And the evening and the morning were the first day...

We first arrived at the conference last night--there was a carnival atmosphere for the kids; unfortunately, we didn't know that, and we didn't bring them...but what they don't know won't hurt them, OK? So please help us keep the secret.

Anyway, Luke and Emily are staying with Mike and Joyce Willis, friends from Calvary in California. Andrea, the Willis' 7-year-old, was Emily's first friend, and their son Dustin has really hit it off with Luke. We brought gifts for the kids to smooth the introductions.

The evening was a great time to "cease driving and know that He is God." We had a good time of praise and worship followed by fellowship with fellow staff members from Orlando and San Clemente. This morning's session, led by Steve Sellers, was a real challenge to confront anything standing in the way with intimacy with God: tradition, mechanical action/busy-ness, unforgiveness, pride...

We had two afternoon sessions on developing further intimacy with God by reflecting on the "Lament Psalms" (which we've already been spending some time with, believe me!) and on barriers to clearly knowing His will for our lives. As you might imagine, these were well-attended sessions, and we took lots of notes.

We thank you for your prayers for our cross-country trip. It was without incident, and about as enjoyable as a 1600+ mile drive could be!

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