Somewhere in Germany: Stories of Walking and Hitchhiking
On August 29th-31st 2007
(Reading this should take less than 36 minutes.)
The day I left Berlin was a beautiful day for travel. There was the full moon just the night before. The skies were clear and sunny. I thanked God for the beautiful day. I began my journey from the outside of the city to the west at a gas station just off the Autobahn. I had been told that this was a good place to begin the journey. The gas station was crowded. There were hitchikers everywhere, and that meant competition. People were trying to get out of the city and go different directions. I chose the first part of my time there to watch the other hitchhikers work just to see if I could learn anything. I worked the area near the pumps with one other Brit. Eventually, he got a ride, and I was glad because now it seemed the station was clear for me. No one else seemed to be working the pumps, but just then two georgeous german girls came up aggressive for a ride. They were flying a sign and working double time to hit anyone up for a ride. They were not bashful at all. They were in a hurry and trying to get to Frankfurt for a plane ride down to Spain. "Great!" I thought. They should not take long, but I will never get a ride with them around. Then, a Belgium camper full of college guys stopped for a fillup and said they would take me to the next station (approx 50 km away). Then the girls asked and the guys of course did not seem to mind at all. So I lost count of how many of us were in that winnebego for the 50 km trip, but it was a beginning of a wild ride for me.
At the next station, I worked some time for another ride, and then got talking to a French guy with too much stuff and who did not know how to work his GPS. He wanted me to show him how to get to the rainbow gathering. I was happy to at first, but there were language issues, and then after difficulty with the map he brought out his GPS. It took sometime showing him. I was getting impatient and I think he must have been getting a little frustrated as well with his GPS. My thoughts became, "I need to figure out how to finish up with this guy so that I can get back to looking for a ride." Then my conscience would reply, "Be patient man, God will give you a ride whenever he sees fit. You are on the road to love people like this." Wouldn't you know it? I was still with the frenchman, just closing up a map when a guy comes out of the convienience store. I asked him if he woud give me a ride, and he took me all the way to where I had to make my turnoff at Hermsdorf near Gera. Incidentally, the French guy made it to the gathering before me, and it was really cool to see him there. He also proved to be a big help to me on the day I left the gathering.
I got stuck at Hermsdorf. I was on a very difficult gas station. I went from one side of the Autobahn to the other through a tunnel, and on each side the people were saying I had to be on the other side. Several hours later, just before dusk, I spoke with a man who was going down way passed Fulda. This would have been an amazing ride. I had been praying all day as I went and I thanked God for finally bringing me such an awesome ride. The man went in to the store and I went to grab my bags and came back to wait behind his car to put my things in the trunk. The man came back and, well I can not spell what he said. He only spoke German. But he communicated to me that he was not going to take me. I was drop kikked! I do not know what happened or how our signals got crossed, but wow! That just killed me. I kept working to get a ride, but all the fire was gone and I was put out. Now it was dark and I wondered when I was going to call it a day and sneak back into the woods to sleep when a Volkswagon pulled up and all kinds of hippies fell out. I was so happy to see them. "Are you going to the gathering?" I began. But they did not know of the gathering and they were going in the opposite direction to Liepzig. They had just come from Switzerland and they were dropping off a guy they had with them. I spoke to him and he thought going to the gathering was a great idea and he wanted to go too. I will say his name was Jarmaal. After talking to them some other cars pulled up and that is when I met a guy going to Erfurt who said he would take me there. Finally a ride! And Jarmaal came with us. I let Jarmaal sit in the fron seat so that he could keep the conversation going and translate for me. I was exhausted and had worked all day for the ride that Jarmaal just walked into. So I tried to sneak a nap. There was not much rest though. Erfurt was right off the road and we asked the driver to let us off at the gas station on the autobahn that came before the exit into town.
I went into to the station for a bite to eat while trying to figure out my next move --i.e. catch a ride or take a nap. Jarmaal supplied another option. He said that Erfurt was a very nice city and wished he had asked the driver to jsut take us on into town. He said that it was only 11km away, so we could walk there and catch a glimpse and maybe even find a place to stay. At first I thought, well I could sleep just as well outside the gas station. But then decided, well why not I may never get this chance again.
The moon was just one day past full. It was bright and beautiful. We walked on the grass along the autobahn for about 1km and could see the city glowing in the distance. So we decided to cut across country and head straight for the center. We worked our way across a field of ploughed dirt waiting for seed. It was a large field and by the end of it, I had began to see Jarmaal as my guide. He was dressed in a courtoroy suit with a pointy purple felt hat that made him look like an elf. Though he never told me, I began to wonder if he was one of the traveling guildmen. There is a tradition in Germany that some during their apprenticeship will travel for a few years while practicing their trade wherever they go.
We walked into the night through open farm land till we came to a small barn and farm house at the end of the road. We took a right there onto a road that lead us into a residential area. Soon we were surrounded by German houses of various ages with distinguished architecture respectively. We came to a small round-a-bout where we sat and looked at the moon. Jarmaal rolled a cigarette. There was an opened lot with apple trees on our left revealing more of the crop fields we had walked through. Jarmaal said we could sleep there tonight. So we left our things, actually in the middle of the round-a-bout, and walked throught the nice quiet neighborhood. The temperature was dropping and the beauty of the night continued. We came upon an old church which we prowled around finding some stairs leading up to a small balcony, we sat I again looking at the moon and praying and Jarmaal rolling another cigarette. It was not too long before my body temp had dropped more, and I was beginning to dose off. I told Jarmaal I was ready for bed. So we took another way back through the village and collected our things making our way to the apple trees. I quickly unrolled my bed and crawled in. My progress was slowed by a barking dog across the street which Jarmaal tried to calm. Finally the owners came outside to see what was eating their dog and Jarmaal went right up to have a conversation with them. This behavior striked me as so odd, because I know that back in the states I would have ran away scarred by this time. He came back and said lets just move 30 meters further from the street and perhapse the dog will leave us alone. It worked! Jarmaal collected apples before going to bed, and I did my best to stay warm and get to sleep. Staying warm proved too difficult however and my sleep was often disturbed by tightening the thin blankets (I was only prepared for summer) wrapped around me hoping to find some more heat.
On August 29th-31st 2007
(Reading this should take less than 36 minutes.)
The day I left Berlin was a beautiful day for travel. There was the full moon just the night before. The skies were clear and sunny. I thanked God for the beautiful day. I began my journey from the outside of the city to the west at a gas station just off the Autobahn. I had been told that this was a good place to begin the journey. The gas station was crowded. There were hitchikers everywhere, and that meant competition. People were trying to get out of the city and go different directions. I chose the first part of my time there to watch the other hitchhikers work just to see if I could learn anything. I worked the area near the pumps with one other Brit. Eventually, he got a ride, and I was glad because now it seemed the station was clear for me. No one else seemed to be working the pumps, but just then two georgeous german girls came up aggressive for a ride. They were flying a sign and working double time to hit anyone up for a ride. They were not bashful at all. They were in a hurry and trying to get to Frankfurt for a plane ride down to Spain. "Great!" I thought. They should not take long, but I will never get a ride with them around. Then, a Belgium camper full of college guys stopped for a fillup and said they would take me to the next station (approx 50 km away). Then the girls asked and the guys of course did not seem to mind at all. So I lost count of how many of us were in that winnebego for the 50 km trip, but it was a beginning of a wild ride for me.
At the next station, I worked some time for another ride, and then got talking to a French guy with too much stuff and who did not know how to work his GPS. He wanted me to show him how to get to the rainbow gathering. I was happy to at first, but there were language issues, and then after difficulty with the map he brought out his GPS. It took sometime showing him. I was getting impatient and I think he must have been getting a little frustrated as well with his GPS. My thoughts became, "I need to figure out how to finish up with this guy so that I can get back to looking for a ride." Then my conscience would reply, "Be patient man, God will give you a ride whenever he sees fit. You are on the road to love people like this." Wouldn't you know it? I was still with the frenchman, just closing up a map when a guy comes out of the convienience store. I asked him if he woud give me a ride, and he took me all the way to where I had to make my turnoff at Hermsdorf near Gera. Incidentally, the French guy made it to the gathering before me, and it was really cool to see him there. He also proved to be a big help to me on the day I left the gathering.
I got stuck at Hermsdorf. I was on a very difficult gas station. I went from one side of the Autobahn to the other through a tunnel, and on each side the people were saying I had to be on the other side. Several hours later, just before dusk, I spoke with a man who was going down way passed Fulda. This would have been an amazing ride. I had been praying all day as I went and I thanked God for finally bringing me such an awesome ride. The man went in to the store and I went to grab my bags and came back to wait behind his car to put my things in the trunk. The man came back and, well I can not spell what he said. He only spoke German. But he communicated to me that he was not going to take me. I was drop kikked! I do not know what happened or how our signals got crossed, but wow! That just killed me. I kept working to get a ride, but all the fire was gone and I was put out. Now it was dark and I wondered when I was going to call it a day and sneak back into the woods to sleep when a Volkswagon pulled up and all kinds of hippies fell out. I was so happy to see them. "Are you going to the gathering?" I began. But they did not know of the gathering and they were going in the opposite direction to Liepzig. They had just come from Switzerland and they were dropping off a guy they had with them. I spoke to him and he thought going to the gathering was a great idea and he wanted to go too. I will say his name was Jarmaal. After talking to them some other cars pulled up and that is when I met a guy going to Erfurt who said he would take me there. Finally a ride! And Jarmaal came with us. I let Jarmaal sit in the fron seat so that he could keep the conversation going and translate for me. I was exhausted and had worked all day for the ride that Jarmaal just walked into. So I tried to sneak a nap. There was not much rest though. Erfurt was right off the road and we asked the driver to let us off at the gas station on the autobahn that came before the exit into town.
I went into to the station for a bite to eat while trying to figure out my next move --i.e. catch a ride or take a nap. Jarmaal supplied another option. He said that Erfurt was a very nice city and wished he had asked the driver to jsut take us on into town. He said that it was only 11km away, so we could walk there and catch a glimpse and maybe even find a place to stay. At first I thought, well I could sleep just as well outside the gas station. But then decided, well why not I may never get this chance again.
The moon was just one day past full. It was bright and beautiful. We walked on the grass along the autobahn for about 1km and could see the city glowing in the distance. So we decided to cut across country and head straight for the center. We worked our way across a field of ploughed dirt waiting for seed. It was a large field and by the end of it, I had began to see Jarmaal as my guide. He was dressed in a courtoroy suit with a pointy purple felt hat that made him look like an elf. Though he never told me, I began to wonder if he was one of the traveling guildmen. There is a tradition in Germany that some during their apprenticeship will travel for a few years while practicing their trade wherever they go.
We walked into the night through open farm land till we came to a small barn and farm house at the end of the road. We took a right there onto a road that lead us into a residential area. Soon we were surrounded by German houses of various ages with distinguished architecture respectively. We came to a small round-a-bout where we sat and looked at the moon. Jarmaal rolled a cigarette. There was an opened lot with apple trees on our left revealing more of the crop fields we had walked through. Jarmaal said we could sleep there tonight. So we left our things, actually in the middle of the round-a-bout, and walked throught the nice quiet neighborhood. The temperature was dropping and the beauty of the night continued. We came upon an old church which we prowled around finding some stairs leading up to a small balcony, we sat I again looking at the moon and praying and Jarmaal rolling another cigarette. It was not too long before my body temp had dropped more, and I was beginning to dose off. I told Jarmaal I was ready for bed. So we took another way back through the village and collected our things making our way to the apple trees. I quickly unrolled my bed and crawled in. My progress was slowed by a barking dog across the street which Jarmaal tried to calm. Finally the owners came outside to see what was eating their dog and Jarmaal went right up to have a conversation with them. This behavior striked me as so odd, because I know that back in the states I would have ran away scarred by this time. He came back and said lets just move 30 meters further from the street and perhapse the dog will leave us alone. It worked! Jarmaal collected apples before going to bed, and I did my best to stay warm and get to sleep. Staying warm proved too difficult however and my sleep was often disturbed by tightening the thin blankets (I was only prepared for summer) wrapped around me hoping to find some more heat.
The morning did not come too soon for me. I woke up with a mission to find a fleece blanket. (I found out later when checking weatherunderground that it was only 4*C just then when I was getting up.) After shivering through the process of rolling up my shwag (aussie: for a bushman's travel gear) , we started through the neighborhood and on towards town. We still had some adventures ahead of us. We went from residential areas onto roads, stopping to pick pears as we went, over more farmland, past an IKEA, then along railroad tracks into a small village. In the village Jarmaal went into a baker's shop and came out with rolls of bread and apelsaft (carbinated apple juice). Then an old lady came by and offered us cured pork to spread on our bread. Praise the Lord almighty, Jarmaal came up with breakfast! I could not believe what an awesome time I was having somewhere in Germany. After breakfast, Jarmaal told me that the old woman who was nice enough to give us the pork also told us where there was a village well with safe drinking water where we could fill our water bottles and wash up.
Earlier, when we were on the railroad, Jarmaal had stopped ever so often to pick up small stones that he thought were special. 
So after washing up at the well, he rolled a cigarette, and pulled out his collection of rocks. He showed one particular stone to me and told me that it is a very special stone. He told me that the stone was magic. He said that it was a powerful stone with lots of energy but that Jarmaal could not use it, because the stone told Jarmaal that it wanted to come with me. I had to decide in that moment how to respond. Was Jarmaal inviting me into his pagan world? Or was he just offering me something to remember him by and attatching lore to it just to make it a more fascinating sort of gift. I accepted the stone but only after telling him that I believed magic to be a dangerous tool and that I did not need nor would I accept any of the stone's energy or powers. I told him that I knew the one who made the stone and recieved all the energy and power I needed from Him. Then I received and thanked him for the stone while communicating that I was glad to meet him and was happy to have this stone as a momento of the meeting.
Continuing on, we got up and finally walked into the city. I found brand new cheap fleece blanket, and got to see great big churches sitting side by side where Martin Luther went to seminary. The are called Mariendom and the Severikirche. At some point near the middle of the day, Jarmaal randomly and quickly explained that he had to leave me. He said I was slowing him down and that he no longer had time to go to the gathering but needed to get up to Kastel to get a car that was waiting for him and drive to Poland for some work. At that moment, I thought I was giong to cry. It was a very abrupt and unexpected change in the story. I offered that he would not leave just yet, but that he would let me buy him a dunor kebab before he left.
He thought that was actually a wonderful idea. So, we walked through the town some more before we finally found the kebab shop. The dunor were €3 instead of the €2 I was used to, but I decided not to sweat it. Jarmaal decided to eat outside in the sun. So we took our Kebaab and settled for a spot on the corner of a parking lot next to a fence to have our last meal together. At the conclusion of the meal, I told Jarmaal I wanted to bless him before he left. Jarmaal put his hands together, and I stretched mine out towards one of his legs and prayed traveling mercies for Jarmaal, and that the Lord of truth would lead Jarmaal into all truth. Jarmaal thanked me with a good embrace, and then went along his way. I watched him go with a sigh, and a lump in my throat. So, I was alone in Germany again.
After returning bottles from the parking lot back to the kebaab shop to claim my refund, I walked through the city a bit longer, found a map in an info shop, found some cardboard and made a sign for the Autobahn. I let the map take me through the city toward the autobahn, stopping ever so often to try to catch a ride as I went. On my way out, I saw a squat near a gas station, and a Polish couple hitching their way down to Italy. I took note of the squat, thinking that maybe that would be where I slept that night. Inside me was a tumult of prayers. I was sad to say goodbye to my new friend, I was tired of not getting rides, and I was feeling pressed for time. I considered going back into town and buying a train for Karlsruhe (a base of Styger ministries where I had plans to go after the gathering.) I considered trying just to hitch towards Karlsruhe. I had a little bit of time to make up my mind, for a about 30 more km, the road that lead to Karlsruhe also lead to the gathering. I felt somewhere in my spirit though, that I still was to go to the gathering. So I chose to continue hitching. If I was to hitch, I would get a ride. If I was to make it out to where I must turn off for the gathering this evening, then I would go on into the gathering (the turn off was 40km from the gathering). If I was able to get out of Erfurt this evening, but not to the turn off, I would go on to Karlsruhe. And if I did not make it out of Erfurt that night, I would catch a train to Karlsruhe in the morning.
Well, several quick-caught, short, little-rides later, I made it to my cut off for the gathering. If I remember correctly, this was Eisenach. I thanked the driver and crawled out of the car with lots of excitement. I had waited so long to get to the end of my journey on the Autobahn. It was beautifully landscaped Germany farms, hills, forest, and tiny villages from here on out. If I even had to walk all 40km, I thought that would not be a problem. I was somewhere in Germany...somewhere in beautiful Germany. Apart from my time with Jarmaal, the next 40 km were my favorite part of the trip. They seem to me to epitomize what hitchhiking is all about: beautiful scenery, strange people, peaceful-quiet-long walks with the Lord, and surprizes all along the way. I took photos of the journey, but they just don't seem to do justice to the memories of what I all saw with all 5 senses. There were walks, and there were rides. There was fish at the grocery store, one couple from rainbow stopping to give me directions as they left for Babylon (the land outside of rainbow where most of the rainbow family actually live and pay taxes) and beer in the parking lot with young locals as I passed through the last town. It was light for a good part of the way, and then as I crept up into the woods, it was pitch black. My last driver took me to the foot of the mountain that we thought would lead me up into the gathering.
From there, I went up, ascending alone into the cold pitch-black night, under the trees, listening for drums and people, and searching for campfires. Eventually I reached the top of the montain, and began walking back down the otherside. I could see the lights from another little village down below, but no sign of campers or fires. So I decided I must be on the wrong mountain. I crossed a meadow on the summit and unrolled my shwag to make camp under some trees. Wrapping myself up in the thin covers and my new fleece I prayed for a warmer night, and went to sleep.
The next morning it rained. It was cold, but mainly it was wet. My shwag did well protecting me, however. I read as I waited to hear the raindrops stop outside. I was a little miffed by the rain mainly because I was hoping for a sunny day by which I could recharge my iPod. When the rain stopped, I shook out my wet rainfly, and smiled as I rolled my shwag. I was pleased that I was able to stay dry through the morning. I wondered at what the new day would bring, but was happy to be close to home (the rainbow family refer to rainbow lands in this way). The threat of the morning was not so much the wet or the cold, but that I had lost my brand new planner with all the transferred phone numbers, important dates, and directions both into the gathering and from there to Karlsruhe. I searched the mountain and retraced mysteps back down where I had come up in the pitch the night before. The notebook never showed up. At the bottom of the hill, I was not sure what to do. I looked this way and then that. I found my way back into the little village and opted to try and remember what the only rainbow's I met the previous day told me about entering the land. Luckily, I did not have to rely on my memory alone. When I came into town a woman with hardly any english what so ever labored to communicate with me and asked if I was here to see my family. At first, I began to tell her that my family was all in Texas. But then, realizing what she meant, I said, "Yes! My rainbow family!" I waved my hands over my head to charade a rainbow. Then, she did something absolutely incredible. She had her neighbor from across the street drive me to the end of the village, and up the mountain to the very trailhead of "Welcome Home" Rainbow front gate. Again I thanked the man, and blessed him and all my drivers. I thanked the Lord for his faithfulness to me. I asked for further protection as I was a bit apprehensive of what was to come next. Then, with more prayer and anticipation in my spirit, I set my face towards front gate and my ears towards the first greeting in my direction of, "Welcome Home."
So after washing up at the well, he rolled a cigarette, and pulled out his collection of rocks. He showed one particular stone to me and told me that it is a very special stone. He told me that the stone was magic. He said that it was a powerful stone with lots of energy but that Jarmaal could not use it, because the stone told Jarmaal that it wanted to come with me. I had to decide in that moment how to respond. Was Jarmaal inviting me into his pagan world? Or was he just offering me something to remember him by and attatching lore to it just to make it a more fascinating sort of gift. I accepted the stone but only after telling him that I believed magic to be a dangerous tool and that I did not need nor would I accept any of the stone's energy or powers. I told him that I knew the one who made the stone and recieved all the energy and power I needed from Him. Then I received and thanked him for the stone while communicating that I was glad to meet him and was happy to have this stone as a momento of the meeting.
Continuing on, we got up and finally walked into the city. I found brand new cheap fleece blanket, and got to see great big churches sitting side by side where Martin Luther went to seminary. The are called Mariendom and the Severikirche. At some point near the middle of the day, Jarmaal randomly and quickly explained that he had to leave me. He said I was slowing him down and that he no longer had time to go to the gathering but needed to get up to Kastel to get a car that was waiting for him and drive to Poland for some work. At that moment, I thought I was giong to cry. It was a very abrupt and unexpected change in the story. I offered that he would not leave just yet, but that he would let me buy him a dunor kebab before he left.
He thought that was actually a wonderful idea. So, we walked through the town some more before we finally found the kebab shop. The dunor were €3 instead of the €2 I was used to, but I decided not to sweat it. Jarmaal decided to eat outside in the sun. So we took our Kebaab and settled for a spot on the corner of a parking lot next to a fence to have our last meal together. At the conclusion of the meal, I told Jarmaal I wanted to bless him before he left. Jarmaal put his hands together, and I stretched mine out towards one of his legs and prayed traveling mercies for Jarmaal, and that the Lord of truth would lead Jarmaal into all truth. Jarmaal thanked me with a good embrace, and then went along his way. I watched him go with a sigh, and a lump in my throat. So, I was alone in Germany again.
After returning bottles from the parking lot back to the kebaab shop to claim my refund, I walked through the city a bit longer, found a map in an info shop, found some cardboard and made a sign for the Autobahn. I let the map take me through the city toward the autobahn, stopping ever so often to try to catch a ride as I went. On my way out, I saw a squat near a gas station, and a Polish couple hitching their way down to Italy. I took note of the squat, thinking that maybe that would be where I slept that night. Inside me was a tumult of prayers. I was sad to say goodbye to my new friend, I was tired of not getting rides, and I was feeling pressed for time. I considered going back into town and buying a train for Karlsruhe (a base of Styger ministries where I had plans to go after the gathering.) I considered trying just to hitch towards Karlsruhe. I had a little bit of time to make up my mind, for a about 30 more km, the road that lead to Karlsruhe also lead to the gathering. I felt somewhere in my spirit though, that I still was to go to the gathering. So I chose to continue hitching. If I was to hitch, I would get a ride. If I was to make it out to where I must turn off for the gathering this evening, then I would go on into the gathering (the turn off was 40km from the gathering). If I was able to get out of Erfurt this evening, but not to the turn off, I would go on to Karlsruhe. And if I did not make it out of Erfurt that night, I would catch a train to Karlsruhe in the morning.
Well, several quick-caught, short, little-rides later, I made it to my cut off for the gathering. If I remember correctly, this was Eisenach. I thanked the driver and crawled out of the car with lots of excitement. I had waited so long to get to the end of my journey on the Autobahn. It was beautifully landscaped Germany farms, hills, forest, and tiny villages from here on out. If I even had to walk all 40km, I thought that would not be a problem. I was somewhere in Germany...somewhere in beautiful Germany. Apart from my time with Jarmaal, the next 40 km were my favorite part of the trip. They seem to me to epitomize what hitchhiking is all about: beautiful scenery, strange people, peaceful-quiet-long walks with the Lord, and surprizes all along the way. I took photos of the journey, but they just don't seem to do justice to the memories of what I all saw with all 5 senses. There were walks, and there were rides. There was fish at the grocery store, one couple from rainbow stopping to give me directions as they left for Babylon (the land outside of rainbow where most of the rainbow family actually live and pay taxes) and beer in the parking lot with young locals as I passed through the last town. It was light for a good part of the way, and then as I crept up into the woods, it was pitch black. My last driver took me to the foot of the mountain that we thought would lead me up into the gathering.
From there, I went up, ascending alone into the cold pitch-black night, under the trees, listening for drums and people, and searching for campfires. Eventually I reached the top of the montain, and began walking back down the otherside. I could see the lights from another little village down below, but no sign of campers or fires. So I decided I must be on the wrong mountain. I crossed a meadow on the summit and unrolled my shwag to make camp under some trees. Wrapping myself up in the thin covers and my new fleece I prayed for a warmer night, and went to sleep.
The next morning it rained. It was cold, but mainly it was wet. My shwag did well protecting me, however. I read as I waited to hear the raindrops stop outside. I was a little miffed by the rain mainly because I was hoping for a sunny day by which I could recharge my iPod. When the rain stopped, I shook out my wet rainfly, and smiled as I rolled my shwag. I was pleased that I was able to stay dry through the morning. I wondered at what the new day would bring, but was happy to be close to home (the rainbow family refer to rainbow lands in this way). The threat of the morning was not so much the wet or the cold, but that I had lost my brand new planner with all the transferred phone numbers, important dates, and directions both into the gathering and from there to Karlsruhe. I searched the mountain and retraced mysteps back down where I had come up in the pitch the night before. The notebook never showed up. At the bottom of the hill, I was not sure what to do. I looked this way and then that. I found my way back into the little village and opted to try and remember what the only rainbow's I met the previous day told me about entering the land. Luckily, I did not have to rely on my memory alone. When I came into town a woman with hardly any english what so ever labored to communicate with me and asked if I was here to see my family. At first, I began to tell her that my family was all in Texas. But then, realizing what she meant, I said, "Yes! My rainbow family!" I waved my hands over my head to charade a rainbow. Then, she did something absolutely incredible. She had her neighbor from across the street drive me to the end of the village, and up the mountain to the very trailhead of "Welcome Home" Rainbow front gate. Again I thanked the man, and blessed him and all my drivers. I thanked the Lord for his faithfulness to me. I asked for further protection as I was a bit apprehensive of what was to come next. Then, with more prayer and anticipation in my spirit, I set my face towards front gate and my ears towards the first greeting in my direction of, "Welcome Home."