Bellaria, Italy was the new location for our triennial retreat held 18-22 September. Before arriving in Bellaria, I took a few days off to visit Bologna, home to the oldest university in the world founded in 1088. I arrived late Monday evening. All day Tuesday and Wednesday morning up until I took the train to Bellaria, I rode a bicycle all over the town. I felt right at home as I rode around with people of all ages on bicycles. I got a lot of exercise and I saw all the major sites. It was fun.
 

I took a train to Bellaria on Wednesday and arrived at a beach town. Right away I felt it was the perfect atmosphere to relax. Not only was the retreat held in a new location, but it also set a new direction for our Europe missionary family with new leaders and a new geographical configuration.

The weather was perfect for walking along the beach. Friday, most of us got on buses to visit San Marino. It was fun to walk, eat gelato, drink great Italian coffee, and catch up with colleagues I hadn't seen in quite a while.

Saturday evening, Shannon Buckner and I hosted what we called the TEAM Together reception for single and married missionaries working together on teams. Our goal is to emphasize a biblical theology of singleness by affirming single missionaries and encouraging biblical relationships between both married and single team members. We were very encouraged by the participation of between forty and fifty colleagues. We got off to a great start and since then we have planned for a TEAM Together core team meeting to be held 22-24 November in Paris.