A collaborative letter from Natalie and Lanier

Since I am enjoying the privilege of spending this week with Lanier, we thought it would be enjoyable (for us certainly, and hopefully for you as well) to write a post for the YLCF together. This post was written amidst much laughter, side discussions (on Curly Girl, a monastery in Florence, writing styles, and more), and snuggling with the kittens.

I was quite tickled when itty bity Pip trotted over to Caspian. The dog immediately got up from his pillow in the sunlight and let Pip curl up in the center of it. We made Pip share, but a few minutes later Caspian was back on the floor and Wemmick had claimed the spot. They are so cute. I wish you could join us over a cup of tea and talk the evening away…perhaps you can fix some tea of your own and spend a few moments with us from your corner of the world.
Note: Natalie’s writing is in plain text; Lanier’s is in italics.

It’s hard to believe that I met Natalie only Monday. Within an hour of lively conversation I felt I had known her all my life–we’ve covered so much ground in the past three days, that we’ve hardly had time to draw a breath, leaping exuberantly from one topic to another and back again with a speed that would make an onlooker’s head spin.

When I pondered what I might want to write about for this post, ::pauses to pet Pip and nudge him away from the tea cup:: I remembered a theme that keeps cropping up in our discussions. Lanier shared her thoughts upon discovering the YLCF and what she felt on seeing all of us girls with our close friendships and support of each other.

My husband laughs at our incessant chatter, but he knows how incredibly precious it is for me to have Natalie here. I’ll never forget the day I stumbled across the YLCF website in a search for Anne of Green Gables–my heart was literally singing with delight to discover this thriving community of godly young women, scattered across the globe but committed to sharing one another’s joys and sorrows and to walking in lockstep along a “road less traveled.” It reminded me so much of the dear circle of friends God had given me and the eternal impact of their companionship. I also realized how blessed I was to have so many of them nearby. We could take long walks, and savor pots of tea, and talk the night away, sleeping over at one another’s houses. And yet, perhaps such kinships are all the more valued if face-to-face contact is rare.

Gretchen started a one-of-a-kind ministry fellowship when she founded YLCF all those years ago. There is still nothing else like it, and so many girls, especially myself, have enjoyed some of the best friendships of life through the contacts found here. These relationships are not merely online chat or email pals–they are true sisters in Christ who can understand and cherish the deep things of my heart.

When I met Natalie for the first time after months of email epistles I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I just folded her into my arms with a little rapture of gratefulness–how the Lord must delight to surprise us at times by granting the desires of our hearts. The gift of such friendship is a topic that is eluded our most earnest attempts at articulation this week. We keep beaming at one another with gesturing hands and helpless expressions. It’s enough just to enjoy it though, as a loving gift of our Father to cherish every moment as a foretaste of unbroken fellowship in heaven.

A perfect example is the visit I am enjoying with Lanier. My trip details were arranged within a couple of days and the night before Esther (with whom I spent the first few days) took me to Lanier’s I realized with astonishment that not only had I never met this girl but I had not even talked to her on the phone. What did her voice sound like? Did she have a southern drawl or an accent? Was she extremely talkative or reserved? Isn’t it amazing (and a testimony to the grace of God in giving us such fellowship in Christ!) that I could meet Lanier for the first time and not be worried or nervous? It is as if our hearts have been friends for years even though we have only been physically together for two days.

Has it truly been such a brief time? I’m bursting inside for words to describe how deeply valuable this visit has been for me. My vocabulary feels sparse and my mind is racing too quickly to line up all the thoughts into a sensible order. These oases of genuine, holy communion with another bondservant of the Almighty infuse life with purpose and beauty. Relationships with others…this is why we do what we do.