my luh

I really like all the women I know - I learn so much from them.

I've written this blog like sixteen times in my head and I still won't do her justice, but here goes. When Nick and I were in college, we worked for a youth ministry as the intern (me) and the worship leader (him). Long story short, it was a daunting job - in that I was only six months out of high school and found myself suddenly employed by a church with very little knowledge and absolutely no experience. We faked our way through it, probably too well. From day one, there was one girl I knew by common sense that I had to win over. She really knew Christ but she affected other girls and if I could just make her like me... I'd be in.

Somehow it worked and quickly Leigh became less and less a girl in the youth group and more and more - a sweet sister in Christ. I wanted to be like her in so many ways, and her simple exuberance for life was inspiring in a lot of ways. She didn't stop amazing me when she won the heart of a man who is sold out for Jesus and loves life as much as her. I know Nick not only likes, but greatly admires Gray and we love spending time with the both of them.

One characteristic of my sweet Luh is her Christ-given other-worldly maturity. I was her youth leader and wanted to be like her, her future husband was her small group leader and saw something in her that he would later fall in love with. She surpasses normal standards for people her age, and women of Christ - in general.

Nothing proves this more to me than this adventure her & Gray are embarking on right now. I don't know a ton of people who have perfectly healthy fertility, have been married only months, and look at the daunting fact that there are five million orphans in Africa and know they must respond in some way. Do they want biological children? Of course. Do they enjoy spending time together and want to build their marriage? Definitely. But they feel the urgent need to respond to a call and I'm just in awe of their obedience.

I'm not just blogging about them to praise Christ in them, but to ask you to pray for them and their journey. They're at the very beginning and I just know it would be a sweet testimony for this to all be quicker, easier, and more simpler than anyone could ask or imagine.

I love you, Luh. I love that you are still the girl I first met - changing the hearts of people around you by the way you love Jesus and his people.