Washington, DC: Sunday

On Sunday morning, we drove about 45 minutes to the Gettysburg National Military Park.  The battle at Gettysburg was an important turning point in the Civil War as well as the bloodiest with 51,000 casualties.  After having just been in a city symbolizing the birth, unity, and strength of the United States, visiting this battlefield was a stark contrast.  Here our country was divided.  Here family members stood in opposite uniform.  Here fellow countrymen fought one another with rifles and cannons. Here thousands upon thousands shed their blood for a cause that would impact generations for centuries to come.

Civil war.  A nation divided.

It was sobering.  It was beyond my comprehension.

I gained a new appreciation for President Abraham Lincoln as he led the nation through one of the darkest and toughest periods of history we have ever experienced.  His famous words in the Gettysburg Address spoken just a little over 150 years ago now hold new meaning to me:   "…that we here highly resolved that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth."

Before attending a church service in downtown Gettysburg, we viewed an informational video about the battle and the Cyclorama, which depicts the final fury of "Pickett's Charge." 

We then purchased the audio CD tour and hopped in the van for a blitz drive around the park, hitting the high points of the battle.  We stopped along the way to take pictures of significant sites and famous monuments.  Debbie and I also climbed the 150-step tower for a great view of the landscape before us.

We could have spent several hours more there traversing all over the park, but by early afternoon, we knew we had to begin the long drive back to Indianapolis.  

We arrived home around 11:30pm.  I was exhausted but thrilled to see Dad and Mom who picked me up at our meeting point.  

Since I've been home I've been thinking a lot, trying to process all that I saw and experienced in a week's time, recognizing that it has been significant but in ways I do not yet fully understand.  The inward spark that was fanned into flame on Tuesday night has not died.  It is still there, and I know that my love of this country's history and for her leaders' faith in Jesus Christ has only grown stronger.  My prayer is that God will continue to cultivate what He has put in my heart and use it in ways that will bring Him great honor and glory.  I will always look back upon this trip with fond memories and thank the Lord for His goodness towards me.