Albany, Georgia

Saturday afternoon, we arrived in Albany, Georgia,

 



 

to visit with friends we met when we taught orchestra in the public schools in Arkansas.

 

It was so nice to cook together and play games together and laugh together and "remember when" together.

 



We thought our hearts would break when they moved away from Arkansas in 2000 to serve at Sherwood Baptist Church.

 



 

We've all changed a little bit since we...

 



 

took Sarah on a mission trip to Jackson, MS, during Spring Break 2000...

 



 

...or met up at youth church camp in the summer of 2001...

 

 

...or visited them in Georgia in the Summer of 2004 (the girls both had to fix their hair with sponge rollers).

 



But the Lord has kept out hearts knit together.  I think it might have something to do with this family's commitment to ministry in and through the church.

 

 

We stayed up late and laughed and got to share a little bit with the church on Sunday afternoon.  The church gathered around and prayed for us, it was the highlight of our weekend.

 

And Monday morning, we got a sweet surprise when another friend brought gifts for SITAG:  movies and books produced by Sherwood Pictures!

 



Thanks for your thoughtfulness!  I can hardly wait to deliver your gifts to our colleagues in the Solomon Islands.

 



Aren't these sisters just beautiful?  I think their lovely spirits just shine right through!

 



 

When all of the cousins and friends got together, we ended up with six adults and twelve children running around the house.

 

 

The laughter bounced off the walls and around the house and filled our ears.

 



Our hearts are so grateful for the relationships the Lord has allowed us to forge over the years.  Even though I would have been very content to stay in my home town, He knew that my life would be so much richer for the people who would invade my life.