Ready or not, our sabbatical has begun! Herb & I headed for Minneapolis on Fri., Sept. 29th, and attended services on Sat. and Sun. at Wooddale Church (Leith Anderson) and Grace Church (Daniel Henderson). Both services were excellent to observe and participate in. We arrived in Delafield, WI Sunday evening, to begin our Pastoral Retreat. The facilities were beautiful - a century old house, renovated to a capacity for 6 pastor couples, with large living, dining and community spaces, as well as private rooms with bath. Located on the shore of a small lake, with boat, canoe or kayak, and various recreational resources. The most wonderful resources, however, are the reading and devotional materials in the rooms, and the library, and the caring, supportive resource couple, Andy & Nancy Hagen. We were refreshed and encouraged by all of the pastor couples in attendance, in our devotional times, as well as through wonderful conversations around the table, or in the evening.

We headed home on Friday, and flew into high gear to prepare for my parents' 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration on Saturday. All of my brothers were in the province at the same time (a rare occasion, to be sure) and the whole family had a good time reconnecting, and hosting all of the guests at the celebration. The "Mello Mennos" were a true hit, enjoyed by all.

Sunday evening it was time to pack in earnest, and 5 hours later, after a family conference, we elected to pack everything and go, rather than to attempt to sleep until morning. Thus, we pulled out of Winkler, Manitoba at 1:00 a.m., travelled all the way to Normal / Bloomington, Illinois by 6:00 p.m. Monday. Everyone was weary but proud of the distance we had travelled. Supper, a short swim, and early bedtime is all that's left for today. The best T-shirt I saw today was a green, John Deere shirt which read "Been there - cut that".