Melanda...

Do you have that ONE person in your life that just ‘gets’ you? 

Someone that knows your hopes and your dreams?
Someone that encourages you and inspires you to be a better person?
Someone that knows your deepest secrets…and loves you anyway?
You consider this person your ‘best friend’ but in reality, she is more than just a friend.  She is your sister, your advocate, your partner-in-crime, your confidant, and at times, your conscience. She knows what makes you tick…because her heart beats for the same thing. Her house is your second home.  In fact, you don’t even knock any more—you simply walk in and announce, “Hey! I’m home,” and make yourself comfortable…because you know that you are probably going to stay a while.  The two of you have more in common than any two people you know, while at the same time your unique differences perfectly compliment the other.  When people see her, they expect to also see you—it is like a packaged deal. 

Such a person does not enter your life accidentally. All the match-making credit is due to God.  He has woven your hearts and minds together in such a special way and your relationship has His fingerprints ALL over it.

I pray that everyone is able to find a friendship like this—it is a sweet gift from God.

My gift from God is a woman named Randa. 

We met around three years ago (I think).  It is hard to remember because it seems like I have known her forever.  While living in Raleigh, God grew our friendship out of our shared interest in children’s ministry.  We taught Sunday school together in the two-year-old classroom and soon began attending the same Bible Study on Thursday nights.  I don’t exactly remember what happened from there—all I know is that for the past one to two years, we have been nearly inseparable.  Before moving to Uganda, she and I spent most of our ‘free’ time together, which meant that we were together almost EVERY day.  As a result, she and I know each other very well.  There is no one else that understands me the way she does.

She is the only one that will spend hours with me perusing the isles of Michael’s, followed by several more hours camped out on her living room floor crafting our latest Pinterest project. We share a love for children and chocolate. And we will never pass on an opportunity to test out a new recipe. (Some make it to the making-this-again pile while others…not so much.)  She is the only one who will play princess and airplanes with me in the church hallway. And when something funny happens (or happy, or awkward, or anything, really) she is the first one that I think about calling or texting.  When my life is turned upside down by a terrifying phone call, she is the only one I run crying to.  We have a million and one inside jokes…and I’m sure they will stay that way because I am confident no one would understand our humor.  The two of us together is called “Melanda” and/or “The Melanda Show” and we can spend hours at a time talking about anything…and nothing, all at the same time. She can finish my sentences (probably better than I can) and I am pretty sure we can read each other’s minds. Sometimes all it takes is a look and the two of us burst into laughter.

I find it without surprise, that even though we are separated by thousands of miles, living on separate continents, on two different sides of the world, our hearts are still being burdened for the same things. 

There are days when I feel like my heart is being shattered into a million pieces. I see my kids trying to manage a pain that is so foreign to me, yet cuts me so deep.  I try to pray, seeking God for answers and comfort, but it has become all-too-common that the words are just not there. Instead, I pray that God sees the brokenness both in my heart and in the situations that have caused the tears.

Then, during our precious Skype time, I learn that Randa’s heart is also unsettled —for the immense pain that she has discovered in the lives of her children.  She, too, is struggling to understand how someone so young can be asked to carry such a heavy weight.  Overcome with grief and affliction, she prays for God to intervene because the suffering that lay before her is just too much for one woman to handle.

Being a follower of Jesus is not always glamorous—in fact, most times it is just the opposite. But even in the valleys, God’s love overcomes.  His faithfulness prevails and we are able to smile, knowing that He has never left our side.  Sometimes His presence is revealed via a scripture.  Other times, an early morning sunrise displays His glory.  Then there are times when He sends an angel to meet us on life’s path, lift us to our feet, and walk with us on our journey to eternity.  

 

I know that Jesus loves me; he has proven it by the way He has intricately woven Randa’s heart to mine. I am thankful for her and for the way God uses her to encourage me, sharpen me, and spur me on to run the race with endurance until we finally see His face.  I pray that I am able to do the same for her.  And I pray that God will continue to be glorified in our lives, whether we are t