Thursday, July 12, 2012

Pen Pals

This summer my dear friend Kate (who I've mentioned before) is working with a church in order to help strengthen their youth ministry. She is just the girl for the job and I know that God has called her there for a reason, but that also means that she had to move a little over an hour away and live in the community in which she is working. Since she is living quite a distance and working very often (either hanging out with students, or planning events in her awesome office,) we don't have many opportunities to get together or share what is going on in our lives.

Thankfully, Kate has just enough time to be my pen pal for the summer and it's definitely one of the greatest things I ever been a part of. (No, I don't mean world-changing, earth-shattering greatness, just personal greatness... or secret awesomeness as Bob Goff would put it.)

Having a pen pal has really helped me grow in several areas:

1) It keeps me accountable about starting something a sticking with it. (I mean, if she wrote to me, and I never responded, that'd be pretty lame.)

2) It helps strengthen our friendship and allows us the opportunity to share in each others joys and struggles. It's helped make me a better friend, for sure.

3) It gives us the chance to pray for each other and not only get closer to God, but also help develop compassion and thoughtfulness within ourselves.

4) It encourages me to be open and honest about my strengths and weaknesses.

5) It gives me something to look forward to. Whether it's a bad day, or just a boring day, knowing I have a letter coming soon with the experiences, thoughts, and prayers of someone I love is exciting! Plus, it's great to get mail that isn't a bill or an unwanted catalog.

6) It gives me the chance to reflect on my week(s) and appreciate all of the things I was able to do.

7) It's a great way to get creative and have some fun - take a look at some of our beautiful correspondences:

If you've read through all that, then you've pasted the first test - you're ready to be a pen pal! 
(Just kidding, none of our letter are actually that long.)

Anyways, I encourage you to find someone, near or far, and start writing!
-N


1 comment:

  1. NIQUELLEEEEE! Just got to read this for the first time! It was so encouraging and it's all totally true for me too! I'm so glad I have such a sweet friend to write to! I am sending a letter your way very soon!

    Peace & Love mama!

    <3 Kate

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