Brevort
By Lois Movalson 292-5581

Is anyone going to travel far this summer? Aren't we glad we live in one of the prime vacation spots around? Enjoy your backyard this year.

Del and Sharon Nelson have arrived at their summer place at Hog Island. Welcome back, and get well wishes to Del, who is dealing with a health issue.

Jim and Ann Dyer attended the Northern Great Lakes Synod convention last weekend as representatives of Trinity Lutheran Church of Brevort. They brought back with them three members of the 20- member Tanzanian Chorus now touring the synod, giving concerts at various churches, including one at Zion Lutheran Church in St. Ignace Sunday evening.

Denny Rippett and Jeff and Pat Cranson of Brevort each hosted two choir members, as did Dave and I. We enjoyed the company of Raymond Mungaya, an insurance adjustor, and Henry Mwinuka, a Lutheran seminarian, from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, East Africa. They live on the shore of the Indian Ocean. Theirs is the land of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Lake Victoria, and the land of the "Lion King." After the potluck dinner and concert Sunday evening, we took our guests across the Mighty Mac.

After breakfast and a walk on the beach Monday morning, Dave drove Raymond and Henry to St. Ignace, where transportation awaited to take them to Sault Ste. Marie for another concert Tuesday. The chorus is in the Upper Peninsula for three weeks. Their program is truly wonderful, with traditional African singing and dancing. We're grateful to our synod for sponsoring the chorus to come to America.

Mike Flora is visiting with his father, Bob Flora, this week. Bob and Mike drove to Iowa to see Mike's sister, Kathy Granahan, and her husband, Larry. His sister, Ann Flora Ryan, was also there looking after Kathy, as she had knee replacement surgery. Mike and Bob returned home Sunday evening. Mike will be leaving for Homer, Alaska, Thursday.

Joyce Gustafson and Gayle Lamoreaux were part of the contingent of medical professionals that traveled to Honduras last month. Joyce shared with me some of her experiences, mostly concerning the children. Even being so poor, they were happy. The children were so welcoming when they spotted the doctors, nurses, and staff coming to their village. An 80-year-old Catholic nun, who was an orphan herself, organized this extended village to care for all the homeless children of the area. The children are dressed in uniforms of white shirts and navy skirts or trousers, and leather shoes. No tennis shoes were to be seen.

Joyce worked as an assistant to a volunteer Air Force dentist/surgeon. The workers would mass, eat breakfast, then drive to the next village to treat patients every day. One small boy walked three miles to get his tooth pulled, then balked. After much cajoling, he went back, endured another shot of painkiller, and had a successful extraction. Joyce said of her experience, "I would do it again."

Mike and Melanie Jorgensen were up to put their sailboat in the water, but saw that some maintenance work needed to be done, so it will be next weekend the boat will be launched at the St. Ignace Marina.

Barbara and Owen Jorgensen had visited with former Brevort resident Mary Jane Hadwin last week at her new home in Charlevoix. Mary Jane is doing well, and looking forward to the golfing season.

After a siege of pneumonia, Owen Jorgensen is back to his walking program and putting on the weight he lost while he was ill.

Jim Rose, working with the Keryx Inter-denominational Christian program, shares four-day counseling sessions with the inmates of the Kinross Correctional Facility. This week he was the lead speaker.

Jack and Thora Shepard spent Saturday at their cottage at Trout Lake. They're dog-sitting Bear and Fisher, the pets of Melissa Foster and Patti Truman. Melissa is done with her orientation and will soon be on the regular staff in the hospital emergency room at Athens, Ohio.

Lee Foster is on his way to Gun Flint Lodge in Grand Marais, Minnesota, for his summer employment. For the last two weeks, Lee has been hiking on Isle Royale, having hiked every trail in the park. He saw many moose, and observed a wolf crossing the trail in front of him. It was cool, and not too many hikers were around.

Congratulations to Warren Cunningham and Mary Carney, who were married March 14. Couldn't happen to nicer people. Mary will still be known as Mary Carney. Mary and Warren will have the First Edition Bookstore open from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend. The season has begun.

Many of the village businesses are gearing up for the summer season. Our thinking is, people are not going to be traveling so far this summer, so maybe the Upper Peninsula will be the place to go.

The new flea market is coming along nicely. Dale and Yvonne St. Andre and their son have all of the old cottages painted and looking good. Plans are in the making for a bait shop and perhaps a bakery. I'll let you know as plans develop. It's exciting.

Dave and I entertained Bob Flora and Mike Flora at dinner Thursday evening. Mike told us of fishing on Bristol Bay in Alaska, and it was just like it was portrayed on that television special a few weeks ago. He fished there for 15 years before he gave it up; it was dangerous.

Take care. The rhubarb is ready to pick.