Church Families

This time last year, Brent and I had decided that we were ready to get married, and I was very, very impatiently waiting on an official proposal!  (We had the date and the venue already booked!)  I had  begun the interview process for a teaching position at KIPP Coastal Village, and we were looking at purchasing a condo.  I kept praying that all the pieces would fall into place between me securing a job offer, finding a place to live be it the condo or not, and planning a wedding ("secretly" of course until he popped the question)... it was all so exciting, maybe even a little too exciting at times!

As excited as I was though, my heart felt heavy because taking a new job and moving to Galveston would mean leaving behind Relevant Student Ministry at Friendswood United Methodist Church and all of the students there who I had grown so close to.  A year later, I still miss those junior high and high school girls and I try my best to keep up with them.   They still text me about their achievements and their heart breaks, to vent when they are angry and to ask advice when they are in a bind.  I try to visit on Sundays now and again, and many of them were invited and came to our wedding.

Last night we went to see several of my students perform in the Friendswood High School Musical.  We were blown away (again) by their incredible talent! Here's a few of them we got to see last night after the show.

Growing up I was very lucky to have several older girls at my church who were role-models in my life.  To this day, I still admire those women!  Though we don't see each other as often as we did when I worked at the church, I am thankful to know these girls and to have an opportunity to be a part of their lives. I can't wait to see what the future holds for them!

After leaving our church family at Friendswood UMC, we knew we needed to find another church family here on the island.  It took a while, but we finally found Coastal Community Church.  We both absolutely love our church... we are growing so much in our faith and our knowledge of God together, and we have made so many good friends it's hard to keep up with them all!  

One of the best things about our church is that it is outward focused on loving and serving the people of Galveston Island.  This morning we had our first annual Servolution.  Instead of singing and hearing a message this morning, we worshiped God by going out and completing service projects throughout the community.

Our small group worked in the gardens at KIPP Coastal Village primary campus.  We pulled weeds from the garden beds and topped them off with fresh soil.  The students use the garden beds for different hands-on learning projects about plants.  As their future science teacher, I am glad they are getting these experiences and I know they will be great scientists not afraid to get their hands dirty!

It was good to spend time with both our old church family and our new church family this weekend.  It was a reminder that church isn't about the songs we sing or the words we hear in a building marked with a cross... it's about loving and serving God and His people.  I hope that as Brent and I continue through our journey in life together, that God will bless our ministry as a married couple and that He will show us new ways that we can serve Him and build up His church no matter where we are, how busy our schedules, or what our finances.   We are already excited about next year's musical at Friendswood High School and Servolution 2014.  :)