Life-Giving Conversations and Pleasant Surprises

Today began with coffee and more pleasant chatting with our witty and wonderful Australian friends, John and Hazel. Every retired couple should consider patterning their lives after this amazing team of two; encouraging servants who live to bless others, and have loads of fun while they're doing it. We say goodbye tomorrow morning, which is sad. We've found a home away from home.

9am began a blessed conversation with a dear siter who serves as a counselor. She opened her life and her heart to allow us to encourage her to persist in all the good she does for others.

At 11am, Jill was kidnapped by two of her new friends who insisted taking her for a massage and a facial. I went for a swim, and a conversation with a friend who took me to a bank to exchange some money.

1230 was lunch with yet another couple. The conversation turned to stewardship of life messages; the things we've been prepared through experience to share w/ others. They said it was timely. None of us knew how the conversation turned in that direction, but it was what it was supposed to be.

At 330p I finally confessed to Jill and our hosts that I needed help to resolve my intestinal difficulties. A quick call to a Dr. and an effective anti-biotic was prescribed. I say effective because I already feel much better. Why didn't I admit it? Because I usually think I can will my body to be better...and because I succumbed to the predicted difficulty and Jill hasn't. For that I'm glad, but being competitive, I'd want to act as if I could tough it out. Dumb!

4-7p was the pleasant surprise of an "Impromptu" meeting of seven couples who help other couples. At the end they gave us cards, money and sang for us. Yet another remarkable blessed experience.

From 7-10p we dined with our Korean friends, and discussed how to become a team of two by understanding and honoring our respective gifts. The husband asked to renew our leadership coaching agreement, an affirmation of the efficacy of this approach to leadership development, supported by his wife who says she is happy for him to have sessions because he is relaxed and happy afterwards.

Now, surprise of surprises, we're at the home of a couple that grew up in Michigan, and then discovered a desire to live amidst people of need. We met them in seminar this afternoon, where they heard our desire to call our girls and check email. They said they stay up late, and invited us to come over after dinner. It's now 1135pm, and we're all going strong!

Tomorrow we fly to Indore in the afternoon. The morning is to be relaxed, but we'll see.

thanks for reading. Jeff and Jill