Friends....

Friends: Most of us have them. All of us want them. Very few can live without them. However, TRUE friends come along and our lives truly are changed for the better. I don't want to sound mushy and gushy. But, I have learned in almost 30 years of life that people come and go in our lives-- whether they are no longer in our lives because of a disagreement (which really, if you can't have a disagreement with a friend and still remain friends, it would be safe to say they were never a true friend to begin with) or because of distance and time, there still remains the handful (in my case it's not even a handful) of people that you can count on for anything or who would do ANYTHING for us.

Facebook is a funny thing. I have 460 people listed as my friends. Some I went to high school with, college with, some were coworkers at some stage in my life, some were teachers I had in high school or college, and some friends go as far back as elementary school. Then there are those who have requested to be my friend, and I have seen those same people in public, and they don't speak or acknowledge my existence. I enjoy being on Facebook. It's fun to "socialize" and read other people's status updates. But, it can be an awkward thing, too. But Facebook isn't the reason I'm posting this blog entry. I just got a little off the subject here.

Back to my original train of thought-- So, last year I went to Nicaragua on a mission trip. Some of you may or may not know that and may or may not care. But, it was a blessing. I enjoyed every SECOND I was there. We had limited electricity, no air conditioning, no toilets (well, not what I would consider a toilet), no comfortable beds, lots of bugs (which included a few scorpions), lots of heat, lots of dirt, lots of standing up on concrete floors all hours of the day, a maniac bus driver, muddy showers outside, and we even had to de-lice ourselves (twice) at the end of the week, but I thoroughly enjoyed every moment from the minute I stepped on the plane in Jackson, Mississippi, to the time I stepped OFF the plane a week later in the same airport. I was already set in my heart and prayers to go back the following year (which, of course, would be this summer.)

When the time came around this past winter to start signing up again and getting finances in order, I knew I wouldn't be able to go. However, I still held a small glimmer of hope that somehow God would provide if He wanted me there, but I was really trying not to get my hopes up. A couple of months went by and no money magically fell from the sky, and apparently the money tree I planted out back didn't quite thrive as I had hoped. So, seeing as how a mission trip to Nicaragua cost more than a luxury vacation ($2,000) I knew my opportunity to go was not going to be this year. Plus, we sort of knew Chad would be taking this new job, and his vacation time would not be accrued in just a few short months, and I needed someone to take care of the boys during the day while I was away. It was looking like God wanted me to stay here this time. I was heartbroken. I didn't dwell on it, but when I thought about it at all, it made me really sad.

So, what does going to Nicaragua and true friends have in common? Well, I'm getting to that. When I knew there was no way I could afford to go (even if someone offered to pay for half) I told the Minister of Administration at our church and just had to make peace with it. Within a couple of days, I was called and told to sign up to go, fill out my forms, and make plans to go that week because my trip was going to be taken care of. At first I didn't say yes. I don't always feel comfortable knowing someone else is footing the bill for me to do something. Sometimes it makes me feel selfish. So, I told the church that I would think it over and pray about it and see how I felt in a few days. Apparently the deadline to sign up was quickly approaching because I had to make a decision almost immediately. I went ahead, filled out my paperwork and sent it all in. I had no idea who was taking care of this and how many people were taking care of it (and I still don't know ALL the details, of course, because people give anonymously in situations like this) but I had to trust that God would provide every last penny because once I signed up, my hopes soared through the roof and I got really excited about being able to go. And I knew we were strapped for extra money and I couldn't afford it.

Well, one of my sweet friends has taken VERY good care of me. I knew this friend had been helping out financially and possibly getting others to contribute. Because of her, as of last week, my trip was paid up. And no, she is NOT the type of person who wanted me to know that she took care of me financially-- she is the most humble, giving, genuine person I have known. Her AND her husband are. Which is why Chad and I have enjoyed getting to know them the past couple of years. She sat at the hospital with me for 6 hours on Memorial Day weekend last year when I was sick as could be and never thought about leaving my side. They raise their children with the exact same values we do, and they are true servants of Christ in EVERY way. I had no words to adequately thank her. How do you thank someone for doing such a HUGE thing? Not only financially, but this is a life-changing trip. For me AND for the ones I will be going to serve. I sent her and her husband a thank-you note in the mail, but really??? Is that adequate? No, it's absolutely not. I don't want to name who she is, because many who read my blog know her and her family and she would be embarrassed. And I realize there are probably others who contributed, and for you, whoever you may be, I am truly grateful. Again, there are no words to thanks the individuals who give in such a HUGE way.

Sometimes I feel sorry for myself, because friends have come and gone, some over some pretty petty stuff, and others who no longer needed to be in my life, nor I theirs. I don't have much of a life outside of my home-- my husband and my boys are my life, and I don't really get out much. But, I have friends who I know will take care of me. And I don't mean in the sense that they help foot the bill for a trip I want to go on. But, I mean friends I can call and cry to if I need to. Friends I can hang out with in the middle of the week in my pajamas when I need some girl time for a couple of hours (Adrienne that's for you.) I have lots of acquaintances and I have casual friends, but true friends are very few for me, and they're as good as gold, but priceless. As far as the situation with Nicaragua, God has truly woken me up and made me realize how precious my true friends are and how EXTREMELY blessed I am outside of my family. I truly treasure the friends I can still consider true friends that I've known since elementary school and high school, but I can also equally treasure the friends who have recently come into my life within the past few years. I have nothing to complain about, do I? So, why do I continue to do so?