Archives for October 23, 2021

On Wednesday, we toured Milan and saw the marble cathedral that is built on the spot where Ambrose baptized Augustine after his remarkable conversion (photo #1). The cathedral represented one of the foremost places that promoted the Counter Reformation in the 16th century.

Afterward, we began our lengthy journey home, arriving in Grand Rapids at midnight on Thursday—tired from our 18-day itinerary and 30 speaking occasions but humbled by God’s goodness and faithfulness throughout our journey. Please pray for God’s blessing to follow this trip. In God’s kind providence, we received a good view of the snow-capped mountains and glaciers of Greenland on the flight home (photo #2) and we also got bumped up to the first row of business class seats on our 11-hour flight from Istanbul, Turkey to Chicago. Apparently, they recognized that my wife is indeed the Queen!

Last Tuesday we had a day off with no speaking. Keith and Debbie Jones took us and a friend (Marina) to the Monte Tamaro in the Alps in Switzerland where we took a cable car a good piece of the way up the mountains and then hiked for close to 6 miles on a rather stony, rough path up and down the mountains surrounded by stunning scenery (photos #1-3).

Afterwards, we devoured a tasty meal of bratwurst and fries (photo #4).

This week Monday afternoon Keith Jones and three brothers (Jonathan, Danilo, and Daniel (photo #1), took us to the church site in Milan, Italy where Augustine was buried (photo #2).

Though the church was closed, in God’s kind providence we found someone to open the church and give us a very informative tour for half an hour.
Later in the afternoon and evening, I thoroughly enjoyed giving four hours of lectures on Reformed experiential preaching to a few dozen ministers (photo #3). They asked excellent questions.

Throughout the weekend, both the pastor’s wife, Debbie, and Pastor Keith served as excellent translators for me—and treated us superbly. After my last session, Mary felt helped in speaking to 65 women on “Blooming in Your Church Garden” (photo #4).