Life in community

This moring I was awakened by a little knock on my bedroom door. i knew it was one of the katry kids who live upstairs and i love very much because they came right through the front door and knocked on my bedroom door. I sleepily opened the door and she said Hey do you have some oil we can borrow? I immediately with a BIG smile said yes of course and wrapped my bath robe around me, went and got it. Why the big smile? Because I knew that later a knock would come on my door again and karuna (their oldest daughter) would say Jenn donuts are ready– come upstairs and have breakfast with us. And I was right. She came back down and up I went. I love that they thought of me, and that I could go upstairs in my bathrobe and pj’s, no make-up, having no even brushed my teeth and that be completely ok.. and we would sit and have donuts and maybe some coffee. This is true community.. unmasked.. real.. I need something can you provide it, let’s help eachother community. Went upstairs and had a lovely time… a great way to start the morning on a sunday (which is our holiday around here because we have nepalee church on saturday…). While I’m up there our other friend Ashley calls and asks if she can come over and borrow a pot. Of course paula said, and come on over and grab a donut. So ashley comes over and we all just enjoy being together. me in my unbrushed teeth and bathrobe, paula in her bathrobe and ashley coming to borrow a pot. Then as we get ready to leave Paual hands me like two things of pots that are mine. I love that. There is hardly a time when we are not borrowing from our other foreign friends, sharing our resources together. Community!

Then I had some quiet timie with the lord and some more coffee (i ruined the coffee upstairs when i misaked a thing of seseme seed oil for hazelnut coffee syrup.. let’s just say i spit that out QUICK)
After that I went over to my friend’s matt and ashley’s house. She was having her marriage bible study/fellowshpi over tonight and was making two big pots of soup. I asked her if I coudl come over and help her .. so i went over and we chopped onions, garlics, potatoes and tomatoes together. COMMUNITY

Tonight I will go to my Bible study with my single friends. We have a potluck every sunday, praise and worship and share in God’s word. We openly and honestly share our joys and struggles. We celebrate life together. COMMUNITY

I am so glad that God created us to live in relationship wtih one another. Can I be honest that is something I have really enjoyed here. God has given me many different communities. I love my nepalee friends so much.. but in this post I am talking about my foreigner friends. We share life together in an incredible way. It’s like we are all on this battlefield called life here together and we just make sure to spend time together. Honestly I think true community is harder in america. You have so many resources available you forget sometimes you need eachother. sometimes people feel like their house has to be perfectly clean and everything in order for pepole to come over… it’s not like that here at all. Or people in america are soo busy that they don’t have time to invite you over for dinner. I’m so blessed that my parents weren’t like that. My mom had a yummy dinner for us all the time, but was always willing to set out an extra plate for a friend.. that’s where i learned so much about the joy of living life in community. I am so glad that my mom can set that example for me ( I love you mommy!)
Here we need eachother. When life gets hard, we pick eachother up. We are all far away from our loved ones, so we have to become family to eachother. We celebrate life together. We are always celebrating BIG here on purpose. I just wonder if you are purposely celebrating life BIG with others. Are you allowing yourself to need others, and are you allowing yourself to be needed? Just a thought. When was the last time you knocked on your neighbors door, let them see you in your bathrobe and said come on over for donuts. Not saying it has to look that, but just a challenge for you and me both to celebrate the joy of life in community– this is how God has made us. Don’t always tire yourself out trying to fix yourself up, look right, gets your ducks in a row. Just be, and rest, and let others do the same. Do life together, celebrate life together, grive together, LAUGH together, and above all get closer to Jesus together.

Thanks for being apart of my community also