Juliana is one of my greatest, most joyful, energetic and down right wonderful gal pals. I have had the pleasure of serving through Young Life with her, living the last three years of life side by side, and just so much more than I ever would have expected …. You can only imagine how hard it is to leave a friend of that magnitude for a year!!! But instead of telling you how I felt, I let her guest write and tell me how she felt …. ENJOY!!!!
Also, here’s a photo of us hugging when I last saw her this past July… and there’s Allison (thanks for the sad selfie skills there Al)
I never though I would write a blog post; so I guess I’m a blogger now? Woohoo!
So let’s start this thing. I’m juliana lupacchino. Current oreo eater and avid blogger. (Okay not avid, but who knows where life will go.)
First off, I’m not a gal who journals. It seems like most of my friends do. Maybe I’m “too busy” to journal. Well, I think we’re all busy these days. Maybe I “don’t like to write”. Well, I love writing and for a while loved to brag about how I got a near perfect writing score on the SAT. Guess I still do, even though I’m way past high school. Maybe I get frustrated with how much faster my mind thinks than my hand can write. Or maybe I just have a hard time wanting to deal with how I feel about things. Maybe writing out my feelings would just be messy.
If I really came down to it, I think I would just like to pass through my day without really evaluating how something or someone effected me. Maybes it’s easier. Causes less conflict. Since life is so crazy sometimes, shouldn’t I allow myself to pass numbness as happiness? (Allow me to admit to passivity)
But here, let me really introduce myself. My name is Juliana Lupacchino, I live in Savannah, I’m a SCAD grad, a twin, a Christian, and I miss one of my best friends who is currently on the other side of the earth. Savannah asked me to write a blog post about what it’s really like to have your best friend out of the country for 11 months, and what it’s like to be on the other side of the World Race.
Let me tell you.
As someone who doesn’t take time to think about how she feels about most things (or rather feels just happy about most things), I would say that I’m happy about my friend being on the world race.
There, thank you for reading my blog.
…..
Okay, but if I really thought about it, ate a few more oreos….really took the time to write (like I never do).…really took the time to process (like I never do) these last months with savannah gone…really took the time to process how being on the other side of the World Race effected me…. then I would admit to you that it’s very very very wonderful and very very very very hard to have your best friend on an 11 month missions adventure all across the world.
It’s really an incredible thing to think that the Lord is moving in huge and real ways through someone I know and love so much. But it’s hard when they’re 12 hours ahead of you, and 9,000 miles apart. Everything is different, and it’s weird. It’s crazy. It’s incredible. It’s tough when someone was in so many parts of your life, and suddenly they’re not in any of them. Its a sudden stop.
Maybe some of you have had friends or family members work long term missions outside of the United States. Maybe some of you haven’t. But wow, if you’re curious about what it’s like in the slightest bit, talk to someone who has. To get a glimpse into what Christianity is like in other countries has been so eye opening. One of my favorite parts of catching up with sav is hearing about how the Lord is moving in Europe, Thailand, Malaysia, and so on. I’ve lived in the south my entire life, and sometimes I feel as if my view of God has been put into this southern stereotype box. BUT! God is alive and moving and talking LOUDLY outside of the south. I want to experience Christianity outside of the south so badly one day. But, hearing about Christianity outside of the south through Savannah’s stories already stirs excitement inside of me. The God I know is the same God that the people of Thailand know. He’s the same God that the people of Romania know. The people of Malaysia are created by the same God that created myself and my brothers and sisters in America. We are all under the same wonderful big God that knows us all and created us all.. even 9,000 miles apart.
Which…if I think about how vast the universe is, how many billions of stars and galaxies and planets there are… I could laugh at the thought that 9,000 miles is far. Wow God, we are tiny.
Having a friend serve the Lord abroad makes me feel as if I am being united with these people in a small way. I understand their culture a little bit more. I understand what life is like a little bit more. But, Savannah is really learning about and getting to know these people on such a relational level. She is loving girls and boys and men and women of different backgrounds in deep deep ways. More people are going to be united in Eternity one day because Savannah decided to trust the Lord and serve him in 11 different countries in 11 different months. One day we’ll have a massive party in Heaven, and I’ll meet all the people that Savannah lead to Christ. WOW WOW WOW.
The Lord is working in HUGE ways.
So of course I am sad that one of my best friends will be gone for many more months. I miss day to day life together. Selfishly I want it back. But, in comparison to the life she is bringing to people all over the world, I can allow myself to be patient for a little while longer for a dear friend to come home. I can wait several months. I can wait while she helps change eternity for many many others. While she listens to the Lord tell her who to talk to. While she walks with confidence through the streets of Thailand, and many countries to come. While she tells broken people about Jesus. I can wait. Eternity can’t wait.
So much love to you Savannah, forever and always.
-Jules
with love and tears in my eyes, sav
