In earlier times, far-flung Quaker meetings would look for spiritual deepening in the visits of traveling ministers. Individual Friends, experiencing a call to visit distant meetings, sought counsel from their own meetings, and when approval was granted, would arrive with a letter of endorsement to be welcomed by local Friends, who would gather to worship and receive whatever message was offered to them through the visitor. In modern times, this practice has mostly vanished, but not entirely. Debbie Humphries is one present-day Friend who has responded to such a call to travel in ministry. This essay describes her preparation to serve this call faithfully as well as what she has learned from her experiences in this service. One of her discoveries is that contemporary Friends still derive much enrichment from the real-time, face-to-face worshipful encounters that take place through visiting ministry.
