This Autumn at the
LMC has been quite busy and sometimes it's hard to believe that it's late October. We've had two Cross-Currents seminars at the Centre. September 27 we hosted representatives from three organizations working to reduce violence in Israel: Christian Peacemaker Teams, Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine Israel, and the International Solidarity Movement. The tag line....Violence is never the only way.
Then on 11 October two representatives of "Workshop" presented a taster day. Workshop is a one year long Christian learning programme where you commit one weekend a month to this programme.
A new Christian training programme called Crucible has begun which meets for three different weekends and has a different emphasis each time: "Creating New Churches" "The Urban Challenge" & "Emerging Church".
The Bridge Builders' department has begun their revised course this week "Transforming Church Conflict", which anyone can attend but mostly it is geared towards church workers.
I personally do a lot of administrative work for the Bridge Builders department so along with that, the guest rooms upkeep, and meals for the seminars & courses held at the Centre, I have been quite busy.
Ed has been busy helping to create a new fund raising brochure, all the usual work he does around the centre, plus stepping in as co-director while Vic & Kathy
Thiessen have gone back to North America for three months.
The past three weeks, John & Naomi
Lederach have been at the Centre conducting a project for the Board of Trustees. They have now completed the project (they worked very hard on this) and now will use the next 3-4 days to see some of London. It has been a very special treat for us to have them around, getting reacquainted and doing fun things with them.
We've been here for more than 20 months now and in some ways I am just starting to feel in the groove with respect to many things. The work at the Centre continues to increase year after year which has put more work onto the host couple. In the past it has often been a couple of retirement age with Ed & I being the youngest couple there has been. Some days I don't feel so young, especially after a full day of cooking and providing breaks, etc for seminars.
The directors position has evolved as well where the director is expected to wear many hats. Before long they will start to look for the future host couple (to start 2010) as well as the future director (summer 2010). Your prayers are greatly appreciated with respect to the future applicants for these two positions.
When you work at a resource Centre that has theologins hanging around studying and such, you are most likely going to come into contact with these people during the course of the day. Today out of the blue, one of these types stopped me in the lobby and asked me "okay Phyllis, just off the top of your head without thinking about the question much, what would you say is the problem with the church"? Of course I couldn't give an answer without asking a question which he didn't want but I asked "the Mennonite church or the 'church' in general? I guess the church in general, he says.
They were all taken on our trip to Slovenia.
Here we are at the summit of Vrsic Pass of the Julian Alps. On the way we passed through what was once a leading winter resort and still a popular place with Croatian skiers and saw the worlds biggest ski jump. They still hold the ski-flying world championships every year.
A shot of Mount Triglav. We drove back to the Lake Bled area to the entrance of Vintgar Gorge. We got out of the car and paid a few Euros to walk along the wall of the gorge for about a mile.
These pictures just don't do it justice. The water was so crystal clear and the color was the most beautiful blues and greens. 
There are a lot more pictures of this gorge with waterfalls, etc but it would take up too much room!
It was really a peaceful, awe inspiring walk. This was nature at it's best.
I love this picture. It just looks very serene.
These boats were available to take a ride to the church on the island out in the lake. 
This is the castle on Lake Bled that over look the lake and the surrounding terrain.
One of the many pictures we took of the area around Lake Bled from the castle.
Ed soaking in the view of Lake Bled.
We passed vineyards along the way to the coastal town of Rovinj (roh-VEEN) heavy with fruit. They were in the middle of harvest. That was fun to watch.
Here is the village of Rovinj. That's Weldon taking in the view. The upper part of the coastline which also includes Slovenia was a part of Venetian rule for 5 centuries. So the area has a lot of that influence. All the guide books say it's very Venetian. I've not been to Venice but it does look like the Venice you see in movies and pictures. I was able to see Venice from the bell tower of the church we climbed up in to using the telescope.
A bountiful fruit and veg market.
This is a typical street throughout the village. Vehicles do go through these now and then. We had to plaster ourselves up against the wall one time to let a mini van through.
This is an artists studio. When you look through the door you see the sea through the window.
From our hotel, there was a nice path that followed the coast line into the town of Piran. We walked through narrow lanes with 3-4 story houses and stores on both sides with laundry hanging out and flowers draping over the window boxes. When we rounded a corner this is the large plaza that unfolded. Evidently the harbour, which is just beyond in this picture, used to come into this area (the part that now has the shiny surface). But they said it always smelled too bad so they had it filled in. Since it was Sunday evening and a bit past the tourist season, things were slow. But it was beautiful all the same. This was one of Jenny's favorite places.
Here is a view of the plaza from the church courtyard. You can see the harbour beyond.
Weldon and I are in the church courtyard looking over the town. Weldon is consulting the ever useful 'Rick Steves' Croatia & Slovenia guide book. It was very useful. I highly recommend the Rick Steves' books for travellers.
This is the path we walked along to get to the town.
Well it's not a Kansas sunset but it was pretty all the same.
