We hosted another IPG (Intensive Phase of Growth) over the weekend, with about 25 Baha'is participating. The weather was beautiful - almost 70 degrees.
We visited neighbors in Shalishan and Hilltop. People were out on porches, children were playing, and the people were interested in the resources the Baha'is were offering for children's classes, youth programs, study circles and devotionals.
Some of the friends came from Yakima, to study and learn. 
We spent both mornings studying and listening to stories. 
Marion brought her journal, and shared a story about visiting the King of Samoa, who was a Baha'i. 
Martha and I checked our map, to find our Hilltop neighborhood. One of our goals was to visit with people, get to know them. Martha and I spent 40 minutes sitting in the park, enjoying conversation with a mother and her children. 
Lisa offers children's classes in her home in Salishan. It is always a welcome refuge after school for many of the neighborhood kids. 
We gathered in the late afternoon to share stories. One little girl, only six, brought Martha and me to several houses where she has friends and family. That resulted in a long discussion with a man about the changes in Hilltop. It is now a transient community needing a lot of care.
Our goal is to build neighborhoods, where children are grounded in love, faith, and community. That provides stability and optimism when they transition into adulthood.
Nancy and Rose provided meals both days, so I didn't cook. Nancy brought her own china and silverware. Marion did all the dishes, and my kitchen was left spic'n'span.We went over to the garden in the evenings to dig trenches. The field was plowed last Thursday, two weeks late due to rain and the tractor breaking down. I'm eager to get my potatoes and onions in the ground before they disintegrate, and to seed my carrots. We have weather coming that is perfect for germinating them - sunshine and rain, off and on all day. George will bring 3 bales of straw home tonight, and I'll layer it into all the trenches then double dig the berms to remove weeds and lighten the soil. I'll be doing this off and on as my energy allows. I don't plant a berm until I have the soil just right - weed free and fertile.
We had a house-guest from Oregon who brought something that I haven't had in a long time - Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. It was so good! I have a friend at the garden who told me to 'help myself' to her rhubarb - she says a tea made from the leaves can be poured in the seedbed rows to prevent club root. I'll boil the leaves and then save the stalks for a pie!
