SISTER
I guess Kelly didn't enter my life... I entered hers. Kelly is my older sister, and has been since day 1 of my life. Strong-willed and independent, Kelly has boldly gone before me into almost every life experience to scope it out and let me know if it's "safe" or not. I'm not gonna lie... I haven't always appreciated this, so to compensate, I somehow find a way to do everything differently from how Kelly did it. Sometimes this works... sometimes it doesn't. So many aspects of my personality are a reaction to Kelly. If she did something one way, I will do it a different way.
For many years of my life, I felt that all I was was a reaction to Kelly, but as I get older, God has taught me otherwise. Instead of always looking to Kelly as a model of who I should be and feeling bad about myself because I'm not that person, I realize that God made me to be Stephanie, and that's who I should try to be. He has given us each unique gifts and experiences to fulfill His specific purpose for us, and we need to embrace that. That is when we will truly flourish and become beautiful. As I started to realize this, my relationship with my sister became closer and more intimate, because instead of always trying to compete with her or "live up to" her, I saw that we were each gifted uniquely and that we could minister to each other. The 3 years we spent together in college were a blessed time, and I am so grateful for the laughs, tears, and conversations we shared together at our weekly "sister dinners" and other times.
Kelly has many wonderful attributes/gifts that I admire: she is beautiful (inside and out), brave, bold, adventursome, intelligent, determined, loving, friendly, hospitable, and she lives life to the fullest. I am so glad that God made her to be Kelly and that she is my big sister.
Thank you, Sister, for being you, and for teaching me to be myself.
But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
I Corinthians 12:18-20
KAPOWSKI
My freshman year at Taylor University, my wing (1st South) had this thing with Saved by the Bell. I think someone on our wing had the complete series on DVD, and maybe it was in an effort to bond over a memory that we all had even though we had just met each other, but we loved to watch Saved by the Bell in the afternoons after classes. Kelly Kapowski is such a catchy name, that I always wanted to call my new friend, Kelly, "Kelly Kapowski"... so I did :) That name quickly got shortened to just Kapowski, and it stuck for the next 4+ years.
So my new friend Kelly and I were assigned to be prayer partners that year. We met together faithfully every week, sharing what was going on and praying for each other. God truly was at work in Jenny (our wing's Discipleship Assistant) when she put together prayer partners, because she matched us so well. Kelly and I are kindred spirits to the core. We continued to meet together for the next 4 years every week, sharing and praying. Kelly kept a careful log of the things we prayed for over the years, and it was so cool to look back and see all of the prayers God had answered and all of the ways He had worked in our lives!
I was privileged to be a bridesmaid in Kelly's wedding after we graduated from college, and I was struck by how powerful the conncection of prayer is not only between us and God, but between people who pray together. Throughout the weekend of her wedding, the other bridesmaids mentioned many stories and memories they had of fun things they did with Kelly. I kept on thinking "I wasn't there... I didn't do that." It hit me that Kelly and I honestly didn't hang out much... we didn't really do a lot of things together. I started to feel guilty that I was a bad friend. But then I realized that our whole relationship revolved around praying together and praying for each other and that in an of itself was such an intimate bond that it would cause us to stand up with each other on our wedding days!
Although Kelly and I don't talk much anymore, God has blessed us with one of those beautiful friendships that is able to pick up where it left off, even if it has been months since we last talked. I smile and feel blessed and loved everytime I think of my wonderful friend Kelly.
Kelly, you mean so much to me. Thank you for all of your prayers.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Ephesians 6:18
PEG
At every stage in my life, God has placed in my path someone (in addition to my parents) who believes in me. These have been all kinds of people-- teachers, pastors, family members, neighbors, or even just random people in the community. They see way more potential in me than I see in myself. Right now, that person in my life is my boss, Peg.
For reasons that can only be explained by God's power at work (and, perhaps, His sense of humor), Peg decided to hire me in January 2008. She still can't explain what led her to this decision. I am young, inexperience, naive, have absolutely no knowledge of the child welfare system in Iowa, and I think I know it all. Why would Peg put a little whipper-snapper in an administrative position at an agency that has been around for 150+ years? Who even knows...but I am so glad she did.
I now have my dream job. I get to use my unique talents and abilities (a love for data and numbers) to help kids and families. And I have a great boss. Peg is beyond patient with me, teaching me the ins and outs of child welfare, and the mystery of human relationships and reasoning. She not only puts up with me, but she encourages me and supports me in my job...sadly not something many people can say about their bosses. When my job gets difficult, I know that Peg will back me up and clear whatever hurdles are in the way, so I can do what needs to get done. She sets a great example of servant leadership.
God has used Peg's love for and dedication to our agency to steer us through a recent whirlwind of leadership changes, not to mention all of the massive contracting changes the agency has gone through over the years. I always know that I can trust Peg to truly have the best interests of kids and families as the root of all she does.
Peg, thanks for giving me a chance. It is a privilege to work for you.
God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.
Hebrews 6:10
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