The best weekend

This weekend was fantastic. The past couple weeks, and last week especially have been extremely taxing. Our days and weekends seem to always be filled with entertaining adults, kids, and trying to figure out this whole community things. We have had very little time for ourselves. This was definitely something we were warned about by others who have done Mission Year before us. Don't forget to take out time for yourself, and esp for you and your spouse. Sometimes living in community and showing hospitality can make finding time for yourself downright hard. But if you don't you will get frustrated and burned out.

On Friday night we went out to dinner and hung out with some of out our teammates. It was so fun getting away from the house and having dinner. Saturday morning while Ben and Dustin went to an all you can eat pancake breakfast, Jamie and I went to a neighborhood yoga class and it kicked my butt! Saturday afternoon a group from Columbus, the Social Justice League, came down and spent the day with us. They wanted to hear about how our experiences have been thus far with intentional community, what we thought it would be vs. what it actually is. It was great hanging out with them. Sometimes conversations we have and things we do seem forced. This was different. The whole day and the whole conversation seemed just to flow, it was natural. Later the guys showed them around town and shared more of the issues that plague LaGrange.

Saturday night Ben and I saw Alice and Wonderland. It was just wonderful. Sometimes relaxing at the movie theatre with delicious, unhealthy popcorn it just what the doctor ordered. But today was really the best day. Our group decided to forgo our regular church and instead celebrate God in the mountains. Pine Mountain is about 30 minutes from LaGrange and offers a gorgeous state park and a hiking trail. It was wonderful. Margareta shared this poem by Wendell Berry

The peace of wild things

When despair grows in me
and I wake in the middle of the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting for their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

It was beautiful. Sometimes we just need a reminder to just be. We don't need to worry about tomorrow or all the problems that face our world. We simply need to be in awe at the beauty of God's creation. Just be.



Margereta ringing the bells she found in the tree.



We found some huge pinecone on the trail and brought about 20 home. We decided they would be a great project for the kids at after school. Easter egg pinecones! The weather was gorgeous. Jamie and I sat on the porch and painted pinecone while some of the guys played catch with the neighborhood kids.

Today was also Mavi and Mohammad's birthday. I made them a chocolate cake and we had them over later to celebrate. This weeked was awesome! I am thankful for this weekend. It brought us closer together as a team and gave us a chance just enjoy each others company.