Oops

So I forgot to mention something Chris and I did 2 weekends ago. We got an e-mail in early February mentioning a group called Teen Mania that was coming to do a program in our area and how our church would need to house 9 of the kids. Chris and I decided that we had the room and volunteered to house 2 or 3 girls. We had no idea what this experience might bring.

So on February 19th, we got done with small group and headed to Abundant Life (another local church right near our's) to pick up the girls. The bus was already there and in short order we had been introduced to Teresa and Rachael, successfully fit their luggage into the car, stopped at the grocery store for snackage for the girls and were on our way home. It was dark so they had no idea that we were driving them 15 miles into the middle of nowhere. But they both noticed the stars when we got home. They both commented that it'd been a long time since they'd seen so very many stars.

We got the car unloaded and headed in to relax and visit. The four of us grabbed some snacks and settled into the family room. We found out that Rachael was 20 and from California and Teresa was 23 and from Michigan of all places! We all got to share our stories and we heard all about Teen Mania and Acquire the Fire. They were delighted to find out that Chris and I were newlyweds and asked us tons of questions. After finally realizing that it very close to midnight, we got the girls settled in the guest room and headed to bed.

Chris had to work on Monday but since it was a Federal holiday (thank you Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Washington!) I had the day off. The girls and I slept in and then headed down to see Chris' office and visit him. Then it was off to Council Bluffs and Omaha for some serious shopping. We all had success finding some great deals and finally headed home in the late afternoon. We stopped on the way home and grabbed pizza and wings and a keyboard (piano kind) from a friend and met Chris at the house. The next few hours were spent visiting and watching Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. After Rachael realized that Teresa had never seen it, she (and Chris) insisted that Teresa really needed to see it. And mind you, this was the extended version, so it was a late night again.

On Tuesday, both Chris and I had to head to work but the girls' program for that day had been cancelled so they were content to stick around the house and relax. Rachael had brought her guitar and Teresa is the pianist so they enjoyed playing and relaxing. After Chris and I got home, the girls and I fixed a healthy dinner (Rosemary chicken, brown rice and green beans - Yum!) and we all ate. Then it was time to start on Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. We had to take a little break to make chocolate malts and then it was back to the movie.

The Teen Mania event was scheduled for Wednesday evening so the girls had to be back in Harlan on Wednesday afternoon. I took off an hour from work and ran to get them and bring them into town. It was sad saying goodbye to them. Chris and I both really enjoyed having them with us and getting to share with them and have them share with us. It's so unique these days to hear about positive things with high school and college youth so this was very special for us to host these girls. We feel so blessed by the experience.

Just wanted to share! Have a great weekend!