Every person you meet in life could have an impact on you. Some we choose to cut out because of selfish wonderings, but some we choose to dive into. We choose to be intentional in seeking out why they are who they are.
I met Linn approximately 6 days ago and yesterday she left for Sweden. After saying goodbye at her going away party, I genuinely became sad and felt like I was losing something that had really been apart of my life for a long period of time. Seeing departures was not foreign to me because it is something I have become accustomed to here on the World Race… but this was different.
Linn immediately brought Joy to any room she walked into. She is an atmosphere changer. She brightened up the faces on the streets, and as I walked along side her, she sweetly constructed me on ways I could love people better. I had the privilege of spending the last few hours with her as she said goodbye to the community she has been working in for years. I was able to see the passion people had for her, the sadness children expressed when they realized they would not see “their Linn” anymore. I saw smiles, tears, and a tired Linn squeezing the breathe out of children as they laughed and squealed. For a second it seemed like poverty was put on hold because she was there. She was there to show hope, compassion, and let everyone know that things were going to be okay. It lit a fire inside of me to want that… to want that feeling not out of personal selfishness, but out of the truth that things are changing because of what the Lord has done in my life. To simply love people so passionately that you do not need an explanation about whom you belong to.
One afternoon last week my friend Linn got baptized. She was recommitting her walk to something so much bigger than she could imagine. The clouds sat in the sky with precision as the reflection bounced on the rippling water. We had shown up twenty minutes before her friends were to arrive. You could see the giddiness, the childlike smile as she skipped rocks on the water. Sand between her toes did not stop the pacing as she walked back and forth on the shore. Some memories are remembered through the eyes of one’s soul, and I will never forget the feeling of seeing my friend sink below that water and emerge a new being. It was organic, it was real, and I was honored to capture these moments for her.
I met Linn 6 days ago and sometimes that is all you need to make a difference.
Between the lost Farkles and songs she sang to herself, I saw a little Swedish girl wanting more.. always wanting more.. and not settling for the easy, but diving into the unknown!
Thank you for showing me a new perspective on life Linn!
