Jessica Leigh Hoover
About the Author

Jessica Leigh Hoover is a wife, mama, writer and grace lover. She lives in the hills of North Carolina where she writes and serves with her husband training and sending overseas workers. She loves {hot or iced and always sweet} tea, and heaps of good conversation. She blogs about her...

(in)side DaySpring: things we love
& you will too!
Find more at DaySpring.com
(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
Find more at
DaySpring.com
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  1. YES! THIS! We did a Sole Hope night as a family on Christmas Eve. It was a great way to sit around and talk AND accomplish something for others!

    Thanks for this challenge!

  2. This is such a GREAT idea! I wish it was close to me so I could do it. I’d say I’d coordinate one myself, but we just moved and I know no one and the harder I try to meet people and bring them in, the more lonely and hurt I find myself.

    I really feel like God is placing on my heart single mother’s this valentine’s day and I’ve talked to my husband about it – we are going to surprise “love” on those mothers in our community by sending them flowers and reminding them they are loved.

    • Sarah, I have been where you are. In fact I’m still there! We moved less than a year ago and I still feel so new to the community because we travel a lot as a family for what we do.

      I want to encourage you to be brave in community building. You can do this even with one or two other women. It doesn’t have to be big. I used to think when I moved to a new community that they should be the ones to welcome me. I’ve changed my mind a bit about that. Even if it is hard. Even if you fall on your face a few dozen times I think it is worth it.

      Be who God made you to be…and guess what? He made us all for community.

      I love your idea to love on the single mamas! Go! Do it! Praying for you as you courageously build community in your new place. Know that you are not alone in this.

    • Sarah, I love this idea. My sister is a single mom all the way across the country from me and life is hard for her on so many levels. I know God will use you to lighten someone’s heart through your kind attention.

  3. I love this idea. It might take a little bit more than a little bit of brave…perhaps a whole lot of courage to jump out of my quiet comfort zone. But, I think this is worth it. Thanks for sharing!

    • I’m jumping with you! This is not within my comfort zone and even posting here gave me all kinds of anxiety and nervousness. But God calls us out to love and mend the tear right? Not easy work on any level. Excited to be brave alongside you!

      • I’m excited to say I sent out some invites and scheduled my first girls night in for January 31st. And three lovely ladies have replied to say they are in! Thanks so much for the awesome idea!

  4. This is an awesome idea! I hope I will actually do it! I can’t find your schedule of events on your blog. I clicked on the highlighted words, but this is the message I keep getting: Sorry, the page you were looking for in this blog does not exist. 🙁

  5. Beautiful, Jessica. This is what you brought to my mind:

    When we allow ourselves to be stretched too thin, Jesus’ etching on our hearts can be revealed.

    Blessed by you,
    Shelli

  6. Maybe a year or so ago God put something like this on my heart. We were coming to the end of a ladies group at church and we were talking about what we could do next. Something exactly like this was on my heart. I pondered it and sadly let it die out and forgot about it.

    Over the last few weeks God has been whispering to me to get more involved, to do more. I had a few little ideas, and then I read your post and remember what God had put on my heart last year.

    I’ve already emailed my church admin for permission to make and invitation announcement on Sunday morning and am preparing a flyer to hand out! I have a ton of ideas swirling around my head and I am so excited!!

    Thank you so much for the encouragement! I can’t wait to share how it goes!!

    Vicki

  7. Great ideas Jessica.

    Yes. God made us for community and He gave us the “Great Commission”. He wants us all to go and make disciples–help others see Christ!

    Last Christmas our church’s women’s group sponsored a lady in a nursing home. They also wanted to help most of that nursing home’s residents. We were asked to buy gifts–pens, pencils, paper, puzzle books, etc. It was fun to go out and get stuff for others and know that you are making lives better.

    Also my hubby and I sponsored two Salvation Army children-boy and girl. That was a fun shopping trip.

    Enjoy doing such nice/Christian things for people.

    Blessing to everyone and May God work miracles on your Girls Night In. 🙂

  8. I just wanted to let you know that I read this back in January, and have been thinking about it since then. I loved your ideas. I am hosting a Noonday party in April, and ordered my supplies for a Sole Hope party for May. Thanks for the great idea, and encouragement!

    • Erika, that is so amazing! I hope your gatherings are amazing times of encouragement and that they spark something special in your community! Press on sister!

  9. Thank you for your encouragement. I been thinking about doing this a year ago and then I was in a car wreck then I found out I had cancer. I had surgery in September. The good news is that they got it all. I have been home recovering. We have started a new church. I am going to have a ladies day out and start doing this once a month