MSIA staff traveled to the Southwest region of the U.S. in June to do MSIA Services and also for events with John Morton in numerous cities and events with John-Roger in Austin, Texas. Staff member Angel Gibson provides this travelogue of their adventures.
EL PASO
El Paso is a most interesting little city in the pass (about 3000 feet altitude) of a mountain range that spans through Texas into Mexico. It is wide open country here and very, very dry and hot. It hit temperatures of 99 -101 while Celia Allen Graham and I were visiting. We went from cold air conditioning to feeling like fried eggs in a matter of minutes. Lucia Parga-Navarro, the MSIA Rep in El Paso, greets us each morning at Alicia Portillo’s home where we go to do MSIA Services. We are eating so well — steak, tortillas, corn soup, yum! Alicia’s home becomes a little hub with spokes going out to some long-term MSIAers in the neighboring state of New Mexico. Gordon Dipple and Helen Hazlett and friends come in from Deming, we have our MSIA family that comes in from Las Cruces and Alamogordo. What a treat to catch up with each one. Did you know that Deming now has 9 MSIA Discourse subscribers and growing! Celia and I also managed during our stay to stay up-to-date as we watch the Lakers beat the Timberwolves, and see that the world survives in the movie “The Day After Tomorrow.”
SANTA FE and ALBUQUERQUE
After a day of MSIA Services in El Paso we catch a Southwest evening flight to Albuquerque (5000+ ft altitude). Our flight is delayed for awhile so we end up arriving in Albuquerque at 10:00 p.m. and then make that 55 minute drive to Santa Fe (boy does it seem long at this time of night). Our sense of humor is still intact as we’re singing along to golden oldies – this also helps to keep us awake. I like this landscape – a huge stretch of valley surrounded by mountains. I keep looking for alien space craft to whiz by but no such sightings did I see. We arrive at our lovely hotel in Santa Fe (7500+ feet altitude) and dive for the beds. We have a full day tomorrow with MSIA Services and then an evening workshop. God and Traveler provide the energy and we’re up and running. It’s sunny and very dry. We head for the home of Robert Waterman and Karey Thorne in the outskirts of Santa Fe. This is a lovely adobe style home that has the best kitchen/dining area for schmoozing. Robert and Karey are delightful to be with and we feel like kids being welcomed as we come home from college. Our service day flies by. We snack on yummy fruit, chips, and Karey made a mouth-watering lamb dish that smelled so good I couldn’t wait to dive into it at lunch. In the evening we go to Susan Voorhees’ studio space and do an Open Forgiveness workshop. Forgiveness is such a powerful tool and spending an evening focusing on letting go and moving into the grace and freedom and loving was a gift to all.
On Friday, Celia and I head to Albuquerque to do Services at Dennis and Elaine Kelly’s home. It’s fun to drive the route and actually see the landscape — you just can’t believe the wide open quality of space there is in this land. Dennis Kelly is a giant of a man-outwardly, at well over 6’4″, and inwardly. Elaine, his wife, is a giant Spirit though petite — just a few inches over 5′. They are a fun and lively couple that nurture and nourish us from beginning of the day to the end. Greeting us are plates of freshly baked spelt chocolate chip cookies and nut bars. Spelt bread is baking, and by lunch time steaks are on the grill, fresh vegetables and salad on the table and a huge plate of fruit. Oh my goodness, I’m rounding out already and we’re only 4 days into the trip. We sit around after lunch talking to the Boandls and Annie Onderdonk and other good friends sharing old stories of being with J-R in the early days. This is one of our favorite activities on the road and brings instant loving in our midst. Our day goes so quickly that we find ourselves on the road again after big hugs, and our back seat filled with bags of goodies to share with Vincent Dupont, Paul Kaye and Roger Wakefield who will meet us in Santa Fe as they’ve flown in today from Los Angeles.
It’s Saturday in Santa Fe — a cool morning. The sun is warm and it will be warmer by afternoon. Vincent, Paul, Celia and I head back to the Waterman’s for Services and Roger heads to the Unitarian church to set up for the Closed MSIA seminar that is happening there tonight. John Morton is flying in today and will be with us at the seminar this evening. There’s always that special excitement when the Traveler is coming. After our Services day is complete (more fun schmoozing with Karey and Robert) we join Vincent, Roger and our New Mexico, El Paso family –there are even some family from Colorado Springs and Florida that flew in to be with the Traveler for an evening.. A closed MSIA seminar is special. Opposite to what the word “closed” infers, this is really an evening where the participants are very “open”; they have prepared a place through study and more exposure to the Traveler’s teachings. As part of preparing a place, BJ Hefner sings “Peace is a River in my Soul”. Then we watch some Moments of Peace where J-R blesses us with a prayer to the Christ, and John brings us to a Soul-filled hush in his blessing at Normandy Beach. We remember that tomorrow is the anniversary of D-Day and send a blessing out to all who have been or are at war. John then steps us and graces us with humor and a depth of love that touches to our Souls.
The next morning we all drive out to Win and Danielle Hampton’s home. John is taking sharing at the Santa Fe MSS Year 1 class. For two hours the MSS students get a chance to talk with John. He gives a final blessing for the class and all of us there, and then John flies out to Los Angeles and we staff drive to Albuquerque for our flight to Austin.
AUSTIN
Both John-Roger and John Morton join us in Austin for some deep-in-the-heart-of-Texas loving time. They spend Monday night with us at the Caswell House — a turn-of-the century style home in downtown Austin — doing a Q&A fundraiser for Insight and MSIA. Candy Spitzer, the Austin MSIA Rep, is our Mistress of Ceremonies and coordinator of a scrumptious buffet dinner, and J-R and John give each attendee special time and attention to their questions. By the end of the evening all my questions have been answered too as I listened. I’m still amazed at the loving that just pours out from J-R and John as they hold with each participant. On Tuesday we do more MSIA Services at Sherri and Kevin Robinson’s beautiful home, and then it is off to the Seminar for Discourse Subscribers that John is doing at the Norris Conference Center. The room adjoining the seminar room is being prepared for an Insight II training which is to take place in the morning. During the seminar John shared about how he got into his Insight II; he spoke about his experience as a Traveler on the road, and then talked about what it is to be on Discourses. Then it’s Wednesday and we’re packed up and ready to go the airport. But first we stop off at the Insight II where John and J-R take time to encourage, inspire and align those lucky and blessed participants. Then J-R and John and posse head off to the airport and we staff are doing a quick pack up of the recording equipment while munching on some wonderful oat flour cookies that Kent Portman had made specially for us — one of those wonderful and much-appreciated perks of being on travel staff.
DENVER
Well, it takes a little while today to get to Denver. The fog in Austin has trapped us at the airport. We relax, reconnoiter for food, and enjoy each other’s company. We divvy out the last of the oat cookies and savor a few sips of espresso. We’re in awe of Paul who has managed to stay completely on his diet by eating cans of sardines when the food he can eat is not available. At last there is an opening in the fog — we credit this to doing our spiritual exercises — and we’re on our way to Denver, then by car to Boulder. We arrive at our hotels late, but good news, Services don’t start tomorrow until 2:00 p.m.
It’s Thursday, and today we drive into Denver to do MSIA Services at Michael and Martha Peck’s. The day is sunny, breezy and gorgeous. How great to meet up again with old friends and catch up. We have a quiet night for dinner and some emails, and sleep. Friday brings us back to the Peck’s for more Services and then we go to the MSS class to wait for John Morton who’s coming to take sharing. Dan and Kate Kendrick and Steve Dreher are facilitating this class and the room is cozy yet in perfect order. Roger Wakefield went ahead of us to set up our special recording equipment and all is in readiness for John, who shortly appears.
Before the class starts all the ministers there stand together for an ordination, and then when the whole class is present, Dan introduces John and we’re underway. John addresses a wide spectrum of questions — inwardly and outwardly asked. The session culminates in a blessing for all, and we’re off to dinner and then back to Boulder. I love these dinners where the conversation covers a multitude of topics and is full of jokes and good tidbits. Some of us are a little buzzed so we stay up and do some more email. But finally sleep claims us.
It’s Saturday. We have found this little restaurant around the corner from our hotel for breakfast. We just love the buckwheat pancakes with berries, the Mexican eggs, and the coffee is good too. John joins us this morning — a treat in itself! Now full with breakfast some of us have Services to do, and Vincent and Roger head over to the Coors Center on the University of Colorado campus to set up for the seminar. After Services we join them and find out that they’ve had a challenging day with the equipment. We move into Light-holding focus, even as we’re hugging and chatting with our MSIA family that’s come from all over Colorado — Aspen, Denver, and points south, north and west of Boulder — to be with us. John arrives and takes a little time to schmooze. Now it’s time for the program to start. As we call ourselves into the Light, we send Light to the equipment for the highest good. All goes smoothly! A special surprise goodie is Kate Blakeslee singing Amazing Grace a cappella; she gets us all to sing with her and we’re soaring. John takes us higher. Right away he guides us in a meditation of Light and attunement. We were full then, but there’s more to receive, as John takes some questions from those who are in the room. He caps the evening with a prayer and blessing of God’s hand on us, reminding us of our Soul’s purpose. We bid adieu to our Traveler. It takes all of us to pack up after a seminar like we had, and we have lots of help this time from Will Skelton, Eagle Butler, Joel Blakeslee, Steve Dreher, Nancy Michaels and others. We thank you. In the morning we have time for another yummy breakfast and then we head to the airport and our flight safely back to Los Angeles. Blessings to all of you who sent us Light and assisted us on the way!
