So I mentioned in my post about our family mission statement, that we had some big decisions coming up this year and were working through those alongside our 2018 planning. Well one of the main big decisions is that we are moving to a new church and therefore leaving our Community Group that we have been leading since it started in 2015. This is a decision David and I have been talking and praying about for over a year. In fact, I was reading back on something the other night and found a note I'd made about it almost a year and a half ago. Our church has been a great place for us-- we've not only made a lot of amazing friends there, it's also where we met and got married. So this was not a decision we took lightly, but after lots of prayer and discussion we decided to visit some other places, and really felt confirmation of where we were supposed to be going in December. I'll share more about where we're going and why soon, but I couldn't let much time pass without sharing about leaving our Community Group.
We started meeting in the summer of 2015. It was us and several friends who we had been with in the Young Adults group as we sought to figure out life "after young adults." It's been a crazy two and a half years-- we met together at least 98 times in that span, including at least 25 meals shared. We've been to each other's weddings and prayed for each other through job changes, relationship changes, family changes.
But more than any of those things, this group walked with us through some of the hardest days of our lives and some of the most joyful days of our lives. They were the people who listened to us (often tearfully) struggle with life with our foster kids and all of the decisions we had to make with that. They encouraged and prayed for us and supported us in those dark days. And they walked with us through finding out we were expecting Cooper--they were some of the first to come bring us dinner and meet him.
Chad and Amy weren't there for the group picture I'm about to post, so I had to share this one of her meeting Cooper for the first time--so thankful for this friend who is walking through these transitions with us! Also, I'm fairly certain she's the only person in our Community Group who even reads my blog ;)
When 2018 started, we hadn't planned on leaving quite so soon, but the timing felt right as we planned for the new year with our group. So we told them at our first meeting of the year and we've had a good friend step up to take over leadership of the group as they move forward.
This past Sunday we had dinner together and they surprised us with meaningful cards and a couple of generous gifts. We also took a group picture, because one thing our group has been horrible about is taking pictures together, so we got this one to commemorate some of our time together.
Leading this group has had it's share of challenges, like leading any group will, but as we step away, I am grateful for all of the memories made and time spent together. In my Bible reading this week, I was reading through and journaling part of Psalm 106 and when I came this verse I had to share it with David-- "Our Fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea." (Psalm 106:7). As I shared it with him, I told him that as hard as things might have been or as weary as we might have felt at times, I didn't want to forget God's wondrous works and the abundance of His steadfast love that walked with us all through the last 2.5 years. We are thankful that His hand is in and over this group even when we felt like we were failing.
But as we "say goodbye," the main thing I'm filled with is gratitude. I am so thankful for these friends and having the opportunity to be in community with them for the last several years. The good thing is that I know we'll still get to see them and be friends with them, even if we're not a part of their weekly meetings.
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