Reverend Ref +

BACK FROM GALENA

We made it back safe and sound. Our hosts, Rev. Bob and Karen North, were/are wonderful. Great hospitality, great food, etc. etc.

Saturday evening they took us out to a Rotary dinner for Valentine's Day. It was pretty good food. Although, being the introvert that I am, I had a hard time sitting around a table with four other couples trying to make small talk. Ouch. But the food was good and they had a magician/hypnotist for the entertainment. His magic was better than the hypnosis in my opinion. It'd be too hard to tell you everything, but one trick was to take someone's $100 bill (apparently the Rotary circle is a little more well-off than I), have someone sign it, burn it, cut open a grapefruit, and the same signed $100 bill is in the grapefruit. Wow.

The best one was the guy he got to pose like Arnold Schwartzeneggar (sp). No, it wasn't me; and no, I didn't volunteer.

Our daughter had the chance to spend some time with another 10 year old girl from Galena, and they hit it off rather well. So well that they asked us if she could spend the night at our place with the Kid.

Sunday was a good day also. I preached a decent sermon that somehow still didn't feel finished even up to Saturday night. Grace Church does a children's program all during the service, so there are no kids at all in church. The Kid went with her new friend to this program, and at coffee hour informed me that I would have to preach my sermon to her since she didn't hear it. I wonder if I'm creating a homiletic version of Gene Siskel.

After church we took the girls out to the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Dubuque, IA. It's pretty cool, and the price of admission is less than $10 for adults. If you're ever passing through Dubuque, I highly recommend it.

Then on Monday we slept late, had a great breakfast, took the new friend home, and spent several hours wandering around Galena.

The trip home was uneventful. Everyone at Grace was glad to see and hear me again and several people actually liked the sermon. If you ever get the chance, go. Galena has some serious elevation (for Illinois standards), the church is beautiful, and it's just a nice place to be.

Peace