
Well, I am sitting here at 10 'til 10 on Sunday night. I've arrived back safely to Lynchburg, despite the long layover at O'Hare. I wasn't sure what to expect when I was invited to attend the Kids Alive Soul Care conference. I felt a little awkward going as I wasn't on the field yet, but any fears or concerns were quickly erased in the fellowship and warm welcome I received.
On Monday we had an inch or so of snow when we woke up in the morning. Was quite nice as we didn't get much in Virginia this winter. The photo posted here was taken around 6:30 in the morning. It snowed most of the day, but most of it was gone by Tuesday mid-day. Unfortunately I don't have the video, but one of the Peru team members went sle

dding in shorts, sandals, and a Peruvian stocking cap. Quite memorable to say the least. I think it was an especially good event (the snow) as many of the teams came from tropical climates and had not seen snow for a while.
Wednesday a couple of friends and I went on a short hike. We were originally planning on going to the Dells, but that was a bit too far for our time limit. So instead we went to the Black River and spent our afternoon wandering around the river and a stream that fed into it. What was cold and covered in snow on Monday was bright, warm, and green by Wednesday. One of the highlights of this day trip, and possibly the week, was an encounter with a Wood Turtle. These are rather rare in Virginia and are protected. It was a special moment to see one of these in the wild. One photo is of the cleaned-up turtle and the other is as we found her on the ground.
All in all the trip

was absolutely amazing. I think one of the most valuable aspects of this trip was that I was able to meet many of the other workers. This was important because it helped to make everyone a face that I knew and interacted with. There is a list of workers on the
Kids Alive website that corresponds with each country of service. Although you know who is working in each country and what they might be doing it is not the same as knowing them personally. I felt warmly welcomed into this amazing family, knowing that I have friends and co-workers now in other countries that are praying for me...as I know them by name and face they know me by name and face. Another valuable aspect of this trip was that it focused on burnout and stress. While I am not experiencing that in the field, I am experiencing it at work currently. What I learned over the past week will be helpful as I wrap up my time at Opportunity House. And, in some twist of events, I was able to put some if this training into practice when my flight was delayed 4 times at O'Hare Friday night.
I'll talk more about this later, I need to unpack and get to sleep. I will also post some other photos of the camp and the travel back from Warrens, Wi when I sign in again. Thanks for your prayers.
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