Sunday Sentiments

 

We have had a full weekend already - and it's not even over yet. But it's been full in all the best ways. I haven't had a chance yet to sift through my pictures, so stay tuned for those, but in the meantime...I have a few thoughts from the fullness and goodness of the days.

Friday afternoon, Ryan and I volunteered (representing Love INC) at Stuff the Bus. Contrary to what I first thought when I heard about it, it's not a school supply drive, but rather a food/supply drive. We arrived at the bus for our afternoon shift and found out we were going to be spending the afternoon ON an actual school bus, sorting donations into like items.

Speaking of liking...you learn you must really like each other when you can spend two full hours on a sunny, 88-degree day sorting canned goods and more while squished in a school bus. That aisle is a LOT narrower when you're an adult than it was in childhood. But we felt good about getting to put our organizational skills to use and hope the people who came for the shift following ours found everything sorted to their liking!

Yesterday morning, we headed to our church to volunteer (representing Love INC) at the Back 2 School Bash. I can't wait to show you more of what this looked like from the pictures I took, but I have to say it was a great honor to be part of it. 

We put together a photo booth and set it up for kids (and adults!) to take pictures during the festivities. Even though we were there representing work, it was also at our church, so it was the first time we've served at a big event with our church, and that was very meaningful for us. It was fun to get to take some pictures with new-to-us friends and feel like we had a place to fit in and serve alongside them. 

And then last night, we had our small group. One of the guys in the group just graduated with his Master's Degree, and we had a little celebration for him. He was completely surprised to find the night was a mini-party for him, and that was a lot of fun for all of us! The guys played a board game and the girls told stories...and we left with full cups. 

Today we will become members at our new church, and we are excited to make that commitment official on paper.

It has been a good and full weekend. We've been able to serve our community, serve alongside our church, and enjoy the encouragement of friendship. 

Being part of a community like this is something that hasn't always been part of our lives, so we don't take it for granted. My heart is thankful today.