Churchwide

We're just back from Churchwide in Orlando, Florida....high humidity, high prices, and high room numbers!...When we boarded our flight in Minneapolis...the Delta Dame said - we will pre-board those that need extra time because of wheelchairs, walkers, crutches.  We will not pre-board families...This whole plane is full of families!  Oh - and she called us forward - a first for me - and bumped us to first class to put families together....wasn't that too bad?  :)

We were at the Marriott World Center - (where name badges have the employees’ home towns - so they don't all say Orlando! –“ oh you're from Minnesota - you have quite a commute to tend bar” – “well I've lived here for 13 years!”)  The Marriott is a world unto itself...you can't walk anywhere; matter of fact...not even a good hike...CVS was closest and that was 15 min. by cab.  Of course protesters could get to the entrance!  So my Iowa naiveté was shocked with $15 burgers AND our room number had 5 digits - so I had to carry a crib sheet to get to the room!  Can you tell I don't get out much?     

I had crab cakes twice and salmon twice plus food from around the globe at mission encounter events, shrimp cooked before me at a Japanese SteakHouse and it was all good

Worship was glorious.  Mission Encounter fabulous.  There was wonderful music by the Global Mission Band.  Heidi, a youth director told me they were dancing salsa-ish…and Prs Kroona, Sherer,  Mike and Heidi were spotted in the conga line.  We met Karen a missionary to Chile whom we hope to see soon in Chile.

I attended my first churchwide assembly ten years ago in Indianapolis and now my second one …bookends to Mike’s service as bishop.  At both there were protesters – at the first the theme was let us in and at the second, keep them out.

At the first I sat on a bus ride tour with Ione, who was gracious and welcoming to this newbie to the bishops’ spouses “club” and this year our conversations were equally delightful.  Her husband was elected presiding bishop at my first churchwide!  He is great.