Sweet Friends

June 13, 2013 by · 4 Comments

The camp season has started back up and though my roll is very different in the summer the love of the camp experience is still the same.

I am always changed by the things that happen here and always touched no matter how many times I have seen the same weeks, same campers, and everything camp.

Today I want to share a sweet story of two precious friends that love each other so much and yet their worlds are very different.

 

Let me introduce MJ and Rhonda.

 

MJ and Rhonda at camper arrival. They just love being together and MJ always looks to find Rhonda to be next to her.

MJ and Rhonda at camper arrival. They just love being together and MJ always looks to find Rhonda to be next to her.

They have known each other for several years now, and I know what you are thinking MJ is barely old enough to have “years” and that is so true, however, once these two met even at MJ’s young age they became besties.

MJ is our CEO’s daughter and Rhonda is a faithful camper and they met several years ago when MJ’s dad began working for us and it became a beautiful friendship right away.

When Rhonda is at camp MJ tries to spend as much time with her as her mom will let her.  She even has had short sleep overs in the cabin that Rhonda is in and so now MJ is not just friends with Rhonda but she is friends with all of Rhonda’s friends as well, and they all love when MJ is around.  

I love that these two love each other so much because I feel it shows the Love of Christ is such a powerful way.  It doesn’t matter that these two have years between them or that MJ can walk and Rhonda can not, it simply matters because they have a connection and they said yes to loving another person just as they are.  

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At wrap up (the nightly time of worship and teaching) MJ like to go and sit on Rhonda’s lap while they worship Jesus and listen to the speaker. MJ gets to stay up late the weeks that Rhonda is here so they can spend all the time they can together.

They spend time talking through the year and then this last year MJ and her family went and visited Rhonda and her family and it was MJ’s favorite part of her year.  They both loved getting to see each other outside of camp.

I love the friendship between these two and I think that it can teach all in the world such amazing lessons.  I love watching them talk and enjoy time with each other.  While MJ still loves Dollies and Rhonda enjoys starbucks they have found a best friend in one another on grounds that they care for one another nothing more or less.

There is no care of how their friendship shouldn’t work in the typical bounds of friendships.

All that should be called into question is left at the door and they are simply sweet friends because they love and enjoy one another no other reason.

Their friendship is a beautiful picture stating that love and friendship truly have no rules in this Barnabas world. 

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MJ and her mom with Rhonda at wrap up one night.

Filed Under: Camp Barnabas, Camp Barnabas life, friends, God, happy things, inspiration, Uncategorized · Tagged With: , , , , , ,
  • Sarea Clark

    Oh Sherry, this is so precious! Thank you so much for sharing and letting us get this glimpse into something beautiful!

  • sherryk

    Thanks so much Sarea! I love what I do and I want to share it with everyone.

  • Cheryl Brown

    I have known Rhonda for many,many years and she always shares such amazing stories like this. I am like Rhonda in that we both share a love of summer camps because it allows for such beautiful friendships that might not otherwise occur. I wrote a poem years ago about my disability (cerebral palsy) the poem is an exact representation of this friendship shown above:

    Having a disability is like being from two different counties, between the abnormal and the normal. One country the “abnormal” the people speak all different languages and have separate cultures but in some way for the most part we understand each other. We understand an empathize at the simple fact that we are all different, not because we choose to but because we are. The second country, people speak a language that seems universal throughout that country and who share the same culture. There are a few people, like myself who stand in the middle with one foot in both countries. I understand the languages of both countries and become a part of these cultures, but only half way it seems. I find myself trying to balance my life between the two countries only to realize that there is no real “balance” to be had. There are certain times where these countries will merge, the “normal” meets the “abnormal.” both these countries hesitant as expected, but in the end both countries realize that even though hard to understand sometimes and the way of living is different at least these countries are willing to visit each other once and a while.

  • sherryk

    Thank you so much for sharing this, it was beautiful. I love that we can use this forum to share about the joy that is in this world.