This weekend!

What an Awesome Awesome weekend!!! I’ll try to keep it short, but really, it was blessed!!

Friday, just on a fun note, I watched Baby Mama! SO funny!!


Saturday, Jen and I were invited to a brunch. We met an AWESOME chick there named Stefanie (with an “f”). It was such an uplifting conversation! Hearts being aligned with visions of missions, good humor, big words . . . it was good stuff! Thank you for standing in the kitchen for over an hour talking to us Stef!! (ps- in an effort to be cool, when I spell my name “Steph” I make it “Steff” – I told you I’m so jealous of the “f”!)

Saturday night we were invited to the UGM Christmas party. That’s the Union Gospel Mission- a homeless shelter in Dallas. We got to meet a lot of cool guys, one being Brother Smokey! He was telling us his testimony. He has been drinking and taking drugs since he was 11. Selling drugs for as long as he could remember. He was involved in 2 drug busts, living on people’s couches . . . he said he was always running from God b/c he was so scared of what life he’d miss out on being a “Christian”. But now he realizes that life is exactly what he was missing out on!! His testimony and faith was so beautiful and pure!

(ps- this picture isnt Smokey, but I really liked his beard!)
Smokey is going through their discipleship program- he lives at the mission building and helps run everything- cooks, cleans, runs security- and then he mentors the homeless men that come in each night. They have a chapel that the homeless have to go through each night before they can eat.

It was such a privilege to get to serve there! Our church does a lot with them and I was really excited to get to be associated with it!




After the Christmas party, we put on hairnets and begin preparing food for the next night. This involved a bucket of frozen, bloody chicken!! Ewwwww!!!! It was disgusting! But it was worth the cause!




Ben & Joanna (married and Jo's my coworker), Jen, page, KB & me



Ok, so onto Sunday!
Sunday we went out with our church and volunteered at the Dallas White Rock Marathon. Our church had set up a water station and a worship band- they had La Madeleine’s out there w/ free pastries and coffee!
We were set up on the 25th mile- 1 mile from the finish line! It was so emotional and fun! we were cheering on the runners- “almost there!” “one more mile!” “you can do it!”. It was pretty incredible to see these runners pushing themselves and how far they had gone!
Some of them looked totally at ease, and some of them looked like they were struggling so bad! Most of them had names on their bibs, so it was cool to get to call them by name and encourage them. Jen and I were pretty hoarse afterwards!!!

(I can't believe these girls ran 26 miles wearing this!)


(the little kids were SO cute! When a runner would take their water, they would get SO excited!)


Here is a video of us cheering! It really was so emotional and so fun!

Sunday night!! I went to the BEST Christmas party I’ve ever been to!! Jen’s BSF co leader (Yolanda) and her husband hosted a party for the children’s leaders- both the woman’s and men’s group. Jen didn’t think to invite me, so I’d like to thank Lynne and Yolanda who did! It was SO much fun! Jen and I got to share about Thailand with so many people! We got to hear encouraging stories about other missionaries and even some that are in Chiang Mai! We even talked to a guy whose parents met in Thailand as missionaries-- So there is hope!!! It was such an enriching time! Great conversations! Great encouragement! GREAT food! When we left, I told Jen that we had to find a way to be friends with All of those people! That had to be one of the greatest groups of people in existence! I left feeling so filled with the Spirit- having spent time with all these amazing Spirit filled people was like medicine for the soul!