It’s only been a week since my last update, but it seems like a long time. The perception probably comes from the fact that the last time I wrote anything here Mildred and I were in another country.
Our furlough has been wonderful so far. We did not lose any luggage, which is always a pleasant surprise with the airline we chose this time. The cost was so much lower than the competition, that we thought it worth the risk that we might have to do without our suitcases for a day or two (again) but it turned out to be a totally uneventful trip other than the late hour of our arrival in Orlando. By the way, Eddie and Janie Upchurch were incredibly gracious the way the picked us up in the middle of the night at the airport, hosted and fed us, and then drove us all the way to Tampa. Thank you!
We’re in Tampa now, getting ready for Bible Basics Day at Oakwood Community Church. It sounds like it will be quite an event. The service plan is finalized now, so everyone knows what they will be doing and when. At the same time that everyone here at BBI headquarters is preparing for Sunday’s BBI Day, we are also getting set for our own board meeting coming up in just two days. Obviously, everyone is feeling a little pressure right now, but we are making good progress with the various talks, Power Point presentations, reports, and videos. On Saturday morning, Mildred and I will be going to the church to make sure that all our audio and video gear work as they should.
Tonight, we plan to meet with our small group from our pre-HRGS days. They are an incredible band of prayer warriors and it will be great to see them again. Starting off the meeting with a different soup every week adds to the interest, but I wouldn’t care if we ate or not. I’m sure it’s going to be a real hug-fest tonight.
The meeting is right next door. Jim and Beth Reed host the small group and they are graciously making their “Prophet’s Chamber” available to us while we are in Tampa. So we just need to pass through the double doors and down a short hallway and we’ll be at small group. I need to get some pictures of this wonderfully tranquil and restful place. Thanks again, Jim and Beth.
Monday night we went to Publix to get some groceries. It was just amazing after being out of the country for nine months. The Roatán grocery stores have gotten much better in the past few years, but we were still not prepared for the cornucopia we found Monday night. In spite of tremendous temptation, we got out of the store for less than $40. I’m not sure if it was will power or fatigue that helped us the most. It was somewhere around 10 pm when we left the store. After getting only about four hours of sleep Monday morning following a very long Sunday, we were pretty eager to hit the sack. We had had supper with Jesse and Kristin Monday and were having so much fun, we forgot all about the time. We also ate with them last night and both dinners were delicious.
We’ve been generally enjoying the smooth roads, incredibly fast Internet, and what has so far been a complete absence of electrical outages. Two things have required some minor adjustment for us. No, it’s actually three, now that I think of it. One, of course, is that we miss our island friends and co-workers on Roatán. Another adjustment, for me anyway, is this whole business of not needing to get up at either 4:30 or 5:30 in the morning. And, finally, we just are not accustomed to seeing so few dogs sleeping in the streets. What is it with American dogs? If they don’t sleep in the streets, where do they sleep? I may need to investigate this peculiar phenomenon. It really makes driving a lot less interesting than in Roatán. I hardly ever have to turn the steering wheel. But I’m adapting OK, I suppose.
{ 1 comment }
Missed the audio update for this week But, then after hearing yours and Mildreds voices in person voice in person, that was much better. Enjoy your time here in the states and also your camera.
Comments on this entry are closed.