by John Fischer and Priscilla Fraser

We are featuring writings by a number of our MemberPartners this week. This one comes from Priscilla from New York. Like many of our dear MemberPartners, Priscilla has been with us for a long time. We have been through a lot together including the loss of her beloved husband, Jack. In this writing, she reveals how you never know what might happen when you extend yourself beyond your comfort zone to another person.

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It began innocently enough, but has turned into a pivotal, God-ordained, life-changing event for me.

I was in the registration room at a conference I was attending in Orlando. There was only one other person in the room. Contrary to my introverted personality, I walked up to her and asked if she had anyone to sit with at dinner. She didn’t, so I invited her to sit with me. At the time it seemed like an insignificant invitation, but God had plans for us. 

You see, I am old enough to be her mother, but I soon discovered, age means nothing to the Lord. We very quickly discovered a friendship like neither of us had ever experienced. Other than that week we have only seen each other a handful of times. It doesn’t matter, God brought us together, and he intended for us to be soul-sisters. He knew we would need each other very soon. 

She was with me every step of my journey through my husband’s illness and death. I walked beside her when her heart was breaking over choices her daughter was making. All of this was carried out via texts.

We have grown together in our love for the Lord. Through every life experience since 2019 we have prayed for each other, laughed together, shared recipes — you know, girl stuff.  We love each other’s families as if they were our own. We absolutely know that our meeting in the registration room was not by chance. God had that all planned ahead of time. The Holy Spirit took control and is leading us on this incredible journey. He has directed our walk with Him in ways we could never have imagined.

So when you feel a nudge from God to step out of your comfort zone, go with it. God has mighty plans in store for you; you’ll never know unless you do!  – PF

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It occurs to me that there are a number of things Priscilla mentions here that are common to our Catch community and the type of things that can happen with relationships, even online. One of Marti’s relationships that she would call, like Priscilla has, a “soul-sister” relationship is someone Marti has never met in person, but they carried on a deep relationship via email and phone, up until the Lord took Kay home after a bout with cancer. Yet how they enriched each other’s lives!

I also noticed how Priscilla pointed that the age difference between her and her friend became insignificant. That is something we look forward to seeing many of you experience as we seek to encourage relationships across generations.

Thank you, Priscilla. And stay tuned — we have much to learn from each other!