30til30: day 19, fellowship sunday school class

i have 30 days until i celebrate my 30th year of life. i thought i would share with you 30 people, events and situations that have shaped my life and who i want to be. it has been very challenging to come up with 30…i hope it inspires you as it has me. this part of the list is in no particular order.

day 19: the fellowship sunday school class

when michael and i first moved to dallas, it took us six months to find a church. we had no strong denominational ties and compared every church we visited to the church we’d come from in indiana (bad move, by the way…). once we were able to allow the strengths of each church to stand alone, we settled at first baptist.

the next challenge was finding a sunday school class to plug into. we knew this was a vital part of being members of a church, but i honestly don’t think we knew how instrumental it would be in our lives.

we started systematically (because that’s how my husband operates) visiting young married sunday school classes. several times, we were shocked to walk into the class and realize that young married meant we’ve been married 15 years and have teenagers, but still see ourselves as 20-somethings. the members were all welcoming, but we just didn’t fit. we had no children; they had 13-year-olds.

one then day, we walked into the fellowship class. and, we never left.

from the moment we entered, i knew it’s where i wanted to be. from the moment i met andrea and stephanie, i knew i wanted to be their friend. that sounds a little love at first sight-ish, but i mean it. it was the first time since moving to dallas that i met someone i thought fit me as a friend.

michael and i made sunday school a priority because we knew it was vital to our spiritual life. what we didn’t know what just how foundational the class would be in our life here. not only have girls in the class become my best dallas friends, they have loved and served us beyond what we ever thought would happen. michael has loved teaching the class with reed. they have fed and clothed us (literally bringing meals to us after luke was born, passing along clothes when i was pregnant and as their sons have out-grown clothes, throwing us a baby shower that included half-dozen cloth diapers…the list could go on). they have prayed with us and supported us. they have helped us raise and care for our son. they have encouraged us as we prepare for ministry.

this class has become our family when we had none nearby. and for two "orphaned" kids, that has meant the world.

michael and i are forever grateful.