Overnight we had a pretty good thunderstorm that seemed to go on for a long time. I had a few leaks in the tent, though at least the sleeping bag stayed dry. It was another emotionally difficult day. The Vances are mailing most of their stuff back to the States today, and will stay in a motel for the next couple days. So it’s time for some transitions. After getting wrong numbers, disconnected numbers, and voicemail, I did finally get a bit of a response from one Shediac pastor today. He left me a message saying that he wanted to get together, but I never was able to connect with him. And there are just so many homes without the Gospel.
I was a little surprised at how much the clouds and threat of rain kept people off the beaches. Yesterday we saw cars lined up on the side of the road back toward the highway from Parlee Beach, which is possibly the biggest beach party spot in New Brunswick. We saw ads for a Beach Boys concert and all kinds of other events. But I only saw maybe five people walking around at Parlee Beach when I stopped there. In any case, they had a lifeguard, a carefully groomed beach, and lots of trash cans. Later in the day there were a few more people on the other beaches, but still not much.
There were some interesting rock formations and caves in the Cap-Pelé area, but I didn’t see where the public accesses were. At Gagnon Beach I finally took a real lunch break, and talked to a couple of guys from Moncton. They were seasonal campers, and were happy to receive New Testaments. It was finally feeling less urban, and therefore more practical to pray for specific households. As I neared my campground, I didn’t really know what to expect. When I pulled ashore, I was happy to be there somewhat earlier than I’d expected. But I didn’t see the tent or the Vances. And I couldn’t even find a restroom. Unfortunately I found out that it was a private camping area and I still had another mile to go. When I did get to the right campground, I still had trouble. After finding a restroom (thankfully!), I couldn’t find any sign of my stuff or a campground manager. I had a message on my cell phone from the Vances saying that they were checking me into the campground. But the name they mentioned was the wrong campground! And they didn’t answer the phone. When they did call me back, they insisted that they went to the right place and that the tent was “in the back”. Then the phone connection went out. When we managed to get back in touch, I discovered that it was the “other” back. So I was reunited with my tent and my stuff, though all alone for the night.
The campground manager invited me over for tea, but I ended up spending too much time trying to track people down on the phone for my logistics over the next few days. And arranging to meet up with my family when they come down from Bathurst tomorrow. There are lots of questions about what will be coming up. I really don't know what to expect. It's a stressful transition, but I know that God is faithful and I just need to trust and follow Him.
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