Weekends

Scotty leading small group discussion.

Weekends for us are the busiest part of the week, but usually the most satisfying as well. Saturdays always start early with some sort of church work to be done- meetings or setting up or prep for small group. This Saturday it was a meeting with pastor Edgar at our house at 9. I set the boys up with some cinnamon bread and hid in the bedroom reading Real Simple for the duration of the meeting- a little treat for myself that I felt would be much appreciated by the end of the day. Small group is probably one of the most encouraging aspects of our ministry- we weekly watch the group wrestle with real issues and encourage each other, especially in the arena of parenting. We had our last session of follow-up for the parenting conference, and although these families still have a long way to go in changing some habits, they have also come a long way and made a lot of important realizations about how to be godly parents. Scotty and I have learned a lot in theory, but will see how things go when it's our turn to put it all into practice. Sunday morning's service was beautiful and challenging- there were a handful of people there that we haven't seen for many weeks. Scotty and I both had a break from some normal duties, so we actually got to worship together and sit next to each other through the whole service- also a treat! The afternoon was very restful and we spent part of it doing what Scotty loves to do most- "work the land"! Since we just purchased the 2nd piece of property, Scotty has been itching to get out there to chop branches and pull weed bushes and collect rocks and other random building materials and junk that people have a tendency to throw in empty lots. I could only handle the intense sun for an hour before returning home- but he was at it until sundown. It's really incredible how intense the sun is, even though it's winter, it'll sap every ounce of energy you have in a very short amount of time (especially if you're pregnant). We wrapped up the day with a chapter of Love and Respect, the book our recent Marriage seminar was based on. I'd highly recommend it for any married or engaged couple- revolutionary, yet practical advice. Tomorrow, we're off for a full week to Cochabamba for our annual SIM spiritual life conference. This time of rest and refreshment should be great to recharge our batteries!