Emailed Entries to Internet Cafe Devotions Falling for Jesus Contest

Be still and know that I am God! Ps 46:10

In the late fifty's a lot of young people traveled all over to "find" themselves. I was one of them. I was very shy, afraid of groups and liked to stay by myself and hated it at the same time. When I did go anywhere I put my all over mask on. This time it was Europe.

I got myself a motorbike, leathers and pup tent. Strapped my guitar on the back of the bike and off I went. People do not bother bikers, unless they want to be bothered. So this rough tough looking girl went to every museum, old buildings, 1200 year old Churches and things like that. I stood in awe of the masters and architects of the past. .........................

I am riding through a forest and I come to a still place. That is the only way I could describe it. It was a gloomy day. The still place was in a clearing.

Railroad tracks ran through the middle and came to a sudden stop in a pile of gravel. A lonely bench stood at one side. I stopped my bike and looked at the gravel. The stones were all smooth and round, small ones and larger ones all of different colors. I picked up two smooth stones and put them in my pocked and left, but not before picking up a brochure that was available for picking up. I did not look at the brochure until two days later. All the time my hands played with the stones in my pocket. Then when I needed to make a fire and was looking for some paper, I found the brochure back and sat down and read it. It told the story of the Jewish people that had been taken to this place to board the train, never to be seen again. The place had been kept as a memorial and every smooth stone represented a life that one's been. My hands were holding two stones that I had removed from the memorial.

Two lives. I could not forget this, no matter how I tried. So I turned back . I did find the place again. It was a beautiful afternoon. The sun was shining through the trees the light filtered on my hands, as I sat on the bench holding the stones and crying for no reason. I carefully put the stones back and prayed. I knew I was in a special holy place. I asked my Father in heaven to help me and guide me in all of life. Sometimes I am still looking to "find" me, but I know that my God had found me.

Gery Vandenhaak