The sabbatical has been wonderful. I've got new ideas, new insights, and new passion for ministry. The last week has been taken up with paying bills and doing all the chores that got left behind... plus cleaning up an ugly surprise!
We have a dehumidifier in the basement that runs quite frequently, and empties the water through a hose into a drain in the basement floor. That end of the basement has a carpet that runs up to the drain. Somehow, at some time when we weren't aware of it, the hose was dislodged from the drain and ended up on top of the carpet. We're not sure how long it was like that, but it was long enough to make the piece of carpet quite nasty. Someone has said that everything grows in Iowa -- and we saw some things growing that I've never seen before! Yeech!
Our two eldest children returned home from their summer sojourn in Medora, North Dakota, this afternoon. It's wonderful to have them back, even if it is for just a short time. Dan will be leaving for his freshman year at Northwestern College in Orange City, IA, on Thursday, and I'll be taking Emily to Milwaukee on the 25th so she can fly out for her semester in the Middle East, based in Cairo, Egypt. So we've got to enjoy our eldest children fast.
It has been a wonderful, whirlwind, refreshing, renewing, and even restful 9 weeks. I'm ready to get back to work. But this summer has been good for my soul. I'm grateful to God, to Pella I, and to the Lilly Endowment, for making it a reality.
