Mother's Day

Mother's Day started out with getting up early to make breakfast for the church, prepare for the children's class, and clean the house. That may not sound like a good day to you but there was nothing I would rather have been doing. My entire family works together to invite people into our home on a weekly and sometimes daily basis to share what God has given us.

As a special treat, Maria taught the class that day. Jonah was a bit apprehensive because I'm the only teacher he has for every subject, but he later admitted she was "a really good teacher".

After having the pleasure of sitting in on the class that John teaches for the adults, I gave each child a rose to give to his/her mom. Ben misunderstood and gave his to this guy:

I took it back.Here are all the moms with their well-deserved roses and their beautiful kids:

And here's my favorite part of Mother's Day:

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.

Easter Sunday

What did you do for Easter? Here's how our day started out:

Then we met our friends and neighbors at the park for a barbecue...

and egg hunt.

It wasn't a traditional Easter Sunday service. Nobody even dressed up, except this pretty little girl who insisted on wearing her best.

Some of the kids found eggs that were not ours, and I told them someone else must have hosted an egg hunt in the same park the day before. One mother asked why anyone would have an Easter egg hunt on the day before Easter. When I told her that many people go to church on Sunday morning she said she was glad to be with us at the park instead. Then she asked me why we didn't go to church, and I was pleased to point out to her that we are the church. John spoke to the group about what that means. "Well, I like this church and I want to go wherever you are next week too," she said.

Who wouldn't want to be part of a group like this? God is shaping lives before our very eyes.

Taking Flight

This family lived on our street less than 24 hours ago. Chris and Jenna and their three wonderful kids have been a vital part of our five-family house church for much of the past year. John baptized the couple in November and then married them in December. We have watched them make changes that will bless their family for generations to come.

We have grown to love them as our own family and our kids have been the best of friends. It was very sad to see them leave as they drove away Monday for their new home a bit north of here. Chris has been working in pool construction and was away from home quite often. Now he will be doing something that allows him more time with his family - something worth all the stress of moving. We hope they will not only find success with his new job but, more importantly, that they will find a church that will encourage them to continue to grow in their relationship with Jesus.

Our small church will strongly feel their absence. We pray rich blessings on their lives and the lives of those they touch. God knows they have touched ours.

Against All Odds

Last week our church began planning a Saturday barbecue for our friends and neighbors. Then midweek one of the five families in our church informed us of their decision to move out of town in a matter of days. We knew about the move but expected to have weeks or months to help them pack and to say goodbye. We were shocked and saddened and thought about canceling the cookout. Instead, we decided to press on.

Our kitchen flooded on Thursday even though it hadn't rained for days. We still haven't identified the source but are waiting for the plumber and insurance adjuster to find it. The wood has absorbed too much water to salvage, so it appears we are facing a major renovation in the near future. We considered canceling the barbecue but decided to press on. The water drained off the kitchen floor that evening.

On Friday the boys and I took a walk around the block and invited many of our neighbors to the cookout. Chris and Jenna, the couple who are moving, were busy packing and weren't sure they could even make it. We also couldn't get in touch with one other family in our small, five-family church. Again, we thought about canceling but decided to press on.

Saturday morning Ben woke up like a bear and was inconsolable. His bad mood progressed into a fever just after lunchtime. Of course, we considered canceling but again we decided to press on. By that time we had invested too much prayer, time, and energy into planning, and seeing it through had become something of a challenge.

Our church members arrived at 4:00 pm - all except the one family we never reached and Chris who was preparing for the move. Also, the girls who live one street over wanted to be here for church and not just the barbecue. We were thrilled to have them. We had a quick meeting then the guests began arriving at 5:30 pm. Among those who showed up were a Jewish couple, a family with six kids, a British fitness instructor and her daughter, and a single mom and her son. It was quite a sampling of our culture and made for an exciting afternoon. The last guests left at 10:45 pm, and by all accounts it was the best barbecue we've hosted to date.

enjoying the beautiful weather with our friends

applying temporary tattoos in the kitchen

enjoying good food and friends

Teaching Over the Fence

Lately, I've been wondering why God hasn't seen fit to bless our plans to enclose the back patio. My next door neighbor was over for coffee several weeks ago and told me, "I hear you teaching the kids outside sometimes. The first time I heard it, I thought how great it would have been to have had a neighbor like you when I was a little girl." Wow, what a compliment! See, God, even the neighbor recognizes what a worthy cause this little Sunday school class is. We sure could use an air conditioned space before the hot Florida summer arrives.

Then this past weekend we took our kids to their friend's birthday party one street over. I was talking to a couple of women who live caddy corner behind our house and one of them said she has been searching for an affirming church. When I told her we have a house church and they are welcome to come check it out, her partner said, "Ya, I hear you teaching the kids in your back yard." Then it hit me. Of course you do because the class where I teach the kids about Jesus is outside where everybody can hear it.

The kids have been learning through vegetable gardening that rain helps the plants grow before returning to the sky to form clouds. Isaiah 55:11 says, "It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it." (New Living Translation) Each Sunday morning I'm aware of at least two other neighbors doing yard work in their back yards who can evidently hear us too. So I'll just keep on teaching out in the open and hope that God will soon bring these people into our living room.

Small House, Big God

We have a house full of people at least three days a week and usually closer to five. I reported earlier that the walls sometimes seem to be closing in and we were considering some renovations to make better use of our space. One afternoon John and I prayed that God would give us a clear answer whether to pursue such a costly and time-consuming process. That same day a friend called, asked what our most pressing need was, and gave us the money to enclose our back patio. We were very encouraged and thankful to God. It turns out, however, that we were quoted a price without the proper permit. The actual cost for the project is three times what we were originally quoted so we won't be getting that extra space after all.

Instead of giving in to our disappointment, we had a barbecue this weekend with everyone in our house church and three first-time families. One of the newcomers was a young, single mom and her seven-year-old son. They were guests of our members. The other two new families live in our neighborhood. One is a homeschooling couple with six children. They are Jewish but three of their kids are here for Sunday school just about every weekend. The other family is a couple of ladies who are raising a ten-year-old daughter. Most of us sat on the floor to eat and some stayed outside but, in the end, everyone found a corner to enjoy himself. Our time in Brazil taught us that true fellowship can take place under any conditions. We don't need the luxury of climate control, a nursery for little ones, or even lots of room for God to do great things. So, we're back to finding ourselves encouraged and thankful to God for everything He has already provided.