Nearing the end of the journey

After nine busy days in Ohio, meeting people connected with FRB growing projects, I flew to Fort Myers. I had five great days at ECHO that gave me a chance to catch up with NMSI folks, our monthly supper group of friends, and of course ECHO friends and family. I was going from eight in the morning to midnight each day which may help explain why I am still sick. Since leaving CAR I have been nursing a chest infection of some kind and woke up this morning in Minnesota to something akin to the flu. I have never been sick for this long but I haven't traveled this many days in a row either. Needless to say I will need a weekend's worth of sleep when I get home next week.

I will be speaking at a Covenant church in Kimball, Minnesota tomorrow morning and then spend the rest of the day at a lake picnic in Spicer. On Tuesday we will be driving to Molene, Illinois for the FRB annual meeting. These meetings include an ice cream social at the John Deere factory which will be a very cultural experience for me. I fly out Friday morning and will be dropping into Darren's arms later that afternoon and it will take a lot to part us! In all I have four more talks to give in the next six days after which I will be very tired of talking about myself, CAR and the ills of the world.

What has impressed me about all this traveling around is the sincerity and enthusiasm of the different churches and farmers involved in FRB growing projects. It is amazing to see a field of wheat and to think that that field is the reason why we can do what we are doing in the CAR.