amazing God

next week is my last week of volunteering regularly at piedmont women's center. i have really enjoyed my time there, and leaving is bittersweet. the other volunteers are such spiritual encouragers to me, and it has been a blessing getting to know them. though i have been a christian since i was almost 9 years old, i have never had the experience of praying with someone as they receive Christ. last week i started praying that i would have that opportunity before my last day at pwc next week. i shared this with our director and chris this week, and they started praying the same thing with me. i am amazed to say that God answered our prayers this morning! with each client that comes into the center, we always try to share the message of the gospel. as i was sharing this with the first client i saw today, she told me she wanted to ask God to be the Savior & Leader of her life. praise the Lord!

fun week

this week has been filled with fun events so far. on monday night, i went to chris' softball game. they are doing really well this season and won their game this week. there is another wife, kim, that always goes and keeps the score. we have a lot in common, and i am enjoying getting to know her. maybe she will rub off on me, and i'll start paying more attention to what's going on during the games!

on tuesday, piedmont women's center had a cowboy-themed potluck dinner for all the volunteers & staff. chris came with me, and it was great to get to introduce him to some of the ladies i volunteer with. they also unveiled some expansions they are planning for their primary center downtown, which is exciting.

today, lori and i planned a picnic in the park with our dogs. it was the most beautiful day of the week so far - bright sunshine and not a cloud in the sky! we had chicken salad on croissants, chips & salsa, and these awesome puff pastries lori made with whipped cream and chocolate sauce - delicious! her dog, spencer, is a year-and-a-half-old yellow lab, and he & eva had a great time playing. here's a picture of spence in the car on the way - just begging to be let into the front with us. lori is also looking for a job right now, and we decided it would be fun to make picnic lunches together a regular thing until we find jobs.

tonight was the last meeting of our "greenhouse" class at church - basically brushy creek's wednesday night bible studies. our class had a party, and we enjoyed a lot of good food. chris wanted to bring stuffed jalapenos, and i wanted to bring apples & brickle dip (joy's recipe). so we compromised, and i made a half recipe of each.

we're looking forward to going to chris' grandparents' farm house in south georgia for the long weekend. everyone have a great memorial day!

busy week

this week has been busier than usual for me, as i've had something almost every day related to my volunteering. on monday, i helped out at a charity golf tournament at greenville country club that benefits piedmont women's center. it turned out they had so many volunteers that there wasn't enough work to go around. so after placing a few sponsor labels on golf carts, i ended up sitting on the veranda in rocking chairs with our director enjoying a delicious free lunch and the gorgeous view of the golf course. it was such a beautiful day, and the course was amazing. it makes me wonder what i've been missing by never having been to the masters....

on wednesday, i went to an informational breakfast at bethany christian services, a national adoption agency. i learned a bit about the adoption process and specifically what that agency offers. this is such valuable information - not only with my current volunteer position but in my career as well.

tuesday and thursday are my usual days at the center. this week i got to conduct my first counseling session (rather than just observing). i am really enjoying the work and am amazed at the women who come in. they are from all different walks of life - single teenagers to married women, locals to foreignors, etc. what they all have in common is an unplanned pregnancy and related fears. this week i got to sit in on two ultrasounds. when one woman saw the picture of her baby wiggling around on the screen she exclaimed, "it's beautiful!" it really is an amazing thing to see.

my first week at the center, i observed an ultrasound and ended up fainting (for the first time in my life)! so there i was, supposed to provide comfort and reassurance to the pregnant woman, and i passed out. i think it happened because it was unusually hot in the room and the ultrasound machine made it even hotter. since then, i think everyone was afraid to send me up to observe! i'm glad we've all gotten over that, because in a couple of weeks liz is coming in for one. i'm excited to get a sneak peek of her sweet baby girl!