some will find new friendships in unlikely faces

some will find new friendships in unlikely faces,
and old true friends as faithful and true
as the pillar of god's flame.

some will find new friendships in unlikely faces

done. maybe it's not as unlikely from my perspective, but from the perspective of an outsider, a 23 year-old, american, lutheran (who's not always all that polite) has found new friendships with roma kids, youth, and adults of multiple faiths as well as non-Roma youth and adults. not only that, but i've found friendships with people who find themselves in places where they are unable to find friendships with each other.

let's face it. life has been complicated here in eastern slovakia, but i wouldn't have it any other way. the friendships i have found here will be with me all my life, even if we don't manage to keep up communication. as we came back from our dorast tabor (middle age youth group camp), which was mixed roma and non-roma (enriching the experience for all of us involved), my eyes teared up multiple times, thinking about this coming saturday and the sad fact that i'll be leaving this place and these people for a very undetermined amount of time.

my friendships have come with such clear memories as well as many feelings of warmth.

• my rodina, of course. the numerous nights sitting and talking in english about so many things that matter, and just being with monika
• gabika's presence as a little sister, who i love
• walking back from the kupelisko with tomáš
• random, unexpected insights in the numerous bible studies with ľubo
• andrea and our time sitting on the back swing talking in whispers
• igor and lydia playing games, reading and doing priklady with the kids
• maroš's hard work and huge progress in math
• lydka's smile, our afternoon hiding in the corner, and then our afternoon remembering it and talking together, making bracelets
• bobrik odvahu (courage) planning and executing - everything from exchanging random looks with maťo to painting faces, listening to matuš and marian scaring the kids, hanging myself for the kids, and getting dumped on, putting an early end to the fun.
• my fellow central european yagms, lisa, sepp, matt, kristy, and emilie (and jeff) planning and executing our very own seminar
• the innumerable nights of great hospitality at trazy's
• movie nights with katka
• conversations with havri
• scrabble and loopin' louie with milka, mišo, and havri
• detský tabor with saša
• moments with milka
• fraňa and martin - their great love, unimaginable generosity, and their passion for work with roma
• skupinka
• rodinky
• d-rom, romsky dorast
  
• mládež

and that's just to name a few. the mix of people i have here warms my heart and fills my eyes with tears.

and old true friends as faithful and true

• stef has stood by me through it all. she has listened to me cry, refilled my supply of "guilt-free tears," listened to my joys, read through various things i wrote before i sent them, been my sounding board, helped me work through stuff.
• alma and i have kept our cerp going (though, admittedly, it is less frequent than it once was) through all of our separate adventuring
• erin and i have quite consistently exchanged letters throughout the year.
• mak is ever consistent with her letters (in a way that i can only ever hope to be).

though life has come and gone for people back home, people have stood by me, made a point of letting me know they care. people have graduated, died, been born, and life goes on here as well. those who stick with it are those for whom i am more grateful than i can express.

as the pillar of god's flame.

as we all know, i love fire. this poem always goes back to the exodus. the pillar of god's flame that lit the way. just as the isrealites only knew just a bit of what was ahead, only seeing a bit of what's to come, the flame or the cloud were always there. so it has been this year. i have vaguely known the plans for the year and what would come next, but it was never fully clear. each time, things would come to light, just in time. i would get the information i needed in time to get whatever it was done or to get ready to go.

so, this year, i have come to trust god in a way i haven't before. i have come to trust god not only with the big things (life, eternity, heaven, my call to be a pastor), but also with the littler things, the more immediate things. i have gone to god in prayer for healing, for peace, for discernment. i have found the value in prayers and prayer lists. trusting god with money, food, logistics, trusting god with all my life, not just the stuff i couldn't control if i tried. god's pillar of flame has proved stronger and truer than i could ever really explain.

some will find new friendships in unlikely faces,
and old true friends as faithful and true
as the pillar of god's flame.