stealing my heart

Tonight we had the 10th grade Bible Study girls over for gingerbread decorating, cookie-making, crazy-fun-having, giggling, wet-wood-fire-starting, silly game-playing time. Heather and I are absolutely exhausted.

Here are some things I am coming to realize:
1. I am more and more in love with these girls. Does that happen with all people? It's this intense feeling that's somewhere between your heart and your gut, but certainly not indigestion... hard to explain... but when I see them I just want to give them a hug that would reach to their inside and warm their hearts. I LOVE them - deeper than our silly English word.

2. I am getting old. Today, I was running around like a crazy person doing stuff at school then randomly throwing gingerbread dough together over my 20-minute lunch so we could bake after school. At about 5:00 with 15 girls in our apartment I thought I could just collapse right there on our cold, tile kitchen floor.

3. I don't need anything. Seriously. I'm not just saying that to be charitable or "Christian" ... I literally don't need anything more than what the Lord is providing at this moment. We talked tonight about our response to the gift of Life and our response to the Giver. The greatest gifts come with much sacrifice... so what am I willing to give that is not easy? What am I willing to give that will hurt?

4. I am sometimes very foolish. I know this is not new news. But, ask me how I ended up under a broken table in the courtyard screaming tonight and I would have to shrug my shoulders and just say, "I wish I knew." It's not just being frightened, though. I absolutely, positively love to laugh. At first it's the giggles and kind of complimentary "hmmphs" but, if you get me going - if you really get me going, I can be rolled out on the floor. I can tell you one of the best feelings is getting up after a good, long roll of laughter.

There is more :) but I want to show you a few photos from tonight of my lovely ladies and the fun we had.

The girls said they were going to "nap" on my bed. Then they came out dressed in my clothes...

Carolina and MariaJose - two of my wonderful girls!

MJ came in from soccer like a crazy girl - I captured just a piece of it!

Here's making cookies and decorating!

These are apparently Heather and myself. I'm not sure how close it resembles us...

After the cookie decorating and dinner, we moved outside, where I tried desperately to make wet wood burn... but to no avail.


So, we settled for gas stove-cooked marshmallows and called it done.


Some of the girls already left, but this is part of our group!

I honestly feel so so blessed to know these girls - they are stealing my heart!