And friends are friends forever….

Building relationships and friendships across cultural, language, religious, even political differences just plain bring great joy and diversity and lots of good vibes ~ if I’m completely honest! Our lives have been lived abroad for the past 33+ years, and now as we enter into a season of transition and calling the USA our “home”, it’s time for a good reflection on what friendship has meant over the years.

 

Perhaps you know the lyrics to the Michael W. Smith song “Friends” ~

Packing up the dreams God planted In the fertile soil of you
I can't believe the hopes He's granted Means a chapter of your life is through

But we'll keep you close as always It won't even seem you've gone
'Cause our hearts in big and small ways Will keep the love that keeps us strong

And friends are friends forever If the Lord's the Lord of them
And a friend will not say never 'Cause the welcome will not end
Though it's hard to let you go In the Father's hands we know
That a lifetime's not too long To live as friends

Friends from the Philippines in Malmö cooked an amazing buffet of home cooked delights as a celebration of Steve's birthday and our farewell in May ~ yummy!

It’s a song that we sang at the end of our first year in Antwerp, Belgium, when Steve served as the lead pastor of the Antwerp International Protestant Church.  I cried thru the whole song!  These “friends” we were saying good bye to were the friends who invited me into their lives as their pastor’s wife (we had just gotten married, November 2004!), had invited me into their homes and families for good food, game nights, prayer gatherings, Bible studies…

And I didn’t want to sing about it “being hard to let someone go”.

Yet I have seen over ~ and over ~ and over again…

Friends can gather for fika, go for a walk, or just window shop at a local shopping mall....it doesn't take much to be a friend!

 

Letting someone go when you know that they rest in the Father’s hands helps you to understand that truly, a lifetime is not too long to live as friends.

So here’s to all the ones who have welcomed me/us into your/our lives.

Thankful for friendship that crosses cultural, language, religious, political and any other kind of divide that mankind forces upon us.  

Sometimes friendship just revolves around gathering at Joe & the Juice and enjoying a healthy smoothie together!

 

New friendships waiting to be made as we arrived in our new home town in Appleton, WI ~ a welcome basket always makes you feel at home, even in your new home!

 

And lifelong Bible camp and university day friends manage to pick you up as you return to the USA and will be needing some household things to make your new kitchen yours....thankful for friends!

And thankful for the friends back home in Malmö, Sweden who gifted us the national football (read that soccer for our American friends!) shawl that is currently draped across the fireplace in the new apartment as we carve out space to keep Sweden and our friends there close to our hearts and in our home ~

 

Let’s be friends forever!