Friendship

The word friendship has been on my mind since Monday. I have never been a social butterfly. I haven’t been one to make details about my life be known or let myself get close to many people. Thus, I guess you could say that I’ve never had a lot of friends; usually just a select few at a time. The older I get, the more I realize how important friendship truly is.

The past few months I have been opening up a little more… Okay, A LOT more! I find myself being unexplainably drawn to certain people, like never before. I don’t have any explanation for it. I am not normally one to go up and talk to someone and certainly not one to ask anything of anyone, if I can help it. My, how God has been humbling me and teaching me. I find myself stepping out of my comfort zone almost daily.

Friendship has been shown to me, especially today, by students and faculty at Athens. God has been using people to bless me. Today, one of my classmates gave me a donation for Honduras inside of a Christmas card. I was so surprised! Another one gave me a crimson hounds tooth boggin to keep my head warm while in Honduras. I had already received donations for gifts from two students. They didn’t have to help. You didn’t have to help. Yet, God is using people to bless and encourage me.

I can’t help but think what a great day Monday was. Tuesday was a different story altogether! I had a horrible headache and work… well… yeah. Anyway, today, I was on cloud nine all day... I had great news via email from Gracie first thing this morning. An unexpected donation had been made to the mission, which will help finish up a building that is currently under construction. Yay!

Once I got to school, I prayerfully took my final child psych exam. After the exam, I had a lovely lunch with an incredible, more importantly, Godly, woman. What a blessing! We talked about school, family, missions, etc.  I was telling her how I felt like God wanted me to come to Athens. I had never even been to Athens. I sure didn’t know that they had a university. Somehow, I ended up registered for classes there though! Since being there, friendship has slowly been developing a new meaning for me.

Thankfully, friendship isn’t just an amazing bond between people; it is also a church in Athens that I am becoming increasingly fond of. I have been visiting Friendship UMC on Wednesday evenings, when I can. I guess I’ve maybe been half a dozen times. It is way different than what I’m used to, but so uplifting. This evening they had a mission’s service. I was able to hear the stories of people who had been to the Sudan and Kuwait. Earlier in the day, I got to hear some about Rwanda and Russia. Hearing about the people in these places does something to me. It brings sadness to part of me, yet joy and purpose to another part of me. That God can use ANYBODY to go ANYWHERE to help spread His word is AMAZING!

Back to Friendship! Don’t ask me when, but at some point in time, the executive pastor was informed that I was going to Honduras. After the two missionaries had spoken, he mentioned some great things about Friendship. People that may not normally go to church on Sundays come to Friendship on Wednesdays because it is a relaxed family environment. He also mentioned how other people, who may not live around there, may be students, etc. come. I knew something was coming at this point! He then mentioned a young lady in the congregation and pointed at her. This is normally when I would melt with embarrassment into a puddle in the floor. Thankfully, I didn’t! That would have been a mess! He asked me when I was leaving and how long I was staying. Then he asked me to come up and kneel at the alter, so he and the church could pray for me and commission me.

There are no words to describe what exactly I felt. As this attention was drawn to me, I wasn’t nervous, as I normally would have been. I quickly realized why I wasn’t that nervous. None of this is about me. I know I am the one going to Honduras, the one blogging, etc. Still, this whole mission thing really has nothing to do with me. This is about Christ and His will for my life. I can’t describe how humbled and blessed I felt as I kneeled at the alter of a church that I’ve only been to a handful of times. That these amazing people would care enough to want to pray for me, of all people, was exceedingly humbling. 

During my long drive back from Athens, I couldn’t quite put my feelings into sentences. I was talking to God, but I could barely come up with coherent sentences. I know He must be amused by me sometimes! Simply put, I am thankful. I was so blessed by Friendship (the church and people) today. I was trying to think of something I had done to deserve such love from the Father and from these people. Would you like to know what I discovered? I discovered that I haven’t done one thing worthy of all of the amazing gifts (physical and not) that I received today. Not one! It is all God. He is at work. I can feel it. I have been feeling it a lot lately, but especially since Monday. I don’t pretend to know what’s to come. All I know is that He is my Father. “He is mine and I am His forever. He is leading me along life’s way…”

The Bible says, “Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel” ~ Proverbs 27:9. Each of you reading this has a different place and purpose in my life. Some of you have been around for years; others have only been around for months. Some of you have helped me for this trip financially, as sponsors. Others have donated clothes, toys, and other miscellaneous items for the children of Honduras. Many have provided prayers and words of advice and encouragement. No matter what your role is in my life, know that I am thankful for you. Please know that I pray God blessings pour upon you and your families. Lastly, know that you are loved and that I am thankful for your friendship and your presence in my life.