#18 Cape Canaveral, May 22 at Freddie Patrick Boat Ramp
The beauty of the presence of The Lord was at each Port of Florida. Though each was different, each was wonderful in its own way. We really missed Dianne being with us and our hearts were hurting for her and what she was facing with Greg’s, (her husbands’) passing, but Jesus in His own way filled the void of her absence…
Oh the uniqueness of Port Canaveral, it will linger in our hearts and minds for many years to come. From the space launch at Cape Canaveral when we arrived, to the angel that showed up with the bicycle pump that Rick needed, to the joy we experienced together as the Body of Christ.
The Lord blessed us with a good site at the Cape Canaveral campground (Jetty park) and we were excited to see the launch that day. We did not have a car anymore, as Dianne’s car was our transportation but we did have our bicycles. After we set up camp, Rick and I jumped on our bikes to go see the launch which was only 5 minutes away. It was a beautiful day and hundreds of people were lined up along the canal to watch.
The next days’ adventure was amazing; Rick and I rode over to the boat ramp on our bikes where we were to meet the Intercessors that evening. Rick was way behind me so when he caught up, I asked what took him so long and he said that his tire was almost flat so it was really hard to pedal. There was a little cafe right there at the ramp so we had breakfast and asked the cashier where we might find a place to blow up the tire. He said that there was a gas station about 2 1/2 mi away but we knew we couldn’t ride that far with a flat tire. Anyway, we slowly rode back to the ramp and I noticed a man on a bicycle there. He was older looking, shirtless, with a pony tail and heart shaped sunglasses with white frames. I guess I would say he looked like an old hippy. Lol. I chuckled to myself but really felt drawn to talk with him.
I asked the Lord how to approach him and then I heard, “ hey, I like your hat.” He was responding to Ricks “Jesus hat”. Of course, that led to much conversation. His name was Tim and he told us that he lived in the area in a condo but as we talked, I was looking at the bike he was riding and wondering why this man would be riding a bike that was all rusty and held together with duct tape if he had a condo? There were 3 baskets hanging off his bike. They were filled with plastic bags and other stuff but nothing that looked usable or of any significance. He really looked like a homeless man! We asked how he knew the Lord and he shared of his troubled past but the joy of the Lord truly exuded from him. We shared why we were there and also that Rick’s tire was flat and he just reached into one of his baskets and lifted up what looked like a black pipe. As he turned it over, we saw that it was a bicycle pump! It was also rusty and held together by duct tape, with a rusty screw stuck in the nozzle head. He said that he found it in a dumpster. (Hmmmm?) He handed it to us and Rick pumped up his tire….
Rick said he could just imagine roll call that morning in heaven for the angels. This angel was told to go to the tool shed, check out an old rusty bike and an old air pump. Put on a pair of shorts and white heart shaped sunglasses and go to the beach and wait by the boat ramp! Rick will be along shortly needing air in his bike tire. 😂 God’s amazing provision and what a sense of humor our Father has!
That evening, it was the palpable presence of the Lord at our worship time that touched us so much. Because of the wind and rain, we decided to walk to the ramp with our umbrella. We all met under a tiny little pavilion and tried to stay dry but nonetheless, Gods presence came down. The five of us joined our hearts together, we sang, worshiped and praised The Lord. Then we read the declarations of God’s protection and blessing over that harbor. We did the communion service together and then went down and cast our bread upon the waters. It was almost cold and it continued to rain but we truly pressed in and worshiped anyway as we continued to pray and sing to Jesus. (Which I think warmed us all.)
As we sang and worshiped, we had visitations of dolphins that came and circled thru the canal beside us as if they were drawn there. Then we had a huge flock of seagulls come and hover over us and then fly off over the canal. It was as if God sent his creation to join with us! Then all of a sudden, the spirit of Joy just came down and we could not stop laughing and rejoicing in His presence! We remember Katherine’s laugh specifically. What a beautiful, abandoned and infectious laugh. We were truly encompassed by the Joy of the Lord!
When we finished, we held hands and prayed, and thanked God together for the beautiful experience. Then Rick walked down to the waters edge at the boat ramp to get the water from that harbor for Dianne. We all crowded into one of the ladies cars and she took us back to our camper where we hugged and said goodbye, aware that we had all experienced something unique, Holy and precious in the presence of God!