Feeding the Multitudes II

My apartment came to life last night as 30 or so students gathered for our first ever D.Y.O.D. (Do Your Own Dough). The idea was borrowed from a bakery in Greenwich village that hosts private parties where guests create their own cookies, so I offered up my own version to help Kale (an IV student leader) celebrate the release of his 1st CD.
When 3am rolled around my thoughts finally drifted towards sleep. I expected to sink into my bed with exhaustion, instead I sat on my futon (where I ended up sleeping that evening b/c my bed was piled with newly folded clothes forgotten in the midst of the party preparations) with the feeling of deep satisfaction of seeing something gone well. My body was tired, but I only felt a lingering buzz marking the descent of the previous hours excitement. I thought about the evening greatly pleased by the turnout that allowed different groups of people and individuals to meet for the first time. On campus, students are often segregated by their ministry affiliations, having friendships from only one social circle. But last night, students from The Well (an affiliate campus ministry) mixed with students from InterVarsity. Freshmen and new transfer students mixed with returning upperclassmen. People on the fringe interacted with those in the core. I couldn't help but feel grateful -- grateful for the location and layout of this new apartment that made such a party even possible, grateful too for my new roommate who volunteered a helping hand when the balance between time and my to-do list had become horribly disproportionate, grateful for how God answered my prayers that evening.
This too was a feeding, but this time, I was never overwhelmed, never in doubt of God's spirit at work in each person. Some came because they knew I was having a party, others came because someone else had invited them along. It was deeply satisfying to see each one, no matter how they came, met with hospitality, warmth, and love. Food and conversation abounded. The multitude was slightly less than before, but the provision no less.