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Pearl and the Snake · Travel With A Purpose

• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: Hello, fellow sojourners.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Dave Light, and welcome to Travel with a Purpose, a podcast designed to keep sojourners and friends informed, entertained, and inspired.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: It didn't take long before Earl and Pearl Traveler were settling into the rhythm of sojourner life at Camp B.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: Earl had mastered the coffee pot.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: Miles, their little white poodle, had established himself as neighborhood security.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Miss Gypsy, their orange tabby cat, had claimed the best shady spot under the RV.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: And Pearl, as always, was operating with a purpose.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: Well one particular morning, Pearl was headed to the lodge to cook some bacon for their breakfast.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: It was early, very early.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: The sun was barely peeking over the trees.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: Birds were just beginning to chirp.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: Most of section A was still deep in peaceful slumber.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: Earl naturally was snoring contentedly.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: Earl quietly opened the RV door, determined not to wake him.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: She stepped down carefully, adjusted her travel with a purpose shirt, and began making her way through the dim early light.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: Now, Section A had many wonderful qualities friendly people, good shade, close proximity to the lodge.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: But after a windy East Texas evening, it also had something else tree debris, little branches, twigs, leaves, nature's obstacle course.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Pearl shuffled forward, thinking mainly about biscuits, gravy, and a side of bacon.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: And then she saw it just ahead on the ground, long, dark.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: Her lying silently across her path.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: Pearl froze.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: Her eyes widened.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: Her heart practically filed an emergency report.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: And then she screamed.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: Not a normal scream, not a startled squeak.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: It was a full volume county line crossing.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: Wake the dead from the cemetery across Cook's Road.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: Dogs were howling.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: Birds scattered.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: That's the level of that scream.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: Snake RV doors burst open.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: Miles began barking like he was defending the free world.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: Miss Gypsy launched onto Earl's chest inside the RV, causing him to wake up shouting, I didn't hit the waterline.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: Jay from across camp sat upright in bed.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: Carroll reportedly said, What has Earl done now?
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: Within minutes, such an A looked like a tactical response team in pajamas.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: Pearl stood a safe distance away, pointing dramatically.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: There, right there.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: A crowd gathered cautiously.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: Jay, trying to maintain some dignity while wearing plaid pajama pants, slowly approached the danger.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: He shined his flashlight.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone leaned in.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: Silence.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: Then Jay bent down and picked it up.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: He held it high for all to see.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: A tree branch.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: Not a snake.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: Not even remotely alive.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: Just an ordinary, slightly crooked, fallen tree branch.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: For three full seconds nobody spoke.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: Then Earl, now fully awake and still wearing one boot and one bedroom slipper, squinted and said that branch nearly took us all out.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone began laughing, and Earl, to her credit, did not miss a beat.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: She crossed her arms, lifted her chin, and declared, Well, if Section A wasn't trying to look like a snake sanctuary, this wouldn't have happened.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: Sheila Little, standing nearby, said, Pearl, you're the only woman I know who can scare a tree branch into becoming firewood.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: And just like that, Pearl went from startled victim to determined organizer.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: Immediately after breakfast, Pearl had launched what would forever be remembered as the Great Section A cleanup campaign.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: Pat Rains showed up armed with gloves, trash bags, rakes, and enough determination to frighten actual snakes.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: Pearl organized volunteers from every nearby campsite.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: Pick up every stick.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: No twig left behind.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: If it looks like a snake, remove it.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: Soon Section A was buzzing.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: Earl hauled limbs, Jay brought tools, and Carroll directed traffic like a colonel overseeing military operations.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: And by noon, Section A was the cleanest section Camp B had ever seen.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: Not a stick, not a branch, not even a suspicious pine cone remained, and some clumps of grass were pondered over as to their necessity.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: And from that day on, whenever winds blow through Camp B and branches fall in section A, someone inevitably says Better pick that up before Pearl sees another snake.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: You know, every sojourner has a story like this.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it wasn't a snake.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it was something else.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: It seemed like a disaster at the time, but became a favorite memory later.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: That's one of God's little gifts.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_00: He has a way of weaving laughter into our journey.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes the moments that embarrass us the most become the stories we enjoy telling the most.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: So don't take yourself too seriously.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: Enjoy the journey.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: Laugh with your friends, and thank God for the memories He gives us along the way.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: Well, thanks for listening to this podcast.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: I invite you to subscribe and share it with others.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host Dave Leighton, and remember, we glorify God as together we travel with a purpose.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: Happy sojourning!