Last Home Group

Taraleigh and Kyle



We had my FAVORITE for dinner: CHEESEBURGERS!!!





I love the Davis family.



Surprisingly enough, that's like half the single's girls in our home group...really.

Ah, it has begun. The beginning of the end. Pretty much from here on out its "goodbyes". The "lasts". Last Home Group, last Deluge, last dinner at Kyle and Tara's, last Sunday, last hugs.

The sadness of leaving is not minimizing the excitement in my heart of going- but right now, the "leaving" is hitting hard. We have the best home group in the whole world.

These two years have been rich with learning, growing, moving =), and building relationships. They've been full of tears, laughter, inside jokes at Starbucks, very difficult seasons, crazy stories you wouldn't believe, and lots and lots of LOVE. Growth in love for my Savior and also love for those He's placed around me to live life with.

I am so glad that I have a hope that things will not deteriorate from here...but increasingly get better. Leaving is difficult, but what lies ahead will be far much greater than I could possibly imagine. What a hope we have!

Preparing with Hope

Ah. I, with hope, anticipate being a mom someday. Meghann and I took pictures of the girls yesterday. It is so weird to think that Jordyn will be over a year old when I return.

As I take lots of mental "snap shots" in these next several weeks- wanting to remember how things are now, so that I can be amazed at all God did in just one year, there is much HOPE. Excitement for change. Gratefulness for what God WILL do. Paul exhorts us to REJOICE IN Hope. Sure, there is sadness that I won't be here to watch it all take place- but SO neat that I will be able to see how God has changed others and what He's done in a way others won't be able to see to because they lived through it. Different perspectives are such a blessing, aren't they?

I am one who likes to be REALLY prepared for big changes like this. As prepared as I'm able. Like Maxwell House coffee...I want to enjoy everything till the LAST DROP. I want to mentally note every last meeting, being aware of how many more Sundays left I have here, counting down days so I ENJOY them and USE them.

It is in both preparation and hope that I find myself now.

Preparing to leave, yes. Preparing to go, also a yes. And both, because of the Father's abundant grace, are FULL of HOPE. I love that He's unlimited. What will He do? How will He work? Who will He save? How will we change? Oh, its so exciting!!!