PARTY

Every other week on Thursday night we have a party at our home. Well it's not really a party, but sure does feel like one. Last night we had 27 happy people of all ages sharing food, laughter, stories, and passing around little children. Some are married, some single, some have children, some don't. We all bring food to share, and miraculously this big food spread appears. There is no big planning, just an email that goes out before hand, and everyone emails back about what they are going to bring and a party is born! When 6pm rolls around every other Thursday night, the house fills up, cars wrap and line up around the corner and the fun begins!
We call this Ohana, which means extended family. A term we adopted when we were in Maui.
Last night after dinner while the kids played happily outside in a game of tag and decorating our sidewalks with chalk, we sat around in the family room in a big circle sharing about our families of origin and why we are coming together. It was transparent, safe, and accepting. Each person sharing their heart as everyone else listened. We laughed a lot too!
In Acts 2:42-47( one of my favorite scriptures) it talks about coming together, sharing what we have, eating,doing life, and growing as a family in the love and knowledge of the Lord. What a neat picture this is and we believe that it can be alive today. In a world where we are all so busy it is easy to become isolated and consumed with our own needs and wants. In these times of financial uncertainty fear can creep in and draw us inward instead of reaching out as a community and coming together. We love to share and bring people together, making new friends and family in the process.
We both love these nights! We are filled up with love and a sense of connectedness to our community in Modesto, and feel blessed that the Lord brought us here to this new extended family that seems to be growing each time we meet.
Last night was a great night!