The Lord has blessed us through another exciting year in Wisconsin. Lesley has stepped up her Master's Degree coursework, taking three courses this fall. Rick ventured out this summer by serving as a costumed interpreter at a living history museum called Old World Wisconsin.

Perhaps the biggest change in our life this year came when we moved into our new house here in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. A two story Colonial, our house has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, family room, living room, and a huge walk-in closet for Lesley's clothes. Out back we have a 7ft deep swimming pool, a huge enclosed deck, an acre of land, and a pond suitable for fishing, boating, and ice skating. It has been a real challenge for us to keep up the yardwork. We have numerous beautiful trees which shed a multitude of leaves in October, more leaves than we have the time to rake.

We seem to have brought excellent fortune to the local football team by coming to Wisconsin. Since our entrance here in 1995, the Packers continue to become more and more dominant. It was very much a joy to see them defeat Dallas this year at Lambeau. It's impossible not to be a cheesehead in Wisconsin.

We all spent five days reminiscing, eating, relaxing in the hot tub, enjoying a few adult beverages, and arguing about how many angels can stand on the sharp end of a needle. Lesley was a fantastic hostess and it was a blessed time with the brethren. The Rev. Ringhoff concluded the gathering by administering the sacraments. The Rev. Makinney has announced his intentions to leave the ministry and relocate in the United Kingdom where he has set a date in May of 1998 to wed a British woman several years his senior.