Baby Boom in Bible Discussion!
At one point this autumn in one of our weekly International Fellowship Bible discussion groups, we had THREE women all pregnant at the same time! I (Jesse) had never before in my life planned a baby shower; but this fall, I had the honor of getting to plan TWO (yes, if you do the math, there's one more to come this winter...). So we held this shower outdoors at a local apartment complex where many of our international friends and some of our ministry staff live. It was a blessed day with lots of international and American friends stopping by for food, fun, and conversation. We made some good connections with friends of friends, and got to help a young couple who I think was feeling a bit overwhelmed preparing to give birth and become parents for the first time in a foreign country, far away from their parents and other family members. In their culture, these family members would normally help advise and equip them for parenthood, but when they're living far away, that's not an option so much. So I believe our fellowship group helping them get the copious baby equipment one needs to prepare for parenthood nowadays really ministered to their felt needs, and shared the love of Christ with them in a tangible way.