I am back at the HopeChest office today for the first time since a very busy day on Thursday, May 15. Since then...
I traveled to St. Joseph, MI to launch First Congregational Church's sponsorship of Urzhum, an orphanage of about 40 children in Kirov, Russia. It was an encouraging weekend. I was able to stay with Dr. Bob and his wife. Dr. Bob traveled to Russia with me in the Fall and I have through that experience and since then grown to admire and respect him a great deal. He is a pastor and a theologian and a genuinely good guy.
Then I spent a week in class as part of my continuing education and ministry development at Fuller Theological Seminary. I attended a class with Howard Baker called Principles and Practice of Spiritual Formation. We looked at practices of spiritual disciplines throughout the centuries and worked to develop our own personal askesis, a plan for spiritual training. It was a refreshing and informative time. I recommend if you ever have a chance to read any of Baker's work or attend a class with him, do it. He is a humble and devoted Christian scholar.
Then we enjoyed a great holiday weekend. Sunday was also Judah's second birthday. In anticipation of that, I spent all day on Saturday assembling a backyard playset. I started at 6am and ended at 9pm - raising against the sunset and cooling temperatures and fielding multiple 'interruptions,' including my son sitting on my lap for most of the afternoon while I worked to complete his 'fort.' He loves it! Then we went to the zoo and he can tell you all about the giraffes and monkeys and elephants (phenenants in his language) and hippos and penguins and lions and zebras. We definitely enjoyed a rich and restful holiday weekend.
And now I'm back at the HopeChest office. I no doubt have a lot of catching up to do and am excited to work hard to connect faith communities here in the US with the needs or orphaned children in Eastern Europe and Africa. So, thanks for reading and I promise to be more consistent in the coming days and weeks after 11 days away.
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