What a great weekend we had in Springfield at the third annual International Night sponsored by the singles in the Pioneer Valley Church of Christ to raise money for HOPE.  The singles in the Greater Boston Region have adopted the singles in the Springfield Church and this was the first time we had officially joined them in an activity in their neck of the woods.  They often come to Boston for our singles devotionals and other activities but the Folkers initiated the great idea that the singles in various Boston regions adopt some of the outlying smaller churches that have only a few singles and that could use the encouragement.  We had a wonderful time and some of us stayed overnight with various members of the church and got to go to the worship service there and hear Sajaan Sharma preach on “The Unanswered Questions of Jesus.”   His focus was on how even though some of Jesus’ prayers were not answered right away, we need to be willing to struggle in prayer, knowing that God knows what is best and will answer us His way and in His timing and not our own.  Prayer is hard work and we need to be willing to push through the hard times in prayer to really draw close to God and not stop when it gets tough.  I got to stay with Rebecca Schwartzentruber’s sister, ReAnn, and her husband, Rich, whom I had never met before.  It is a small world and kingdom.  After church a large group went to lunch at Panera’s and got to fellowship and just build relationships.  Barbara Marlin, Liz Iaokimidis, and I left there really encouraged and feeling the joy of being in God’s kingdom.