Angela Garcia. She is my sister in Christ and she is more
than just a friend. She’s the person I
can talk to about anything. She is the person
I know God speaks to daily. She is the
person the Holy Spirit places on my heart and places me on hers. The interesting
and “God thing” about our friendship, our sisterhood, is how we met and how
quickly it happened. I met Angela once
or twice at church but never really spoke to here. Then one day last year I
went to pay my life insurance bill and stopped to talk to my dear friend Denton. Denton
said he wanted me to meet this girl and he wanted me to pray for her because
she had a migraine. I have struggled
with migraines for years so I was more than willing to meet and pray for her. When she came in, I realized I had met her
before and realized it was at church. We
talked for a bit and I prayed for her migraine. God brought relief to her. We exchanged
telephone numbers and back to work I went. My place of employment was having a concert in the garden for the staff
and we were able to bring a friend. I
thought about whom I would bring and God put Angela in my heart. So, I called her up and invited her. She was
excited and so we went. Very shortly
after this, like a week or so, the World Race came up and when I needed someone
to pray for me, I called Angela. We met
for lunch and I told her the situation. She told me she would be praying for me and she did. That begin our friendship. Within weeks God
took us from just being strangers who attend the same church, to truly being
sisters in Christ. Now, Angela works
where I once worked and she’s growing amazingly in the Lord. The point? The point is that in my life it has been very rare for me to meet people
and instantly KNOW they are people I want to keep around for a lifetime. So, when my friendship with Pastor Brian
supernaturally developed in a week what would normally take months or even
years, I knew it was orchestrated by the Lord. It is not very often that you
meet men in the states who are in their early 30’s who are desiring to be
servants for the Lord and even less who are that young who are pastoring
churches and starting ministries. Brian
is 32, he’s married to an even more amazing woman, Julie and they have 3
children. Brian is the pastor of a
small, but growing, church in Mutare. He
is also one of the founders of “Heal Africa.” The second person I have developed a supernatural
friendship with is Winnet. She is the
woman whose home we are currently living in. She is an incredible woman. She
raises her 3 children on her own, though she is married. Her husband is working in the states and is
only able to be home once a year for a month. She is a true woman of God, seeking Him first in everything she
does. She gives every minute of her time
to serve the Lord. She uses her car and
her fuel to transport people and medication all around town. She has an open door policy at her home. She
has offered numerous times for me to stay and live with her….the thought has
crossed my mind. I am blessed to be able
to share everything with her. Another
relationship that I am tucking away and taking with me is with Tapiwa. His name means ‘gift’. He is a 25 year old, recent college graduate
who is in love with the Lord, growing spiritually, and handling some of the
logistics for Heal Africa. God has supernaturally blessed me with a
brother in Zimbabwe! I love hanging out with him and I loved
working with his mother at the mobile medical clinic. Our conversations range
from hearing about his college days to sharing testimonies with one another. The
last “super natural” relationship I have made is with Felix. He is a nurse offering his services for the
mobile clinic. He is 26 years old and is
totally in love with Christ. He pours
out all the Lord has poured in to him. I
worked closely by his side and really admire who he is. It takes a strong man of God to step out in
faith the way he has. One way I know God is supernaturally building
relationships is the “testimony test”. It took me months to be willing to share my testimony with my team and
there are still things that I’m not willing to share, but with these three, I
have been an open book, and I love it. For the first time in 6 months, I have been ME! I have laughed and cried. I have prayed. I have sang and danced. I have made jokes and shared my
passions. I have been exactly who God
wants me to be and it’s been the best time of my life. Perhaps that’s why I’m reluctant to leave.
Perhaps it’s the knowledge that I have not always been able to be ME with my
team and the months past that makes me want to stay here. Fortunately this month has allowed me to be
me, and there’s no going back now. Whatever the reason, I have loved the
relationships God has blessed me with.
