Looking back over my life I can see that I have always been blessed by a variety of unique friendships. They are friendships that often involve a lot of iron sharpening iron. Rarely is it just that one person I spend all of my time with, but usually the Lord gives me a few groups of people that I consider close. My mother has always said that when it comes time to choose bridesmaids, I will have the isle lined. With that I feel blessed to have encountered some of the most incredible people on the planet. Even today some of my teammates comment on the fact that I have close friends from every team on our squad and often have close friends amongst the locals. There are those few people that come alongside you that really make a drastic impact on your life. Journeying with me this year have been 2 friends that I would put in that category. Unfortunately, for me, I have already had to say goodbye to these beloved sisters. So here is to my sisters Elizabeth Scaife and Brooke Witt…
Elizabeth, Brooke, and I were initially all on the same team, until we lost Elizabeth in the Daughters of Zion toss-up. Elizabeth and I had our first conversation at training camp right after we had been assigned to the same team. She recalls how obviously unhappy I was with my team assignment, but I recall doing my best to hide that fact. I remember meeting Brooke at the airport on June 5th. Our first interaction was being sent to find Elizabeth at her arrival. I remember we felt so awkward because we really knew nothing about one another or this Elizabeth girl. Looking back now there are few things I would change about my team, but without this initial team placement I doubt we would have all connected so quickly. The joy of late night conversations will remain a favorite memory no matter the location. We have found ourselves chatting in an empty bathtub due to few places to converse, at Spprrrrrr parties all over South Africa, on the bay in Cape town, on 30 hour train or bus rides through Africa and China, on the streets of the bar districts in Thailand, while extremely ill in my Cambodian bedroom, at a hostel in Beijing, walking the streets of Manila, or a variety of places around the world. Needless to say these women have played a huge role in my life this year. Iron sharpening iron to a degree I have rarely experienced.
Elizabeth is someone who always helps me keep my head up when I have zero clarity on what the Lord is doing around me and in my own life. Through her the Lord revealed to me early in the year while in a state of confusion that He was stripping me of my identity through circumstances in order to create an identity completely found in His truth. Over the year one of the greatest lessons I have learned from her is to give all of yourself away to those the Lord brings into your path. In each country she poured out the love of Jesus to prostitutes, students, the elderly, or Buddhist monks. Each time she did this everyone around walked away changed and she walked away emotionally torn because she wanted to do more for them. The Lord has given her great amounts of wisdom, knowledge, strength, and faith to survive the trials that come alongside.
Brooke is someone I have had the privilege to walk alongside nearly everyday this year. She has taught me the importance of being a person of integrity and truth. She always has a listening ear to support my need for verbal processing. Her listening is always followed with a word of compassion accompanied by the truth that I usually miss. Watching her live each day has reminded me that life may not be fair and just but God’s truth will always prevail. The privilege has been mine to minister alongside her. God has used Brooke to pour His compassion and mercy over the children of South Africa, the taxi drivers of Botswana, the prostitutes of Thailand, the orphans of Cambodia, the spiritually blind in China, and the people of the Philippines. Children flock to Brooke like nothing I have ever seen. Along the journey she and Silas, her fiancé, have met children in each country they want to adopt. I look forward to seeing their family in several years. I wouldn’t be surprised if they live overseas or in America with an international house full of kids.
Brooke and Silas decided it was time to re-enter America. With a wedding to plan on August 8th and family to spend time with before they have their own family, now is the best time to for both of them to go back to their individual families in Virginia and Georgia. As Brooke said, their World Race is just continuing at home. They are able to really enjoy their time preparing for their wedding, more commonly known as the World Race Reunion.
Brooke and Elizabeth…
I have been blindsided over the last week as to how much I miss you both. Peace has been present from the first moment I knew Brooke was going home. I now have peace that God’s sovereignty reigns as Elizabeth is undertaking her European Adventure. You have each left your permanent fingerprints on my life. This is simply a three-way fork in the road, yet I am confident the Lord will cross our paths again. It has been a privilege to live, laugh, and love with you. I look forward to more. Thank you for challenging me to end the race by giving all of myself to the people I encounter in Latin America! My hope and prayer is to impact this section of the world as if it had all three of us ministering alongside one another. Praying for you both…impact America and Europe as if the Lord were using all three of us at once. I love you like sisters!
Jessie
As iron sharpens iron, so one woman sharpens another.
Proverbs 27:17
