refreshing.

it's amazing, if i look for them, the small gifts God gives me everyday.

the sermon at church today was about loving God and loving others well. (my friend Lara did a great job giving it!) as she was speaking, a song came to mind that i learned last summer while preparing for my trip to nicaragua. she asked the worship band to come back up after she was done, and the first song they played was the one i was thinking of. i don't remember for sure if we've ever sung that song at church, at least not a sunday i was there. it was a nice little blessing.

after service, i was trying to move around a group of people to talk to a friend. a friend that was in the group (that i was sort of trying to avoid) came over to me and specifically asked about how my housing situation is panning out. i didn't even remember telling her about it, but told her how frustrated i was and how i was running out of options. she then asked if i had talked to a mutual friend of ours, which i thought was a good suggestion (and i still need to follow up on). then she mentioned that another friend of hers was looking for a place. i had heard this girl was looking for a place, but i wasn't sure if we would be compatible roommates. i had just been thinking of her, at the end of the sermon, wondering if God wanted to stretch me and grow me in learning to love her well, even though we are really different. immediately, my friend told me it wasn't a good idea. i hadn't even told her i was already hesitant! she then went on to list out several reasons that she thought it wasn't a good idea. oh. my. goodness. what a great confirmation! i'm so thankful that this friend sought me out and chatted with me a few minutes! and i'm glad to know that God still has this whole roommate/housing thing in control, that He was able to let me know that this wasn't the best option for me.

after church, i stopped at the supermarket for some groceries. my pantry is just about empty, but i couldn't think of many specific things i needed or wanted to eat this week. plus, i had committed that i would only buy what i could pay for in cash, which was $21. i got everything i needed to get through the week (i hope!) and still had enough left for a treat - a tub of caramel to dip apples in! and i still had $4 left!

when i got back, i went over to meet my friend wade. he wasn't home yet, but i did run into a couple of friends that i hadn't seen in a while and have a nice little chat with them. i like surprise run-ins like that when i have a few minutes to catch up! it makes me feel more connected here, to be able to continue relationships like that.

i did go back later to meet wade. he and his family are moving, and i will miss him very much! i had 2 classes with him, and he also used to work for starbucks, so he was a great sounding board for me. he proved his intelligence in "theology in a global perspective" and then i got to know him better in "community organizing". also, he hired and/or trained 3 of my current co-workers, so if i was confused about something about those 3 co-workers, wade could clue me in to what they were thinking, or what the official starbucks stance would be.

ANYWAY, that's wade. he and his next door neighbors (michael and abby, who i will also miss very much) had a yard sale yesterday before they move this week. i stopped by yesterday to ask if they had any dishes for sale. wade and his wife did, but they had a set of 4 large plates, 7 medium plates, 4 bowls, a creamer/sugar set, and a pitcher that they wanted to sell as a whole for $35. i was thinking $5. i just wanted the plates! it was a yardsale! i was very VERY reluctant to offer my price, which they finally pulled out of me (i didn't want to offend them! and it was a nice set!), which i upped to $10. wade made a deal with me that they would try to sell them the rest of the day, and if they didn't sell, he would sell them to me, the whole set, for $10. he g-chatted me yesterday just before i left for work and said "come get your plates!" so today, i did! it's a nice set, and i'm thankful! a steal for the whole thing at $10! and i have a pitcher now, too, that i can make lemonade in, or at least serve it from. ;-)

tonight there was a leadership meeting for church. as i walked to the church office, i ran into my friend laura, whose old room i am currently living in. she also worked with me at starbucks. we also had a great little conversation, which made me late for my meeting, but i didn't mind. ;-)

the leadership meeting itself wasn't anything astounding, but i found it very great to simply be in a conversation about life groups, the role of the church in the community, and missional church. i also enjoyed just praying with them. it was good to see another dimension to people other than what i see on sunday mornings. i have a few things that i want to think and pray more about later, too, which is almost a relief. ;-) also, after the meeting, i chatted with david and mark a bit. mark is an amazing man, and david is pretty awesome, too. david recently returned from a week in guatemala, so i joined their conversation to hear about his trip. mark then told a bit about a trip to costa rica that is coming up soon for him. OH MAN. it was SO great to talk about things overseas, especially church work. i was talking to sara yesterday about how i don't know what i want to do in the future. i realized after my conversation tonight that i had been feeling dead in the water for a bit now, but that conversation tonight was just a little air in my sails. i feel like i'm moving somewhere now. i don't know where, but i know a moving ship is easier to steer than a still one.

so how about all those refreshing tidbits for one day? praise God for hope!