Community Day + Tractor Volunteers + More "Beta" Retreats

So much has been happening that I have been too busy to put up any new blog entries. Here’s some of the rundown:

A couple of Saturdays ago, we had a very exciting (and noisy) community day. We had six guys working with chainsaws, a couple of tractors running, and a crew spreading wood chips in our parking area. As usual, we enjoyed a delicious lunch together, midday prayer, a time of silence & solitude, and a lot of time for fellowship (amidst the sounds of giant dead trees being cut down with a gigantic, earth-shaking crash).

This was just the beginning of a week of very productive work on the land with the two tractors we rented. We had a father-son crew fly in (one from Seattle, one from South Carolina) to operate the tractors all week. These two men volunteered an entire week of their lives to serve the mission of Iona House!!! And they made great progress. This kind of serving heart and generosity is the very essence of the Iona House spirit. Three cheers for Steve & Stephen Lanford.

We had another retreat this past weekend with a group mostly from the Bay Area (and a couple from Portland OR). It was a great time of fellowship, prayer, contemplation, and formation.

Earlier this week we had a very powerful storm come through (high winds + rain). Unfortunately, some of our shade tents were destroyed. :(

This coming weekend is another Family Faith Formation retreat with 6 families from San Francisco.

What an adventure!!