Oh, what a perfect evening! Deidre and Clay Grubb, Dee Schwab, Judy and Paul Leonard, Rochelle Grubb and Leslie and John Culbertson hosted a dinner party welcoming us to Charlotte, where 40 friends joined us at Dee’s home for an evening of superb conversation laced with champagne, canapés, dinner, wines, port, cheeses and desserts.

During the evening’s main course, my mentor Dr. Billy Wireman asked the three things I took away from this journey. I replied: “1. Education could solve every problem the world faces today. 2. People throughout the world – rich and poor, black and beige – need to believe in something, whether that be God, country or tribe. and 3. The situation women face in a vast expanse of the globe is dismal, with too little proof that their second-rate status is improving.” The more I think of my response, the more I understand that this trip has been the best educator I have ever known.Charlotte (Jim)