A Few Updates

 I thought I'd give you a little update on Olive's hand 

and on how our church search is going in Mississippi.

OLIVE'S HAND:

Olive had a hand appointment last week at the Burn Center and we were hoping to get another round of great news.  We always have to wait a bit to be seen and the waiting room is a pretty somber place.  The room is full of people with very serious injuries and/or burns.  Olive is a good ice breaker with people and usually wins over a few new friends.  Bun-Bun always goes with us and I bring plenty of snacks.

The doctor looked at Olive's hand and said,

"It looks as good as we could have hoped for!"

She wants us to continue to have her wear the compression bandages at night and nothing during the day.  It's been a bit of a transition for Olive to have her hand uncovered after having it bandaged up since Thanksgiving.  She stares are her hand and often wants me to kiss her hand to make it better.  We will have to be very diligent with sunscreen as her hand continues to heal.

We go back for another appointment in May right before her birthday.

Thank you for your thoughts& prayers for Olive!

CHURCH SEARCH:

 Our church search is going really well!

Dare I say, it's over????

We have been consistently going to a Methodist church since the Fall and we have been really happy there.  We are meeting new people and feeling like we are settling in.  

Olive enjoys the nursery most of the time and calls church "FUN".  She starts shouting FUN when I pack her little backpack to go to church and says FUN again when we pull in the parking lot.  It sure makes my heart happy to hear this.  I will say that it took her about a month to adjust and not cry when we drop her off.  She got to the point where she'd reach for her teachers then wave bye to me as I left her.  However, last week she cried every time I dropped her off.  It broke my heart, but she was fine when I picked her up so I'm hoping it'll work itself out.  Toddlers are funny little people!

I have tried really hard to get involved in several things during the week.  I had to push myself out of my comfort zone several times each week, but it's been well worth it.  I also had to be sure to find things that were going on during the day that offered childcare.  Olive loves going with me and has made such cute little friends in her classes.  Her teachers love her and the involvement has been good for both of us.

// 1 //

I joined a mom's Bible study that meets once a week at our church.  We are studying The Best Yest by Lysa Terkeurst.  We meet in a big group, discuss and then meet with our small group.  I've met so many sweet ladies and am working hard to build those friendships.

// 2 //

I also joined the MOPS group at my church.  They meet twice a month and it's really refreshing to be in a room full of ladies who are in the very same stage of life with little people that you are in.  We have a great time at our meetings and I always look forward to them.  We have a devotional, fun activities and our meetings are always encouraging and refreshing.

// 3 //

Lastly, I found a Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) group that meets very close to my house to join.  They meet once a week and it's at a nearby church.  One of my friends from MOPS invited me to come with her and I'm so thankful she did!  We are currently studying the Life of Moses and I have learned so much.  I wasn't familiar with BSF before this year and it is amazing how they teach you to study the Bible.  I have never done anything like this and LOVE it!  

BSF also has an IMPRESSIVE children's program.  They teach the kids the exact same lesson the adults are learning on their level.  Their Bible verse a few weeks ago was May the Lord Bless You and Keep You (Numbers 6:24) and they taught Olive's class how to say BLESS along with their lesson.  Olive was so proud to run up and tell me "BESS" when I came to pick her up.  It was the sweetest thing ever and I might have gotten a little misty eyed .  Their children's program is from birth to school age and some cities offer night classes if day classes don't work for you.

// 4 //

Kevin and I were eager to join a Sunday School class so we started seeing what was available.  We found a group of young adults from various churches that meets on Sunday night.  Olive is welcome to come with us and their focus is on young people, couples and families.  We have been several times and have really enjoyed this gathering.  I'm hopeful that we will make some couple friends here.

So if you are finding yourself in the midst of your own church search, I just want to encourage you.  Look for Bible studies to join, seek out MOPS groups, look for Sunday Schools and try to get involved.  Keep going, keep looking for ways to get involved and be consistent.  It's well worth your time and will be so good for you to find a place of worship.  I promise!!