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Our 3 weeks with the girls from Safe Families were great and hard and awesome and difficult.  We tried to stay busy and squeeze all we could could out of the of the warm and lazy last days of summer.  We shared space and meals, had meltdowns, celebrated and cried together,  we shared life, prayed together, and we had adventures. Honestly there were moments (ok hours) where I felt like we were going to come unhinged but I remembered that happens all the time anyway. It was just more stressful with other folks watching and participating but that made it more real too.  But it was also refreshing to not try to keep it together.  There was nothing extraordinary about opening our home to these girls.  It was actually very much about sharing our ordinary and being ok that that was good enough.  It made me realize more about why God asks us to be outrageously hospitable.  When we are we have to hold less tightly to our lives, our stuff, our time, and our perceived control. We get in over our heads and need the body and community to help us.  This forces us to realize we are really not that cool or special or generous. We are weak and ordinary and only with His help can do anything that builds the kingdom in this fallen world.  May we live each day with that knowledge embedded in our souls.

kickin' it at Cosley in the burbs

seriously, how cute is Evy?

Anni learned some posing skillz from the girls


Bibi has all the major hook ups and called a friend that opened her home in the burbs and allowed us to go horse back riding one day

there were huge smiles!

Evy was in her happy place! She LOVES "horsey rides."  Seriously, the highlight of her life.



little girl on a big horse

bday ice cream party outside of course cuz I'm no chump! So grateful Laura was in this with us.

Our girls made them a photo book with pictures of our time together and notes and cards they made for them and we gave it to them at our last family dinner together.  We also gave them a Jesus Story Book Bible and another children's Bible after they asked about our books here. Evy waved goodbye and Anniah sobbed as we pulled away to take the girls home.  I was so proud of our girls and their ability to love and share and give and serve. It wasn't easy for them or us; but as we discussed many times, if we don't practice we will never grow to be more like God calls us to become.  Becoming is always a process and I cannot force it or make my kids into something I want for them.  I can only model and stumble and live and grow with them.  Alongside of them.  That is what this journey of hospitality was about for us.

We will miss these girls. They helped us to learn more about what following Jesus really means. They blessed us and we pray we were able to love and bless them and their family. Sharing life is the only way that ever really happens. It is messy but it is worth it.