if you were there today...

If you'd been a Turner's Station Baptist Church today you might have enjoyed these moments with me... here's just a glimpse into the little world that we've come to love so much...

*an elderly lady who loves Moriah told me today that "she's as strong as a little horse" after holding our wiggly little girl

*the same lady commented on Moriah's enthusiastic squeals and said "my mama used to say when babies sound like that, 'they're singing in a tooth'"... what a sweet description of a teething baby :)

*one member recently slaughtered two hogs and told us about using all the parts for various types of meat... during the conversation other members chipped in with their favorite parts of the pig (including parts we'd never heard of and still don't know about!?) today at the end of the service the man who has been enjoyed pork in all it's forms opened a small cooler and pulled out a package of meat wrapped in paper like a butcher would prepare it, he handed it to another woman who read the label "liver" and watched her joy! she exclaimed "Well Jimmy Brown, I'm happier with this than if you'd given me a $100 bill!" she changed her plans and was ready to eat it for her dinner tonight

If you'd been with us after church, you would have enjoyed a tasty lunch in the home of two wonderful members who are so welcoming and kind. I brought a "Country Blueberry Dessert" (which isn't complete without whipped cream) that we've recently enjoyed from the Eat Better American web-site. I'd HIGHLY recommend it, and Matt told me today that it's his favorite dessert, next to tiramisu which is saying a lot if you know Matt :) Their company was just as much of a treat as the invitation to join them in their home. While we were there, the man opened a box he pulled out from under a stack of newspapers and told us we might like to look at what was inside. We were presented with handwritten bound books of the church records from 1877 to the present day... seriously! They'd been stored in a vault at the bank until fairly recently when the bank called and asked for them to be removed. I feel like the books should be typed so that there would be more long-term copies of the records, but I'm not quite sure about it. Part of the charm of such a find is the beautiful script, old paper, and smells of it all which would of course be lost in a typed manuscript. I wish I knew more about preserving such things that are rare treasures indeed.

*we also heard about their quick engagement and marriage... only three months after their first date (which was a blind date at that) they were married, about nine months later their first child arrived :) they spoke with great wisdom about the commitment marriage involves and about their joy 31 years later

*Matt was also encouraged when he was told "Well, I can tell you one thing about your preaching - you're a whole lot better now than you were when you started!"

We're so blessed to serve among such faithful and wise men and women. We never anticipated the sweet times we'd have among these who are becoming dear friends.