"Stick a fork in it"

Yes, that was the profound advice we recently received from our Pastoral Care professor. We've been working on the project paper for a contract course based on our Mississippi trip with LDR. And working, and working, with no apparent stopping place. You see, everywhere we turn, there is new information being published or posted on-line about disaster response, hurricane recovery, and the questions of "WIGIAT - where is God in all this?" Our professor knows we want to keep looking at the new material, but he also - wisely - knew that we needed to get the project to a stopping point!

For two good examples of this information on-line, check out this link to a photo essay by the NY Times - which just happens to feature Bayou la Batre, where we will be working for the next year AND Ocean Springs, which is where we spent January! I hope there will be more of these photo essays available as they travel further across Route 90 toward New Orleans.
http://ROAD_FEATURE

Or check out this blog from Drew Genszler, Director for Domestic Policy from the LOGA (Lutheran Office of Governmental Affairs) in Washington, DC. He is currently touring the Gulf coast, beginning in New Orleans, and providing a great faith-based look at the situation. http://www.elca.org/advocacy/how/blog.html

Yet another example is the upcoming Bible study, written by Faith and Terence Freithem in the Lutheran Woman Today magazine entitled "Hope in God in Times of Suffering." The introductory article appears in the July/August 2006 issue - the study will appear in the next 10 issues.

At any rate, the difficulty for us has been where, when, and how to stop writing this paper. Following his sage advice, we have finished, printed it out, stuck a plastic fork inside the binder cover, and delivered it to the professor for his review.

In the meantime, new info keeps coming to our attention... Clearly, the paper may be done, but the work on the Gulf continues, just as our internship looms ahead!

BTW, if you want any suggestions on materials to read on this subject, let us know - we have a whole list of great resources!!

Matthew 6:31 Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?'

This verse is one we so often overlook. Many of us tend to believe that God needs our help - that we need to worry at least a little. The reality is, God does provide - just not on our timetable.

A few weeks ago, we were winding down the semester and beginning to look at things that needed to happen before internship. One of those things was that the condo we own was currently empty. (Yes, we would love to sell it, but have not been able to.) Our last renter had moved out and we had made the switch to the leasing manager who handled most of the development. We had really been too busy to think about it, but as we began to look at budget for the summer, and for internship, we realized that if we did not have a renter, we were soon going to be in financial difficulty.

One of the problems with being an older, married couple who are both going to seminary, and on internship, is that the stipend provided is really based on either a young single person with very little in the way of expenses, or a married couple where the other spouse is working. Two of us - on internship, with a mortgage (actually, 2), a couple of car payments, etc., and suddenly the financial picture does not look very good. So we prayed. And prayed, and prayed. And a few days later, we received a phone call from the leasing agent saying that he had just signed a lease for our unit! And then, a couple of weeks later, we received another phone call - the one and only scholarship for which either of us was eligible while on internship had come through.

We will still be poor seminarians, just like our classmates, but God has seen to it that our basic needs will be met. We will be able to eat, and drink, and put gas in the car, and have clothes to wear. God has made sure of that. Whatever it is that you need, God will also make sure that you have that as well - maybe not on the timetable you would like, but when you need it - God will see that it is there.

Busy Times Continue

Sorry it has been awhile since our last entry, but we have been busy. (Yes, we ARE still working on papers!) I was concerned that I would really miss daily chapel on campus when the semester ended. And I have; but we have been able to participate in worship in a variety of settings that have been really wonderful, too.

For example, we were invited to the Lutheran retirement home where I did my CPE chaplaincy last summer to talk about our experiences on the Gulf coast. So we went for a midweek chapel service; I was able to share the good news about the great things taking place on the coast, and renew some aquaintances from last summer as well.

We also attended an ecumenical worship service at our field church on Ascension. It is truly a great feeling to sing God's praises and share communion with a large group of believers from a variety of denominations! I appreciate the opportunity to celebrate the things we have in common rather than dwell on the differences.

We have also been helping with the campground ministry and lakefront worship at a nearby congregation again this summer. So on Saturday afternoons, we put on our walking shoes and sunscreen and go visit with campers at the state park, distributing flyers and inviting them to worship. Then on Sunday morning, we help lead worship in an open air chapel on the lakeshore. Some people come into the chapel area, others sit in lawn chairs or in their cars, still others stay on their boats. With the help of a tremendous sound system, we are all able to worship together. (There is also a later service in the air-conditioned sanctuary - and by mid-morning, the cool air feels really wonderful!)

The weekend (well, Thursday-Saturday), we attended synod assembly, which is always a good chance to see people from all over the state - both old friends and new. Worship there was also wonderful. We used materials from the new soon-to-be-published ELW (Evangelical Lutheran Worship) and Renewing Worship materials and got to experience all the seasons of the entire church year. Thursday afternoon was Reformation, Thursday evening was Advent, Friday morning was Christmas and so on ... ending with Pentecost Saturday morning at the close of assembly. Tremendous preachers, glorious music, and God's presence in Holy Communion - everything worship should be!

It really has been a busy and inspirational time for us. We are also filling up our calendars with more worship services - we are already scheduled to preach and lead worship several times this summer. Now we are trying to get the last papers finished quickly, so that we can have some vacation time before we pack for our move to Alabama. The end of July will be here before we know it!

... and Going!

Ever wonder if the Energizer Bunny wishes that someone would turn him off so he can rest? By this time last year, Ray and I had escaped to a quiet spot in the mountains, where we both slept for nearly a week, because we were so tired.

This year, we are still going, in spite of being equally exhausted. We helped to celebrate commencement and the end of the seminary's 175th anniversary last week. We are both in the choir and I have been playing handbells, so we were involved in the special worship services for both events.

I'm not sure if I will ever be brave enough to play handbells again; it has been a real stretch for me. I don't seem to be coordinated enough to maintain a different rhythm with each hand, but I did improve as the year progressed. Wish I had learned to play piano as a kid - I'm sure that would help! Playing handbells also serves as another reminder that I'm getting old - it is very difficult to keep the music in focus! In choir I can just move the music, but with handbells you have to rely on the proper position of the music stand, since your hands are full. (Could the notes be getting smaller, is it dark in here, or do I just need to get my eyes checked?)

We both attended a two day internship conference here on campus this week. So now we have actually met the pastor who will be our internship supervisor and have a better idea what our internship in Mobile will look like, between activities at St. Paul's Lutheran and Lutheran Disaster Response. We are looking forward to this opportunity and should be starting our year there around August 1st.

Now we need to finish the last of our papers for which we received extensions. Then we can consider the semester really finished, and settle in for some rest before the next adventure begins!

and going...

Well, classes are over for the semester except for one small group session tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, the papers are not done! We have each turned in four this week. At least I think it's four - I'm starting to lose track. We still have five to go (about forty pages total for each of us) on a variety of topics; plus four exams (2 written, 1 oral, and one seminar).

Factor into the schedule research for the papers, studying for the finals, chapel services, choir practice, and some year end activities and you will understand why we are getting really tired!

I've got to get back to work! More soon...

Still going...

If you have been checking for updates, we are in the final couple of weeks of classes. One paper has been turned in, one more due this week, and then about 3 more due next week. Then finals. For the next several days, we have no plans but to write, study, and maybe catch a little sleep now and then. We'll try and get some more updates posted once all the papers are finished and turned in. In the meantime, we are still going, but very busy.

Easter Greetings

How do seminarians spend a week of Spring Break that coincides with Holy Week? Well, we stayed pretty close to home. We have been able to shut off the alarm clock and catch up on our sleep, spend time in the campus library doing research for at least some of the papers due before the end of the semester, mow the lawn and trim bushes, run errands like dropping off winter clothes at the dry cleaner, getting the oil changed in the car and having it inspected. Fun stuff.

We also both got haircuts. For Ray that was getting a serious trim; for me it was a more substantial change. I've been letting my hair grow out for about the last three years, with the goal of donating to Locks of Love again. Locks of Love uses donated hair to make wigs for children with long term hair loss. (See www.locksoflove.org for more info on this worthwhile charity.) My hair just recently grew long enough that I was able to have 12" pigtails cut off that I will send in. So I am now sporting a new, bobbed 'do! Our thanks to our friend Gwyn, who graciously provides free haircuts to her poor seminarian friends!

Most importantly, we have been able to observe Holy Week. We worshipped at noon on Maundy Thursday at our field church, Good Shepherd. We were able to attend the Tenebrae Service at our home church on Friday evening, where we experienced the biblical Stations of the Cross - a very moving experience. Then back to campus for the Easter Vigil service in Christ Chapel last night. This is an incredible (but lengthy) service, beginning quietly in darkness at 10 pm for a retelling of salvation history and concluding festively after midnight in great light with a Eucharist service to celebrate Jesus' resurrection. This morning, we returned to Good Shepherd for contemporary worship. It has been a beautiful week of worship - an opportunity to remember the suffering Jesus experienced for our sake and a chance to celebrate the good news that his resurrection gives us the promise of eternal life.

Christ is Risen! Alleluia! Christ is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!
May you each experience the joy of Easter with your loved ones.

Big News - Our Internship Assignment

The seminary made Internship assignments public on Friday afternoon. We did get an email sent out Friday night, but then a flu bug hit (for those of you who listen to Garrison Keillor, it was the "60 second flu bug" that he described a couple of weeks ago. It has to do with how fast it hits, not how long it last.) and we did not get the news posted here. Now it is Sunday and we are both feeling somewhat better, so here is the promised news.

Internship assignments, as you have seen from previous posts, are very much beyond our control. We, unlike many of our classmates, have known for a couple of weeks what site was being considered for us, but we could not talk about it. Below is the main part of the email we sent, with more explanation.

We began the process knowing that our only real input was asking to be placed somewhere near each other so that we could live together, but knowing that we would probably be at different churches, possibly in different towns, and that there were a couple of commonly used sites for married clergy couples that met these specifications. We had very little anxiety, because we knew there was just not much we could do about it and therefore, no reason to fret.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, we were called into the Contextual Education office to discuss a special situation that had come up. It seemed that a congregation had been working on becoming an internship site where the intern would be shared between the congregation and Lutheran Disaster Response. The hitch - it was only one site. We were recommended by the seminary internship committee because of our experience on the Gulf Coast in January. We were excited about the possibilities, but very concerned about the fact that it was only one site. You see, internship is paid (sort of). The intern receives, in most cases, a housing allowance and a monthly stipend. Under many circumstances, the stipend covers your living expenses, and if you are single or your spouse is working, life is pretty good. When both of you are students and you look at a budget living off one stipend, life suddenly looks pretty dismal. We wanted to go, but were afraid of financial disaster. So, we spent an entire weekend worrying, praying, talking, avoiding, and praying some more. On Monday morning, we said Yes, but we will have to have more income so can one of us work part time, or can we supply-preach in the area, or something? Two days later, we were told that the site had found additional funding to cover the second stipend!

Now, after all that, where is this place? It is St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Mobile, Alabama. The site is a shared site between St. Paul's and Lutheran Disaster Response. We (both of us at the same place) will be working within the congregation and working for LDR in the area - which means the Gulf coast - very near where we were in January. Now you may want to know how did we managed that, but we didn't. Read the paragraph above again - this site wasn't a possibility when we went to Mississippi or even when we first came back. The only part we played in this was to say 'Yes' to an idea that was being pulled together.

Today it is official, and we can tell you all about it. As we find more details, we will post them on the blog. For now, we praise God that we have been assigned somewhere, with an exciting mission ahead of us.

Now, to answer a couple of questions that we have already received from our email: How long? Internship assignments are normally 1 year, roughly running from Aug 1 to July 31. Since this is a new site, they will not be ready for us until Aug 1, so our plans will be to move down there the end of July. Other questions: What will we be doing? Like most interns (or vicars, as many churches call them), we will be assisting the pastor at St. Paul's with normal things such as Sunday worship, Sunday School, and other parts of parish life. In addition, we will be working with LDR in the area with case work, visiting, preaching are area churches, and so on. Some of this is still being defined. Stay tuned for more, as we find out.

Waiting...

What Ray is not-so-subtly hinting at with his last entry about "Big news coming on April 7" is that our internship assignments for next year will be announced Friday afternoon. Right now, we - and all our classmates - are anxiously awaiting those announcements.

When you start seminary, you know that you face two years of classes, a year of internship in a congregation, then another year in classes. What you don't realize is how quickly those first two years will pass! It is hard to believe that we are now almost ready for internship. (I say almost because there are another four weeks of classes - and several papers and final exams - before this semester is completed.)

Last fall, we filled out internship applications and were interviewed by members of a placement committee on campus. Of course, we told them that we would prefer to remain here in town, so we wouldn't have to move. But the reality is that there are very few sites available within commuting distance, and those will go to our classmates who have pressing reasons to remain here - spouse's job, children finishing high school, etc. We can rent out our house, pack up, and move; and we expect to need to do so. Our situation is special, of course, because both of us are students. Fortunately, we have been promised that they can find us two congregations close together, so that we can live together and commute reasonable distances to work and worship. We know that they found appropriate sites for THREE couples in last year's intern class, so we have been very confident that they would locate ONE this year - since we are the only couple in our class.

We expected to have assignments by the end of March, but it seems it has been difficult to secure enough sites for everyone in our class, so the announcement was delayed until April 7. In the meantime, the placement committee works to match interns to congregations based on their applications and interviews - selecting the type of congregation and supervisor that will be the best match for each student.

Lest you think all the locations are in North and South Carolina, last year there were students from Southern Seminary on internship in a number of other places, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Texas, and Pennsylvania. Now the tension is increasing dramatically for our entire class as we wait for the news.

So Ray is right: A big announcement is coming on Friday, April 7!

Big News Coming!!!

Watch this space!

Big News Coming!!

More Details on April 7!!!

Plea from the Distribution Center

We received an email last night from Bob Montgomery, a member of Christus Victor Lutheran Church in Ocean Springs. He is the volunteer in charge of both foodservice for the volunteer work crews and the distribution center. I can't say it any better than he does, so I'll include part of his message:

The semi-trailer trucks have stopped arriving and the receipt of supplies has reduced to a trickle. We are experiencing daily shortages at the Distribution Center. Our volunteer workers are processing 150 to 200 families a day, six days a week. With the magnificent outpouring of donations from across America, Christus Victor Lutheran Disaster Response has been able to help close to one thousand families a week. We have been told to anticipate the demand for food and supplies from the Distribution Center to continue for several years.

Over 29,000 families, more than 25% of the Mississippi Coast's population, live in FEMA trailers. Ten thousand of the trailers are in Jackson County, where Christus Victor is located. As of a month ago, another third of our coast residents remain off the coast, as there is no place for them to live. Economic activity has stagnated, tax revenues are unpredictable, and unemployment is high. The recovery on the Mississippi gulf coast is going to take a long, long time.

He goes on to ask for 52 congregations to commit to providing a truckload of food for distribution, hoping that somehow he will find enough churches to provide a truck full of food each week for the next year. That is certainly an ambitious goal, but I believe it is possible with God's help. And help from folks like all of us.

It has been challenging for us to be back to 'normal' and know that many others are not. Receiving this plea for help reminds me of the helpless feeling I experienced many times when we ran out of some critical item at the distribution center. I also know how incredible it was to watch a supply of something suddenly appear: 250 blankets and quilts stuffed into a motor home from Indiana; a box of towels from a man who had received the wrong ones from an online retailer - they told him to keep them and so he brought them to us; groceries purchased overnight by volunteers who saw what we needed; a skid full of feminine hygiene supplies that had been hidden and forgotten under a tarp in the back corner of the warehouse. The list of miracles that we experienced could go on and on.

Even if you can't send a entire truckload of food, you can still be a part of those miracles for the Gulf Coast. Anything you can contribute will certainly help. If you want more information about the items needed, go to their website (www.christusvictordisasterresponse.org/current-needs.html) and look at the "Supply, Hygiene and Food Items Needs." You can also contact us and we can put you in touch with Bob. I know he would be delighted to hear from you!

Dead Sea Scrolls

As you can see, we seem to stay busy, and not just with books. Last weekend, we were offered tickets to the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit. If you have the opportunity, go see it. What makes the exhibit so interesting is the background information that is provided - about the community, the methods of copying and storing the scrolls, how many were found, etc. What I really found fascinating were the signs that hung beside each display, with the text shown in the Hebrew that I can read! There are also coins in the display with Greek inscriptions which I actually recognize! Just think - two years ago I am not sure I would have even recognized a Hebrew letter; now I can translate them!

The other thing we were able to do while at Discovery Place is go to the IMAX movie. It is not directly related to the Scrolls exhibit, but close. A group ran the Nile river, from the source (Blue Nile in Ethiopia) all the way north to Alexandria, Egypt. More than three months on the river, in rubber rafts, going over water falls and being chased by crocodiles! It is a great movie - plenty of information on Africa and the Nile river, info on rafting, and incredible footage of the sights along the way.

I am not sure which was better, but having done both was very much an experience which translated well into seminary life, learning stories that occurred in that part of the world, learning the language that is used to decipher the scrolls and other artifacts of Qumran, as well as a day off from studies which translated into a learning experience!

books, books, and more books

Well, I've finally done it. I have exceeded my limit at the campus library. That means I have over 50 books checked out! Plus Ray has probably another 30 or so. All our bookcases are full of books we own, plus there are stacks of books everywhere in our house...

Now, to explain at least a few of them: We purchased one set of our 24 required textbooks for this semester, then checked an additional copy of each book from the library. This way we each have a copy to read now and we will have one copy for future use, but we don't accumulate two copies of everything.

Then there are the commentaries: We currently have a couple checked out that cover the gospels of Matthew and Mark, along with other lectionary readings. That wey we have resources available to prepare sermons. We also have commentaries on the gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts, for our course on Luke-Acts. Plus a couple of books on the book of Ruth, since that is our current topic of discussion in our Old Testament class...

We have research papers to write in five classes - so I have started to accumulate books on five different topics. That is a pretty good stack on one corner of my desk. Plus a book that we are using for our small group study at church, plus a couple of new books in the library that just looked interesting...

I've always loved to read. Many treasured gifts in my childhood were books, and many happy memories are of rainy or snowy days curled up reading a good book. I have not been able to give up reading for fun. So a few books at a time I check out mysteries or science fiction, fantasy or whatever strikes my fancy - to read in my "spare time." One of the books we both read recently and I can thoroughly recommend is by Robert Fulghum. Remember All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten? If you liked it, check out Maybe/Maybe Not - Second Thoughts from a Secret Life. It is full of stories so true, and yet so funny.

Anyway, if you need to find me, look for me curled up with a book! Or maybe behind one of the stacks of books scattered throughout our house...

Back from Spring Break

Probably not a great title, as it would lead you to believe that we actually went somewhere exciting for spring break. We did get away for a couple of days, but spent most of the break working at home on little projects that have been getting put off.

The main reason for this post is a phone call from my sister saying that we must be really busy, as we have not been posting very often. That would be a very astute observation. We are each taking 19 hours, plus auditing a course and working 10+ hours per week, plus keeping things up at home. For those reasons alone, spring break was nice - at least we could sleep in most mornings!

Our one trip during spring break was to visit my mother, and to stop and see the new puppies at Rhonda's. Here is a picture of the puppies:

These are Feist puppies. I did not know what a Feist was before, but apparently they are similar to Jack Russels, but not as high-strung and are particularly good for squirrel hunting. Rhonda and Chris are raising these particularly for hunting dogs. Though you cannot see all of them here, there are eight little furballs in this litter.

Spring break ended yesterday and classes started again today - from now until Holy Week we will be pretty busy, then a few days off from classes for Holy Week, but more to do at church that week, then back at it until classes are finished in May. We'll try to get the occasional post uploaded here, but forgive us if homework has to come first.

5 Down, 1 to Go...

Guess it really is my turn to post something to the blog. It seems to often be forgotten in the midst of reading, research, and writing. Those must be the 3 R's of seminary.

Actually, after further consideration, I think it should be 4 R's for seminary education - the other one would be reflection. The list should be: research, reading, reflection, and of course, (w)riting. We spend a great deal of time researching to locate the appropriate materials, reading to gather insight and information, reflecting on what we have learned and experienced and where we have seen God at work, and then writing papers or sermons about those insights and experiences. (And then, of course, there is translating from Greek and Hebrew. But that ruins my list of R's so I'll give up that effort...)

Most of the juniors on campus have been accepted for CPE, so they know where they will be working this summer. This week the seniors received their first call synod assignments, which means that while they still need to interview with specific congregations and await calls, they at least know what synod they can expect to be living in soon as they graduate and begin their pastoral ministry. Now all of us middlers are anxiously awaiting the next round of announcements, which will be our internship assignments for next year. We expect those assignments to be announced around the first of April, so for the next month, the stress level will be high among all our classmates! While we are pretty flexible about location, some of our classmates need to be in specific areas and that just adds to their stress!

In the meantime, we just keep busy with our reading and other homework, and look forward to Spring Break, even though Ray and I plan on spending most of it right here at home. It's hard to believe we have already finished five weeks of this semester, and have just one more week to go before before the much-anticipated break. Which will probably be a very busy week as well, with plenty of homework, housework, and yardwork to do!

Update, Feb 17

It appears that my last post got lost (lost in the mail? Operator error?). Life has certainly been busy, and there has not been a lot of time to update the blog. Another problem has been that our DSL has been on the blink ever since we got home. Hopefully, it was fixed yesterday and seems to be much more reliable than it was.

Class schedule for this semester is pretty tough - lots of reading, two classes requiring Greek translations and one requiring Hebrew translations. The transition back to seminary schedule has been a bit of a shock to the system, compounded by our arrival home only two days before classes started.

We have heard from a couple of people that we met in Mississippi, and talked about our experiences. We have also been asked to share with our field education church here, as well as with a couple of groups on campus. Talking about our experiences is good, but it can get a little emotional as well when you try and explain to someone who has not been there what it is really like. There are those who lost everything, but who remain hopeful. It does make it a little difficult for us to hear someone complain about everyday problems, though.

It's Friday night, the fourth week of classes are over, and we plan to do not much of anything for the evening. Sunday will be a big day - church, then home to watch the Daytona 500, and then back to church to meet with our small group. We are using the book Ordinary Joy, which is somewhat interesting, in that the author talks about ordinary joy in everyday life while we are still thinking about people to whom ordinary joy has become a truck delivering basic food supplies, or a blanket to keep them warm on a cold night. Our ordinary joy's would be extraordinary to many of the Katrina victims on the Gulf Coast.

This is a photo of one of our last days in Ocean Springs. This is me training my replacement (Ken) on repairing wheelbarrow tires. On Ken's first day, we fixed a record six flat tires. This photo was recently emailed to me by Wes, who took the picture.  

Back at Seminary

Wow! We only thought that coming home required some readustment - starting classes again has really been hard. We have now been in classes for a week, and going from working 7 days a week to sitting in classes every day has been quite an adjustment.

Instead of trying to get chainsaws working for a crew to take out, now I am trying to figure out how to read 300 plus pages every week. Between the class schedule, homework, and trying to get back into working in the computer lab on campus, I have been as tired this week as I was the first week in Ocean Springs.

This has also been a very busy week. We have been to classes, back to our field church, celebrated Ruth Ann's birthday, and re-stocked the pantry. This weekend, our dog is coming home and on Sunday, my mother is coming to visit. Hopefully, by next week, we'll be a bit more adjusted to being home and back into the swing of classes and homework.

Back to the grind...

Well, we are back and classes started today. Don't know why, but we just can't seem to get over being tired. We only changed time by one hour (I used to change time zones like changing shoes) and we can't seem to get caught up. Yesterday, we slept late, went to the late service at church, bought groceries, and then took a nap. Today, staying awake through two classes was very difficult.


On our last day in Ocean Springs, we went to a seafood restaurant called Port of Call. It is certainly not a fancy place, but they had some of the best fried catfish I have ever had (or was it just from eating at the church for 3 weeks?). Across the street from the restaurant was this storage business. As you can see, the building (and contents) were heavily damaged by Katrina. Also, you can see in the second picture, another boat that just does not seem to be where it is supposed to be. Seems that we saw many boats - some were stored and washed off their trailers but we also saw several that appeared to be washed from some other place and deposited.

The sign in the foreground is just one of many, advertising roofing, remodeling, or other types of home repairs. The creator of the Presbyterian blog that I gave a link to earlier described it best when he wrote about going to Florida to finish the settlement on his burned motorhome - you are driving along (as we did coming home) and suddenly realize that things don't look right - there are no blue tarps on the roofs, no broken trees, and no signs like this one advertising for home repairs. It was actually a bit unsettling as we drove home and into our neighborhood - it looks so different than what we had been seeing the last 4 weeks.

We are glad to be home, and eventually, we'll get back into the swing of things here and be able to stay awake for classes. Most of all, we need to get used to things looking "normal". Stay tuned - we'll be posting updates as the semester progresses.

Home Sweet Home

We got a late start from Montgomery, Alabama this morning since neither of us are morning people. We drove much of the day in light rain and arrived home around 5:00 pm. We had time to unload the Jeep before dark and between rainshowers, but we discovered some sure signs you have been away from home too long:

1) Neither of you know where you put your house keys (mine were in my purse and quickly located - I'm not sure where he found his!)
2) You don't remember where to put away some of the stuff you packed!
3) The unopened mail covers the kitchen table!
4) The house just looks different than you remember.

In spite of those moments of confusion, we are glad to be home. We have opened and read our mail, gotten mostly unpacked, found enough food to cook some supper, and started washing the mound of laundry. Tomorrow we will be going to church and the grocery store and continuing the chores here. Monday will be a day for buying books and running other errands on campus before we go to our first class of the semester.

Thanks to all of you who have helped us on this journey with your prayers and support, especially Rusty for bringing in the mail and keeping my houseplants alive and Rhonda for caring for our beloved mutt Smokey. The house is very quiet without him! We are eagerly awaiting his homecoming in a few days.

Those who remain on the Gulf coast - residents and relief workers - will remain in our thoughts and prayers for some time to come, as the rebuilding process begins in earnest. We are already considering a return trip...