St. John's reversing falls
If you ever find yourself to St. John, New Brunswick, be sure to visit The
Pumpkin Patch. This local attraction isn't found in any of the CAA books or
travel guides, but it proved to be the highlight of our day. In fact, we liked
it so much that we went way out of our way to visit it the following day as
well!
It was while visiting the Reversing Falls that we heard about it. We were all
enjoying the beauty of this local phenomenon formed by the extraordinary Fundy
tides at the mouth of the St. John River. The falls themselves can only be
perceived at low and high tides, but at low tide, the water falls into the bay,
and at high tide, it falls into the river!
As I was scurrying about trying to take the best pictures, I suddenly realized
that my youngest son was no longer with us. "Where's Darien?" I asked my wife.
She had a funny look in her eyes, but she simply nodded toward the information
booth. Sure enough, there he was! And he wasn't just looking at travel
brochures! My shy son was actually talking with the lady behind the desk! Was he
trying to locate some local tourist attraction that we didn't know he wanted to
see? This wasn't like him at all!
We weren't left to wonder long. In a minute, he came running over, waving a
piece of paper in his hand: "Papa! Mom! I found the best ice-cream place in
town! It's called the Pumpkin Patch, and here is how you get there from here!"
He pushed the piece of paper up under our noses.
To our amazement, it proved to be a map of the city, and the lady behind the
desk had marked out the route from the Reversing Falls to the Pumpkin Patch!
Darien obviously remembered how many times we had already gotten lost that day
(See "Lost in St. John")!
I glanced up at the Information Booth to find the lady who had helped him
watching us. "That's quite a boy you have!" she said with a laugh.
Yes. I couldn't have agreed more. But there was just one little problem! We had
already had an ice cream cone that day! And one the day before, and the day
before, and-well, you get the picture! We didn't need more ice cream! But as I
looked to my wife and older son for support, the eager light in their eyes
instantly told me that they had defected to the other side of the battle lines!
How could I disappoint them?
The map proved to be quite good. We only got lost twice before arriving at this
"sweet tooth" paradise, and we were barely parked before both boys jumped out of
the car and ran into the store. None of the usual pleading to put down their
books and get out of the car was needed today! Boy can they ever be fast when it
comes to ice cream!
In the store we faced the impossible task of choosing among twenty-four soft
ice-cream flavors, more than forty hard ice-cream flavors (we couldn't count
them as there were too many!) and a multitude of milkshakes and sundaes. There
were some unheard of, exotic flavors like Puppy Paws, Praline Pumpkin Passion,
Grasshopper Soup, Monkey Business and Turtle Tracks. No wonder it took us over
half an hour to make our decision.
The prices were reasonable, so without having a clue just how big the scoop
sizes were, we each ordered a large ice-cream (3 scoops). Imagine our surprise
when each scoop was the size of three at a normal ice cream parlor! Our large
cones looked like an ice-cream Tower of Pisa! The boys' eyes were popping out of
their sockets as they quickly set to work. They couldn't believe the deal, and
neither could I! Is it any wonder that we weren't that hungry at suppertime?
We had barely finished ordering when I noticed the long line of customers
waiting for their turn to order ice cream. I had never seen anything like it
before. The mosquitoes had though, and they were waiting in droves for their own
little snack; but even this didn't seem to deter the line-up of ice cream
seekers. Word had gone out that this was the best attraction in town! There were
as many locals as there were ice cream flavors!
It is amazing how quickly word spreads when it concerns food, and it spreads
even faster when there is a bargain to be had. However, the best bargain I know
of isn't received with such enthusiasm. The deal is too simple, too
unbelievable. God, in his everlasting love for us came and died in our place. On
the third day He rose up and now He willingly shares His resurrection power with
those who accept His offer. His relationship with us was of utmost importance
and sin had disrupted that fellowship. God wanted to ensure that sin was dealt
with once and for all. Those who accept His offer and believe in Him will
experience real life that will last for eternity.
With such a Friend as our Heavenly Father, why are so many not eager to know
more about Him? Are we not taking His offer seriously? Why are those who profess
Christianity not spreading His Word more enthusiastically? The King of Kings was
willing to die for His creation in order to restore His relationship with those
He loves. Isn't this reason for rejoicing? I can assure you that this offer
satisfies even more completely the sweetest tooth in the world.
"For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death
of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his
life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus
Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." (Rom 5:10-11 NIV)
So let us "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every
opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt,
so that you may know how to answer everyone." (Col 4:5-6 NIV)
"Have you heard about the Pumpkin Patch? They have GREAT and INEXPENSIVE ice
cream! But I know of an even BETTER deal that will satisfy you even MORE fully!"
Rob Chaffart
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