Well, I believe January was the last time I wrote! Wow, it doesn't seem like it's been that long! I am sorry!
As for what has been happening here in Arlington, pretty much just life. I am still working at my job as a care giver, which I love. I am now, however, working the night shift. This is the first time for me to be working at night rather than during the day. I love it! I am a night person to begin with - I function better at night, plus this provides me with plenty of time during the day for ministry and "me" time. It has also provided me with a lot more hours than I had before, much needed hours.
The church is thriving! Easter Sunday we had record attendance with one hundred and thirty total and ever since we have had some great attendance - some great new families. Last Sunday we had the honor of Baptizing three new believers - a couple that has been coming for the past few months and who recently accepted Christ and a single girl whom Kathy has been discipling! I love our Baptism Sundays. It is a powerful and emotional thing to experience. Today we had our second child dedication. It was amazing to see the long line of families up there, ready to dedicate their children to Christ and to make a commitment to raise them according the way God instructs in the Bible. Seven families made that commitment today!
Last week Kathy and I started a single girls' study group. We're calling it "All the Single Ladies" (very ingenious, I know). It's really just a place for the single girls to come together and ask questions, discuss lives, and share with each other. For now we are not doing a study, we just want to leave the floor open for whatever God wants to happen. To be honest, I was a bit nervous to begin with about how it would go, seeing as we had no particular plan, but God was clearly at work. Kathy shared her story and then it was like the floodgates were opened and everyone had questions, good questions, deep, intense questions. We ended up sitting there talking almost an hour longer than we'd planned. Please pray for these girls! They are some really great girls. This week we had seven girls show up other than myself and Kathy. For the most part, they are all in completely different places. A couple of them are single moms with young children, a couple are college students, one is a good friend of mine who is in her forties, has three kids, and whose husband just left her out of the blue. As far as I know, only one, possibly two of them are Christians, but they are all very open and ready to "give it a try," as a couple of them said. Pray that Kathy and I will have the wisdom to help guide them, that we would have the patience and the love for them that God will use to draw them to Himself.
My family came up for a visit over Spring break...well, most of them. My parents, Hannah, Emily, Elliot, and Kristina all drove up. We had a wonderful time together. i simply loved showing them my world, taking them to Seattle, going to the beach, letting them experience my church and my people...Hannah has pretty much decided she is moving up here for college :) and Kristina and Kathy are now BFFs.
I really am going to try to be better about writing...I know I say that every time, but seriously :) You are welcome to get onto me if i fail to write soon again!
I love you all! Thank you for your support and love!
