It is interesting how things work in God's kingdom.  If you are a faithful person to attend church, you make friends that become like family.  We call the classes at our church "Connection Groups."  And encourage every visitor to join one.  The class I teach has "jelled" into a support group--which is the point.  We are to love and support each other.  Bear each other's burdens.  If you don't have a church home, find one.  You are going to need that kind of support some day.  And of course, you need Christ in your life.

It is a beautiful thing to watch this happen within a group of women.  First one, then another, finds someone within the group with whom they have something in common.  They become friends.  Going to lunch, helping with a project.  Then, they expand to include someone else, and eventually the entire group is on board.

Our parties are wonderful.  Saturday we packed boxes for "Samaritan's Purse." (And ate pot luck which was fabulous.)  Each box was stuffed with fun things for some child in a third world country.  Children who have nothing.  The boxes were for a specific age group.  I chose boys--six years old to nine.  I understand that age.

Everyone bought, and brought, things to put in the boxes and they all dumped what they had onto the middle of a table (at Jeanette's house).  There were pencils, pencil sharpeners, jump ropes, hot wheels, Kleenex, toothbrushes, hair brushes, barrettes, Crayons, coloring books, Star Wars fold up bags, etc, etc, etc.  For a child who has nothing, these were treasures beyond their imagination.  And included was the story of Jesus.  Everything given as a love gift in His name.  When we finished, we prayed over the boxes for the children who would someday receive them.  We prayed that our gifts would serve their intended purpose--to lead a child to know the love of God.

I had done Samaritan's Purse before, and it was difficult for me.  But this time, the way one of our members--Norma--had organized how we did it was wonderful.  I think what I liked the best was that everyone combined what they brought into the middle of the table, and we shared it all.  Everyone picking what fit their child's age to pack.  And when we prayed for the children, I was touched that something we had done might change a life.  That some child might come to know Jesus.