This summer has been full of many experiences from misson trips to planning a wedding to leading a small group bible study. The girls bible study has been one of the high lights.  Once a week, me and Mrs. Kathy get together at my house with 6 to 7 girls.  They are all going to be in the 7th grade.  To say they are entertaining would be an understatment.  Our topic for the summer was holiness.  We have been working through "The Pursuit of Holiness" book.  It is a very hard read for anyone but especially hard for 12 year olds.  Each one has come to bible study with their list of words to define for the day.  One of the girls named Taylor reminds of each week that she now knows the word morbid interspection.  Anyway, last night was our last meeting of the summer. They all go back to school the end of next week or so.  

Several things I got from the bible study. the First is that I really love the insitutional church.  These girls come from all kinds of home life styles. Most seem perfect on the outside but have some issues on the inside. Each one of the girls want someone to teach them and to make their relationship with the Lord their own.  Some have heard from the Lord this summer through the book in ways they never expected. The second is that pouring into someone on a long term scale is awesome.  One of the best things about my job leading mission trips is seeing the transformation of the kids in a week.  It is truely amazing, but being able to see someone grow on a long term scale is precious. I have been able to spend the last 8 months with these girls.  I have seen two of them come to know the Lord for the first time.  It has been a great experience to build long lasting relationships with them.  They already have Joe and I's kids named after them and who has babysitting rights. 

All that to say is that each girl: Jennifer, Taylor P., Kayla, Alli, Alyssa, Blakley, and Taylor S. are amazing and I am going to miss our summer bible study.