There and Back Again

Last week was a week of day trips! On Tuesday my boss and I left EARLY in the morning and drove over to Lansing, MI (about a 4 hour drive) to have lunch and visit with a missionary couple who's currently in the U.S. on medical leave. Though our primary connection now is their service through my employer, my friendship with Tom & Lisa and their family started way back when I was in middle school and they volunteered with the junior high youth group at my church. They are a great couple who look forward to returning to Mali where they have a thriving and varied ministry in the town of Kadiolo. They also have an incredible testimony of God's faithfulness to them through some really trying times this year--back in March Lisa became gravely ill, and through various complications with her condition and the medications that were administered, woke up one morning during recovery to discover she was completely deaf. The family was evacuated to the U.S., where she spent the next six months unable to hear any sound. Then in September she had surgery for a cochlear implant (bionic ear) that has enabled her to hear again, albeit in a very different manner than she was used to. The human body is simply amazing, and there's some pretty incredible technology out there! It was such a blessing to sit across the table from them and hear them tell of how the Lord has been so faithful to them throughout this whole trial. You can check out their blog if you'd like to know more of their story. Here's a pic with my friends in Michigan:

Saturday morning Travis and I headed up to Devil's Lake State Park in Wisconsin (about a 3 hr drive) to meet my friend Allison, who came down from northern Wisconsin for a "rendezvous in Baraboo" (which happens to be the home of the original Ringling Bros. Circus, founded in 1884 by the 5 Ringling brothers, and where you'll find the Circus World Museum - just a little trvia for you.) After a brief stroll through Baraboo's courthouse square, we decided on lunch at the quaint Garden Party Cafe. We then spent the afternoon hiking at the park, first up the cliffs on one side of the lake and down again, then along the rim, then up and down the cliffs on the other side. The view from the top of the cliffs was incredible--the tree-covered countryside was awash in autumn hues for as far as the eye could see. It had the appearance of an impressionist painting--several dabs of green here, some spots of orange and yellow here, some splotches of red and brown over there, all running into each other and creating a spectaculuar whole. Here are a few photos from our hike:

[Egads! I looked out my window just now and it's snowing. SNOWING. On October 27th. Sigh.]

Before bidding each other farewell we enjoyed a hearty dinner at The Log Cabin Restaurant, which offers yummy food with a very cozy, north woods ambiance--if you're ever passing through Baraboo, I recommend it! And even if you're full, go ahead order the apple dumpling for dessert--you won't regret it.