Our world is amazing, awe inspiring, and clearly was created by an all-knowing and omnipotent God. It is evident in the nature around us here in the coastal plain of Georgia. You see God’s fingerprints everywhere.
To further emphasize this, I would like to recount an excursion that also shows this evidence. Last month, my cousin Helen Oglesby Moore, and I were fortunate enough to see further examples of God’s sacred work, when we visited Antarctica and its surrounding areas including the Magellan Straight and the treacherous Drake Passage, two of the most awe-inspiring waters in the World.
We were aboard the Sapphire Princess ship, departing from Buenos Aires on the east coast of Argentina and on the Atlantic Ocean, in the Southern Hemisphere. So, even though it was January in Swainsboro, it was Summer in Buenos Aires when we left – the temps were in the high 80’s [Not in Antarctica].
We were at Sea for about 2 and ½ days before reaching the Magellan Straight, and, once through the Straight, we were in the Pacific Ocean on west coast of Chile. On board, we listened to seminars in which we learned that Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese Explorer, circumnavigated the globe beginning in 1519 with several sailing ships, the longest of which was just 130 feet. We also learned that they discovered the Straight and passage to the Pacific in 1520. Compared to our 1,000-foot, electric powered ship, with navigation systems, radio communications, radar, GPS, etc. this feat seems more than amazing.
In Chile, we visited the town of Punta Arenas which has a museum showing model exploratory sailing ships that explored the Pacific coast in the early 1800’s. The next day we arrived in Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost point of Argentina, known as the “drive to the end of the world.”
That night, we headed into the infamous “Drake Passage,” which is almost 600 miles long. On our trip, we learned that three oceans [the Atlantic, Pacific and Southern] converge in these waters and essentially create currents like a washing machine. Lucky for us, we were snuggled away in a 1,000-foot boat, with levelers and a capable and experienced Captain and Navigators. In making the journey, we noted that these three oceans, at their initial meeting, remain separate, with different salinity and currents. This too is beyond description.
In travelling to Antarctica, we spent 4 days cruising past some of the most amazing glaciers and snow-covered mountains. These were the most stunning and incredible sites we have ever seen. Whales were everywhere, with penguins and seals at a distance. In traversing Antarctica, we sailed through the Beagle Channel, Bismark Straight, Nimrod Passage, Paradise Harbour, and Neko Harbour, before entering the Gerlache Straight. We then headed toward Deception Island, which is an inactive volcano, and lastly to Elephant Island.
Please see the included photograph of Helen and me with the Antarctic Mountains in the background. Also, please note that we are holding a copy of the Swainsboro Forest-Blade. If you look close enough, you can read the first page of the paper.
At this point, we had seen Antarctica and its surroundings, and we again had to traverse the Drake Passage to get back to South America. We did this and docked in Montevideo, Uruguay, a beautiful coastal town with 14 miles of beaches. It is a surreal place just North of Buenos Aires. Helen and I chatted about perhaps renting a house there, for an extended stay next Summer [our Winter].
We then returned to Buenos Aires to fly back to Atlanta. In Buenos Aires, we visited a Gaucho Ranch where we saw men and women dancing with Bola Gaucho Balls ---- a truly spectacular performance. We ended with a delicious, grilled beef lunch prepared at the ranch.
Seeing all of this is life changing in that it shows the pure inexplicable magnitude, scope and complexity of our world. This had to be created, and the Genesis creation story tells it all. I will end by saying this: “Our God is a Wonderful God, and he is with us and by our sides, always!!”
