Fancy Wedding, Small Town Church, Refugee Haven

Rach and I talking about our weekend on the long car ride home and realized how crazy and different the places are that we have been in the past 24 hours. We had an absolutely amazing time with Greg and Lori May at their wedding on Saturday. It was hands down the most fancy and posh wedding/reception that I have ever been a part of. When we got to the reception I told Rachel that I felt like we were in a movie or something. It was so much fun to spend a great night celebrating two of my most favorite people with so many good friends.
It felt so strange though to be around wealthy white people again. I might have even lost some of my refugee-english while we were there. Haha. But it just reminded me again how different our life is going to look than so many of my friends.
So then, this morning we take off to go to morning worship at FUMC in Amory. Small town Mississippi church meeting. Again very different than where we had been the night before and where we would lay our heads down tonight.
It was so good to see "my kids".  I have missed them and their teenage antics... Well maybe not the teenage antics but definitely them. It was so hard to not stay all day and visit with all of them. Some short conversation before and after worship would have to do. Those students will always have a piece of my heart wherever I go.
And then, home-sweet-home, we finally got back to our wonderfully beautiful community from everywhere in the whole world. It felt very right to come home to our amazing community of believers, this crazy diverse mix of people we call neighbors (including the band of small children that bombard us with hugs when we come back from anywhere), and the place we affectionately call home.We are not worthy Lord, what more could we ask for?
What a crazy diverse weekend. It flew by and now its back to the crazy thing we call normal life.

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A New Season of Life

I love new seasons, for the most part, because of the freshness of it and the excitement of newness. And along with those things I have grown to appreciate the way the Lord humbles me through them and reminds me how much I need Him.
Day four in Clarkston is over and I continue to feel like a wide-eyed child more and more. I also am more and more aware of how much bigger than myself the task ahead of me is.

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  -  Matthew 18:1-4

Through the newness and unknowns of this place that is unlike anything else I have ever experienced, the Lord is teaching me so much about becoming like a child. 

Like being a learner, watching and listening to understand the peoples and cultures around you. 

Like trusting the one leading you, knowing that the Lord has brought us here with a purpose and continuing to trust and follow after Him as he leads us in that.

Like remembering that we are small and weak, the Lord is doing a lot of amazing things in Clarkston and He doesn't need us for any of them, but like a loving father He desires to help us be a part of His great work in this city. 

Our Father has been so good to us over the past few days and I know that He will continue to lead us and guide us, so that we can be a part of the amazing ways He is making His name great among the people of this city. 

Pray for us that we would continue to walk as children being led by our Heavenly Father. 

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