I often catch myself thinking about what my life looked like at this time last year. I was a second semester senior sitting in class daydreaming about being where I am now (not believing it would ever become my reality) and soaking up all my “lasts” with my best friends.
Fast forward a few months and we’re walking the stage. The final finale of the “lasts”. It was time to go our separate ways. I was excited for what the future held, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was also terrified of what was to come.
I’ve had the same friends since elementary school and we were inseparable, all the way until the days on the calendar ran out. I was scared I’d never have a close friendship like ours again.
But I was wrong.
I’m realizing that one of the coolest things about this journey is the friendships I’ve created all over the world…and the friendships I’ve created with the people sharing this journey with me.
God has blessed me with a sweet community of people, who are so on fire for Jesus and have so much wisdom to offer. They’re some of the most passionate and loving people I’ve ever met. We could talk for hours, whether it’s about something as small as a movie we just watched, or about religion and our complex thoughts. They each serve as an example and inspire me to seek out the Lord more.
Something God is constantly reminding me of is the friendships He’s given me all over the world. The people I have met might have been in my life temporarily, but they will remain in my heart and memories forever.
I’ll never forget the little girl who I played with every day in the slums of Nepal who called me “mom”, or the woman I prayed for in India who was full of so much pain, but looked up at me with tears of love and hope. There are many people that have impacted me like this and shown me friendship in new ways.
A certain friendship that has impacted me more than words can explain is a man named Phine (pronounced pee-shin). I met him through my ministry last month in Zambia at an “old people’s home”. My whole race, I’d been praying to be given elderly ministry because of my love for elderly people. They carry so much wisdom and history, which is something young people often forget or ignore. They’re a walking story.
I was ecstatic when I found out my prayers were answered. On the first day of my new ministry, I prayed that God would give me a special friendship for that month. I walked around introducing myself to everyone, even though most of them only spoke Nanja so we communicated through smiles and handshakes.
But then I walked up to a man sitting by himself underneath a huge oak tree. I immediately knew I was going to befriend this man. I approached him, thinking about how difficult the language barrier would be, but when he opened his mouth to speak, I heard the beautiful sound of English. THANK YOU JESUS!!!
He sat in a lawn chair, wearing a baseball cap, with a long-sleeved, checkered shirt and khakis. He had crystal blue eyes and a smile that radiated pure joy. He told me that he had been blind for about fifteen years and had no family. When it was time to leave, he asked me if I’d come back tomorrow and read him the Bible.
This turned into a routine. Every day I’d come and read a different story from the Bible. We’d hang out and exchange stories and laughs. I loved every moment I spent with him, even if it was just simply silence.
One day, my friend and I surprised him with bread and sugar, because he’d told us that was his favorite treat. The smile plastered on his face reminded me of a kid on Christmas Day. It warmed my heart.
Time passed by and before I knew it, the month was up. I dreaded the idea of having to say goodbye. When I showed up on the last day, I was greeted by an empty lawn chair. I asked a lady who worked there where Phine was, and she told me that he was in the hospital and wouldn’t be returning.
One of the hardest things about leaving each country are the goodbyes, but at that moment I felt robbed of even having that opportunity. I knew I’d never see him again, and was saddened by that thought. I didn’t know if he was still alive, or what was even happening, and the uncertainty was haunting my mind.
I questioned God’s purpose in all of this. Why he answered my prayers by giving me a friendship, but didn’t let me say goodbye. That’s when I clearly heard Him say “I gave the both of you a pure friendship that was based solely on the foundation of Me”. I found comfort in that. I still don’t know what exactly happened, but I know God put me in Phine’s life to read him the Word and give him one last friendship. And He put Phine in my life to show me that friendship has no age, and that joy and love come from the Father.
