God is good, loving, kind, and a provider of abundant life. I know this to be true because of how sweetly He has taken care of me here in Durham. For you to understand how much this shower meant to me, I have to start with a story. Back in Houston, we lived in the suburbs. We loved our house, but it was a good 30 minutes from anything. We had a few friends in our neighborhood, but not many. We were 30 minutes away from our church, so we weren't very involved. We both worked insane hours, so we didn't get out much. We were not living in community. Then, we moved to Durham. On the way to Durham, I had plenty of time to think. (20 hours in the car alone staring at the back of a yellow Penske truck gives one a lot of think time!) Partially to keep myself awake, I began praying out loud while driving. I prayed for God to go ahead of us to Durham and to prepare the way for us. I prayed that we would get plugged in very quickly, find friends, and become a part of a community that we could contribute to and rely on. Even though I was totally freaked out about moving to a new place where we did not know ONE person, I felt a sense of excitement that we had a chance to start over and learn how to live in community.
Last Sunday as I was getting ready for my Durham baby shower, I was overwhelmed with emotion as I realized (yet again) how faithful God had been and how he has answered EVERY prayer I prayed on the way to Durham... even more than I could have imagined. The friendships I have built here are some of the strongest I've ever had, and we've only been here a year and a half. Not only do I have very close friends like Lindsay, Kristi, and Maggie who hosted the shower for me (pictured above), but I also have great friends at church (my whole small group came to the shower) and a fabulous group of friends who are also wives or fiances of business school students. The women I have met here are AMAZING. They have reminded me how wonderful friendship is, and they have been used by the Lord to teach me how He intends for all believers to live. All in all, there were about 20 people at the shower, all of whom I met a year and a half ago or less. The Lord is amazing!! The fact that these girls were willing to host a shower for me and buy gifts for our baby completely humbles me.
Adorable invitation
Precious details of the shower
The hostesses hard at work and the beautiful food table
Sweet ladies from my small group: Lori, Joana, and Mary Elizabeth
Top: Lauren, Amanda, Jennifer, and her new little guy!
Bottom: Me with Laura and Bobbi
Sweet banner made by Kristi and all of the generous gifts I received
Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who made me feel so special and loved!!
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