Saturday the 17th - home safe and sound

Friends,


We left Paul's and Kittie's home at midnight local time the morning of the 17th (6pm Chicago time). This was 3.5 hours ahead of the scheduled departure time - partly due to our concern about increased security for flights returning to the US. I'm glag we did allow more time. There was not only the usual by-hand inspection of the checked baggage, x-ray screening of the carry-on items, and magnetometer scanning of our persons, but there was an additional by-hand search of the carry-on items and a by-hand body search of each passenger, too. We showed our passports and boarding passes four times AFTER the usual security check - including at the base of the stairway onto the plane.

The flight left about 30 minutes late and arrived in NY around 8:30am local time after a flight of 8 hours. We had about 90 minutes to grab something to eat and catch the final - and uneventful - leg into Chicago, arriving on-time at 2:00pm local.

We consider the trip to have been very successful and to have planted seeds that can be tended by the Wellness Team between visits by others to assist in the training. We made new friends and enjoyed renewing long-standing friendships. We ask God's continued blessings and grace on all those we taught and those who will support them in the coming year.

-- Tom