October Notes

I started the month of October with my second positive COVID test (first one was June 2022). In a certain sense, I was thankful because I was feeling very sick. This required clearing my calendar for the week and trying to rest and get better. My wife Lynne and I tried to isolate from each other as much as we could in our house and that was tricky. Thankfully, Lynne did not get COVID. We were also sad to cancel plans to host a Thanksgiving meal with our local family members. Not fun!

I tested myself again and was glad to have a negative test for COVID several days later. The extra rest helped a lot. I also received lots of help and care from my wife Lynne...she's good people!

One of the highlights of October involved me getting my assignments to communities and LAMP teams for the next year or so. I'll be working with some communities and their associated LAMP teams in Saskatchewan (Deschambault Lake, Grandmother's Bay, Hall Lake, Wollaston Lake) and with some communities and their associated LAMP teams in Manitoba (Brochet, Cormorant, Easterville, Lac Brochet, Leaf Rapids, Lynn Lake, Moose Lake, South Indian Lake, Tadoule Lake, Thompson). I am thankful that I got to visit several of these communities last summer and I look forward to trying to visit the rest before summer 2024. I will also be reaching out to the LAMP team leaders and teams for these communities in the next weeks and months. Here's a map of the areas and sites where I'll be serving.

Another October highlight was the chance that I had to visit with two LAMP team leaders here in the Edmonton area and hear about how their summer trips went. I so appreciate both Roxanne and Anke and I will be working to support these gifted leaders in their work in any way I can.

I've been trying to work at the LAMP office here in Edmonton one day a week over the past few weeks. It's been helpful as I still have lots of questions for Darrel, Catherine, and Shelly. I am also able to work from home on other days and I appreciate that, too. Here's some pictures of me at the LAMP office.

October ended with a LAMP staff retreat and the LAMP Board meetings in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After a long day of flying, we started things off with supper at the Palm Palace Restaurant. We even had a robot serve us some of the food (you can see it at the far end of the table in this picture...pretty groovy!)

The next day we headed out as a staff for a staff retreat. We were able to visit the American LAMP office during our time there. The office is located in a barn on a private property out in the country besides a beautiful lake. Here's some photos...

We were also able to go out for lunch with Andrea (LAMP staff person), Wally and June. The restaurant featured a "feather bowling" alley and we had a chance to try out the sport. As my son noted later, the alley looked like a half-pipe from a skateboarding park...now imagine some wooden blocks carved like Canadian curling rocks with no handle that you roll down to the other end. You are trying to place the round block as close to a feather on the end as possible without going too far. I was surprised to discover that my fellow staffers Shelly and Andrew were really, really good at "feather bowling"...and I was sad to learn that I am not. Maybe next time?

Later that day the LAMP Board members from all over Canada and the US started arriving. We went out for supper as a large group and spent some good time visiting together. Over the next two days, the Board met and worked through their official business. There were times when the LAMP staff joined the meetings and there were times when we did other things...like going to Trader Joes and also going out for Persian coffee!

We were also able to enjoy some good German food at the local Metzgers restaurant. The decor was great, the staff were very friendly, and the German food was very tasty!!

My final highlight of the weekend was the opportunity I had to go visit St. Michael Lutheran Church in Portage, Michigan. Pastor Paul Naumann presented a great Reformation Day sermon and the music was excellent. It was fun to see some of the LAMP team members from that church that I met last summer up in Lac Brochet. I'm looking forward to seeing them again next summer!

As October winds down, I'm thankful for all the good things that happened this month...and I'm thankful for health and healing. I'm also thankful for Luther and everything that he and his friends risked in their efforts to reform the church. Tonight, I'll be thankful for all the kids who come by our house as they go trick or treating. 

(I should note that several of the above photos were taken by Steve Schave, Lynne Gillingham, and Randy Heide. I also took a few as well)