This past week was very enjoyable compared to the previous week of rainwater on the basement floor. There were two kinds of basement floors in Albert Lea: those with water, and those without water. My rain gauge measured 8 ½ inches in four days. Genie and I managed to get into the “without water” kind late Saturday, June 21.
The enjoyable week began Sunday, June 22 with church service at Central Freeborn Lutheran Church followed by a bus trip at 11 a.m. to Church Basement Ladies at Plymouth, MN.
We got back to Albert Lea on Sunday night, in time to see that the Iowa Okoboji Lutheran Bible School teachers were settled in for the night at Central Freeborn Lutheran Church and the next four nights while they were at Edgewater Park teaching Vacation Bible School to grades one through six (Genie taught the 3-4-5 year olds). My job was gopher (“Go-fer” this, “Go-fer” that).
Nate Valen, Andy Rushenberg, Claire Garrison, Rachel Gustafson, Cydney Wahlquist, and Morgan Rauch were the team members with Morgan the leader.
I explained to the team about the church warning system between 12 midnight and 5 a.m. of an alarm going off at the police department if a voice was heard in the church building during those hours. The system worked, as they were sacked out before midnight. (For you readers, this really works, even if it is fiction.)
As director of the Vacation Bible School, Genie had lots of very good helpers. The helpers: Greg, Hanna, Diane, Amber, Kelsey, Kylee, Breanna, and Annette all did an excellent job. Trinity, Ascension, Salem and Central Freeborn Lutheran Church were the four sponsors.
The Vacation Bible School ended on Thursday evening with an excellent smorgasbord of food from KFC to patriotic red, white, and blue cupcakes. It was followed by a program put on by the team plus the VBS attendees. The program was well received by not only the participants, but also the crowd attendees. Thanks, Okoboji team!
As the team departed on Friday morning, I asked, “where to next?” They answered, “Ten-wa” as they pointed to the car license plate of Iowa. Now I know where the state of “10-WA” is. Do you?
It was a nice end of an enjoyable week with no rain!
At high noon on a Monday, Thor, the Norwegian god of thunder, lightning and rain performed a weather phenomenon in front of the dining room at Albert Lea Medical Center towards Fountain Lake. He drew an unseen line across Fountain Lake and on up to the dining room. He allowed it to rain on one side and not the other. The line was so pronounced, that people sitting and eating at tables outside neither got wet nor did they know it was raining behind them.
Physician’s Assistant Judy Sibilrud of Hartland, who is a lot younger, has good eyesight, and doesn’t lie, witnessed this event also. If you ask her to verify, she will conclude the tale by saying just what you hear at the end of a church sermon. “And this too is most certainly true.”
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Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent, currently working on his master’s degree in Volunteering. His wife, Genie, is a retired RN, currently working on her doctor’s degree in Volunteering. They have two children, Deb in North Carolina, and Dan in Vermont. Bob says if you enjoy his column, let him know. If you don’t enjoy it, keep on reading, it can get worse. Words of wisdom: There is always room for God.