July 31st - the final day of the daily stranger connection challenge.
On July 9th, and at the prompting of the Lord, I began a journey of meeting at least one stranger a day for the remainder of the month of July. Here I am at the end of the month, and I've learned so much and had so much fun with this challenge. I've met more new friends than I can count and discovered there are truly fascinating folks all around us.
Today, I would like to introduce "Bethany" (not her real name). She is a beautiful young woman who is facing some significant life challenges right now. She has a sweet 11 month old baby girl and wonders if she's pregnant again. Her boyfriend and mother are pressuring her to abort the child if she's pregnant. The weight of the situation is almost more than she can bear. She listened intently as I shared with her the love of God and the peace He offers. Then she quietly cried as I prayed for her. She needs your prayers - and that's why I share her story with you in this blog post. She didn't surrender her life to the Lord today, but she confessed that her life is a mess and she needs something. Please pray that she find real LIFE in Jesus and that she shares that real LIFE with her baby.
I also met Anna and Glenn at a wedding today. They are both disabled and live in upstate New York 10 minutes away from the Canadian border. (near Messina) They live in a quiet, safe neighborhood and rarely get away...but this weekend is different. They got up at 4:30 this morning to begin their drive down state in order to get to this special occasion. They'll stay overnight tonight in Rochester and then tomorrow, they'll drive to Pavilion to visit with one of Glenn's daughters until Monday. THEN they'll drive back home and 'normal' life will begin again on Tuesday - that's when Anna's nurse aids come to their home to help care for Anna. I'm glad Glenn and Anna made the choice to come to the wedding today in spite of the fact that this trip required a great deal of planning and attention to detail. Lord - give them strength and health for this journey!! Thanks!
So that's that. There are no more days left in July, still there are SO MANY more stangers yet to be met! It is not my plan to blog on any more interactions unless I just can't help myself because. :) I do plan to blog tomorrow on this whole adventure - but it will serve more as postscript and include specific things I've learned throughout the past month. My hope is that others will also be encouraged to break down their own barriers, get out there, and connect. It's not nearly as difficult as it may seem - I am truly grateful for the grace and leading of the Holy Spirit! He makes connecting, so much easier and defiitely exciting!
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