care packages

The lovely chicki had her bridal shower/bachelorette party this weekend. I walked in and was bombarded by so many of my babies. Good gosh, it was kind of like being in twilight zone and being back in school, but I realized that so many of them had been in one of my small groups at some point. It was so good to see some long lost faces again - I kept hugging people and saying "I can't believe you're graduated!" I still can't shake the mental image of each of them as a freshman...hard to believe they're all grown up, working, in grad school, in full time ministry...so crazy.

So 2/3 of the group I knew, but with the rest, I couldn't help but think they looked familiar. I was having one of those "I think we met once a long time ago" conversations with someone, and we were trying to pinpoint how we knew each other. She told me who her roommates were, where she lived in college...and then she asked me if I frequently came by her dorm to visit. It was then that I realized I met her when she was a freshman and I was dropping off care packages. And then the girl next to her was like "yeah, you looked familiar!"

So it turns out that apparently, I'd paid a care package visit to almost all of them at some point. Some of them came to K/ACF, some of them found churches, some of them never went at all. But I can't believe they remembered me from that, anywhere from 4-7 years later. (Affectionately labelled as "stalking the freshmen...for Jesus")

Anyways, it made me all sentimental (not difficult these days) - so here's a tribute to care packages, and all my kids. As art_emis once said - "once you're sparky's baby, you're always sparky's baby". Funny how I always got (mostly) sophomores...

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Making Thanksgiving care packages for CCFC's outreach.

My first sg - 'The Breakfast Club'. Yes, we met at 8am on Thursday mornings. No, it wasn't my idea. Yes, I was assigned "co-ed '04's". Yes, that turned out to be 4 girls and Dave.

The pickup picture that started it all...

















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mitacf-05ladies. I found out I was coming back from a semester away and sgl-ing, and I didn't really know most of the group. But they were so open...thanks for the grace, ladies.

At Senior Banquet '03. (missing katwu)

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Making freshmen care packages.

FSGL's. (Frosh small group leaders). I love first-time leaders...so eager to learn and so eager to serve. "What do we do if no one answers our questions and there's awkward silence???" They called me a dinosaur, and brought me flowers on Mother's Day. Being old was strangely affirmed.
















And the pickups continue...check out Weywey's expression in the background. Haha...I miss my FSGL's...

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Deep Fryday family portrait - I can't believe we actually got everyone in one place! Different than any other leadership experience I've ever had. Crazy different. Or just...crazy. =)
















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When I look back to how much I resisted being a small group leader the first time, and how my sg experiences were redeeemed...it's pretty darn cool. And I do firmly believe in the power of a care package. There's nothing like an unexpected gift to inject a little Jesus (and sugar) into someone's day. And who knows...they might just remember it 7 years later.