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The Blessing of Community






 Last year I found myself in an isolated area in the mountains, alone. As the seasons changed and the beautiful mountain colors of fall transformed the region, I realized how alone I was in the sense of the limited number of people who looked like me. My normal go to, church, wasn’t a weekly reality. Work wasn’t allowing us to take the kids to church, and I was often working on Sundays. But my thirst for community was real, especially in the midst of a turbulent separation. 


 


God answered my unvoiced need with not 1, but 8 different people. 5 were coworkers and 3 were in the community. People who know me well, know I like mailmen. I enjoy the weekly check in, the wave, the chit chat. (I say weekly because I don’t intend to catch them daily.) Missing this exchange with the mailman is what motivated me to purchase my first house. In the mountains the mailman wasn’t strolling around the block BUT he was right down the street. He was like a big brother to me. He gave me instructions on how to dig my car out of the ice, how to drive in the snow, and just provided conversation whenever I popped in. 



I was so thankful for him, as he helped me learn how to survive in the mountains and encouraged me before my big drives back to DC.



Part of my journey last year was becoming a car owner. It was a necessity in the mountains- but I had only had a car as a teenager. God provided a local auto shop where the owner decided to take care of me. The shop patiently dealt with my regular visits and questions and always did good work. One mechanic took me out driving to give me a hands on lesson of how to drive down the mountain and not warp my rotors! Who knew?!



A place I frequented is the YMCA. One of the instructors befriended me immediately. She consistently invited me to Bible Study, prayed for me after class, and encouraged me in the difficulties of work and a disintegrating marriage. She was like Cheers rolled up into one person. So loving, and she gave good hugs!



Then there was the diverse assortment of coworkers that God allowed to become community for me. Two, type A’s, were always up for conversations about how to do things in excellence. It was great to have a place to gather knowledge but also camaraderie in operating at a different standard. Then God provided me with the girlfriend, the one who you could say “Girl, you know what they’ve done this time?! Oh yes they did!” Having another person of color to talk to, a believer, buoyed me probably far more than I realized. We made it a point to have evening chats while the dogs played. And then there were the 2 men who looked after me in the absence of my husband. Anything I needed help with, they made clear I could call on them for. They consistently praised me, celebrated my birthday, and extolled my work with the children. They were always respectful while valuing my worth. This was HUGE in this season of my heart needing repair. 



No, the packaging wasn’t small group, or church. But it was Christian community gifted to me by God. They were integral to me learning to bloom in a very grey season. If you are struggling or just in a hard place, look up to see who God might be sending to be your community. They won’t be perfect, but perfectly curated for your current needs. 

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