Dinner for a Cause

We have been so fortunate this weekend to have some truly beloved guests in our home. We got to celebrate the work of these guests Friday evening in an intimate gathering at our home, and even though our plans didn’t go as expected, God went before us and completely took control of the night, making it lovely and impactful. See, MONTHS AGO, we began planning an Al Fresco dinner party to be enjoyed outside in the beautiful Summer sunset hours of our backyard. After the last several weeks of sun and heat in the midwest, the skies decided to open up Friday in a torrential downpour moving our plans indoors.

Guys, here’s the thing. As I was sitting at home praying for a break in the rain to have our party outdoors as planned, a farmer down the road was surely praying for the rain necessary to keep his crops from being burned by this recent dry spell. God gives us what we need, when we need it. And he sees us all. I wasn’t punished because God answered someone else’s prayer; quite the contrary, in fact! Our evening was intimate and personal because we were forced to mingle inside where we were also able to hear Prashan’s moving testimony without distraction or interruption. It was, in my eyes, exactly how it was meant to be all along (it just took me a while to catch up to God’s better idea for the evening).

If you are interested in reading about the important work of Global Unites, abroad and domestically, then I encourage you to check out these links when you can: GU Website, Sri Lanka Unites news story.

In short, Prashan has said in previous interviews, ““We live in a very segregated society. Our focus is to allow the youth to break out [from] segregation.” I can’t think of a more relevant topic internationally or domestically, and becoming involved was an obvious choice for us. Stockton so astutely put it:

• It is a good investment. Your American dollar has an incredible impact in developing nations and a global investment in an organization that is working towards peace and reconciliation helps our global economy. (And he’s a financial advisor so I trust his advice!).
• It is good for your soul. And it is our responsibility. We all read headlines day after day of terrorist groups committing unspeakable crimes to voiceless victims. Mothers lose their innocent and influenceable teenage sons to the lies of terrorist groups persuading them to join their hate-filled missions, while women get violated in unthinkable and horrible ways. All the while, we sip our coffees and shake our heads safely from the comfort of our homes. What are you going to do about this? Partnering with the likes of Global Unites who has trusted leaders like Prashan making world-changing decisions is a safe and effective way to let the world know “I’m not ok with this and I’m finally going to do something about it.” Which is exactly what we’ve decided to do.

I couldn’t sleep well last night, so buzzed from the excitement and busyness of the event that I was restless enough to wake up with the sun after a long day and night. To write a blog post and share some pretty pictures, of all things! But in addition to God moving in our lives through Global Unites, God is teaching me where my role is in all of this as well.

I am reading two books side by side at the moment (Love Lives Here and Nothing to Prove). I can’t say enough that these books, individually, are amazing, but TOGETHER? They are balancing one another and helping me dig deep into what I’m here for and how I can play a role in God’s work. Nothing to Prove is challenging me to say “Anything, God” and bravely wait for his instruction. Go ahead and say Anything, God and you’ll know what I mean that that’s a pretty uncomfortable prayer to pray. Jennie Allen is a big impact woman with a humble background. She wasn’t looking for God’s big calling in her life, but she prayed Anything, God, and now she leads a conference of Christian woman that impacts millions (MILLIONS!) annually. Love Lives Here balances that notion by saying “What are you a natural fit at? How are you wired? Where are you now?  Be there. Be all there. Do that. Bless those people. Open up your home. Bake those cookies.” And I feel the ebb and flow of both of those messages very distinctly. If you haven’t read these books, I urge you to check them out. They’re written by amazing godly women and I’m certain they’ll mean something unique and important to you as you chase after your mission, too.

So is throwing parties my mission? Probably not. Is opening my home and gathering friends something I can do right now for kingdom work? Yes it is. Do I think that maybe by writing this blog post even one person will click this link and confidently make a step towards helping achieve the reconciliation so badly needed among segregated countries? Then this was worth writing. So since love lives here, that’s what I’ll do. I’ll do my part and keep saying Ok God, what now?

Bump-friendly outfit linked here

SPECIAL THANKS

Our beautiful paper goods were provided by Lined Goods who also consulted with me on countless details in preparation for this party (I guess when you work for several years at one of the nation’s most reputable scholastic institutions in events and development, you sort of develop a knack for party planning). She’s the It girl for event paperie and I can’t boast of her services enough. Everything she touches is gold. I don’t care if you’re throwing a 3 year old’s birthday party or a million dollar wedding; contact Maddie. She’ll make sure your paper products set the tone for your whole event.

Dinner was a beautiful meal from Victorian Pantry in Granger. Having the event catered allowed for Stockton and I to be more fully present at the presentation and our guests were fed beautiful and artfully prepared food with a fraction of the stress on us (being 6 months pregnant is a good enough excuse to not break my back in the kitchen for a large group in my book).

Our alcohol and bar service came from our favorite local liquor store, City-Wide Liquors. They are so helpful and knowledgable and gosh dangit if they aren’t the most accommodating individuals I’ve ever met. I don’t even bat an eye that one of my favorite Shop Local establishments is a liquor store; Jesus loved wine and so do I.

Flowers are from the local Farmer’s Market (and I think I owe my mom a new bush for all of the pretty greenery I stole from her backyard).

If you’ve been at all intrigued by the Global Unites mission and want more information, click here and explore.