Greetings from Indiana and Valparaiso University!

It's Sept. 15. (Quarterly tax payment day for those of us who are clergy!)

Rachel Knoke (pronounced K-no-kee, first year MA student at Luther Seminary & 2003 Valpo graduate) and I arrived at Chicago Midway airport via two separate airlines, her ATA, me Northwest. It’s Luther Seminary Admissions Department policy that staff fly separately due to security reasons as well as possible airline malfunction (and I flew Northwest during a strike). OK, so that is not exactly true; we just booked our tickets at different times.

After reporting my lost luggage (another causality of the strike perhaps?) and picking up our rental car (a lovely Ford Taurus, leather interior, sun roof, North Carolina plates) we crawled our way East on I-94 toward Valparaiso University (the free expressway; I forgot change for the tolls).

Our first event was hosting a 6 p.m. pizza party at Huegli Hall for prospective students. After an expected turnout of one prospective student and an immense hope for four students, twelve students actually attended. Fortunately, God stepped in and did some loaves and fishes action on our supply of pop and pizza and all the hungry masses were fed. Great questions were asked and answered and the desire these students have for ministry was a joy to witness. God certainly is going to use them in many and various ways in the church and in the world to further the kingdom.

Our evening concluded with blissful rest and relaxation. Oh, and my luggage arrived around 10:30 p.m. My thanks to the Northwest courier.