Part 2: I Am Accepted

Part 2 is written by guest poster, Amy, on the topic of acceptance. 

Acceptance - it's something that we hear about all the time in this culture. And for the most part we think we do - sure - I accept that person who is different then me. But when it really comes down to it, do we really understand the true meaning of acceptance? Do we understand what it means to have someone close to us - like a best friend let's say, who is very different then us, and believes differently than us, who likes different things, who has a different personality, and be able to accept them for the person God made THEM to be. To accept them even when they drive us crazy or believe things that we don't. When they do things we don't agree with - do we know what it is not to judge them but to embrace that person and love that they ARE different from us?

I have a few girls who are my best friends - we are all totally different. And yet, somehow we stick together through it all. We can stick together because we love each other and accept each the other for who she is - not for who we think they SHOULD be. We don't try to change each other or judge the other when they believe differently or do something we don't agree with.

I want to talk specifically about one of my very best friends. You probably know her at least a little bit if you are reading this blog ;) But you probably don't really know her like I do - so I'll introduce you - her name is Sam. NOT Sammy (If looks could kill I'd be dead right now for the looks I've gotten for calling her this one ;)). Sam is an awesome person and friend - she has been there for me through a lot of stuff. We met when I was about 16-years-old and she had just graduated from high school. I was very legalistic and she and I believed very differently - about pretty much everything. Looking back neither of us were comfortable in our own skin, but we both were trying to pretend we were. I'm dead certain God was the One who made us friends because otherwise how could two people so different end up being such good friends? Sam was a godsend to a girl who barely had any friends, who didn't have her own real opinions on things yet. 

Like I said - Sam and I are very different - throughout the years we have grown up a lot and we believe a lot more alike now then we ever did, but most of our friendship I would say we have disagreed on beliefs. We even disagreed on movies (still do - I often like movie's she likes but she often hates movie's I love ;)). Yet somehow we can tell each other everything, and even when we were young we accepted each other - we'd disagree but underneath it all we always know that the other one will still love us. 

That doesn't mean we don't have hard times in our friendships or that we don't drive each other crazy. Honestly, sometimes she makes me want to pull my hair out. There was even a time when I didn't know if our friendship was going to make it - and honestly I felt like crying every day during that time. And yet looking back at even that time I realize that God brought us through that for a reason - I know He was teaching her stuff and He taught me a LOT about accepting and loving a friend - being a best friend - even when I wasn't sure some days. To make me realize to be best friends means that sometimes you have hard times - but you stick through it and accept the other person no matter how different then are. During that time she changed rather fast, I felt like I couldn't keep up - granted I changed a lot over the last several years, but my changes I felt were slower (maybe because I was living them?) - she changed faster and I have to re-learn things about her and her personality and beliefs that weren't there before - or that I hadn't been able to see before. Yet when we came out of that time of learning and changing we both still were there - Sam was still there. We had never abandoned each other. We were different, but we were still ourselves - in fact we now are more ourSELVES then we ever were before. Because of what we went through it made us stronger and closer. 

We now can encourage and accept each other when no one else seems too. We know the other won't judge us by the movies we watch, the songs we listen too, the words we use. If we are mad or hurt or upset and need to rant - we know we can go to each other because it doesn't matter what we say or do - the other person will still be there. We can be ourselves. When we are going through hell in our lives at the end the other person will be waiting. 

We are so different, but that's good - we sharpen each other. We have a blast with each other and it's ok we are different. 

We are so different but underneath it all we LOVE each other like crazy - I can't imagine life without her. And when you love someone it makes it easy to accept them because you get excited to see how the other person is changing and finding themselves. You get excited when they come to you with some new thing they love (even if you hate it personally like *cough cough* HP ;)). 

Learn to accept each other, because God made each of us differently. But He also made us to need each other. Knowing Sam has taught me so much. She taught me to branch out - to let go of legalism. To become my own person. To do what I wanted to do in life. Being her friend taught me to accept others for who they are and to love the gifts God has given them.

Do I always understand her or why she does certain things or believes certain things? No. But I accept her. I'm proud of her. I love her no matter what. And I know she does too (because if she didn't we'd be in trouble cause I'm really quirky and weird once you get to know me ;)). 

Love you Sam - I have no clue what I'd do without you and I'm glad God gave us the grace to stick through our friendship because my life would suck without you! 

Watch for Part 3: I Am Loved

Guest Post

Guest Post from Amy

Greetings,

Jesus said through James, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress..." 

We took this to heart and Yesu Asobola Ministries was born.

Yesu Asobola is a ministry whose goal is bringing hope to the children of Uganda through care, education and Christ.

Yesu Asobola means this: Jesus is Able. 

We believe this with our whole hearts.

Yesu Asobola is a Community Based Organization located 20 minutes outside of Soroti, Uganda in a village called .

This remote village has hundreds of children who are unable to attend school and many who are orphaned by HIV/AIDS and displaced because of the war (LRA). There are elderly grandmothers caring for 12 orphans with no income, and young teen girls who care for multiple siblings. There are children who have been abused by their stepmother's so severely that they have had to run away - at a young age - or have become handicapped. Some of these children live in the bush. We met one little boy who wanders the street - his teeth are rotted and he tells people he goes to school but he doesn't. These children are hopeless and in need. (Please check out our website - yesuasobola.org for pictures and stories of theses children).

Our vision of opening a school (primary and trade, with an orphanage for the estimated 200-400 orphaned and needy children of a village located in the Soroti District of Uganda) grew as we sat outside talking about the great need- then we found out there was already land being provided for this very purpose by a generous donor. We couldn't turn our faces away.

We will be starting a Christian school, which will act as a home for the orphans and a day school for the needy children of the community. We will offer primary education through grade 7, Bible, dance, and music classes- as well as farming. For the older children who do not wish to go through primary education, but wish for a future in which they can provide for themselves, we will offer 6 month trade skill programs. We will also sponsor older children to attend high school if they wish to continue their education. Our hopes are to eventually be able to provide a medical clinic and church that will be open to the community, as well as parenting and health education for the parents. We hope to hire widows in the area to care for the children in the orphanage, as well as good teachers to teach them. 

There are many ways you can help.

We have approximately $300,000 to raise by August. It's a lot. We know that- but through Him all things are possible!

We are asking you to do one simple thing - Go to our website at yesuasobola.org and donate $10 - just $10! 

In this small way you can help us reach the estimated 400 orphans in Soroti, Uganda! FOUR HUNDRED children who we have an opportunity to serve. 

Most importantly we need all the prayer we can get! You can be a part of this incredible ministry the Lord has begun! 

In Christ,

Amy Patterson & Kristianna Puckett

Co-directors

yesuasobola.org

facebook.com/yesuasobolaministries

yesuasobola@yahoo.com

Guest Post

A huge thank you to my friend, Amy, for the following guest post that she wrote on friends. You can find her own blog here: http://quitenormalormaybenot.blogspot.com/



True friends are beautiful things, and are a rare breed of people. Anyone can find a friend - maybe even someone they would call a "best friend" and yet, a true friend is hard to find. A true friend is someone who is there for you - even if they can't be right next to you they keep in contact, listen, pray, give advice, and give or send a hug. They are good listeners, they share, they tell and keep secrets, they know that "love covers over a multitude of sins" so they forgive. They are open about their feelings, they sometimes can be tough but always in love, they are loyal, they stick up for you and believe in you even when no one else does. They can laugh and cry with you all in the same conversation, and you never feel like they are going to dump you as a friend - because they aren't. They are there forever.

The qualities of a true friend remind me of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a which talk about love - 

"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails."
Of course, Jesus is our ultimate true friend, and human true friends aren't perfect and make mistakes themselves, but I believe God gave certain people the gift of how to be a true friend - a friend after Jesus' own heart. A friend who has this gift is one to cherish and love back.

I, personally, have been blessed with several really true and best friends in my life. Each are so different and unique which just shows how God makes each person so different and amazing. One of these friends is there whenever I need to get out of the house, share an ice cream, have fun, rant, laugh, have a random movie night or go to a new movie together, or just text and see how each other's days are going. Another one of these friends is where I go to when I need to get away for a couple days and just talk, have heart to hearts, watch sappy movies, rant, or just be there for each other. My other friend shares my love of travel and mission work, when we talk she is encouraging and always knows just what to say, we rarely see each other but when we do we have so much to tell each other and we always walk away feeling encouraged and loved.

If you are lucky enough to have a true friend, or maybe several, like I am don't ever take them for granted - they are hard to find. Don't forget to be a true friend back to them, because chances are they need one just as much as you do.