Small Group Surprise

This past Sunday night we headed to the Dorrell Home for our small group meeting. This is the first time since September that we've had a chance to attend small group due to our travels - not to mention the fact that Shane was a bit apprehensive about re-entering the group that led to his exposure to H1N1... not cool. But in any case, we arrived a bit tired and not sure what to expect - only to find that our group is AWESOME!! I was pretty excited about it from the beginning, but Shane was a bit skeptical (as usual). You know that feeling when you're trying to force a friendship, or a spiritual conversation just to feel like you're making a connection? Well... we've had experiences like that before with small groups and just didn't want to have the same happen this time around. After we sat down, we were very pleasantly surprised to know that the group had decided on reading a VERY profound and interesting book - A.W. Tozer's Pursuit of God. Shane was excited from the moment he found out. We were anxious to hear what people brought to the table, hoping that we could truly be ourselves and feel like we still somehow fit into the group. I'm thankful that ALL OF THIS HAS BEEN THE CASE! We had a blast getting to chat with these people, finding common interests and just joking around. There was no hidden agenda, no need to walk on eggshells for fear of offending - just a group of people having discussion about life and how God is changing each of us on a daily basis. I'm grateful not only for our small group, but First Alliance Church as a whole. We are constantly blessed by the preaching of the Word and the fellowship we continue to find. PRAISE GOD!

And on a TOTALLY different note - CONGRATULATIONS to my cousin, Kristen (and her husband, Kevin), on the arrival of their second child, Kate Ann Yaiko! She was born on November 15th around 11:30am in a Hungarian hospital, weighing in at 7 lbs., 11 ounces and measuring 21.25 inches long. Kate is doing VERY well and Kristen is feeling good after the delivery. Unfortunately, as of today the other members of the family are very ill. Their son, Seth, came down with a bad case of the flu and is now in the hospital himself receiving fluids and antibiotics to help his fever come down. Kevin is sick as well, though I don't think he's quite as bad as Seth. Kristen experienced some of the sickness, too - but has been cleared to go home with Kate. PLEASE pray that each member of the family continues to get better as Kate arrives home. The family wants to be together, but this nasty flu is making it awfully hard for that to happen. Here's a picture of Little Miss Yaiko ;)