Last week we transformed our living room into a fancy restaurant. And by fancy I mean we had white Christmas lights, we plugged in our electric fireplace unit and we all dressed up for dinner. It was our first Canvas Group Valentines Day Dinner. The gentlemen of our CG cooked an Italian meal for the ladies, served them, waited on them and played host to this event, which last about 3 hours including desserts, talking and picture-taking.
The hope was first to bring some unity to the group. Even college kids have a tendency to clump together in their friend groups and can forget that they're part of something bigger. The second hope was to help our men serve their sisters, to treat them with care and respect, especially on a day where single people can otherwise tend to be very bitter.
I'd say it was a bullseye on both counts. I was so proud to see the guys step up and serve so well and I was so proud to see us bond as a group. Even how we sat people was strategic, so that people could get to know others in the group they wouldn't necessarily sit by typically.
My prayer is that this carries over from here. That upperclassmen and fresh men can care for each other, that guys and girls don't separate like a junior high dance and that we continue to build trust within the group so we can be real together and live for God together.
