KG.

In lieu of an update, here are some faces that we love lots. Tuesday nights in our little "Love Nest" have been some of the sweetest, funnest, and craziest times. Love you guys!

Thanksgiving (3) Care Group...Plural.

Goodness. Can we imagine our lives without the KG? I don't think so. I never would have expected, and I'm sure Dre couldn't either, what exactly leading a care group of 18 year old singles would be like. We never would have expected how these "kids" (:-P) have wiggled their way into our hearts, how much we love the ease with which they take over our home on Tuesday nights and eat our pickles, and the provoking way with which they are seeking to live their lives in a manner worth of the calling they have received (Ephesians 4). I never knew how dear the girls in particular would become to me. They are my friends; I love all 16 of them and love knowing each of them and living my life along side them. I love laughing 'til we cry in ladies meetings, meeting for lunches and coffees and random chat time in parking lots with them. Goodness. I am so grateful that God created this group and let us be a part of it. KG, we love you.

As care group leaders we get to be in a bonus care group: our marrieds care group led by Josh and Kelley Murphy. Again, we had no idea how much we'd fall in love with this group or be affected by the fellowship and help we've already received in it in just a few short months. The affect it has had on our marriage is going to be long-lasting I am certain of it. Some of my favorite times this fall have been laughing together at the kitchen table at the Murphy's and being challenged on the deck at their house as well. It's a joke in our group of friends to say that "God knows your size" meaning that God knows exactly what is best for you. This care group has truly been an expression of God's provision for us in knowing exactly "our size" for these months of waiting and wondering. There just aren't words for how grateful I am for this group and that we get to be a part of living life with these people. We love you guys.

KG Christmas

This year we attended 3 Christmas parties, all in one weekend which made for a busy season of festivities. We had a fun CG Leaders Christmas at the Smith's house and then later that evening caught the tail-end of the Remy's holiday gathering. The final party of our Christmas season (and weekend!) was a special "KG Dinner Party hosted by the KG men in honor of the KG ladies" and oh what a blast it was! I can't help but detail it here for memory's sake.

Those boys made us (Andree and I, as well as every girl in the KG) so proud. The evening started off with a limo (!!) picking up the girls to drive them out Josh Cooper's house where the boys took coats and had appetizers and drinks waiting. Then they led the girls to the dining table where there were place cards which doubled as encouragement notes for each girl and a salad. Next Chef D-Sav had created a delicious chicken alfredo entree. The boys were so adorable (and manly of course) serving the food, refilling drinks, and attending to every need. They had even planned out dinner conversation by giving Andree and Bryce the responsiblity of dinner conversation so there was never a dull moment. (Especially once we found out Bryce had googled for conversation topics.) After dinner the girls were served tea (a KG ladies favorite) in the living room and entertained by the one and only Josh Cooper performing on cello (another favorite) while the boys prepared the cheesecake with strawberry drizzle dessert. I think one of the highlights of the evening was when the boys disappeared for a few minutes upstairs and then came back dressed as each other and put on a skit for us which gave us a behind the scenes look at the men's meetings planning the evening. -- Guys, I know we've told you and we probably won't ever get over how incredible the evening was. Your intentionality in the plans you made to bless and surprise each of us was such a joy to witness. Our expectations were blown away and the night was one for the memory books.

The Amazing KG Men (minus Eric and Nick): Bryce (as D-Sav), Neal (as Bryce), Stephen (as Neal), Josh (as Stephen), Andree (as Josh), & D-Sav (as Dre).

_________________________________________________________________
My darling, what a joy it is to watch you lead and befriend these men. You do such an excellent job of leading this care group and the ways in which you motivate with the gospel, lead with love, and sincerely care for each and every member of our group and have made them your/our friends make me love you more. I remember not too long ago attending a care group dinner put on and hosted by the care group men in the Garf/Fam days. I remember it most of all because that was the first night we hugged, simply as friends but somehow I remember it. Must have been a sign. I love you baby! I cannot wait to watch you similarly lead and teach our sons someday.

those people we love

oh yea, annnnd we've been hanging out with this crew:
the latest adventures:

1. adding two newbies: Taylor and Julie. we love them already of course and can't wait to get to know them more over the next few weeks and months and watch what God does in their lives.
we've also got two great, godly guys who are doing internships at NIST temporarily a part of our group. it's been a lot of fun to welcome new guys into the group considering our official roster has 10 girls to 3 guys on it. plus these two are pretty much brilliant so our KG IQ goes up a million points when they hang out with us.

2. free haircuts.
DeeJam gave me a sweet trim before I headed into NA.
Courtney gave Andree a sweet buzz a couple weeks ago.
3. KG Summer Day # 1
in lieu of having children to plan summer vacation for Andree has planned "summer days" for the KG. one day in June, one in July, and one in August to take time off work and spend time together doing summer things like going to the beach and a theme park.
June 25th was the first summer day and a group of us spent the afternoon exploring DC. Where we surfed the Metro...
happened upon the Folklife Festival on the Mall...
we went on a carousel ride...
wandered the National Gallery...and then of course, how else would a KG summer day in DC end without a little baseball? The rest of the KG met us at the stadium where their presence proved to be the lucky charm that gave our team the win! such a fun day!

You guys are THE best!! We are so grateful for your friendships. For the way you pursue our friendship and involvement in your lives. Thank you for the investment you've made in this care group. You guys own KG and that's what makes it what it is. That and Jesus. What a gift from God you guys are to us! We're so grateful that we're all still together and looking forward to what God has in store for the coming year.
Oh and thanks for your loving "pranks." We're grateful for the ways you let us know you love us too. ;-) (Right, D-Sav?)
(Balloons that greeted us when we arrived home from our anniversary trip: Seriously these balloons were not a joke. They were huge! and there were tons! Plus there were special notes taped to the mirror and even in the balloons encouraging us and making us laugh.--Oh and as a bonus two weeks later when we finally got around to destroying them, Lyd came over early and helped with that so the loud noises didn't traumatize me too much. I'm not kidding. I left the house while she and Dre popped them all. Loud noises are no thank you!)

In the last few weeks we've given away a dozen Little Dronkies to good homes. Dronkador, Dronkeisha, Dronkey Junior, and on and on, are all happy with their new families. We're glad they're being so well loved and taken care of. (Dronkey is really happy to not be responsible for over a dozen Little Dronkies while Puppa is away at work during the day.) I think Dronkelina found the best new home: she now lives within walking distance to Rita's and gets to hangout with the sweetest little girl, Blankie, Duckie, and Floppy all day long: Peter's Blog.

(pc: Peter Bang)

"The Spot" by Kless Group

A Justin Toops Production.

You guys are the best!

Tennis Champ

On Saturday, the KG gathered in force to support our favorite tennis champ the one, the only...(and of course, some outtakes)

Dre and Lyd switched accessories: Andree is wearing Lydia's sunglasses and Lyd is rockin' Andree's Nationals hat (one of his nine hats).The champ in action!! Peter Bang would probably be the only person who could get a good action shot but I (Becca) tried my best.
Andree after we got shushed by Neal. You don't cheer at a tennis match. And if you have signs you should hold them quietly and in a non-distracting way. (I tried to keep him under control but he was pretty excited.)And then we got free Rita's!! What a lovely day to spend outside with wonderful people!

and the rest of the week...

Voila! The finished bookstore. To the left are the registers and the line barriers which you can't see in this picture. The far left of the picture are the "exhibitors" (Master's Seminary, New Attitude, etc. etc.) and the rest is the bookstore...
Our fearless leader (posing with a picture of his 'grill' that he pretty much carried around the entire conference), Drewbie Chew Garfield. We have so enjoyed being able to serve under Drew with conference bookstore the last year or so. T4G was an amazing undertaking and responsibility and the way Drew executed and thought through the entire thing was stunning. It was so much fun to take time at dinner the last night together as a team to honor him and point out the excellent work he had done. (And PS--Yay for Drew having a girlfriend too; he and Mel make such a fun and servant-hearted couple!)And then just as quickly, it was all over. Seriously it felt like we were there for maybe three days total: one day of arriving and unpacking/setting up, one day of chaos running registers etc., and one day of final registers and collapsing in inventory counts. I think each member of the team was uniquely aware of God's grace physically and mentally sustaining them as some of us worked 8/9 am until 2 am. It was possibly the most exhausting week of my life and yet one of the funnest times I've had in a very long time, and what fun to serve alongside some of our favorite people and my beloved.
Dinner on Friday night. Andree eating a cheeeep and Raleigh our new friend from Southern. We're enjoying being his first experience of Sovereign Grace.
One of the highlights/special moments of the week: watching The Office off of Lydia's TIVO via Skype on Andree and Lyd's computers. The technology was overwhelming but pretty cool at the same time. Plus hearing Mrs. Harnett's laugh in the background only made it better.Dronks was happy to see his friend Lydia even though I think it was a little confusing to him why she was talking so much and yet he couldn't smell her or touch her. (Sorry Lyd, the smiling pictures have the Skype menu in the way.)



And then... We came home... To this!!
Our dear KG, namely Kristen and DJ who actually broke into the house, blessed us with streamers, balloons, and little notes all over the apartment. It made us smile so big as we fell into an exhausted nap on our bed. We love you each so very much and are so grateful for the relationship God has given us with you guys. Praying for y-o-u's!!

KG

thanks k.snyd!

The Merry Adventures of Kless Group # 809

Tonight in lieu of a regular meeting Andree and I decided that these hard-working college students facing their first finals deserved something special: cookie decorating! Last night for date night Andree and I made a couple dozen sugar and gingerbread cookies (or tried to. Andree got a little creative and was "retired" to the other room.). Tonight after clearing away the dinner dishes we mixed up some icing and went to work. The end result is several dozen lovely cookies--and some odd ones, including a PacMan character gone mad that ate a gingerbread woman's head off. Andree and I both enjoyed laughing and watching our friends get to know each other and their cookie decorating quirks. Lydia is more assertive with cookies than anyone I know. And Katie has a dangerous love for icing. (Lydia: "Katie, you make a porcupine!" Katie: "Ok but I'm going to eat it." Lydia looks at her like she's joking and hands the cookie over. Katie squeezes some random piles of icing onto it. Looks Lydia straight in the eye and munches away... Maybe you had to be there but soooo good!) Anyways, you guys are the greatest! We're praying for your finals, missed those of you who weren't able to make it, and can't wait until the next time we spend with you all!

This is Andreecito's first cookie. Notice the bite mark? Not a bite: it's a carport.
One of the examples of a "creative" gingerbread man. He's drowning in the ocean. (Wish I had a good picture of the PacMan-eating-a-gingerbread-girl combo or of the "poor guy" who has had a very time in the hospital.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

(stolen from dear Lyds :-P)

We have so very much to be thankful for and it seems that each year our list grows. Here are just our top five:
1. Each other--What an amazing blessing marriage is! Neither of us can imagine life without the other. Lamentations 3 rings true daily in our relationship: "His compassions never fail. They are new every morning."
2. Our BFF's--From the Nutters, the Remys, the Whites, the "former" Bang cg crew, the K-Marc group, Nurse Jess, and oh so many others! We are rich in friendship! We love you all so very, very much and thank God for you!
3. KG--Oh man. What fun we have with you all! Our singles group is bar none the best care group out there. Fellowship, laughter, food, and encouragement mark every meeting it seems. We cherish the memories we've already made together (does Neal go to bed earlier on Thanksgiving? should kg start standing for 'Kingdom of God' instead of 'Kless Group'?) and the time we've spent together before our Father. We are spurred on to follow God more because of you all--not simply because we are humbled and out of our league in trying to care for you but because of your godly examples to us.
4. Our families--We are so blessed to have both families living nearby. We know that it's not a common experience to be able to pop in to visit either family whenever we like. We're so grateful for the way that our parents and siblings love us, pray for us, and enjoy spending time with us. We're so grateful that God created our new family from two wonderful families that both happen to live in MoCo.
5. Our home--What an amazing blessing our little love nest is. Almost every day I look around me in disbelief that this lovely, well-equipped, warm little home is ours. We are so grateful for the physical provision and the wonderful family who opened their home to us. What a joy it is for us to know and share life with each of them: Denny, April, Conner, Jake, and soon-to-be Elijah, we thank God for you!

And hopefully our acknowledgment is obvious but the reason we're able to enjoy each of these things, the reason we have any of these things is because of our great and glorious Creator! These "things" make us amazed but our hearts are truly in awe when we consider what God has done for us in sacrificing His perfect sinless Son for us, opening our eyes to that glorious truth, and then beyond that blessing us with such a comfortable life here on earth.

"Oh, enkindle a flame of undying gratitude to You, on the clay-cold altar of my heart. I mourn and lament that I am so little and so feebly affected by the magnitude of Your mercies, and especially by the riches of Your grace and love manifested in Jesus—that my affections are so little alive to the incalculable obligation under which I am laid to Him who has 'loved me with an everlasting love.' I am doubly Yours. Creation and redemption combine in claiming all I am, and all I have, for You and Your service. Good Lord, preserve me from the sin of insensibility to Your unwearied kindness—of taking Your mercies as matters of course, and thus living in a state of independence of You. May my whole existence become a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving—may all my doings testify the sincerity and devotion of a heart feeling alive to every gift of the great Giver; and, especially, may I be so brought under the constraining influence of redeeming love, as to consecrate every power of my body and every faculty of my soul to Him who so willingly consecrated and shed His very life's blood for me." (John MacDuff)

People That We Love

Seriously, who wouldn't love this bunch? Friday night our singles care group went to the corn maze up in Thurmont. Being the competitive group that we are (seriously you should see these guys play Wii! ::coughcoughCourtneycoughcough::), we divided into three teams each led by one of the single guys and "raced" the corn maze. It was a pretty serious affair, at least on Team David. Lots of map studying and executive decisions were made. The girls practiced following and supporting male leadership even when it made no sense. We all had a blast and then returned to our care group 'hot spot' Waffle House for warm food and fellowship on the way home. (Of course on the way to Waffle House we made special memories including logs in the middle of the road and heroic single men leaping out of cars to save others.)


Team Bryce: Courtney, Bryce, Ellen, and Lydia.
This team managed to find a road "in" the corn maze. No one is quite sure how or where it was but there is documented proof that they wound up on a paved, marked street while wandering through the maze. They also lost and found a camera and did their hair in the corn maze. Quite the team.


Team David: Andree (pretending to be a girl), Becca, Katie, and David.
Katie and I had a blast making special memories following Dre and David (aka "Michael" and "Dwight") through the maze. Amazing map skills and David's corn-stalk removal process gave us the win. I also think we won since Katie had been vigorously studying the online map of the maze for weeks. (And I was clearly taking no chances at getting cold at 10 o'clock at night in the middle of the corn maze.) The death of "number 11", the boys realizing it was foolish to try and "scare" the girls in the maze, and our knives made it a special team.


Team Neal: Kristen, DJ, and Neal
The only team that came up with their own team name, "The Incredibles." We never saw this team in the maze and thought the entire time that they were beating us. Clearly one of the cutest teams in the maze and everyone was grateful Neal stayed awake past his bedtime and didn't wind up making himself a bed and going to sleep in the corn.


Andree and Katie graciously and humbly encouraging Neal after Team David won the "race."

All in all it was a great night. Andree and I are so blessed to lead and be friends with the 10 people God put in our group. We have a blast with them whether it be in a corn maze, at Waffle House, watching 'Jon & Kate Plus 8, or sitting in the living room talking about what God is doing in our lives. We've already seen them each grow in godliness and they provoke us in many ways. We can't wait to see what God has ahead for each of them!

You guys are the best!
"For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, the hope to which he has called you, what are having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ..." (Ephesians 1: 15-20)

We're Single Again...

Yup you read that right: Andree and I have officially returned to the CLC Singles Ministry (aka ONE). The one and only Kless Care Group met tonight for the first time. Oh what a wonderful group we have!! Andree and I were excited ( and honored!!) to be asked to be cg leaders, we were excited when we saw our roster of who was going to be in our group, and we are even more excited now reflecting on our first meeting together.

Guys, we can't believe we get to be your care group leaders and walk out lives shaped by the Gospel together! Thanks for coming!!--and being excited to come! Thank you for the humility you've already shown in your prayer requests and willingness to pray aloud for each other at Jimmie Cone (in the rain!). We can't wait to get to know each of you more and build into each other. May God give us many fun memories and bless us with opportunities that cause us to stop and be in awe of Him together. We can't imagine where the next few years will lead us--and we can't wait to see them unfold together!

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:1-2)