Well, I took advantage of being so “close” in Miami and popped up to Cleveland to speak with a few churches and see my parents. I was able to speak at John Knox Presbyterian Church’s service, meet on two occasions with people from their missions committee and also go to a church potluck (yum!) and presentation that their Nicaraguan missionaries gave. I also had coffee with one of the members of Bay Village Presbyterian’s missions committee and spoke at the missions committee meeting, in addition to introducing myself at my stepmom’s Bible study and getting to sit in on it twice.
It turned out to be a very good visit. I was able to see my parents – one and a half Austen movies with my Mom, Jeopardy with my Dad and Stepmom, and lots of walks in the unusually beautiful spring weather with all of the above. I ran lots of errands, worked out the rest of my itinerary, and stayed in touch with several teams in Argentina.
Very fun – I’m writing this while at my Mom’s choir practice, and they just interrupted rehearsal to sing Happy Birthday to one of the choir members who happens to have been my high school calculus teacher. Have you ever heard a choir sing that song? I don’t know about any other choir, but this one sung a very rousing and dramatic version!!
I haven’t lived in Northeastern Ohio for 20 years. I didn’t really enjoy growing up here, in large part because I was pretty socially incompetent at the time. This trip has been interesting because while at the “missions table” in between services at my Mom’s church a woman came up to me and said, “Betsy?” (Yes, that is indeed the nickname I was given as a child.) It turns out it was someone I hadn’t known all that well in high school, but I’d really respected her. Another day here I met the church secretary, and it turns out she used to lead the Brownie troupe I was in.
I remember going to Vacation Bible School at John Knox as a child, and then I went to Bay Pres from late elementary school through high school. I also remember being called in to the associate pastor’s office with my father after I’d been rude for the umpteenth time during Sunday School. I was a really angry child. It seems incredible to me that God continued to pursue me through all of that, and then really used my experiences to lead me to the pursuit of God.
