Stories Collide

Written on March 22, 2014

I have a couple of friendships that are kind of hard to explain. Maybe because I hardly see them. It's not like we were friends in college and then I moved away, but rather I would randomly get together with them and a friendship grew- really fast. It's kind of like we are soul sisters in some random way. They are people God has placed in my life and really sparked a deep connection that only God could.
Today I got together with one such friend named Jude. I met her while attending a church service at Redeemer Central in Belfast City Centre. After chatting a few times at church, we decided to get together for coffee. Meeting at Starbucks, we shared a common story of moving to Belfast to work with disadvantage youth while having a heart for cross community work. She also told me about a project she was working on called Tell It in Colour bringing together young people from interface communities to share their stories. Something inside me sparked as she told stories of young people coming together to share their own stories even though it was unconventional and messy. Over the last few years, God had been planting seeds inside of me about story telling. I didn't know what it meant, but I knew Jude and I would meet again to swap stories.

I can't tell you how many times I've tried to get together with Jude over the last few months, but today our schedules finally came together. Both running late, we enjoyed a cup of coffee together at Cafe Nero. Within minutes of catching up on each other's lives, we found ourselves talking about city of Belfast and her people. The state in which she was in and the challenges facing young people. Jude as a news reporter, told me stories that she had reported on during the past year. I spoke about the life's of young people and the challenges they faced. Passion for Belfast the city in which God has sent us filled our conversation and time together.

The idea of story telling and allowing young people to have a voice was a common theme in our conversation. I knew that God was continuing to plant and stir something within us, but I didn't know what or how it would be done. So we went for a walk and started praying- thanking God for what he has been doing and asking him to come and intervene in the lives of people in this city. While praying about Gods promises, we looked up and saw a rainbow.

I don't know what God is doing in Jude and my life, but I'm excited, hopeful, and trusting that He will reveal it in His own time. Until then I will continue trusting in Him and praying for the city of Belfast.
"Pray for the city in which I sent you, for upon its welfare depends your own." -Jeremiah 29.10