i prayed for a friend

Last night I prayed for a friend.

Out loud.  Sitting on my bed.  Feeling defeated after a summer of lonely.  Missing the community I had in college.  I prayed for a friend.

This week I felt a bit lonely.  I tried to balance the confirmation that I've received from Jesus that I'm supposed to be in New Jersey with the reality that my best friends either live in Virginia, Kentucky, or Tennessee.  I tried to balance the fact that even though I've felt so at peace with being here and God has blessed me in so many ways, I still don't feel like I have fellowship here with people my age and in the same stage of life as me (I have a couple of friends, but I don't get to see one very often because she's busy and the other just started college again and thus our schedules/lives will now be very different).

I was beginning to believe lies that because God hasn't given me the community that my heart (and extroverted-ness) so desperately need, He doesn't want me here.  That maybe I should re-consider moving back to Virginia.  Yet this didn't make any sense because I know I'm supposed to be staff at TCNJ.

And so I prayed for a friend.  I started listing to God the requirements I'd like:  Someone in their twenties, but out of college.  A Christian.  Likes to play Settlers (c'mon, it's important...).  At first I thought maybe I was being too picky, but then I realized that He had given me ~90 of those people in college!  And six of us women (plus four men) all lived in the same apartment building together this past year.  God had provided a plethora of best friends for me in college and He could do it again if He so wanted.

So I prayed last night with a desperate, lonely plea.

Today as I was getting ready for my day, I received a text from Dani.  Dani is Jordan's wife.  Jordan was a friend in my graduating class in college who served on the InterVarsity student leadership team with me and now just started dental school at Temple University in Philly.  When Dani and Jordan got married last year, Dani (obviously) moved to Fredericksburg and us girls got to know her pretty well.

She was texting to ask me if I just so happened to live near Trenton, NJ.

uhhh....

Come to find out, they just moved into an apartment that's about twenty minutes from my house!!!!!  Not only are they in my age bracket, but they are both in love with Jesus and Settlers!!!! (With Jesus trumping Settlers, of course! ;b)

Today I went over to catch up with Dani (and see her baby bump hehehe!) while Jordan was in class.  On the drive over I could do nothing else besides praise God for answering my prayers immediately.

Jesus. is. so. good.

I'd still like to find some more friends close by--because we all know an extrovert can't rely on just a few--and I'd definitely like to make enough solid relationships to eventually have some roommates.  But in the meantime while God is working all of that out, He provided for me like a loving Father would.

He, again by giving me yet another desire of my heart, solidified my calling to be in New Jersey.

Hooray for friends!  Hooray for Jesus!