random reflections

Heartfelt Thanks

I serve on three Presbytery committees. Our Presbytery serves 60+ churches throughout the Genesee Valley. I've been chair of one of them (Education and Resource) for the last three years. We plan and execute education events for youth and adults in the Presbytery. We host an annual Church Leadership Day with a variety of workshops and speakers, Presbytery-wide youth events and worship services, as well as oversee a resource center at the Presbytery office.

The chairs of the three standing committees also sit (with six other members) on a committee that awards grants to agencies working with congregations in the area.

The last committee is one of several under the "Urban Presbyterians Together" umbrella. Like many churches, most of our urban churches are struggling with decreasing congregations, inadequate budgets, aging buildings, and increased need for mission to the neighborhood. UPT's aim to to help these churches find ways to collaborate and work together to serve God in increasingly difficult circumstances.

When I accepted a position on Resource and Education four years ago, I had no idea where that would lead. All of it is rewarding work, but meetings are just one part of it. Next week, I'll be attending a workshop on violence in the city, a mission day at an inner city store-front mission, and a meeting with folks who are trying to figure out how to help feed the hungry in our urban areas where little good food is available. (Most grocery stores have moved out of the inner city.) 

Last night, two of the committees met back-to-back. (Fortunately that doesn't happen often.) I was asked to make a thank you card that one of the committees could send to a group of Presbyterian women who turned over a lovely sum of money for us to use for our work. It caused me to finally break out the card-making supplies after nearly a month away from them. 

It was fun to get back into the crafting mode. I also got my Father's Day cards done which you'll be seeing on Sunday. I started with "Lovely Layers" by Papertrey Ink. No matter what color combination you choose, it always seems to come together nicely. It's hard to tell fromt the photo, but the circle and darker ink on the card are Royal Velvet, a beautiful dark purple. The front of the card was embossed with the Diamond Impression Plate, and the sentiment and frame are from the "Mat Stack 3 Collection."

 

Just Wonderful

We've been back from our trip for about ten days now. Aside from difficulty sleeping, jet lag hasn't affected us much. It's a good thing because there has been so much to do. Since we've been back, I've served on jury duty (luckily only one day required); we've planted vegetables in our plot at the Community Garden; we've cleaned and refreshed the perennial bed, and potted the plants for the patio; we've replaced the patio table after the glass top shattered in high winds last weekend; and I've edited and purged (about half) of the some 1200 photographs I took on the trip. (I've yet to go through some of my iPhone photographs, or any of Tracy's!) Getting back into the swing of blogging and creating has proven much more difficult than I imagined. I think this is the longest break from blogland I've ever taken. It was certainly a good choice for the trip as we didn't have very consistent internet access.  I've caught up with some of your blogs, but not quite all of them, and I'm trying to stay current. 

So how was the trip? In one word: WONDERFUL! We were lucky in so many ways, and all our pre-trip planning meant we saw nearly everything we hoped to see in all three destinations. Here's a sneak preview of some posts to come.

We loved Istanbul, and are so sorry that such civil unrest has erupted there since we left. Our friends, Rachel and Juan, are safe and can travel back and forth to their jobs, but the demonstrations certainly would have impacted our time there. The hospitality extended to us by Rachel and Juan, and all the Turks we met was fabulous. Everywhere we went, people went out of their way to be helpful and friendly. Istanbul hasn't lost its old-world feel despite the crowded streets and insane traffic. Hearing the call to prayer from the mosques several times a day was a frequent reminder that I was in a different culture.

We loved walking the streets of Istanbul (and we did a LOT of walking). 

We managed to see all but a few of the major historical sites. This is one of the many ferries transporting people from Asia to Europe (and back) across the Bosphorus and up the Golden Horn. In the background is Topkapi Palace. 

From Istanbul we traveled to Athens and spent a day and a half there before leaving for Santorini. We also snagged another half day and evening there before heading home. We were awed by the architecture in Istanbul, some of it dating back to the early 500's. Nothing in Athens is as preserved as the Aya Sofya (completed in 537) in Istanbul, but one forgets how very far back the ruins of the Parthenon and the Agora date.

Here's one of the few photos of the two of us we actually managed to get while we were traveling.

The island of Santorini has been on my bucket list for many years. It did not disappoint. We were in need of some rest when we got there, and although we were busier than we expected to be on the island, the first day we just hung out at our beautiful hotel overlooking the Caldera.

As in Istanbul, everyone we met in Santorini (Greeks and fellow tourists) were warm, friendly, and helpful. We had extended conversations with people throughout the whole trip from all over the world. It's interesting to me how easy that seemed on this trip, but that it almost never happens when we're traveling in the States.

This is another view from the hotel, looking up to the nearest town, Imerovigli. It's at the very tip of the point in the photograph. We walked up there for dinner the first night, and to pick up some wine another day.

Santorini is known for its white and blue architecture. It's truly stunning against the clear blue skies.

There'll be lots more to come about the trip once I get all the photos and notes organized enough to write some blog posts. Thanks for all the welcome home messages, and your good thoughts while we were away.