally my fault. .. couldn't get out of bed on time) but that is ok.  God had a plan.  Because we were way off our itinerary, we saw a bumper sticker on the car next to us that said "I am not ashamed." It turns out that it was an Answers in Genesis bumper sticker.  That led us to a couple Christian ladies who gave the tour of the ferry house where Washington stood and hired ferries for his troops. They were excited to see a group of young people excited about our history and the hand of God in it.  We traveled then to see the grave of one of the Baptist signers of the Declaration of Independence.  Our final history stop for the week was Princeton University cemetery.  The famous Ivy League school. .. Princeton's third  president was Jonathan Edwards, (Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.). In fact,  the first four presidents of Princeton were Reverends, two which were instrumental in the Great Awakening.   How sad for a college that has such roots to have fallen from its original purpose.

We ended the day with a trip to the beach and Jenkinson's Boardwalk.   As we are 30 minutes from the hotel,  I'm thankful once again for this opportunity to learn about these great men of God and pray that these kids remember.

We will be heading back tomorrow.  We have a surprise fun stop to break up the trip again and then it is back home.

12 Hours in Philly

Thank you all for the prayers!  We made it into Philadelphia with little traffic.  It was a little dicey finding a parking spot but God was good there too.  

We began our day in Philly at 9 a.m. at the visitor center where we picked up tickets to see Independence Hall.  We ended our day at 9 p.m. by seeing the statue of George Whitefield in the Quadrangle at the University  of Pennsylvania.   Lunch was real Philadelphia cheesesteaks at Campo's. Dinner was a surprise treat at the City Tavern where George Washington and other members of the Continental Congress ate on a regular basis.  A very exciting stop and delicious food.

Tomorrow we will be traveling into New Jersey for four more history stops and an evening trip to a boardwalk on the Jersey shore.

Technical Difficulties

Sorry about the lack of pictures so far!  I am having major trouble with our "high speed" internet.  I am currently unable to even post upstairs in the room, let alone upload a picture.  I will try and get back downstairs tomorrow to get a few more uploaded.

After visiting the Colonel Washington monument, we drove (forever) through Pennsylvania and some storms to the Baptist Church of the Great Valley to learn about Chaplain David Jones.  

We headed out early to Ephrata Cloister.  God really blessed today, our tour guide here was a Christian.  Though those that lived in the Cloister were...interesting, this is where the man who walked 70 miles to petition George Washington for his enemy's life lived.  Our tour guide recommended a buffet for us to try on our way to Valley Forge.  It was the biggest buffet any of us had ever seen!  The boys ate their money's worth ... easily :)  It WAS good, and they enjoyed the little side stop, though it got us to Valley Forge a little later than we planned.

We drove through some awesome countryside back to Valley Forge, and then spent over 4 hours exploring the grounds and huts and headquarters there.  God blessed again with another Christian tour guide in Washington's headquarters who spoke with our group for a long time and even started giving away Dan's notes for our Thursday stop!  It was an amazing time with some great history.  

The kids have enjoyed a swim in the pool and are now headed up to get ready for bed and our long day tomorrow in Philadelphia!  

Colonel George Washington and the Indians

Dan and I left this morning with 10 of the youth from our church for the 3rd installment of our Baptist History Tour.  Philadelphia.  Currently, it is Tuesday evening, and we still are in possession of all 10 :D  Even though this is our 3rd time, I am still amazed at all of the history that I, and most of the Americans in our country today, don't know. 

Our first stop today was Braddock, PA, just 7 miles from Pittsburgh.  We meet a young Colonel George Washington, just 23 years old, who finds himself leading the troops after General Braddock and over 50 officers are killed in the battle to take Fort Duquesne in the French and Indian War.  Colonel Washington was also presumed dead. In a letter to his parents to let them know he still lived, he cited Providence (capital P) as the reason.  Though he had horses shot out from under him and multiple bullet holes in his jacket, he was completely unharmed. God had a purpose for the young 23 year old Colonel Washington.   

Not only did Washington realize God's hand in keeping him alive that day, but the Indian chief that ordered his braves to target him realized that the "Great Spirit" was at work keeping the young Colonel alive.

Here is Dan gathering his notes in front of the monument of Washington.  The monument actually depicts a younger Washington and has "Colonel" not "General" or "President."

This plaque actually marks the spot where they were defeated.  It is currently on the side of an apartment building in a not so nice part of town.  

The crew and Washington

And so our trip begins.  It is always exciting!