Christmas caroling

In Chinese (above) and Gujarati (below)

Reluctant Recruitment

"Do you want to go to Shake Shack?"
"Can we work on festival prep?"

My poor friends make a lot of sacrifices around festival season!

Brianne's Goodbye Party

Sneaking photos as we pray...because otherwise all of these beautiful people are rushing around, chasing kids, preparing food, moving out of state... Sigh.

Congratulations, Jorge!

Super proud of my friend, neighbor, and coworker, Jorge! One of the most hard-working and humble men I know. He tells me all the time he's a laborer, not a thinker, but he wanted to know more about ministry and put himself through school to do so!

Flexibility is key

Sunday school was held on the floor of the church office today, after a surprise party commandeered our regular space and used up all the tables and chairs!

2EFC Crew at Joy's baby shower!

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am not at all invested in the idea of "settling down" in a traditional sense. I don't want children; I'm not interested in marriage. My friend Joy, however, is the exact opposite. As long as I've known her, she's been dreaming of the day she'd start a family. That desire, of course, is God-given and good, but it's also led to a lot of pain and disappointment when the results she's wanted haven't materialized in the time span she expected. We've spent many hours rehashing old relationships and crying over crumbled futures, and in the process we've both learned a lot about patience.

Joy's expecting her first child in May, and while the circumstances are not desirable or ideal, she has a church family supporting her and countless mothers, sisters, and brothers in Christ standing beside her ready to welcome her soon-to-be son.