counting it all joy

 Oh, this has been the busiest week! 

With Thanksgiving break next week, this week has been FULL with our new church open house, a powerful testimony church lunch, admin and finance meetings for Matt, small group, Bible study, a huge Consecration Service Thursday night, trying to get ready for our first ever Sunday morning service as Wellspring Church, and to head to Ohio straight after with 5-7 kiddos! 

Whew!

The week began with precious time with Uncle Martin and Aunt Sharon. It was SUCH a gift to have them for each one of us. They are so intentional about getting good time with each of us, whether that means Martin wrestling with Ben (which quickly added Nora and Emma), taking Sofie on an eighth grade field trip to the Civil Rights Museum in Jackson, going to dinner with Matt and I and doing lots of projects around the house, taking Lily to her happy place (yes, it's shopping), fixing up bikes with Nora, reading "Grinch" to Emma a thousand times over, staying up 'till midnight...all the sweet family things. They worshipped with us our last Sunday at Foundry. They worshipped with us our last Sunday at our borrowed location at Wellspring. They came to the new church. They joined us, always, for Family Dinner on Monday night. 

I thanked them when they left for letting me pretend like they are our parents, like they are our grandparents, and all in, they do.  I always struggle when they go, and as I am with Foundry, I am trying to keep remembering these are God's good gifts, simply to be thankful for. Martin and Sharon are good gifts, to be sure, and have been since August 14th, 2007, the day we moved to Haiti!

The rest of this week has been as sweet as it has been busy....so much mercy and thankfulness in celebrating finally moving the church into our new home! 

This is a special church...not because of the building, because until now we haven't had one! There are just some very truly loving, kind, thoughtful and open-hearted people. It has been a GIFT being a part of the Wellspring family, and they love us well!  I have learned so much and have so much to learn.

Counting it all gifts, which is a beautiful way to head into Thanksgiving...