Yes, we all made it safe and sound to Massannetta Springs. The last 100 miles of our trip was on US 33 through West Virginia and Virginia. It was both the most beautiful and at the same time the longest 100 miles that I have ever driven through the mountains. It truly was as the song says, "Almost Heaven". Also thank heaven that we will be going back a different way Friday afternoon that is flatter and less "rugged".

We left Bethany Presbyterian Church near Pittsburgh a little before 9 a.m. It was about 45 miles into the trip that the two minivans were separated. We eventually hooked up again with each other at the West Virginia Welcome Center on I-79. When we stopped at Wendy's in Elkins, WV it was kind of funny how hard of a time the Michiganders and West Virginians had in communicating with each other. We are definitely in "Y'all Country" now!

The Junior Highs are behaving very well and having a great time at the same time. At our "back home meeting" at the end of the day Lynddy and I "laid down the law" again about IPODS and cellphone use for the Junior Highs. The Massanetta leadership made it abundantly clear to us as adult leaders that this week of conference was also to be intentionally a retreat from our culture as well and these items were off limits.

Tonight we all shared about our "baggage" that we took with us from Jackson--concerns about family, friends, moving, the return trip, and we asked God to help us lay it aside for the time we are here. Our group is starting to build a real cohesiveness.

Tonight after back home devotions and before lights out I took our entire group down to the springs for which Massanetta Springs is named. It is an underground spring with the clearest, coldest water that bubbles up. It is first put through a filtration system before it flows into an open pool and eventually into a stream where folks can dip their feet and fill their water bottles. The kids were really fascinated by this "living water". Most likely I will take them down there again to do devotions on Jesus as the "living water".

Until Tomorrow,

pj