So, if you all know me, I’m pretty good at making friends instantly. I’m not bragging, but I do tend to be the person that people are comfortable around, and I’m a great talker, so shy people don’t really have to do the talking. I love to talk with people, and I love to help others and make them more comfortable with me. This has helped me so much since we’ve been traveling. I can go up to some random person, start a conversation, and by the end of the conversation, they ask for my number. This not only is good for making friends, but this really helps with the ministry aspect of our trip. I can meet kids my age where they are, be friends with them, and show them what it means to be a Christian, without smacking a bible in their faces. Since people open up easily with me, they can share their life experiences with me, and then I can tell them my life, and tell them about Jesus. Becoming someone’s friend, and being someone they can trust, is key to telling them the Gospel. Like the word says, only sick people need a doctor, so if someone needs a friend, and who is looking for peace or a relationship, telling them of their ultimate creator and friend is so amazing!
I’ve made so many great friends since I’ve been here in Fort Myers! It is the perfect place to start friendships, and to keep friendships! The reason being that we are so close to everything. Don’t get me wrong, I love Michigan, but here you don’t have to drive an hour to spend time with friends and family! Here, you can walk, or bike to spend time with friends, and you don’t have to worry about not having something to do, you can go to the beach with your friends, and it’s easier to get together with friends, with so much to do.
When we first started going to our new Church, Summit church, I didn’t expect to make such great friends, but once I was introduced to the youth pastor, and the other high school kids, I fit in perfectly! The main way to get friends is to show confidence, and jump headfirst, without looking back! For me, that’s the only way I can get into a group, or else I become too scared and never do it, I need to just plunge ahead, and so that’s what I did!
I now have a Bestie, and she’s absolutely adorable! I had her come over the other day before we left, and it was amazing having a friend to hang out with! Having friends while traveling is a lot of fun, but it does make leaving a certain spot hard because you have to leave the people that you’ve made great relationships with.
Now I’m in Navarre, and I said I would stay in contact with my two besties now, whose names are Trinity and Isabelle, who are the sweetest girls I’ve ever met! That’s the thing about traveling, you have to leave the people you met in the end, but with each new place, the more friends you make. It doesn’t mean you’re replacing your old friends, it’s just that you’re making new ones as you go along. It’s an interesting concept really when you think about it. When you travel, you meet new people, experience new cultures, and fall in love with different places. When you come home, you realize that you are known by people all over the continent and in places hundreds of miles away, who are thinking about you, and who are friends with you. I love that, I love knowing that I can go hundreds of miles away, and see and visit people I now know.
Even though I left Fort Myers, I hopefully will come back, and visit and see my friends again. I hope I can because I really made some amazing friends there. Even if I don’t go back to Fort Myers, I can still keep in touch with my friends, through calls and texts. The fun thing about traveling though is that you never know if you will fall in love with the next place you’re going to, there is always something new to experience.
Well, thanks for reading guys, I am so happy I can share my experiences and thoughts with y’all! -Sadie
