Adventures with Bekah

"One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
   but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24

I just need to write this already. I have been coming back to this post for a week now and I keep not being able to type it. I just don't have all the words. The great words. The words that would adequately describe how much seeing this face, up close, in person, meant to me. The words that can describe what it was like to drive to the airport 45 minutes away so giddy with excitement, and then wait behind the "security" check point (Lincoln airport is ridiculously small) until she came off the plane. The words that would fittingly tell how thrilled I was when I saw her, and hug her, and walk arm and arm with her through the airport and catch up, and talk, and ramble on and on about Harry and this and that as if we hadn't been apart for 6 1/2 years.

But I don't. I don't. There are no words good enough to describe what seeing her and having her stay with us meant to me. There are hardly words to describe my thankfulness to a God who brought this gem of a friend into my life all those years ago...

"I thank my God every time I remember you..." Philippians 1:3

See I met Bekah six and a half years ago (in the summer of 2004) during a mission trip in Lima, Peru. She was at the time interning with Book of Hope and traveled to Peru to meet up with our group- to coach us, teach us, work with us, and just be there as a rock of help. We spent roughly six days together serving in schools all around the city and spreading the love and hope of Jesus.

"In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:4-6 

I remember looking at this girl of eighteen and being completely in awe of where the Lord had taken her already in her short life. Fascinated with her stories of world travel. Listening to her heart. God was using her in really big ways that just blew my mind. She was one of those people that you can just look at and see the light of the Lord shining through. There was something about this girl...

But, but.but.but.but but....it wasn't until I saw her bust out some "Miss Independent", in the middle of our hotel lobby, and then look at me and expect me to do the same and then some, "I'm sorry, you want me to do what?! Oh, shimmy and shake it in front of 15,000 Peruvians in the name of Jesus with Clarkson blaring in the background. Suuure. No prob." Ha ha! But I did. Because she believed in me. And I knew then that was someone I'd want in my corner. Because she cheered me on then, and she hasn't stopped since.
*(Like I said, I knew there was something special about that girl. Anyone who likes to bust a move as much as me is my kind of friend! I still can.not listen to that song without having flashbacks. :) )*

So that's how we started.

Flash forward to today and our friendship has certainly been unconventional, only steadily keeping in touch via email over the course of all these years...but somehow, even through the lack of contact, the Lord forged together a friendship so strong that I can unequivocally say Bekah is one of the greatest friends I have.

So, needless to say, a get together was seriously overdue. Like six and a half years overdue. :)

Her trip to Nebraska  (and Iowa-hey! glad we could help her check that one off her list!) was absolutely delightful, and windy. The girls made a new friend in her. They literally made me set up her bed almost two weeks before she came because they were beyond excited. We looked at her picture everyday on our fridge, talked about her travels in S.A., how she loves Disney so much, and on and on. They loved her before they even met her.

We stayed up until the wee hours of the morning each and every night unpacking all our thoughts on life, love, joy, pain, dreams, scripture, books, movies and just about everything in between. My jaw was actually sore from all the talking and laughter after she left. :~)

We totally got the smack brought down on us by Isaak and Vern playing...wait for it...wait for it...Twilight.Scene.It. Pardon me...buah ha ha ha ha ha ha! Yeah. Yeaaaah. We lost to boys, ugh, playing Twilight. I don't know who was more embarrassed, us, or the guys. :) But seen as how Isaak is like the most competitive game player ever, he would gladly risk embarrassment for the sake of winning-just to be able to say he won. Love my husband.

("You *WIIIN*!" Haaaaaa ha ha ha ha! I love that my hubby knows Twilight trivia. I think that rocks.)

We managed to escape for some adult time to go see The Fighter (which, by the way was A.mazing! Perfect blend of drama and comedy. Though I don't think it was meant to be a comedy. :~) )

This picture of Isaak makes me laugh-I don't recall what he was saying over dinner, but it probably had something to do with how "awesome" he is. He takes his awesomeness very seriously.

Bekah brought us her favorite suckers from S.A. and made us some South African bobotie. Isaak and Marvelly enjoyed it though I have a feeling Sydaleigh is destined to be a vegetarian like her momma.

other random highlights from her trip...

watching Eclipse on New Years Eve
hearing her Dad say "douche bag" over the phone on New Years Eve
ringing in a New Year with her period.
hearing stories about her parents period.
talking about Africa
Bekah never even getting off start in Scene It.
"You WIIIN!"
playing Settlers of Catan
introducing her to favorite friends here
watching Gilmore Girls
crying and praying over each other in the middle of the airport
overhearing her invest time and love into my girls lives
learning what a "kitchen party" is...and is not.
laughing at the ridiculously bad 90's hair, and makeup, and clothes in The Fighter (not even Mark Walhburg can pull off acid washed jeans. Those need to stay away and never come back.)
rummaging through all kinds of crazy stuff at 2nd Chances (I found this gem of a pillow there. For real?! Who would lay there head on that thing-that's just gross, and a tad creepy. ) And this lovely ensemble. Is is a 70's patchwork jump suit, a clown costume...I do not know.



Bekah. One of my greatest friends from a God ordained meeting in a far away country. Still blows my mind. Sometimes I think it shouldn't by now. Sometimes I think I shouldn't be surprised anymore when God does something really cool and jaw dropping because, that's what He does...He's flippin' God and flippin' cool and does amazing jaw dropping things all the time. Why should I still be surprised when God works something incredible on my behalf? In theory I shouldn't. God has proven himself trustworthy and reliable and good and loving and given me more than I ever hoped for time and time again. But still...still...no matter how many cool things He's done in the past He finds a way to always leave me stunned. I just love that about Him.

That's like my 1, 567th reason I love the Lord so much. He will never cease to amaze me.

Because He knew I would need a friend like her-a friend to encourage me, support me, challenge and motivate me, pray over me, and pour life into me. There were so many days that I was in need of life and I would open up my inbox and read an email full of life giving prayers from her. My heart is overjoyed to have her in my life. And I'm confident that are many more adventures with her to come...

^"For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe." Ephesians 1:15-19a