Community happens

Leaving Dominica was a sad day for me. We found such a rich community there. True community like I had never experienced before. We were all in the same boat. All living on this island and needing friends, needing community....so we formed it. And we stuck together like glue. Every semester, we'd go through the same cycle three times. "Preparation for Mini exam", "taking of Mini exam", "celebration of mini exam being over". Most of our lives revolved around "the mini"--and we were able to use language that we all understood to describe our world, using terms like "MPS, Shelves, classroom 3, and ICM practical". No one was exempt from failing, so everyone was in it together--for better or for worse. And every time the exam rolled around, we huddled together and prayed and hoped for the best. I use the term "we" because as spouses, we walked through every valley and mountain with our students.

We all dreamed of the day when our time in Dominica would be done--when we wouldn't have to be stressed out ALL the time, when we could see our spouses more than 2 hours a day, and when the looming threat of failing out had disappeared. As our time drew nearer, though, I couldn't help but grieve what would be the ending of a beautiful community. at least as we knew it then.

Living back in the United States was wonderful. and hard. Yes, lots of amenities like air conditioning, a dishwasher, a car, and a nice grocery store were nothing less than exhilerating--but they were never satisfying. I missed our community so much sometimes it hurt! I watched "island life" continue on through facebook, secretly longing to still be a part of what was happening there.--even though I knew that our time to move on had come.

The beauty of people and relationships is that community can happen. anywhere. It doesn't have to come only when you are relocated on a tropical island and told to "sink or swim". It can happen. right here in Saginaw. Last fall we started going to a local church called Crosspoint Chapel. When we walked in the doors, everyone was so welcoming and made us feel right at home--almost immediately. It wasn't long before a young couple, Thor & Joylynn Rasmussen, had bee-lined toward us and given us a warm welcome. Little did we know they would become such good friends for the remainder of our time in Saginaw. Thor and Joylynn have to be some of the most generous and hospitable people I know.

Within weeks they had already invited us over to their house multiple times for meals, for chats, and for parties. This winter we began a small group with them and two other couples. Jason & Laura Burns and Steve & Corey McCubbin became fast friends as well. The connection between the eight of us was pretty remarkable.



We had only been in small group for about two months before Beckham arrived. In the weeks that have followed, our small group has gone above and beyond in their care for us--giving us everything from chocolate to restaurant gift cards, to babysitting offers and bringing meals by on a regular basis. At times, i wondered what we would have done without them! not only them, but also our church as a whole. We have been so blessed to be a part of this church, this small group, and this community. Honestly, it's been humbling to receive all that they've done for us. They've shown us what the body of Christ is supposed to look like!



Leaving our community here in Saginaw is going to be difficult. The good news for me is that community does happen. And when it happens, there are few things sweeter.