life friends--part Anna

I have a few life friends. There isn't a certain reason why I call them that, except for the fact that we have lived a ton of life together.  Okay, so there is a reason.

This is Anna:

There is no reason Anna and I should be friends.  In first grade, I went over with Anna to her grandmom's house every sunday for lunch.  We would hide from the adults, run with the dog and play so many different card games.  Then, like silly little girls, we fought and I didn't go to grandmom's anymore.  Then, by some strange twist of fate, we were grouped up to be in a "d-group", accountability group with one other girl and a mentor.  I was determined not to like Anna or be friends with her.

And then, by some strange twist of fate, she taught me what friendship means.  Anna and I ran in very different crowds in middle and high school. Anna is super athletic, gorgeous, practical, blonde who ran the school with her also blonde, best friend.  She lived half an hour away, so we only saw each other at church and the occasional lunch at Olive Garden.  Anna's also a straight shooter.  You never have to worry about what she's thinking.  At first I was worried. But I learned that friendship means telling the truth!  We balance each other well.  We also peed on the side of a road in Dar, but also at a random gas station, just for the nostalgia of peeing on the side of a road in Dar!

Anna and I met with our group once a month, and sometimes more often, until we graduated high school.  However, we really became friends in a little bungalow on Kipipeo beach in Tanzania.  Anna taught me what it meant to have a relationship led by the Lord.  She taught me how cool it is to be able to call on a moment's notice, ask for some prayer, advice or money, and know that it will be legit.
It is really fun to have a friend who has a heart for missions! Her eyes are always outward, ready to help and show crazy love to others.  She doesn't flaunt it.  But if Anna is anything, it is loyal.  She has showed me what standing up for others means!

There aren't many life experiences we haven't lived through together, and what a joy, as well as incredible ride it has been! Okay, well maybe there is a reason.