Friendship and Coffee

I had coffee with two amazing women Friday morning. One of these women, Ixie, lives in California and she is here visiting my friend Sally. I met Ixie for the first time on my second trip to Sierra Leone, Africa in November of last year. On our trip we were all so enthralled with the kids that we didn't get the time together that I wished we would have. So you can imagine how excited I was for this coffee date! I knew from watching Ixie with the kids in Africa and all that Sally had shared with me about her that she was an extraordinary person. I couldn't wait to get know her better...to just be in her presence.

As we sat in the coffee shop I asked Ixie to share the story of how she came to Christ. I NEVER tire of hearing these stories. In fact, I have often thought of how wonderful it would be if we could listen to these stories for all of eternity once we are in heaven. I think it would spur on the most powerful worship experience that has ever been.

I loved hearing how the Lord pursued my precious friend and rescued her from despair. It is so beautiful to me. She is madly in love with the Lord. He has given her a wonderful life in Him. She is thanking Him for that life by pouring His love into others.

As I listened to her story my heart filled with hope for the lost again. There are many people being pursued by God this very moment. Some of those people are overlooked by the church or scoffed at by the world. I have hope for them. I have hope for the least of the least.

He always has and always will use the weak to lead the strong. This is one of the things I love most about His character. When we come to him feeble and powerless, in complete surrender, He uses our lives to make a difference in significant ways. He delights in raising us up from the ashes of our broken lives to display His beauty for the world to see.



He is weaving together the lives of people who's hearts who are devoted to Him. As we talked we were marvelling at the way God had connected Ixie to Sally's life when she needed family. He connected Sally to my life when she needed community. He connected my life to theirs when I needed friendship.

Even though I have only known Ixie a short while...even though Sally and Ixie have been friends many more years that Sally and I...for those 2 hours in that coffee shop it felt like the 3 of us had been friends for all of our lives. It felt as if the 3 of us had a mutual love for each other, the Lord and humanity. This can only be God. Just another one of His miracles. Just another reason I am so happy I said yes to Him 13 years ago. Just another reason I am thankful that He is a relational God who has called us to place worth and value in relationships and not material possessions. Just another reason to praise Him!

We rambled on about our love for those sweet orphans on the coast of West Africa, our wonderful husbands and few things in between. I can't help but think that God flew Ixie all the way to Oklahoma to give me that time as a special gift. Ok, maybe that's not the only reason, but I bet it is part of the reason. He delights in giving His children good gifts...and what better gifts than friendship and coffee :)

I love you sweet friends!