I learned tons of valuable lessons during my area church time, but I think one of the most valuable ones is learning how to make myself at home in a new church. Leaving Bowling Green, I knew one of the biggest challenges was going to be being away from my church family. And it has been. But going to area church, and serving in DC and building relationships with the people there taught me the dos and don'ts of becoming a part of a new church, and I think that it helped me to realize what it's going to take of me to truly become a part of the church I'm at on the field.
I wanna take a minute to brag on the congregation in Denver City, because I was truly impressed by them during my time there. The first thing I noticed about this congregation is that everyone has a part in it. Like everyone having a role in the body, they seriously have that. Everyone pitches in to make Sundays a success.
This is truly a congregation of unified people. They are all so supportive of each other and they all really love each other. Watching the way they interact with each other reminds me that, when one part of the body is hurting, the rest of the body rushes to comfort it. That's something that I really loved about Denver City. They truly get behind their congregation members. They always pray very specifically for people, even if it's for something as small as a sprained ankle. It's amazing to be a part of a congregation that truly knows and cares about each other.
I really enjoyed the time that we spent with the youth, too. The kids in the youth group there are seriously all best friends. Most of them grew up going to DC and have known each other their whole lives. And they are all super close as a result. This reminded me, in a lot of ways, of Alvaton and the bond I had with the other people in AYG. This made me equal parts homesick and comforted, because in a lot of ways DC felt like home to me by the end of my time there.
Something I didn't really expect to love was going to the nursing home every Sunday afternoon and singing and visiting with their members. Nursing homes have always made me feel a little uncomfortable. Made me feel a little awkward, and incompetent at times. But going to this nursing home, for some reason, was different. I guess because I went often enough to actually get to know the people's names and, even though they didn't remember me most of the time, I sure remembered them. The majority of the people I spoke with there made it really obvious that they really enjoyed us being there, and you could tell they had hearts that loved people and even God...I just want to insert a little story about something I saw today at the nursing home...so we're sitting down about to sing, and a man who lives at the nursing home walked up to Skip (DC's preacher) and handed him, like, two dollar bills and told him that was for the collection. I think it was literally the sweetest thing I've ever witnessed. I love people who have hearts that strive to be like Christ even when they're in situations where it's hard for them.
But yeah...to end, I've really loved my time in Denver City and was extremely sad to say goodbye to it. I'm 100% sure I'll be back to at least visit at some point.
Some pictures from our awkward Christmas party with the youth today:
