Reunion

Here is a group of precious sisters who encourage me greatly. We have been meeting together in some capacity for the last 14 years. It began when one woman began discipling 5 younger college women. Then those 5 women began discipling other women. This is what is commonly referred to as "spiritual multiplication". This particular spiritual lineage has continued on past us to bear much fruit on the campus of Georgia College and State University. But something happened in those first 2 generations to bond us together. What started off as a few college "small groups" is now one group of women who are spread around the world, literally, but who try to come together once a year to share what the Lord has been accomplishing in their lives and in their faith. We are all in such different places in life. We have the incredible priveledge of walking through pain and suffering with one another. It seems that the older we get, the more difficult the trials get. But getting together on this one weekend every year always feels like such a significant marker to me. "Whewww! I made it here once again. I lived through the last year, fighting the good fight of faith, to tell about it. To share with some of my dearest friends all that the Lord has done and has taught." Its incredible! We get to spill our guts out in such a safe place and have the godliest women we know pray for us. And then before we know it the weekend is over and we're on our way back to our places of battle, feeling refueled and recharged and ready to live the next year of life to the fullest, only by the grace of God.

This group of women have been especially dear to me through this adoption process. As soon as I start to talk about Sophie and where we are in this journey, I see this sweet little smile come up on everyone's face. Sometimes I even notice a few moist eyes at the first mention of her name. I'm not sure why it always catches me by surprise a little. I guess because these kinds of realtionships are so uncommon. These are the friendships that truly represent the unselfish, others-focused, love of Christ. I know that these women are praying for Sophie, and for the Lord to hasten the day that we will meet her. I can't wait for them to meet her too.

Blessings during the Wait

This wait has not been easy. Having to daily surrender control of circumstances and choose to trust God has been quite a test. He has continued to remind me that He tells me to wait on Him, but not to be idle during this wait. God has continued to provide opportunities to invest in the lives of others. Alot of times I feel like I'm getting more out of these relationships than the other party. Over the last 2 years of being at Salem Baptist there has formed a small group of teenage girls who have grown near and dear to my heart. Initially, we just announced to the youth group that we were going to have small groups. A hand full signed up and we started meeting on Sunday nights. This group has mainly stayed at about 12 girls, losing a few and gaining a few but still the main "core" group still meets at my house every Sunday night. (We have named it "Core Group") This school year we've even added meeting on Thursday mornings at 7:15 for prayer and encouragement. Half of them are seniors now. Its been so neat to watch them grow and change over the last couple of years. The other day, I was commenting about how much life changes for them in such a short amount of time, and that I felt like nothing much had changed for me in that same amount of time. One girl chimed, "Except your hair color." I tried not to take offense at that. :-) I have had a hard time making up my mind about my hair color the last couple of years. Oh well. All this to say, I'm so thankful for these girls. They are so excited about Sophie coming home. They've been around from the beginning of this wait in the summer of 2005. I have no doubt that I will have no shortage of babysitters to choose from.