A taste of history

Sunday, June 5, 2026
Our favorite day of the week - rest and reflection. Young Ike accompanies me on my morning walk before breakfast. The first flush of wild roses is over but the scent lingers in my mind.

The variety of fungi, lichens, and moss are different here.

I finish writing the leadership talks before the first meeting. Afterward, we sit in the fresh Montana air with other campers. We get free meals while W is speaking at camp. Today it's shredded beef, carrots, and a salad bar. The food is healthy, nourishing, and plentiful. The company is good.

W and I work through a few of next week's morning talks - we have an hour with leaders and an hour with general campers. I schedule my online meetings around supper. The weather is gorgeous: sunshine. There are blue skies. Green trees. Mauve mountains. The next wave of wildflowers colors the ground.

I'm on calls until almost 9PM. I take care of messages while it's still light out, as though it were 5 PM in Bandung. Days are long. Nights are short. We sleep peacefully in the clean air. We drink clear water. How kind God is to take care of us.

Monday
We start a week of speaking together in the mornings. 

We have 2 sessions a day with kind attention. I take a brief walk between hours. The day is sunny and beautiful. After lunch, it's time for a rest.

Walking back from the evening meeting, I spot this slice of Americana.

Tuesday
Today starts with W and I reading through our sessions. Whew - good thing. We stumbled through yesterday but today we have made the edits and changed the order to more workable presentations. I attend the female leaders' meeting at 8, co-lead with W at 9 and 10:30, and chat with people at lunch.

Our grandkids setll fried Oreo cookies in the craft and snack fair. They're hard workers. Once that's cleaned up, we treat them to Tex & Jerry's tacos in town. I walk up, enjoying the wildflowers, while the rest drive up.

It's only 1.6 km (a mile) away, but there's not another soul walking. The wide paved sidewalk is mine alone, though many cars zoom by on the highway.

We drive up the highway to take our annual photo of the "Historic Point" sign. We drive a bit farther to snap the pic in a less risky location. This time we don't have to cross the highway for our usual photoshoot, where the "Historic Point" is above the heads of whoever made it to Montana - and we're pointing in all directions. 

We park a half block away. With young ones, we avoid walking on the highway shoulder, and tramp through a grassy ditch. Since W and I found a snakeskin near the river and there's wildlife everywhere, I tell the kids to watch for snakes. That freaks them out a little. (On the trail in Indonesia, our dogs run ahead to warn snakes off.) I'd rather the kids be alert than surprised, but fear is never the goal.

I keep meaning to print out the family's 30 years of historic photos for the cabin stairwell. However, most of them are lost somewhere in W's old computer files.

Wednesday
We speak together as usual for the leaders' hour. Since W's topic for the main session is broad and complicated, he tackles that on his own. We enjoy lunch with family friends, finish tomorrow's talk, get the plumbing sorted, and volunteer in the dinner line. It's fun to say hi to those who come through for food.

We're nearing the end of our time here. It's already been beyond expectations in relationships and work. Thanks be to God.

Read more:
* For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. Psalm 33:9

* Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:28-31

*Then looking up to heaven, [Jesus] sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Mark 7:34-35

Moravian Prayer: Healing Lord, through your power and grace, strengthen us each day to make a joyful noise unto you with our voices and our hearts. We praise your name today and always. Amen.