I began and ended my travels this week in New Haven. In between I visited staff and pastors in Cambridge and New Hampshire. It was a good week in spite of my having a cold.

My first stop was Kevin Nelson's 8:30 Bible study at Yale on Sunday night. My cold slowed me down, so I missed the 7:00 Bible study. It was a good meeting, and I enjoyed seeing Kevin's students.

On Monday the rest of the New England staff came to New Haven. We ate, talked, toured Yale, discussed ministry, and prayed. Tuesday I spent the day working inside and conserving my strength. That night I had dinner with Joey and Katie Pensak (UConn). Joey is the senior staff in New England, so he provides an important perspective on RUF and the church in that area.

Wednesday I drove to Cambridge. My first meeting was with Rick Downs, pastor of Christ the King Church, which sponsors Jeremy at Harvard. Conversations with Rick are always interesting, ranging from theological issues to church planting to personalities we know. Rick has been itching to start RUF at UMass, but it seems that the University of Rhode Island is more likely at this point. That evening I dined with Jeremy and Adrienne. They appear to have settled fairly well into their new church and neighborhood.

On Thursday I drove to Exeter, New Hampshire, for a meeting with pastors from northern New England. We had a thorough discussion of the possibilities for RUF there, and settled on three locations, one each in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. They intend to narrow that down to one spot in the next few weeks. Meanwhile it is up to me to find someone who would enjoy starting RUF in the north. That night I joined Jeremy's meeting at Harvard. I was glad to meet some of his key students.

Jeremy and I met Friday morning. Then I returned to New Haven to see Kevin and Christie for dinner. I was eager to get home, so I hit the road after dinner and arrived home after midnight.

I wish I had been able to catch a few more people this week, but in retrospect I covered all the essentials. I saw the wives: Annie, Katie, Adrienne, and Christie. I visited the meetings at Harvard and Yale. I saw Rick Downs and met with the pastors in New Hampshire.

Next week I will be based at home. Someone in Trenton wants to see me, but that is the only travel possibility. I have a lot of follow-up from the past several weeks, and work to prepare for staff training in December.