Two are better than one
by Elaine Reimers, Adult Ministry Director
The birds are chirping once again, and the flowers and greenery are growing and flourishing-finally! Despite seasonal allergies flaring up, Springtime still manages to be like music to my ears and a sight for my sore eyes after our arctic-like, Kansas winters. Recently, I have been enjoying walking my young, German Shepherd pup, Lupita, around my neighborhood, rain or shine (she mostly enjoys the jumping and digging in muddy puddles part…surprisingly, I enjoy watching her do it!). Like the flowers, Lupita is growing and blossoming into the living being she was created to be. The flowers and Lupita are not the only things growing in this season, however. There is also a lot of growth going on in other areas of my life-especially in the Mission Adelante ministry community.
I see our refugee clients learning English, buying cars, and starting new jobs. Their children are showing up to our kids and youth ministry programs, learning English, and making friends that hopefully last a lifetime. All of this has been made possible by our God-inspired endeavor to foster interdependent relationships through our ministry programs at Mission Adelante. Our program volunteers and staff are not here to serve our participants with the attitude that we are the only one with something of value to offer. We all have our own God-given talents and with those talents also come our inadequacies; and those inadequacies reveal gaps that need to be filled by someone else´s gifts or talents.
I am assuming God intended it to be like this since the Word of God says in 1 Corinthians 12 that ¨there are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.¨ The Scripture then goes on explaining the variety of gifts and talents that God bestows on us and how ¨all these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines¨ (1 Corinthians 12:11). Bottom line? God created each one of us with a unique purpose on this Earth, but we need each other to survive! Take for instance, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 in the Holy Bible. It says:
¨Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.¨
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
I have witnessed and experienced interdependent relationships several times in my adult ministry work here at Mission Adelante. I have to say that when I came on staff, I did not expect what I am experiencing now. I thought that surely the amount I would be giving of myself (my labor) would surely outweigh the amount that I would be receiving (return). I have since been proven wrong to say the least! In my specific, interdependent relationship situations, my labor in serving and loving my neighbors reaps a good return in favor of my neighbors. On the other hand, my neighbors´ labor in serving and loving me in ways that fill my cup is in my favor. It's a beautiful thing when blessing each other becomes a reciprocal desire in a friendship. The giving and serving just keeps going!
When I think about this type of friendship, the first person that comes to mind is one of my ESL students (also my son's soon-to-be mother-in-law AND one of my best friends.) Her name is Erica. Erica and I have been meeting once a week since approximately June of 2024. We chat about life's blessings and challenges. I teach her English. We encourage each other. We practice more English. We pray. We encourage each other some more. And, all in that order, basically. Erica and I have cried together. We have even laughed until we cried! We jokingly say that the time we spend together is our weekly therapy session. The more I think about it, the more I realize we´re not really joking-it IS therapeutic! Our friendship has been such a blessing to me.
The second person I would like to mention has become a dear friend and brother in Christ over the last few months. For his privacy, I will refer to him as John. We both definitely agree that our meeting was a divine appointment. When we met, John expressed that he was in a very difficult season in his life and that he lacked peace. We prayed together about this and he shared (days later) that he was feeling much better and thanked me for praying for him. From that point on, he began to have me over for lunch frequently where we would read the Bible together and pray. This time together sparked some very in depth and divine discussions about what we were reading and how it applied to us as God's children. Not only has John learned (and I quote) that ¨God lives in each of us: if you pray for food and your neighbor gives you food, you will say ´God did not answer my prayers,´ but, no, my brother, God used your neighbor to give you food!¨ Our friendship has also awakened in me a renewed love for the Word of God and a respect for the Holy Spirit living within me and all who profess that Jesus died and rose again.
The following quote (referring to our friendship) from John sums up all of what God is doing in us and through our interdependent relationship: ¨Not so long ago we didn't know each other. We were two souls who walked without seeing each other and then one day without warning we joined for the same trajectory and sometimes they say that certain encounters change everything. You are one of them; you made me a better person so, just for that, thank you.¨ I feel extremely blessed to be able to say that I have truly made a difference in John and Erica´s life. I am grateful to the Holy Spirit for guiding me in this season and I am certain that I couldn't do it without Him! I purposely left off the last part of Ecclesiastes 4:12 mentioned above. I wanted to be sure to give credit where credit is due. NONE of these relationships would be possible without Him! The last part of verse 12 is special to me! It says: ¨A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.¨ To me, this implies that two is better than one- stronger and more resilient- when God is included. Can I get an ¨Amen!¨ to that?!
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