Seven Years of Welcome

First of all, thanks so much for all your encouraging-ness (or maybe...encouragement? yeah, that's better.) on that last post. Anytime someone writes out that kind of gut-level honesty and hits "publish" there's an immediate "oh, crap. what-did-i-just-do" type of response.

Luckily, for me, I didn't have a chance to really dwell on that and let it get the best of me because my circus walked through the door from going grocery shopping before I could even finish the last few sentences. In fact, I'm still not completely sure if it made any sense or had any major grammatical errors because I didn't get the chance to proofread it either.

Yes. You read that correctly. My husband...my wonderful, saint-of-a-man husband...took BOTH kids to TWO different grocery stores. On a Friday evening. In the middle of rush-hour traffic. In the pouring rain. After a long day of dorm move-ins. So that I could have a couple hours to myself. 

There's just no one better than him in this world. 

Moving on.

This week marks our 7th Welcome Week on the campus of the University of Houston.

Seven years. And the start of our eighth.

And every year just seems better than the last. We've started several of those years going, "Oh, God! Show up! Please! Please help us! We're so in over our heads!!" (Remember that year, Tara? When it was just you, me and Matt?) But it feels like this year is different. Something's in the works. And I'm excited.

I did a little digging and found a few photos of each leadership team we've ever had (except 2012...such a sad thing for me...does anyone have a pic of everyone from that year??? Please email it to me or put it on FB!) and it just warmed my heart and gave me chills all at the same time to see the faces of UHXA leadership throughout the years. So many dearly loved, faithful servants who's legacy continues to live on.

And there are a couple faces who show up in every single picture. Year after year. Through every season of life. And I can't even express what that does to my heart to see the years of faithfulness with my own eyes in one moment of time. Such an honor. Such a joy.

So without anymore wordiness or sappiness, here are seven (well, six...but you get the idea) years of small group leaders for Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship at the University of Houston.

2009

2010

2011

2013

2014

2015

Glory to God!!

"Grateful" doesn't even come close.


P.S. I snagged a few of these pics of Tien Dang's Facebook. Thanks, Friend, for being our resident picture-taker and for being generous to let me steal them. Love you.