Building a new community

One of the hardest parts about moving is breaking off from your community, your people. You go through that awkward stage where you still feel like you're part of them, keeping up with everyone and everything from a distance, as if you're on a long trip. But soon you start to realize that life is moving on without you, and sooner or later, you're going to need to build up a new community where you are. 

I have a small community at New Song, but I love it. It's me, Julie (my teammate, aka--the Student Life Assistant), Bob and Lisa (the founders/administrators of New Song), and Olivia, the young office manager upstairs. A few other people come and go, but we're pretty much the core team, just waiting on the houseparents that God will draw to complete our team.

Then I have a family community, which is pretty amazing. Matt, Chrissy, their 3 boys, and Chrissy's mom and dad, who treat us like we are their family. In fact, my fridge is filled with leftovers right now from meals that they shared with us, either by bringing over lunch while they helped at our house, or by inviting us to join them for dinner with Matt and Chrissy. 

We found a church we really like that we call Mini-LakePointe because it seems to operate so very similarly. We attend weekly, and we found a community group (like a Life Group at LakePointe) that we really liked that meets twice a month in a very casual atmosphere on Wednesday nights. We also found out one of the couples lives pretty close to us. Out of that community group, I think they form Discipleship groups, but we haven't been a part of it long enough to really know how it works yet. 

The Women's Ministry has a few events per year, so I attended their annual Ladies Night Out(side) where a bunch of women just gathered around by the fire outside, had some yummy treats with a warm drink, got to know each other a bit, and then sang a few songs together by the accompaniment of a guitar. I'm so glad I went and had the chance to get to know a few more people. Toward the end, I connected with a fellow-adoptive mom of now-adult children. I hope to see her around so I can talk with her more. It's definitely not easy just showing up at events where you don't know anyone, especially for an introvert like me, but it's been worth it! 

They also have a fall Bible study and a spring Bible study, both lasting only a month. So for the month of October, we're doing a study of Jonah together. I went last week and enjoyed meeting with a small group of about 8 women, half of which seemed pretty new, like me. It's just a really nice way to get to know a few more ladies in the church and to get plugged in. I let the women's ministry leader know that I'd like to get involved in the women's ministry called Shine in any way I can. I heard they have an annual ladies' retreat in the spring that a lot of the women had great things to say about, so I'm looking forward to that, too. I'm so glad I found a church with a solid women's ministry program so I had an automatic way to find new friends. I've met several ladies in the last two weeks who have college age kids like me. 

Mike helped out at the church work day a few weeks ago, too, and met several guys pretty quickly, including both the Pastor and the worship leader. It makes a big difference going in to church and having people know who you are and a little bit about you. The church is definitely a young church, with the average age probably being a little younger than us. But from what I've seen so far, the people are very grounded spiritually, participate in deep discussions on Scripture, and they serve a lot. David really liked the church when he was here, and Mike's mom and his brother really liked it when they visited with us, too. 

I've also started mentoring a younger gal who I met through New Song. She made several comments about how much she really wanted someone to disciple her, and then she approached me and asked me if I would meet up with her once a week or so to just talk. We found that we both really like the coffee shop atmosphere, so I'm really enjoying my time with her. I'm honored that she saw something in me that can help her grow as a Christian. She's definitely on fire for God and is soaking up all she can. I really admire her for her desire to grow in the Lord. 

So for now, that's the community we're working on building here while we are in the middle of "re-building" our house. We really miss our different communities in Texas, especially our ReEngage community and our Life Group community, but we're thankful to find similar groups here to become a part of. It's always tempting to stay home so we can work more or longer on the house, but the house will be that much sweeter when we have friends to invite over once it's done. 

I also found an adorable little shop the other week about 20 minutes or so from here called the Mulberry Cottage. It's a quaint little place in Nashville (the tourist area) that sells all different kinds of prayer journals. I think it's my new favorite go-to place whenever I need a new journal or want to find a gift for a special friend. And it just so happens to be at my new favorite tea shop where I can get some really yummy chai! Perfect place to take some "me-time" or to take friends and family who are visiting.