In early May I trained someone from Ohio who came with her husband to take over my church partner responsibilities. They really have servant hearts and were not afraid to tackle home jobs and work in the kitchen. They were a blessing!
Steve worked hard at getting his responsibilities handed off - especially with the coconut oil business. He had so much going through his head that he would wake up at 4 and not be able to sleep, so he'd get up.
A friend is renting our house while we are gone. This meant that what didn't go in a suitcase was packed away in a large closet so that she would have empty drawers and closets. It was almost like packing to move!
At work they gave us a farewell with a nice meal on the roof patio, speeches and all. It was very touching. One co-worker said that we are like mom and dad to them.
Our first stop was Geneva where we spent the day with our daughter's friend. We walked around the city a bit and enjoyed the beauty and the company. Then we were off to Le Rucher for a debrief retreat just across the border in France. The scenery was breathtaking and the peaceful rural setting was just what our tired bodies needed.
Mt Blanc was 50 miles from the front door.
We had a good time as a group and our debriefers were great. Sarah Lanier, author of "Foreign to Familiar" was one of the debriefers. It was great to meet her after enjoying her book and recommending it to many.
There was beauty all around us. I was even impressed with the birdsong! It was just what we needed.
Our next stop was Washington DC for our son-in-law's graduation from Georgetown. Here he is with his PhD diploma in economics and it's in Latin! Thankfully they gave him a translation.
We went out on the town to the new Martin Luther King memorial, then walked through the FDR Memorial and went to the Jefferson Memorial as well. Who knows when we'll be back in DC. It's been a fun place to visit.
We even got in a baseball game in the evening. The Nationals have become Janelle's favorite team and she will miss them when they move. I was impressed with the fun atmosphere and intermingling of fans. It was nothing like the soccer game in Brazil with a police force between the fans and German Shepherds lining the edges of the field!
We had a couple of intense days at WR in Baltimore. But we also had fun in the evenings and even got to see Ellen, a friend who was in our small group in Mozambique. She took us to a delightful Afghani restaurant.
And now we are home and enjoying every minute of reconnecting with friends and family and just resting for awhile. We will have more activity in the middle of the month but for now it's great to just be.
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