Fifteen Pairs of Hands

Well, we made it to Kansas! Unfortunately, it wasn't quite as easy as clicking our red heels together and appearing in Winfield (an ongoing joke from our Kentucky friends especially), but I do have to say that things went VERY smoothly. One of the things that humbled and impressed me the most was the Church.

Let me tell you -- one of the greatest things about the Church universal is that no matter where you go, God's people will be there, somewhere. I am moved by this truth.

Our sweet friends in Kentucky had a surprise going away party for us on Thursday evening last week (was that seriously a week ago!?). So many of our dear friends came to hang out with us one last time and say goodbye. Before things wrapped up, many of them asked us what time they needed to be there to help us move. Additionally, our country church that previous Sunday asked us what time they needed to be there to help us move. We never had to really ask for help because the Church asked first and showed up ready to go. We packed at 7 AM on Saturday morning and we were not only finished packing everything at 9:30 AM, but we were also finished cleaning the house. We left Wilmore and were on the road to Kansas shortly before 10. As someone who has moved time and time again and has watched others move, 2 1/2 hours is amazing time to have everything done. But, then again, things happen almost as fast as clicking red heels when you have 15 pairs of hands!

We spent two days driving to Kansas and arrived on Sunday afternoon. Of course, the first thing we did was eat at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants here in Winfield -- El Maguey. Hashtag priorities. Then, we moved into our new-to-us bungalow! While we had 15 hands to help us move on the "going" end, we had just as many, if not more on the receiving end. Again, God's Church showed up and even asked us how they could help before we even had to ask them. The move went quick, quick, quick. What a blessing.

John Wesley wrote a phenomenal sermon called "Of the Church" that I read for a class prior to moving. His words have shaped me, especially as we've moved and have been on the receiving end of the Church's love and grace several times during this last month. Wesley notes about the Church:

"How much do we almost continually hear about the Church! With many it is matter of daily conversation. And yet how few understand what they talk of! How few know what the term means! A more ambiguous word than this, the Church, is scarce to be found in the English language. It is sometimes taken for a building, set apart for public worship: sometimes for a congregation, or body of people, united together in the service of God. It is only in the latter sense that it is taken in the ensuing discourse..."

Wesley goes on to talk about how the church is where two or three are gathered together (Matthew 18:20) or how Philemon's household was considered to be a church. For Wesley, the Church is a body that is vocationally called to the services of God. Surely, then, 15 pairs of hands and hearts that arrive at 7 AM on a Saturday morning are the Church! And 15 hands that spend their Sunday afternoon unloading a moving truck are the Church!

I think I will let that speak for itself. All I can say to God and the Church is "thank you;" what happened on Saturday and Sunday should be an expectation for anyone that moves! This is a beautiful example of how the healthy Church should function at all times. Of course, life isn't all about the Church helping people move (unless you're at Asbury Seminary!), but the Church is about helping people period. There's a special type of hospitality in our world that can only be given by the Church and the Spirit. Thank you, Church and Spirit, for giving us that hospitality in abundance these last two weeks. From Kentucky to Kansas, God's Church is alive and well. I learned this through at least fifteen pairs of hands. Amen.

Some of our hands on the Kentucky end! Thanks Isaac Chua for photos of this amazing adventure.

Moving always means leaving people that you love a lot! Lauren and Michelle -- two gems I met at Asbury.

Our new bungalow! Isn't it cute?

The Dads ready to go and pretty proud that absolutely nothing shifted in the trailer during our 13 hour trip. Awesome or what?

How much do we almost continually hear about the Church! With many it is matter of daily conversation. And yet how few understand what they talk of! How few know what the term means! A more ambiguous word than this, the Church, is scarce to be found in the English language. It is sometimes taken for a building, set apart for public worship: sometimes for a congregation, or body of people, united together in the service of God. It is only in the latter sense that it is taken in the ensuing discourse. - See more at: http://www.umcmission.org/Find-Resources/John-Wesley-Sermons/Sermon-74-Of-the-Church#sthash.gEBD4cRb.dpuf

How much do we almost continually hear about the Church! With many it is matter of daily conversation. And yet how few understand what they talk of! How few know what the term means! A more ambiguous word than this, the Church, is scarce to be found in the English language. It is sometimes taken for a building, set apart for public worship: sometimes for a congregation, or body of people, united together in the service of God. It is only in the latter sense that it is taken in the ensuing discourse. - See more at: http://www.umcmission.org/Find-Resources/John-Wesley-Sermons/Sermon-74-Of-the-Church#sthash.gEBD4cRb.dpuf