Sorry I left you in the middle of Assessment Conference. We made it through the day with plenty to eat and for me, relatively little stress. It is such a blessing to be able to sit and just listen as the delegates tell their stories. I am constantly amazed at the many 'miracle' lives we have in Latvia. We followed the Assessment Conference with Candidates' Board, which is the official group who decides on accepting candidates for officership. This went really well. I can't give you details, but the dialogue was great. The process worked well and I believe we were sensitive to God's leading. I'll report on the results later.

The cadets reportedly had a great time in Lithuania. I haven't had a chance to talk with them and now they are free for the weekend. But, rumors are that they enjoyed their trip. The translator in Lithuania said the same thing from their side. That is a real answer to prayer. I can't wait to hear their stories next week.

Today Chris and I drove to Daugavpils to visit the corps leaders, Guna and Andre Van der Leij. They are helping with the training for our cadets there, as I have not been able to give them the attention they deserve. We had a good afternoon of conversation and planning. And I got to see Manuela who is so big and has changed dramatically since I saw her in December. She still has a big smile! The drive home was not fun. It was foggy and getting dark, so very hard to see on the narrow roads which have lots of pot holes and with lots of trucks coming towards us. I held on tightly to the steering wheel and we made it home just fine. I was really tired when I got home and needed to pack because tomorrow morning I'm going away for the weekend. Yippee! I got a cheap Ryan Air flight to Liverpool, UK and will visit 2 ICO friends and then go over to Manchester to see Andersens for a couple of days. I guess you could call that my spring break. Just checked the weather and it's supposed to rain every day. I don't care - I'm just looking forward to 3 stress-free days. I'm taking a book to read and some papers to grade (I know, that's work but I can never get it done here.) Otherwise, no computer and no studying!