An Arkie’s Faith The Murnau incident

buktu.” I took out my phone to see where I was going and my options. My friend Bernd had taught me how to use the Deutsche Bahn app, and I quickly found that the next stop was in the small town of Ohlstadt. If I got off the train there, I could board a train back to Murnau in a little over an hour.

options here in the Bavarian countryside. I saw that in 10 minutes, there was a bus going to Murnau. But to my dismay, the bus station was on the other side of town from the train station. I decided to try to catch the bus.

I started walking as fast as possible with my bad legs, backpack on my back, and suitcase bouncing down the cobblestone streets. I can’t imagine what people were thinking as they saw an older man with a backpack and suitcase half running through their sleepy little town. I reached the bus stop with a minute or two to spare. I had just enough time to snap photos of the incredible scenery surrounding me. As I boarded the bus, a sense of relief washed over me. It was going to be okay. I would reunite with my wife and sister in a few minutes.

to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and I had the rail pass with me. My wife and sister were stranded at the train station in Murnau, and I needed to figure out what to do.

As I thought about my options, I remembered the advice I had read on the blog Brian’s Guide to getting around Germany. “Make sure you are ready to jump off when the train arrives at your destination — remember that at some stops, the train only stops for a minute or two. If you’re not ready, you may end up taking an unscheduled diversion to Germany’s Timbuktu. As the train pulls into your station, be standing at a door, and when the wheels grind to a halt, open the door and leap off. To open the door, look for a green button. As the disembarking passenger, you have the right-of-way over people trying to clamber aboard but be prepared to shove your way through any Teutons who aren’t minding their manners.”

“Well,” I thought, “here I am on an unscheduled diversion to Germany’s Tim-

“That is my best option,” I thought. A few minutes later, I stood in front of the train door with my luggage in tow as the train stopped in Ohlstadt. I quickly pushed the open-door button and, a few seconds later, stood on the deserted platform beside the train, watching it leave the station.

No one had boarded the train, and I was the only one who had disembarked. I looked around at the surreal scene. The train station was a small shelter beside the train tracks with several benches. I sat down and took a moment to look at my surroundings. I was in a beautiful small town in the Bavarian Alps. Fantastic mountain views surrounded me, but I couldn’t take the time to appreciate the beauty around me in every direction. I had to figure out what to do.

I checked the train schedule once again. It would be an hour before another train arrived. I pulled up my maps app and clicked on the transit button. I found the app very useful in navigating the city streets of Berlin and Erfurt and checked to see if there were any

That evening as we walked through the quaint town of Oberammergau, I thought about the day’s adventures. Our journey started by walking from our apartment to a tram stop a halfmile away, where we took the tram to the Erfurt Hauptbahnhof. We took the train to Munich, where we changed to a train headed to Murnau. After the Murnau incident, we finally arrived in Oberammergau at about 5 o’clock.

Gentle Reader, in Revelation 22:11 (ISV), the Bible says, “Let the one who does what is evil continue to do what is evil. Let the filthy person continue to be filthy. Let the righteous person continue to do what is right. And let the holy person continue to be holy.” This scripture is a dire warning regarding death and the end times.

People who reject the gospel do not receive a second chance for salvation if they die. Eternity does not change anyone’s status. The person who dies in an unsaved condition will be unsaved throughout eternity, and the saved person will be saved throughout eternity. Someday it will be too late for the unsaved to change their destination by repenting and believing in Jesus. Don’t let the doors close on you before you can change your destination.

Wickes Trade Day

Saturday, July 8, 9 a.m. - TBD

Located in Wickes on Hwy. 278 on the lawn between Union Bank and the fire station. Vendor set-up is at 8 a.m. Support local businesses. Enjoy Hispanic food, BBQ, baked goods, tumblers wood works, items from Double R Forge, freshies, homemade cards, floral arrangements, key chains, clothes, jewelry, pony rides, face painting, and more. Vendors are not guaranteed to be present as unforeseen circumstances may arise. Call 479-216-8234 for any questions.

Queen Wilhelmina State Park

Fun On The Fourth

Tuesday, July 4, 1 - 6 p.m.

Spend Independence Day enjoying the great outdoors at Queen Wilhelmina State Park for a free event. Meet at the campground near the bathhouse where canopies will be set up. There will be watermelon and ice cream. Hang out and play a few games including sprinkler tugof-war, cornhole, egg toss, sack races and scavenger hunts. Activities will take place on an as-requested basis beginning at 1 p.m.