Hearts Overflowing

On Saturday night we saw God answer every prayer that we have asked you to offer over the last two weeks. Really, every single one. And a few that we didn't think to ask. Our musical trio played exquisitely. The floral centerpieces were beautiful, the food was delicious and the electronics all worked the way they were supposed to. Our emcee was winning and the Streetlamp Studio cast delivered a stirring performance. We could go on and on. Over the next few days we'll share more details for those of you who prayed but could not attend. But just one story for today, one that captures the extravagant gifts of time and talent that we experienced from our partners this weekend:

After any large event, there is always that picture you wish you had taken. Our friend Stephanie took pictures throughout the dinner and captured many great moments. But we doubt anyone thought to record one of our dearest memories of the evening. A few weeks ago we handed out cards at church listing volunteer roles that people could sign up for. Along with greeters, musicians, and AV technicians there was a checkbox for "flag wavers" to guide people into the off-site parking structure. It's one of those jobs that's a little delicate to recruit for. Asking a friend to play live classical music is one thing. Asking him or her to wave flags is something you want to consider more carefully. As it turned out, one member of our church family valiantly checked that box. Our dinner coordinator made two hand-sewn flags for him (after seeing that the store-bought version cost $30 each) and on Saturday evening our friend Andrew took up his post on Figueroa Blvd. As guests arrived, Andrew's red flags guided them to their complimentary parking spots. He played his role diligently, and it may well be a few days before he's able to lift his arms again.

From the moment we saw that checkmarked reply card we felt especially blessed by Andrew's servanthood. But that appreciation has continued to grow. As the dinner ended Richard was approached and thanked many times. And guess what specific part of the evening people went out of their way to mention? Over and over he kept hearing about how welcoming our greeters were and ESPECIALLY how helpful it was to have Andrew there at the parking entrance. We later found out that random motorists actually stopped to ask Andrew what the special event was. To appreciate this you have to realize that Figueroa is a major street running between the USC campus on one side and a huge basketball arena on the other. There are ALWAYS events happening here, generally much larger than ours. But apparently the sight of a friendly, young, white guy waving flags turned heads.

Mother Theresa says, "We can do no great things. Only small things with great love." This weekend we were witnesses to God's people doing many, many small things with great love. Love for the kids in our community, love for God's kingdom, and love for our own family. Our hearts are full to overflowing.

Since we don't have a photo of Andrew waving flags,
here is one from the last time we asked him for a favor.
This is Andrew at Isaiah's third birthday party in March: