Harpers Ferry, located at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, is one of the most significant sites in our nation’s history. It witnessed the first successful application of interchangeable manufacture, the arrival of the first successful American railroad, John Brown's attack on slavery, the largest surrender of Federal troops during the Civil War, and the education of former slaves in one of the earliest integrated schools in the United States.
Nancy and I focused on its place in the Civil War, and we were rewarded by a most knowledgeable guide, historic buildings, and views of the actual hills and river-banks where Union and Confederate armies lined up for battle. The images evoked by the place and the narrator were strong and reminded us of the horror of war, and especially of the Civil War where brother fought brother and incredible amounts of blood were spilled.Today is a significant day for us—not just because of what we have seen and where we have been, but because it marks the end of one phase of our lives and a beginning of another. Tomorrow we will meet people we have never known and hear about places we have never been (except for me being in Albania for 3 days). Yet those people and those places will shape our lives and our futures. We will be hearing from the State Department about the Balkans, and, we hope, about specifics concerning Nancy’s assignment in Tirana and my role accompanying her. The last two weeks have been an interlude, tomorrow begins a new scene—and it is very unknown. While I have used the analogy of Abraham before, his being called to go to a new and unknown land and leaving behind all he could not physically take with him, up until now it has been only talk. Now we are going to begin the journey. Where it will lead, we do not know, and what it will involve is not clear. But we feel God has called, and that God is present, and that is what counts most. Life is an adventure, rooted in faith—and here we go…
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