”A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps” Proverbs 16:9
More about God’s well planned and necessary detour later. But first, let’s explore Lake Champlain and look across to Canada!
We stayed in Plattsburg, NY on the West side of Lake Champlain then traveled North to the US/Canadian border. Soon we were driving south from the border into Vermont. We enjoyed the beautiful country and this beautiful lake. During the Revolutionary War, Lake Champlain became a critical strategic arena. If the Americans could capture the lake’s forts, they would gain not only cannons but also control of the lake. They would then command the most direct invasion route to British Canada. Lot’s of early American history around this lake. We ended up driving through a fierce thunderstorm but saw some great scenery.
God’s sovereignty, and His well planned detour!
For the past several days, Lorree had been having some stomach and back issues, some low-grade fever and just not feeling well. This day her discomfort was continuing to increase so we prayed and started talking about the need to find an urgent care to have things checked out. Our planned route would take us south from the top of the lake to the bottom where we would then head East for about another hour. I had already googled urgent care facilities along the way and there were several large cities ahead with plenty of options available, so I felt in control of the situation and had a plan just in case. After slowly driving through the storm and heavy traffic we finally made it to the bottom of the lake and across.
Sometimes the highway interchanges look and feel like this photo on the left! But we had nothing like that in front of us. The photo on the right was our upcoming interchange. I had turned off instructions for routing because Mr. Garmin didn’t like me changing the route. Besides, it was fairly simple, no real reason to miss the first right turn that puts us on the southbound freeway – but I did. After glancing at the map I anticipated crossing the interstate and taking a left turn up ahead in order to make that circle and then head south. Well, we did turn left but we were now headed north (and didn’t know it!) We drove for about 30 minutes and Lorree was getting more uncomfortable, so I told her to google the nearest urgent care.
We found this facility on Google and “pulled over” at Northwestern Medical Center in St Albans City, VT. There was a perfect parking spot for our rig very near the emergency entrance (thank you God!) They were able to get Lorree in to be seen in a short amount of time (thank you God!)
The ER Doctor and the technicians were amazing. (Thank you God!) They went right to work to determine the extent of Lorree’s discomfort. The doctor explained that her gallbladder was hot and upset and most likely passed a stone into the pancreas which made it all hot and angry. Bottom line, she had cholelithiasis with pancreatitis. She needed surgery to remove her gallbladder – but first we had to wait until the pancreas had time to settle down. So…we weren’t going anywhere soon and it was a good thing we “pulled over”! (Thank you God!)
Dennis was able to find a small campground close by and called them to explain the situation. “I might need a site for multiple days , but not sure how many.” Most campsites have been full, but Mike said, “come on over – we’ll make it happen”. (Thank you God!) After texting our family letting them know what’s going on and asking for prayers, my sister Kay responded with, “So close to Canada…” I thought, “what?” I googled where we were and realized – we weren’t supposed to be here! We should have been south not north! Then we knew God was directing our steps to the place He had prepared for us! Thank you God!
So… on Lorree’s Birthday this year, she received lots of tender care, beautiful flowers, hundreds of prayers and a successful gallbladder removal. (Thank you God!) This small rural hospital is named in the top 100 in the United States! The well experienced surgeon has credentials in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. It is connected with the University of Vermont just a few miles away with all the high tech equipment and specialists you can imagine….THANK YOU GOD! He provided the best for Lorree!
After spending 6 days (combined pre and post surgery), Lorree was discharged. We were able to come home to our RV. We stayed at the campsite a couple more days before traveling again so Lorree could rest and heal. Yes, Thank you God for this detour! We made arrangements to arrive a week late to our upcoming SOWER project in Maine – but we were still coming! They encouraged the rest and healing.
It was so good to be back in our home (RV) and together again! Dennis cooked up a pot of Chicken Noodle Zucchini soup, pretty tasty! We are overwhelmed with the friends and family that have prayed for us…
This has been an adventure that we never had planned – “But God”!
Thank you for your love, prayers, friendship, and support for us. We are grateful to be able to share our journey/adventures with you and to enter into your life in this small way. May you be encouraged and draw closer to our Lord as you travel with us!