Suddenly we're too large of a group again to meet in our living room so we had a barbecue at Terry and Maria's house last Saturday. We invited thirty-six people and thirty-six people showed up. The kids were especially happy about that:

To introduce our guests to each other, we started off with a mixer. Not everyone was thrilled about the idea but afterwards all agreed that it was a lot of fun.

We passed out a paper with little known facts about our guests such as "I killed a wild animal in Africa" and "I just got into law school". Each person had to find out to whom the statement applied and have him sign it. The first to collect all the signatures won. There was plenty of laughing and conversation. The winner walked away with ten bucks and second and third got some candy.

Then we ate possibly the best food we've had to date: Brazilian barbecue (churrasco), black beans and rice, salad, and yummy desserts.

One woman whom I met at the YMCA a year ago thanked me for inviting her and said she can't believe what's happening in her life. She said she has been praying and that we are offering her what she has been asking for. When I told her I started praying for her when I met her, she teared up and said, "Prayer really works!"

I invited the women to study the Bible and all ten of them accepted. Now I just have to figure out how to get them all together and find childcare for those who don't have it. John also talked to two men who are interested. We are excited to sit down with our friends and share with them why we do what we do and introduce them to the One who makes it all possible. We want them to know why "prayer works". They couldn't possibly know how blessed they are going to be when they tap into the power of God's word.