Six week recovery update

It has been six weeks ago today that I had surgery. In some ways, it feels like yesterday. In others, it feels like the longest six weeks of my life.

Yesterday, I had x-rays done of my back. I will take them to my six-week follow up visit next Tuesday with the neurosurgeon. I've been showing them off to anyone who will stand still long enough. You can see the plate the doctor used to keep the two vertebrae together -- while the bone is growing in between them. You can also see the four SCREWS used to attach it to the bone. OH MY!

As I looked at the x-rays, I was humbled. I understand better why I still hurt -- and why it is important for me to be careful about bending and lifting. The last couple of days have been painful, especially down my right leg. The best relief I've found is to lay down, so I'm learning to rest. After I've taken time to rest, the pain is much improved. That encourages me to do what I'm supposed to and make the time to rest.

I'm still praying about the direction God is leading our congregation in formulating small group opportunities. I welcome feedback and thoughts, either as a comment or send them to my email address: pastor@choctawumc.com. Peace!

Still IMAGINING how this will work!

I appreciate Julie's comment. Sorry Afton's comment didn't quite make it -- and sorry to everyone who is trying to comment. I assumed this would be an easy process. AARGH -- technology! We can't live without it, but it sure is frustrating when it doesn't work.

I wanted to post more thoughts after several conversations I've heard this week, and in response to Julie's comment.

First, I am still IMAGINING how this will work. I haven't decided that we will or won't adopt the small group format for all of our ministries -- and already formed groups. The truth is, I can't decide that anyway. The fear I've felt this past week in the conversations I've had is that I will impose this on already formed groups with schedules and routines that fit them. I say that to say -- I haven't perceived fear about the concept itself. I find that quite amazing! There is an excitement and buzz for those who've commented and talked to me about what might be possible with a new way of organizing our small groups and inviting new people to join us.

Second, I really honestly don't know if this is the right decision. A long time ago, a friend of mine from college heard me trying to persuade everyone that my idea was best and she asked me, "Charla, are you sure that's the Spirit, or is it just gas?" I've never forgotten the humbling lesson she taught me -- sometimes I think an idea is SO GREAT, only to find out later that it had nothing to do with God. It was just a wild hair I couldn't get rid of.

Those two things being said, I really do think there is a lot of potential to streamlining and organizing how we invite people -- especially our new friends and guests -- into the life of our congregation. If we truly do adopt a "semester system" for our small groups -- and include the groups that are already formed (choir, handbells, Tuesday Morning, Sunday School classes), it will force us to adopt a "church calendar" -- it will be easier for us to all be on the same schedule. It will help us build momentum toward two of the biggest holidays we celebrate in the church --> Christmas and Easter. It will give natural openings to invite, invite, invite people to participate in the deeper life of our congregation. It will encourage us to get to know new people every four months -- kind of like expanding some of the advantages that we discuss after Lenten Studies.

So, give me your thoughts and feedback about what kind of group you might like to participate in -- a special interest group. Jen Watson has suggested: cooking, young families & faith, foreign language, fishing, carpentry, gardening, educators, and even a motorcycle riding group. If it works, we could offer all kinds of groups that might draw our new friends closer into our fellowship and encourage them to grow deeper in their faith with us. Wouldn't that be great!?

Ideas from Executive Committee

I am working to refine a new small groups emphasis for Fall 09. Yesterday, the executive committee gave me feedback on the ideas I've been sharing with the blog. (The executive committee is composed of the following committee chairs: SPR, Finance, Trustees, Ad Council and the Lay Leader + Pastor. Yesterday, Kurt Gwartney met with us as the head of the Discipleship Task Force.)

The feedback I received from this group is that we don't want to ask the current Sunday School classes to adopt the semester/break schedule. So, we are proceeding with the main idea I've shared in previous blogs...but NOT including current Sunday School classes as small groups.

Thoughts shared yesterday included concerns that asking SS classes to take 4-6 weeks off in between semesters would interfere with their rhythm and even break up the classes. I agreed with this because the whole idea is to start a new group every semester, encouraging our guests (new attenders) to join. It is harder for our guests to join a group that has already been in existence for decades.

I do think it will be easier for the Sunday School classes NOT to participate in this semester time schedule and maintain their integrity as a class. I also think it will be harder to recruit those already attending a SS class to participate in another small group -- therefore, we miss the benefit of having our wisest disciples participating in small groups with our newest attenders. I think the final result will be that small groups will be for our guests and newest members -- and Sunday School classes will be for our established members.

I don't have a sense about whether this is positive or negative at this point. I would love your feedback. (I hope we've solved some of the problems that were making it hard for people to comment.)

I have asked Janice Callaway, Casey Warren, and Kurt Gwartney to serve with me in recruiting small group leaders, establishing our course catalog, and looking toward group leader training. We will be getting together soon to map out this agenda.

Loved Jen Watson's comment about how we might be able to provide some "special interest" groups -- in the very BEST sense of that phrase -- to encourage our guests to join in.

Just FYI -- I met with Mike Wiley, last week. Mike works for the OK United Methodist Foundation. They created a new staff position for Mike so he can work with churches like ours, in a position to grow -- considering our stewardship needs, both ongoing and capital. Mike said the giving curve definitely follows small group involvement -- NOT worship attendance. Regardless of how we do it, we MUST find a way to help all our new friends connect and identify with our congregation.

Give me your thoughts!

Thanks for the comments

Recovery report:

Wanted to give everyone a brief update -- recovery is going well! Each weekend since the surgery, I've tried to spend A LOT of time resting...seems to give me a jump start on the week. By Thursday, I wear down pretty quickly. But, each week is getting better.

My family returned from vacation on Saturday morning. Strangely, the pain I'd been having in my right leg disappeared. I feel like a piece of me is missing when they are gone. Seems my body thinks so too. Sunday evening, Kurt made a wonderful meal and I finally found myself hungry. I really can't remember the last time I actually WANTED to eat -- several weeks before surgery, for sure.

I am doing better, I feel like. I've learned more about my limits. I am staying within them better than I did at first -- and it is helping. I am REALLY looking forward to church on Sunday. Please understand if I can't receive all the greetings you have to give. It will come...

Now, on to the blog. I wanted to say thanks to Afton and Julie for posting their comments. I hope more people will tell me what they think. As I pray about this -- I know it will be a HUGE shift for our church. I think it holds much potential. Realizing the potential will take the buy-in of many in the congregation. So, I'd love to hear what you're thinking.

I have two of the books that outline the process still waiting to be read in my office. I'd be glad to get them to anyone interested in reading up. We'll be discussing the calendar in more detail at the executive committee meeting after church on Sunday. Then, I'll be posting some dates for us to consider.

Wonder how the Holy Spirit might work through us in this process?

The Church as a Rocket Ship

Today I'm going to wrap up my discussion about this new system of small groups. The executive committee will certainly be discussing this further on July 19. At that meeting, I'll be presenting a calendar with all the necessary dates for a fall launch. So far, the initial reception at Ad Council in June was positive -- and the comments I've heard since that time have been positive as well.

In the book, Activate, they offered an image of the church as a rocket ship. They talked about how important it is for a rocket ship to eliminate drag. Even the smallest item that impedes that nose cone shape can cause tremendous problems when the rocket reaches extreme speeds. In church, drag is anything that asks people in our church to divert their attention from what will help them grow in Christ most effectively. This is one of the activate principles, "If you give people too many options, their involvement will be so spread out that you won't have their full participation or momentum in any one area."

Their Rocket Ship looks like a pyramid turned on its side. One half of it is the weekend worship services and the other half is small groups. The observation the authors have made at Journey Church is that NOTHING is more effective in leading people to a deeper relationship with Christ than these two ministries. In their opinion, everything else creates drag -- especially when it diverts attention away from the two halves of the rocket ship. Listen to this quote, "When you focus your energy on your two most effective avenues helping move people toward a fully developing relationship with Jesus -- your weekend service and small groups -- you will be able to create an atmosphere that God will pour his blessing on -- an atmosphere you can move through without resistance."

Reading about this has made a tremendous difference for me. It has affected how I see my job. I've even made a note for myself that 75% of my time needs to be spent on weekend services and small groups. That means 25% of my time for staff supervision, pastoral counseling, building management, hospital visits, etc. I don't know if that is possible or not -- but thinking about the church as a rocket ship has really made me think about the cost to our church if I don't.

Tell me your thoughts. Looking forward to your feedback.

Ideas for Signing Up

Thanks to Linda Hill -- she mentioned to me yesterday that you have to be a follower of the blog to comment. I was able to change that in the settings. Now, anyone should be able to post a comment to the blog. I hope this will increase the amount of discussion we can have.

Sorry for missing yesterday. I was distracted. Working on a better focus today!

I've mentioned the advantage of a time-bound group in encouraging new people to sign up for a group. It is easier to ask our guests to commit to a specific period of time (10-12 weeks) than to join a group that continues ad infinitum. In addition, the group will all be starting together at the beginning of this time period -- rather than asking our guests to join a group that is already in progress.

Let me discuss the ideas the book, Activate, shares about signing up. The book is very clear that you should have a one-step sign up, with three different options. One, the groups catalog will be in the bulletin during the entire inviting month. It will have a response card attached. Participants can sign up for the group they want in worship and place the response card in the offering plate. Two, we'll have a sign-up option on our website so people can go home, look at all the offerings more closely, and sign-up simply by submitting their group choice, name, and email/phone. Three, the last two weeks, we'll have a sign-up table in the foyer, staffed by small group leaders. This is a place where people can get questions answered and sign up.

This is a quote from the book, "One of the keys to creating a strong full-participation small groups system is to make groups easy to get into and get out of. You make them easy to get into by establishing a one-step sign-up process, and easy to get out of by setting solid end times and end dates."

I do hope that this will encourage stronger participation than Sunday School currently allows. My goal for our first semester of sign-ups in the fall is 200 people. If we achieve that goal, we can expect between 15-20% of people that signed up NOT to show up -- so that puts us around 170-160 participating. Our current SS avg attendance is around 75-80. If we reach our goal, it would automatically double the number of people involved in a small group. I realize that we have other small groups besides Sunday School -- I am generalizing based on the groups we keep attendance for.

The book encourages us to allow 15-20 people to sign up for each group -- and encourages us to combine groups that have less than 8 signed up. This is from Big Idea #2, "Groups with 7 members or fewer are difficult to lead and more likely to fail, which means they have little to no chance of fostering healthy relationships or spiritual growth, while groups of 12-15 do both more effectively." I can tell you that I have observed this to be true for our Lenten group studies, generally speaking. Practically, this means we need to have 2-3 more groups than we think we will need, and be prepared to combine groups to keep the numbers in the 12-15 range.

Finally, once someone signs up, my commitment is to follow up with them within 36 hours. If they sign up on Sunday, I will contact them by Tuesday to let them know their sign up has been received. Also, the group leaders will get a contact within 24 hours so they can follow-up and give appropriate information about time, date, and location of the group. That is key to success of getting people to show up, once they've signed up.

I hope this gives everyone a better idea of what the month of inviting will look like. Love to have your feedback.

Possibility for Leadership Development

Thanks so much for Afton's comment to yesterday's blog. I'm sure Afton would never confess what a role he has played in my development as your pastor, because humility has always been one of his spiritual gifts. Suffice it to say that Afton is a spiritual giant in my life. His advice and reflection has steered me in Holy Spirit's direction more than once. Afton, I look forward to continued conversation about this paradigm shift with you -- as I look forward to conversation with everyone in our congregation.

I have been in awe of how God has brought the blessing of new faces to our congregation since our move in January. The truth is -- many times, I've been overwhelmed. I so want the people God directs to our church to find God's presence made real in their lives. Our guests have reflected to me that this is truly happening for them during worship. Praise God! They've also reflected that they feel welcomed in an authentic and genuine way...not ignored and not overrun...just right.

However, I've noticed that about 5-7 of the families that began visiting around the first of the year have already dropped out of attendance. The study I've done says this is unavoidable unless those folks begin to make friends in the congregation. And eventually, they have to find a place to serve. Nothing builds ownership like serving.

I believe the small group system that I'm proposing has great possibility to first, create a natural way to include our guests and help them form those all important friendships with our congregation. Second, it provides a great way to invite people to serve. One suggestion of the book, Activate, is that each group take on a service project during the semester -- whether that be a service project around the church or in the community. In fact, their suggestion is that each group have a play date once a semester, too. Wow! What a powerful way to help our guests connect to our congregation. I'm always bragging about what a wonderful church we have -- and I want each one of our guests to experience that as well.

Finally, the book, Activate, suggests that every group leader be on the lookout for an apprentice -- someone who could help with the tasks of leading the group (contacting group members with prayer requests of the week, following up with pastoral concerns, and leading the group in the leader's absence.) So, for 10-12 weeks, each leader will be raising up new leaders. These leaders will be trained in the best way possible -- by watching another leader DO it! Then, when it comes time for the next semester to begin, we have another leader in the pipeline to start another group. This is ALL important if the number of groups is to increase with the growth of our worship attendance.

As your pastor, one of my priorities is to spot and groom new leaders -- and to find the place of leadership that most closely matches their spiritual gifts. It is exciting for me to imagine what might come of the small group system in this arena. I would have as many eyes & ears on the lookout for new leaders as we have groups. And, it is an easy motivation for a group leader to WANT to be on the lookout, because they are looking for their own replacement.

Right now, I look for new leaders to come to the surface at three specific times during the year. The first is in the spring and fall when we fill out the surveys asking people where they want to serve. RARELY, a new leader will pop up when they fill out this survey because they will offer to take a leadership role as identified on the survey. Again, this is very RARE. I watch at VBS. I will always find new leaders during that week. And, I watch at PumpkinFest -- because leaders rise to the surface during the preparation and execution of that event. Now, I've given away all my secrets!

But, those three times miss MANY leaders, I feel sure. I do believe that small groups could really help me find leaders and therefore, strengthen our church for a future of growth.

So, give me your thoughts and feedback on how else we might develop leaders within our church.

Structure for Small Groups focus

If we embrace this new idea, it will mean that worship will be our primary evangelism tool and small groups will be our primary assimilation tool. The small groups piece is going to take the most work, because it will require us to re-work all of our current ministries -- to streamline them into a small groups structure. So today, I want to lay out an overview of this structure.

We would plan for three semesters a year (10-12 weeks in length), with a month off in between each semester for recruiting and filling the groups of the upcoming semester. The schedule would look like this:

Recruiting: Aug to Mid Sept

Semester #1: Mid-Sept to Mid-Dec

Recruiting: Mid-Dec to Jan

Semester #2: February to April

Recruiting: May

Semester #3: June to Mid-Aug

This schedule then repeats creating a year-long calendar of ministry and discipleship.

All groups would operate on this schedule. Groups could decide to continue, or not, at the end of each semester. During the recruiting month, we'll really push for EVERYONE to join a group. They can join the group they are already participating in, or join a different group each semester. Some groups will probably continue from semester to semester -- and some will intentionally be for just one semester.

For example, Sunday School classes will probably continue from semester to semester. I'd even like for the music ministry groups to consider participating -- because it gives three times a year for them to recruit for chancel choir and handbells. Brittany and I are talking about how children's ministry would work in this system. Hopefully, by the time we hire our new youth director, we'll have things ironed out enough that he/she will start with this system already in place.

I'm looking for thoughts and suggestions from various established groups about how this might work:

Sunday School classes

Tuesday Morning Group

UMW

UMM

Young at Heart

Chancel Choir

Handbells

Here are some of the pros & cons, as I see them:

Three times a year, we'd have an opportunity to specifically recruit for these on-going groups.

It would help give focus to the groups, particularly Sunday School -- they meet for 10-12 weeks, and then take a break. So, it might also help in choosing curriculum.

I could offer membership class during the SS hour three times a year. Currently, we don't have an available space to do this. I've not had any success in asking prospective members to come at a different time -- either Sunday afternoon or weekday.

This could really help our discipleship/education opportunities -- there is a lot of really good curriculum that fits in that 10-12 week timeframe, like Beginnings and Companions in Christ.

The biggest advantage is that we could help our guests find a group and connection within that three month window, before they quit coming.

This system naturally helps expand the groups we can offer and raise up new leaders.

On the other side, it might hurt on-going groups to take a month off three times a year.

It will be a challenge to figure out programming for children and youth during the recruiting months.

Finally, I think it will be a challenge to embrace a completely new system.

So, tell me what you think...

New Focus for Blog

In the early church, they celebrated each Sunday as a mini-Easter. It was important to them to recognize the gift and grace of the resurrection every week. That's why the tradition of Lent is to allow ourselves a reprieve from our sacrifice on Sundays -- even in the midst of hardship, we celebrate the gift of hope. Since I couldn't be at church (which is a HUGE sacrifice for me), I had to find a new way to celebrate hope on this day of a mini-Easter.

So, I'm starting a new focus for my blog. Today, I share my excitement about the new focus for our church -- small groups. Each day, I will discuss an aspect of this focus and invite your thoughts and suggestions. Please post your comments so I can get your feedback.

Back in May, a clergy colleague of mine, Rev. Ron Perceful, introduced me to a book called, Activate: An Entirely New Approach to Small Groups. I've heard from a few of our leaders that we need to more fully incorporate small groups into our ministries -- we've discussed this for a LONG time. And, with our move and the many new faces I knew we have to give them a way to connect to our congregation -- help them find a way to belong. But, all the reading I did about small groups made it feel overwhelming...like it was just one more thing added on to the top of an already busy schedule.

Activate was my breath of fresh air. It showed me how we can truly offer small groups and achieve these five objectives:

1. Discipleship -- help people grow in their faith

2. Friendship -- help people find new friendships in the church

3. Membership -- help our newcomers on the path to membership

4. Pastoral Care -- provide a system for pastoral care and follow-up

5. Communication -- provide a way for us to communicate to many at one time

It will require us to shift our thinking quite dramatically. Today, I want to talk about a fundamental shift. It is listed as Big Idea #6 in the book: Think Church of small groups, not with small groups. The reality is -- small groups are exponentially more effective when they stand alone, rather than having to compete with other church programs. "A church of small groups focuses on and runs all ministry through the small groups system."

This reality addresses the main obstacle I've felt about implementing small groups -- even our most dedicated members have only a finite amount of time to devote to church activities. Our newcomers or guests will have even less. If small groups are just one more thing we expect people to come to, they will not succeed.

I believe that the two most effective ways to grow our faith is through corporate worship and small group discipleship. So, I'm proposing that as a church we impose a tough standard on ourselves. Everything we do has to fit at least one of these two criteria: it expands/improves our corporate worship and/or it advances/grows our small groups.

I've shared some initial information about this paradigm shift with the Administrative Council -- the group that will ultimately decide whether we can embrace this or not. They were very excited about the possibilities. In tomorrow's blog, I will sketch out how I think this could work. Today (and for the rest of the week), I'd love to have your feedback about shifting our paradigm. Right now, I see us adding activities to equal our growth. I feel strongly that we need to focus ourselves and our energy/resources on activities that will help us sustain our growth and help us specifically connect and include our guests.

Tell me what you think!

Happy 4th!

I've enjoyed the cooler weather today. Spent some time in the back yard this morning. Got to visit with my next door neighbor, Rhonda. I've seen her across the fence several times this spring, but never felt like visiting. Just another sign of the miraculous healing God has brought to my life!

Thanks to Jim and Linda Hill (Kami & Nate, too) for coming by to water our garden. Kurt and Elizabeth asked me to do that while they were gone, but I just couldn't manage pulling the hose through the back yard. It was good to see the Hills. They told me Gerry is home to help Fern in her recovery. Hope you'll keep Fern in your prayers as this is a difficult time for her.

Yesterday I realized that I could sit up from a prone position without pain. That is a BIG improvement. Since surgery, I've had to roll on my side to get up -- the incision hurts too much to sit straight up. I've also noticed that it is much easier to adjust my position in bed and I have less pain when walking now. All are good signs, I believe. I've been better about resting and I can tell that it helps my pain -- even more than the medicine. I didn't take any pain pills yesterday and so far today, have been without. I really haven't needed them.

Kurt and Elizabeth enjoyed their trip to Mt. Vernon yesterday! Said it is a very beautiful and serene place. They had a picnic lunch on the Potomoc. Today, they are going to enjoy a pool party and a neighborhood fireworks show. Sounded like they were having a great time. I'm looking forward to a cookout with Ron & Sharon Lessley's family. Thanks to Mike & Kathy Green for inviting me. I expect I'll just dream about fireworks tonight though -- I don't know if I'll have the stamina to stay up late for that.

In my assessment, I'm doing very well. I'm being more intentional about resting. My pain level is so much better than it was after surgery. If I hurt, it will be in my back and the lower part of my right leg. However, the pain is so much better than it was before the surgery. I know I'm not "fixed," but I feel grateful for the improvement. It is a gift of grace.

Good Report from the Doctor

Thanks to Christina Barnes for taking me back to the doctor's office yesterday for my 2 week check-up visit. I received a good report! My doctor is still on vacation, so I saw his nurse, Haley -- we've become quite familiar with each other. :-) She took out my staples and said my incision looked better than any she's seen 2 weeks post-op. She said I must be a fast healer. Getting the staples out was easy -- thought it might be uncomfortable, but not at all.

I also talked with Haley about my medications. She recommended that I continue to take the muscle relaxer at night before bed. I did that last night and it REALLY helped with my middle of the night pain. I slept GREAT! She said I'm on less pain medications than most people at this stage in the game, but still no driving for me. She said I need to pay more attention to my body when it tells me to slow down.

Thanks to my conversation with Haley yesterday -- and a nudge from the Holy Spirit (via Casey Warren -- thanks, Casey!) -- I'm going to be more intentional about the rest my body needs right now. The healing is too important to forfeit. I guess I've been feeling like I had to prove to myself that I could heal quickly and be back in the saddle faster than anyone else. Many of my conversations with my church family have reminded me that it will be better for everyone if I honor this healing time fully...so, I'm going to do better with that.

One more thanks to Shirley Watts. She lives two houses down from our family and walked over some of the most scrumptious popsicles yesterday -- many are fruit flavored, but a few are COCONUT! They are so yummy, and I appreciate her thoughtfulness.

I heard from Kurt and Elizabeth yesterday evening. They made it to Washington DC in good order, and enjoyed the train trip immensely. They are staying with Kurt's cousin, Bucky, and Bucky's family. Bucky's wife's name is Elizabeth -- so the two Elizabeth Gwartney's are enjoying each other's company for a few days.

Today, they were planning a trip to Mt. Vernon -- George Washington's home. They are looking forward to several days of sightseeing. Bucky and Liz live in the city center -- so it is easy to get to many DC locations from their home. What a gift they've given our family by inviting Kurt and Elizabeth to stay with them.

Also, a BIG thanks to my mom and dad. They came yesterday afternoon and helped me with all kinds of tasks around the house. Dad cleaned up a limb that fell off our backyard maple tree in the storm on Tuesday night. He also mowed our lawn. Mom helped me with laundry, vacuuming -- and even cleaned ceiling fans. I appreciate them so much, and enjoyed their company yesterday.

I feel certain that God has lots to share with me during this time of healing -- and being here by myself. This morning, my commitment is to LISTEN. Peace and grace to each of you.

Going back to the doctor

Yesterday was a great day in the office! I enjoyed the visits from everyone who stopped in -- and all the hugs you shared. It sure was great to be back at church. Felt like coming home. A special thanks to Carolyn Garner, our secretary, who was willing to do whatever needed to be done while I was gone -- and who made it so easy to come back.

Carolyn and I took care of the details at the post office and arrived at church around 9:00 am. I was able to stay until noon. Thanks to Sharon Lessley for giving me a ride home. I spent most of the afternoon and evening resting. The nausea returned for a short while. I was surprised at how tired I was after just a short morning in the office. I did have to take pain medication yesterday evening because the incision was quite sore. All in all, though, it was a good day. I was able to rest yesterday. Our dog, Sox, was a great companion. He kept a great eye on me.

I talked with Kurt and Elizabeth yesterday afternoon. They'd made it to Chicago. During a few hour layover, they were planning a trip to the Sears Tower. I didn't get to talk with them yesterday evening, but assume they were on their way to Washington, DC. They are supposed to arrive this afternoon.

Thanks for the continued prayers -- and all the wonderful ways you are supporting me. This journey has new twists and turns each day. Today, I go back to the doctor. Thanks to Christina Barnes for taking me. I'll probably get my staples out, and have a chance to ask questions about the nausea, daily routines, and medications. Talk to you tomorrow.

First Day in the Office

I'm looking forward to my first day back in the office. Today has started well, especially compared to yesterday. For some reason, I was sick at my stomach most of the day. I am taking some pain medicine that is time-released. I was told that the pain medicine can suppress appetites. I was not hungry at all yesterday, especially after the nausea started. The only thing I can figure out is that I will have to keep something on my stomach as long as I am on this medication. So, I ate first thing when I awoke this morning and it seems to be fine.

Yesterday was a difficult day because I just felt so awful, but overall, each day is better. My pain is decreasing. I'm sleeping better. I have more strength. Tomorrow, I go back to the doctor and will hopefully get my staples out. I have figured out all kinds of strategies for not bending and not lifting.

Kurt and Elizabeth are on their way to Chicago this morning. I talked to them early and they made it on the train just fine. Elizabeth is really enjoying this new experience of riding the train. She told me they'd already made new friends with the people who sat in their booth for breakfast.

Even though my heart is sad that I can't experience this special trip with my family, I'm excited about my own adventure of slowly returning to the vocation that I love. Thank you so much for your continued prayers. I am blessed to share this adventure with you.