Happy Easter!

The Grove had our first Sunday morning worship service today, and the whole event was quite a success. Thanks to everyone who prayed about this gathering! We met at a local park in Waco under the pavilion, which we rented for the occasion. We were all a bit concerned that the cold and rain would be problematic, but thankfully those weather forecasters were wrong and the weather was great. A bit cold and windy, but nothing we couldn't handle. It was encouraging to gather together with our small community. There were 14 people who had never been with us before, and we were really thankful that all of them joined us in a time of worship, praise, and fellowship. We strapped Elizabeth into her stroller so that she couldn't run around, and she stayed bundled up the whole time. That was nice. I was very pleased with the turnout--I think I counted 30. After the service, we ate lunch and had an Easter egg hunt. There were 12 kids who hunted eggs, and Elizabeth had such a great time. I loved seeing the joy on her face as she would find the eggs. So sweet.

Here are some pictures from our day...

Our family (two weeks from Peyton's due date)

Here are some of the girls who were there today: Our neighbor Alta, Lara Jane (co-church planter), Rachel (I met her at Texas Roadhouse), Courtney (neighbor), Sherry (friend we met through Courtney and Dan)
Sweet Elizabeth
She found one!
Here is Elizabeth proudly showing off her Easter basket. She would not let go of this thing after the hunt. And since we got home, we cannot keep her away from the candy and the eggs.

Here are the Coffeys, who are planting this church with us.

Here are some of the kiddos. We couldn't get them all to sit down!

Happy Easter to you and yours!

The end is near

Well, I've set a new record for myself...this break has been the longest I've gone without blogging. I missed writing about the Christmas holidays, New Years, the beginning of the Spring semester, the launching of our church plant (The Grove), a trip to Dallas with my sisters and Mom, Valentine's Day, Spring Break, so many moments with Elizabeth, and almost four months of my pregnancy with Peyton. Wow! I almost missed Easter, too!!

So what's going on with me right now? I'm 38 weeks pregnant and very ready to have this baby. I'm still teaching right now, which has made for very swollen ankles at the end of the day. I feel like one of those waitresses you always see in the movies who ends up working right up until her water breaks on the job and then she must be immediately rushed to the hospital. Not that THAT will happen to me. I never went into labor on my own with Elizabeth. But Peyton has been measuring 2 to 3 weeks ahead, so who knows?!! But I will keep working until he decides to make his arrival.

We enjoy living in Waco and have been taking advantage of the parks, shopping, zoo, museums, and other features of living in a city. Most of our focus over the past several months has been getting to know families in our neighborhood and our community, which has been wonderful. We have tried to have at least one family in our home every week and are enjoying serving as hosts and sharing meals with people. We have met some truly inspiring people, and daily I am learning how to be more missional. How to get outside of my comfort zone and truly listen to people and hear their stories. The more I learn about being missional, the more impressed and amazed I am at Jesus. I mean...I've always admired him, but as I learn and see more about how he lived out a missional live, I'm amazed at him, his actions, and his attitude. And I am truly amazed in new and exciting ways. I sure am enjoying this journey and am glad that we are raising Elizabeth in such an environment.

Well, I hope you are doing well. I promise I'll post some pictures of Elizabeth soon. Take care!