What’s the takeaway value of a three-week trip to the Midwest? What scenic wonders did you take in?
Not any, really.
How many photos did you take?
A few.
How much rest did you get?
None to speak of, though a little with Eric, Sue Beth, and April in northern Wisconsin.
How, then, can a trip that yielded so little matter to you?
Well, let me count the ways. There’s Alfred and Nancy, Paul and Ginny, Cris and Cristina, Roy and Peg, Shirley, Anne and Ruth and Steve—and Jonny who magically got us online, Mark and Brenda, Scott, Norm and Jan, a marvelous church service in one of the Bethlehem Baptist campuses from which John Piper recently retired, family in N. Wisconsin and another wonderful church service there,
Ethan and Aaron, Jeri, and finally, Don and Ruth. And their house in the making.
I skipped the main purpose of the trip: the Annual Meeting of the Conservative Congregational Christian conference (CCCC) with which our church is affiliated. In St. Paul MN. With far too many gratifying interactions to list. Marvelous speakers and workshops, deep conversations, selling books with my red hat and cheeky approach, lunches with Pat and Bob, connections that were clearly God-ordained.
Friends. That’s the takeaway value of such a trip. Good friends, heart-to-heart talks, remembering other days and times and places, tears on pulling away from such love.
Yes, love—the bottom line of such an intense, draining trip. The love of friends, the love of God revealed through friends. A touch, perhaps, of the interactions we’ll have in heaven. No tired there, no tears on parting, no miles to slog.
Just love.
Leah
