Friday, November 21, 2008

Old friends, new memories

Sometimes in life you meet a person and you experience something together and then you wonder...will I ever see that person again? Did God bring them into your life for only a short period of time? I've been home from Africa for nearly 4 months now and it still seems like just yesterday, I was sleeping in a tent in the bush under a brillant star speckled Zambian sky. Today, I got to see an new "old" friend from Africa and make some new memories. Simeon is from Vancouver and went on the trip to Africa as part of the Launch Out Ministries trip. While in Africa, there were a few people I felt spiritually close to, people who had similar feelings about things that I did, people who were just on the same level as I was. Simeon was one of them and he and his friend were driving through New York State today. So we had dinner and got to relive our Africa adventures, talked about current things in our lives and just had a great time. I guess you never know what surprises God has in store for you. Sometimes, I think he does bring people into our lives for a short time. Other times, those people become our friends, our sounding boards, our companions. Either way, it is amazing how many people we will come into contact with during our lives. People of all nations, classes, races, beliefs...I don't believe that happens by accident or coincidence. I believe we are given opportunities to connect with one another and sometimes, every once in a while, you think about those connections and how they have made a difference in your life.




Today, I hope you remember a connection you have with someone...or make a new connection! Today, I hope you are thankful for the people around you, for how they touch you and for how we are all connected as members of the human race!

5 comments:

Framing Images and Memories said...

How cool! What a great treat...you inspire me to reconnect so I will email my college roommate tonight..thanks!
Glad you had a good day..was the trip good at school?

Linda said...

Very nice-both the photo (com' on, now, did you take it?) and the story. As you recall, I had an experience similar to yours just about a month ago (only my connection was only by phone). It's a real high, isn't it? Glad you had the chance to re-visit with him. I'm convinced that it's God's design, but sometimes I wonder what He intended the point of it to be since I'm often frustrated by the brevity of the meeting, or the apparent non-importance of it. Sigh!

Anonymous said...

How nice, HB. I remember you talking about him when you got back.

And Linda? From God's dealings with me, maybe the point is ... don't get frustrated. :)

trishalyn said...

Gee, Jayme...I thought we had you! I remember you writing a while ago that you needed a tripod. So when I saw this wonderful photo of you and your friend, I was convinced someone else shot it, because I knew your arms weren't that long! Ha! But I read your explanation on Linda's blog...so grudgingly, I must admit you're still in the competition. :-) All kidding aside...great photo! You can always tell when people are enjoying themselves, because it comes out in the image. Just one question...how many "takes" did it take to capture this one? Great job!!!

trishalyn said...

P.S. I think I recognize the man sitting in the booth behind you. How funny!

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