Awareness Of The Glory Of The Lord

In Twillingate, Daniel and I stayed at the All Seasons Bed and Breakfast with Mark and Rudy as our hosts.

Rudy was born in Newfoundland and grew up in Twillingate.

Mark was born and raised in Ontario. When they married, they both lived and raised their children there.

However, when they retired they decided to move back to Rudy's home town in Twillingate.

Even though Mark wasn't born there, he loves it there just as much as Rudy! I can see why! For in Twillingate there is an awareness of the glory of the Lord.

"For as the waters fill the sea,

the earth will be filled

with an awareness

of the glory of the Lord."

Habakkuk 2:14 (NLT)

From The Breath Of God

Prime Berth Twillingate Fishery and Heritage Centre is a tribute to the owner's fisher forefathers.

"Prime berth", meaning "the best spot", refers to the age old practice in the spring when fishermen held a draw to determine the place they would set their cod traps in the summer.

Of course, each man hoped he would be the lucky one to draw the best spot or prime berth.

All the men gathered in the owner's father's kitchen each May for the annual cod trap draw.

David, the owner, took Daniel, a few others and I on a boat tour to view the icebergs floating or stranded in what is known as Iceberg Alley.

Icebergs are made of pure fresh water and the locals use it to make drinks and frozen treats.

Ninety percent of the icebergs along the coast of Newfoundland are from western Greenland.

It takes approximately two to three years for these massive icebergs to reach Newfoundland.

They may seem large from above, but seven-eighths of the iceberg's mass is below water.

Ice created by the breath of God is wondrous to behold!

"From the breath of God

ice is made

and the expanse of the waters

is frozen."

Job 37:10 (NASB)

The Works And Wonders Of The Lord

My favourite hiking trail in Twillingate was Spiller's Cove Trail.

This hiking trail was approximately 4 to 5 miles long of rugged coast line, unique rock formations, irregular sea stacks, beautiful beaches, and grounded icebergs.

The day we hiked this trail the wind blew so strong, it was hard for Daniel and I to hold our cameras still. We were also told by the locals that none of their boats were going out to sea that day. They all remained in the harbour.

However, the white waves crashing against the rocky coastline created a spectacular scene to behold and take pictures of.

"They have seen the works of the Lord,

and His wonders in the deep.

For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind,

which lifted up the waves of the sea."

Psalm 107:25 (NASB)

The works and wonders of the Lord can be seen in the waters of the ocean. As I felt the stormy wind being raised up and as I watched the waves of the sea being lifted up, I felt and saw the works and wonders of the Lord.

The Lord Keeps Watch Over You

The next three days, Daniel and I stayed in the town of Twillingate, located on the Twillingate Islands, off the northeastern shore of Newfoundland. There we visited the Long Point Lighthouse at Crow Head and hiked the trails in the surrounding area.

This lighthouse is locate more than 300 feet above sea level with a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean.

Inside the Long Point Lighthouse is a Titanic Exhibition.

The RMS Titanic sank 375 miles south of Newfoundland when it hit an iceberg on April 15, 1912.

When Daniel and I were looking out to sea, we spotted a Canadian Coast Guard. This was the first of many we saw while we were in Newfoundland.

Just like the Canadian Coast Guard keeps watch over Canada's oceans and waterways, the Lord keeps watch over us as we come and go, both now and forever.

"The Lord keeps watch over you

as you come and go,

both now and forever."

Psalm 121:8

Already Passed From Death Into LIfe

The famous explorer John Cabot first discovered North America in 1497.

The exact location is unknown, but the government of Newfoundland recognizes Cape Bonavista as his official landing spot. Today a statue of him stands overlooking the Atlantic ocean at Cape Bonavista.

The name Bonavista comes from the words, O buono vista!", which means, "Oh, happy sight!" These apparently were the first words John Cabot said when he finally spotted land after so many tiring days at sea.

In 1498, John Cabot's next expedition to Cape Bonavista was his last. He and his crew were never seen again.

A man's days are numbered by God. He alone controls the number of months we are to live. We cannot live longer than that time.

"A man's days are numbered.

You know the number of his months.

He cannot live longer than the time You have set."

Job 14:5

However, those who listen to the Gospel message and believe in God will have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins and have already passed from death into life."

"I tell you the truth,

those who listen to My message

and believe in God who sent Me

have eternal life.

They will never be condemned for their sins,

but they have already passed

from death into life."

John 5:24

Send Out Your LIght And Your Truth

Cape Bonavista Lighthouse was built in 1843 and operated until 1962. It was then replaced by an electric light on the steel tower nearby as shown in the pictures below.

This lighthouse is one of the few in the world that one can climb up the stone tower and see the seal oil fueled lamp.

The beauty of the rugged coastline where this lighthouse stands is captivating.

I couldn't help but think what a comfort this lighthouse must have been to so many fishermen, guiding them safely back home to the place where loved ones wait for their return.

God's Spirit and His Word is our lighthouse. They guide us to His holy mountain to the place where He lives.

"Send out Your light and Your truth;

let them guide me.

Let them lead me to Your holy mountain,

to the place where You live."

Psalm 43:3 (NLT)

A Bowl Of Vegetables Is Better

In Elliston, Daniel and I saw root cellars scattered about the terrain around the cozy houses, like little hobbit dwellings, tucked away in the banks and hills of the earth.

They were and are still a part of the local's lives in Elliston.

Root cellars are a reminder of the their past and many are still used today to store root vegetables, like potatoes, carrots, and turnips to keep them cool in the summer and to keep them from freezing in the winter.

Elliston is actually the root cellar capital of the world. There are a total of 135 of them with many families sharing root cellars. Not only that, these root cellars were constructed by the whole community, taking three to four weeks to build. The root cellars are a symbol of neigbourly love.

The Bible is true when it states a bowl of vegetables with someone you love is better than steak with someone you hate.

"A bowl of vegetables

with someone you love

is better than steak

with someone you hate."

Proverbs 15:17 (NLT)

You LIve, Even After Dying

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At few years ago, this monument was erected as a memorial to the 251 sealers who died during a storm in March 1914 in the out port of Elliston. Both the SS Newfoundland and the SS Southern Cross sank to the bottom of the sea. leaving the men on the SS Newfoundland stranded on ice and the men on the SS Southern Cross in tumultuous freezing waters to drown.

The men on the SS Newfoundland were stranded on the ice for two days in blizzard conditions. Two-thirds of these men on the SS Newfoundland died, and the other third who survived lost limbs to frost bite.

However, all of the men on the SS Southern Cross drowned and none of the bodies were ever found, resulting in more deaths than any other single disaster in Newfoundland's sealing history.

The statue depicts a father and son, Rueben and Albert John Crewe, who were found frozen to death in the father's embrace of his beloved son.

I don't know if the father and son knew God. I hope they did because if they did, they live, even after dying.

"Jesus told her,

'I am the resurrection and the life.

Anyone who believes in me

will live, even after dying.'"

John 11:25 (NLT)

The Softness Of Feathers And The Expanse Of Wings

The last day Daniel and I were in Trinity, we visited the Puffin Habitat in Elliston, nestled at the top of the Bonavista Peninsula, which is an hour drive from Trinity.

Puffins are sometimes called "sea parrots" or "clowns of the sea".

For most of the year, Puffins live on the open ocean, but from April to mid-August they are breeding.

Puffins can dive as deep as 200 feet to hunt herring, hake, capelin and sand eels.

Puffins create burrows in rocky cliffs in the soil or between rocks where they build nests at the back with grasses, seaweed and feathers.

And just like these chicks are protected with the soft feathers of their parents, God covers us with the softness of His feathers and shelters us with the expanse of His wings.

"He will cover you with His feathers.

He will shelter you with His wings.

His faithful promises

are your armour and protection."

Psalm 91:4 (NLT)

Both the mother and father take turns incubating the eggs for 40 days. Once hatched, the chicks leave the nest after 45 days and spend 3 to 5 years at sea learning about feeding places and finding a mate for life.

The Spirit of God Moved Over The Surface Of The Waters

While Daniel and I were in Trinity for three days, we went on another boat tour called the Sea of Whale Adventures.

The first thing Daniel spotted while waiting for the tour to start was actually not a whale, but an orange tabby.

On the tour, we saw a minke and four humpbacks.

The pictures taken are of the humpbacks which are now migrating to tropical waters. They travel approximately 1,000 miles per month, feeding in polar waters.

Humpbacks have a life expectancy of 45 to 50 years and their dorsal (top fin) is curved (pictured in the first two.)

Watching these great sea creatures, I sat amazed at God's handiwork. I found the ocean waters to be wondrous and at the same time mysterious.

"God created the great sea monsters

and every living creature that moves

with which the waters swarm after their kind"

Genesis 1:21a (NASB)

I couldn't help but wonder what God was thinking and feeling when His Spirit moved over the surface of the waters before the time of creation when the waters that covered the earth were so dark and void.

"The earth was formless and void,

and darkness was over the surface of the deep,

and the Spirit of God was moving

over the surface of the waters."

Genesis 1:2 (NASB)

His Impressive Works On The Deepest Seas

Our first Newfoundland boat tour was with Rugged Beauty Boat Tours.

The tour started from New Bonaventure, a twenty minute drive from Trinity.

Bruce was our guide and skipper as we skimmed across the ocean to journey through time.

He took us to the enchanting long-abandoned communities of Kerley's Harbour and Ireland's Eye.

Bruce, who was once a fisherman, was born in Kerley's Harbour, so he had many tales to share about the life of these communities.

Each of these small communities was centered around the church.

Bruce also took us across the sound and through the fjord entrance to the deserted community of British Harbour.

This community was first settled in the 1800's.

Afterwards, Bruce invited us to his summer cabin, where we had tea or coffee, crackers and home-made partridgeberry jam that his wife made.

This is the magnificent view from his cabin.

Bruce and all fishermen in Newfoundland have observed the Lord's power in action and His impressive works on the deepest seas.

"Some with off to sea in ships,

plying the trade routes of the world.

They, too, observed, the Lord's power in action.

His impressive works on the deepest seas.:
Psalm 107:23-24 (NLT)