The semester is winding down and I must say that I am grateful. I only have one assignment left – a presentation on a case study in my Systematic Theology class next Thursday. Although the classes I’ve had this semester were interesting, I admit that I had a hard time “getting into” them. Part of the reason for that, I think, is that there was not much time between my return from El Salvador and the beginning of the semester. I didn’t have much time to really process the trip before being “knee deep” in other assignments, etc. One of my intentions in starting this blog was to share some stories from El Salvador – and I did share a little about the trip and wrote about the elections there in March – but I wasn’t ready to share some of the personal stories of the people we met and how their lives intersected with mine. Now that some time has passed and there is a little distance, I think that will be easier to do.

I am looking forward to this summer. I am not taking any classes for credit – just auditing one course at the end of July. The summer is shaping into a busy one, but it will be a different kind of busy for me. Besides Annual Conference meetings, I plan to visit with family and friends in Indiana and Pennsylvania, and I am looking forward to spending more time with my congregation at Smithville UMC. I also plan to do a lot of reading and writing, which of course includes blogging. So look for more blog posts from me about El Salvador, theological reflection, and life in general. I invite conversation and dialogue about my blogs. If there is a topic that interests you, please add a comment and let me know. Until next time, peace …