We can’t say enough about our small group. This blog could easily be devoted to how cool everyone in the group is. In many ways it was the small group who helped us decide that we could maybe…just maybe survive this whole St. Louis experience. We moved to Saint Louis right after getting married in 2004, knowing that eventually I would get to the seminary. We knew no one in town, and it was pretty hard. We joined the small group in November, and by the New Year we had our St. Louis family.They have been an important part of our lives for four years now. There is no way I could possibly sum up all the ways they have been a blessing to us over the years. So I won’t try.
But I will say this. They prayed for us for three years as we struggled to get pregnant. (Dave even fasted). They cried with us and for us. They cried tears of joy when they found out Mary Jane was pregnant. When the “great escape” began they mobilized faster then 137th on D day. Holly picked up Nana from the airport. Brian picked up Emily from the train station. Liz acted as a contact person and poured out information. They (along with many others) have brought meals. Dave, Charlie, Chris, and Jon finished priming the baby’s room, painted the room, and even mowed the lawn. Charlie came by randomly after church one Sunday (while I was at Salem preaching) and dropped off fresh home made bread (made by his wife Holly) and seeing the lawn needed mowing again…mowed it. Let me tell you coming home after church planning on changing clothes rapidly in order to rush over to the hospital, and finding fresh bread and a cut lawn was … well there really aren’t words. Liz made the blankets which you see in the background of a number of photos as well as some hats and shrugs. They have run errands, they have eaten lunch with us, they have put their arms around us, and they have prayed. They have prayed, and prayed, and prayed. (Some have even taught their little kids to pray for Parker and Emma Jane).
Last night they threw us an “upright bath.” It was the longest period of time we’ve all been together since this all began, and in many ways it felt like home. We ate, we played games, we talked, we received gifts (thank you) and Jenny put together the most awesome book you could ever imagine. (Really, this thing is an amazing. It had Mary Jane in tears before we even had it opened. I’m really going to need to take a picture of every page and blog about it, but I don’t know if that will do it justice. All the families in the small group contributed to it and Jenny put it together. It’s…well…amazing. Thanks!)
I could go on and on….in fact I probably should. I have only scratched the surface of the ways in which they have been there for us. Forgive me for not mentioning everything. For the things you have done that I haven’t listed here…we know…and we are so thankful.
Thank You!!
a possible future small group merger?
Heisners enjoying some cake
looking at the book
Jason competing at "price is right"
Ben...playing his own game
2 comments:
Thank you for your thank yous, but really the smiles on your faces again was thanks enough. I forgot to tell you that the whole book idea started when Melissa suggested letting the kids make a card for the girls. Then I started thinking that someday, when Daddy leads his family devotion on prayer, it might be cool for them to see all the little hands that actually prayed for them by name--sometimes even reminding their parents to do the same--even as they were learning to speak and pray themselves. So there you have the collection of righteous little hands that avail much (and faces) for a prayer object lesson.
It's great to have supportive people in our lives. My greatest cheerleader when Uncle Bob and I were dealing with infertility was your Uncle Bob. I will always remember when he bought us a baby bed (the one you guys wanted to borrow)and we weren't pregnant. His philsophy was "if he built it they would come", like the movie Field of Dreams.Anyways, as you know our prayers were answered times three! Because we have been in your shoes, we can praise God from whom all blessings flow!
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