Time to rest

This trip was so awesome! Our group had great 'group dynamics' and took care of everyone; they did refer to us as a 'family' in an earlier entry. Before leaving I thought the group was a little small, but I think in the end, this was a blessing. Our size allowed us to do things we would not have been able to do with a large group.

For example, on our drive toward Cape Girardeau Friday, we stopped for lunch at a State Park in Jackson, MS. We noticed a few children flying kites. Since the rain stopped some in our group from flying newly-bought kites on Wednesday afternoon, we pulled them out after lunch. It felt so good to simply relax, enjoy the sunshine and have the freedom to run around.

I have to admit, I'm not as young as I used to be... Though I've worked harder and longer days than we did this week, I'm out of practice. Plus I was staying up later, living in a new environment, and responsible for more lives than just my own. I felt fresh when we left St. Paul's Lutheran Friday morning, but by that evening I was grouchy. We made 'walking tacos' for dinner, I called home to check in with my family (who had a big day the next day, their annual cattle sale), and 3 of the students were not doing well either. We were all ready for some sleep.

To round out our experience, we drove through snow on Saturday. Yep, snow! We had hot weather, rainy weather, wind and now, snow! It began west of St. Louis. But one of our blessings this morning was, by chance, stopping at a gas station having a grand opening celebration! Many of us enjoyed free cappiccinos. We ended our journey together pulling into LSC's parking lot in Lincoln around 6:00pm.

Thank you to Daniel, Tyanne, Logan, Becky, Sarah and Tyler for making this week so memorable! Thanks to each of you for what you brought to the group, and for strengthening us! It would not have been the same without you. Finally, a great big 'THANK YOU' to supporters who made this trip possible: Fritz, Barb, Rev. Harold Hamilton, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Dorothy Christiansen and the home congregations of each student.