Friends on the Fourth

We had a great time enjoying some fellowship with friends from church this 4th of July. One friend, in picture below with Bryan is a friend from college that has recently relocated to Louisville and is joining Immanuel!

Our other friends who came just so happened to know Brad from Summer Project in Daytona, FL. while they were in college. They both went on the project in 2005, the year after Bryan and I met there. Small WORLD! 

Jon and AJ working on their list of wood they need to buy for the Both Hands work day. 

We are apart of a team who is joyfully serving a local widow by working on several minor repairs on her home.

In preparing for this day, we sent out letters asking for support from friends and family. This support goes to Jon (pictured-->) and Bethany's adoption of two orphans from The DRC. 

" Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." James 1:27

I love how Both Hand's Ministry connects BOTH, very important parts of this verse. So many times we just focus on the orphans and forget the widows.

and after we worked and played, we 
ate! 

and some of us played a little too hard and needed a complete outfit change! haha.

Precious Jesse, son of Jordan and AJ. Jesse is exactly Mady's age, but a year apart. This was the age Mady was last year at her first 4th of July.

Little Jonah and Mady didn't need outfit changes, but they decided that going through some of Mady's clothes drawers was necessary. Hah. 

The men.

Despite the many fits Mady threw today (Lord help me)....she was so sweet to the "yittle" babies that were here. This is Griffin or "Finn", Chad and Mindy's little guy.

Love his hair, its always styled perfectly.

Mady played some football with the boys....

or keep away with the ball, from the boys.

She had fun.

The Momma's loaded up the kiddos and went for a walk to the park and playground. Little Jesse didn't make it for the picture, he was too pooped to keep partying for pictures.

Out of all of these precious boys, little Ms. Mady made her choice known. Actually, Mr. Jonah claimed her! That's right Jonah, take the lead. Mady does not seem to mind one bit!

 

Fine by me, we love Jonah, Jon and Bethany. Great friends from college and now life after. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends in our lives right now. 

This 4th, I am thankful for the freedom I have as an American to live in this world....an even more thankful for the freedom I have in Christ. 

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." 

Gal. 5:1