Why I Love My Church Family

This is a practice run for an article I'm planning to write for the bulletin this weekend. After Bible study last night, it just kept running through my mind that there are some really great things about my church family that amaze me and encourage me all the time. First,

Why I Love Wednesday Night Suppers:
*Eating with a large group of people that I didn't have to do all the cooking for.
*Eating with the college students, who seem to sense when I need an extra hand. Last night, I ate by myself (well, I got to sit with my own friends for a change) because my kids were eating with their favorite college students. I didn't have to fill their plates, find them a place to sit, make them eat all their vegetables, get them drinks, help them cut up their food, clear their stuff from the table ... or any of the other things that come with taking care of children at dinner time.

*Getting to know the Gillies. Tom & Leah are some of the sweetest people you'd know. I have really enjoyed getting to know them, as well as eating Leah's great cooking! And I was really impressed that Tom, who noticed my neck was very stiff last night, offered to take me with him to see his masseuse on Friday.

*Finding someone different to sit with each time. It has been a fun game to try to get to know someone different each time I go. Sometimes, it turns into a big argument when the kids want to sit with their friends, but for the most part I enjoy it.

*The fellowship each week is outstanding. It's easy to get conversation going over food. It's like an ice breaker: "I wonder who made this delicious dessert?"

*With all the extra stuff I'm carrying, class materials, dinner dishes, etc., there are always people on hand to help me out. What a blessing! Moms really don't have extra hands, you know, except when they're willing to accept help from others.


Why I Love My Adopted Family:
This semester, we took 4 college students, 2 or 3 families, put them together & the result is...
Lots of fun & fellowship!

So far, our family has gotten together for dinner & dessert twice, one of those times just so we could get to know each other better. The other time was to celebrate one of our students' birthdays & play some games together. We had such a blast both times! My kids LOVE the attention they get from the college students, and *surprise* the college kids genuinely seem to enjoy it too. I remember how special I felt as a child to receive direct attention from a young adult or college student. It makes me smile to see that my children have that opportunity too. And I have to admit, they make me feel pretty special too. The first Sunday we found out who our adopted families were, two of my "kids" came over to hug us & say "Hi Mom & Dad!" Cute. They all offer to babysit for us, & they help keep an eye on the kids while they're running around the church building. One of my students has offered to help with the bulletin & directory. What servants!

While I know all the college students are really special people, I want to say a "thank you" to Adria, Ethan, Kristin, & Jason, who I'm so proud to call family. If you haven't had the opportunity to get your adopted family together much this semester, please try to do so more often in the spring. Every one of you will be blessed because of it.