May 29, 2025
A beautiful day in St. Johns!
For more than 500 years, St. Johns has been visited by European explorers, adventures, soldiers and pirates. St. Johns, the provincial capital, is the economic and cultural center for Newfoundland.
First discovered in 1497 by John Cabot, St. Johns has a rich and colorful history. It was the first permanent settlement in North America and is the oldest commercial district in North America.
St. Johns has been the site of several significant modern events. Marconi made the first reception of radio signals from across the Atlantic in 1901 on Signal Hill above the St. Johns harbor. The successful transatlantic flight by a team of aviators took off from St. Johns. Cabot Tower on Signal Hill is the last North American landmark sighted by Charles Lindberg on his famous solo flight across the Atlantic in 1927. The reason for these particular events is that St. Johns is located further east than any other city in North America.
One of the reasons for visiting St. Johns was to learn more of a local hero that I had heard about years ago with bravery that inspired millions around the world. It all started at Mile Marker Zero of the Trans-Canada Highway which is located in St. Johns. In 1980, dipping his artificial leg into the Atlantic Ocean he began his journey to raise money for cancer research. He was only 21 years old, he had lost his leg to cancer 3 years earlier and instead of giving up he set out to run across Canada with the goal to raise 1 million dollars, one dollar for every Canadian. He ran a full marathon, 26 miles every day, on one leg! He ran for 193 days, before his cancer returned and he was forced to stop running. The quiet statue facing west, just like he did reflect one young man’s courage and determination, and the impact one person’s life can make.
Please if you want to be inspired today take 4 minutes of your time and watch the video below. Have a tissue handy.
(And to my friend Rich Holman I could not find the best fresh off the vine blueberries you ever tasted in your life growing up in St. Johns. Maybe next time.)
Thanks for traveling with us.
Thirdmill Update: “Located in one of the most diverse neighborhoods of the very multi-ethnic city of Toronto, our church is made of representatives of over 70 different nations. The nations are literally at our doorstep. And while that has provided us with a wonderful opportunity to share the gospel across many different cultural and religious backgrounds, it also makes discipleship a special challenge.
Enter Thirdmill and their heart to provide theological education, for the world, for free! We have walked participants through all three certificate programs, including young men who are aspiring to — or even currently involved in — some form of vocational or teaching ministry. The accessible material, high quality videos, world class theological instructors, multiple-language translations, and even dyslexia-friendly text all combine to make ThirdMill a unique blessing to our church, and to the global Church.”
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