TRAIL OF HEALING DAY 4: Next Generation Of Leaders, Land Issues” Dominant Focus

01 February 2011

By Patrick Butler
ResonateNews.com

ON TEXAS HIGHWAY 21 — The eight-car caravan of 25 people called the Trail of Healing started its day in “Aggieland” i.e., on the campus of Texas A&M University at 9 a.m. under the Century Tree. The campus landmark is a huge legendary oak tree with root-like boughs spreading out over the walkways leading to classrooms.

      A prayer for the next generation of leaders was led by A&M student Amy Schlueter. Adults twice her age agreed with her in prayer for “the calling forth” of youths who would help engage their world, helping to anchor it in spiritual stability.

Photo By Patrick Butler
Participants in the Trail of Healing huddled Monday during the convoy's stop on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.Consistent themes of reconciliation — spiritually setting straight historical grievances — have been a identifying mark of the “Trail.” Trail participants have sought out youths, choosing to place their hopes for the future on the shoulders of their young counterparts rather than only on elders.

But something greater than praying inside the four walls of any given church in any given Texas town was on the minds of trail participants. A perspective called “land issues” is central to the group — which may be a somewhat obscure doctrine for many Christians. Simply stated, the idea is to redeem land from decades — or centuries — of human activities such as slavery, bloodshed, greed, suffering and abuse.

Purposely seeking out spots where illicit activities have taken place, the adventurous caravan caught up with Spanish history and their intentions in North America — by searching for and finding an extremely remote historical marker. The spot was clandestinely located on private property with no driveable road for access.

Walking a quarter mile through a muddy stream, up goat-like paths through thorny brush, the intercessors gained the high ground by discovering the spot where Spanish imperialists in 1830 hoped to establish a capital called Tenochtitlan — the same name given ancient Mexico City, the marker explained.

“The land was stolen from the inhabitants and the establishment of a false capital was attempted,” said Mike Harwick of Waskom, Texas. “This was done in the insanity of man to get something that didn’t belong to them, in their greed to get more, and abuse anyone who stood in their way. ”

Even though independence from Mexico and statehood may have settled the political issue, Harwick said, there still needed to be a spiritual settlement. The intercessors — those who pray on behalf of others — split up into two groups.

For nearly an hour they prayed, sang and declared God’s will and divine life as it was originally intended to be experienced, would revisit the site near Caldwell, Texas.

On the road afterwards to San Marcos, where the trail was to reconvene Monday at The Meeting Place, Harwick was pensive.

“We declared at that place that the past would be broken and truth where the capital was to stand would finally be established,” he said. “We declared spiritual freedom from the transgressions of the past and declared hope for the future.

The hidden nature of the marker may have precluded any kind of similar prayers being made, said Harwick.

“This is so far away from anything, I doubt anyone has done this before, but God has not forgotten what happened there. It’s finally time to clean up what’s been done so long ago so healing, growth and prosperity can come.”

NEXT STOP: Laredo, Texas

EDITOR'S NOTE: ResonateNews.com Editor Patrick Butler is on the road with the Trail of Healing — a prayer-based convoy composed of people from Louisiana and Texas ministry organizations. The group is traveling El Camino Real de los Tejas in hopes of leaving in there wake peace and restoration from historical transgressions. The trail has six key stops and ends in Roma, Texas, on Wednesday.