"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Nothing in my life has ever had quite the impact on me than weeklong trips with Aggies for Christ. AFC weeklongs are held the final week of Christmas break every January. We load up in buses, suburbans, and caravans of our own vehicles and head out to various children's homes in Texas and Oklahoma. I returned from one such trip a couple of weeks ago.

The Tipton Children's Home in Tipton, OK isn't particularly striking when you look at it. There are a few old buildings that serve as offices, storage rooms, and recreational facilities. There are also a handful of large cottages; it is the souls inside the cottages that are most striking. The house parents are truly amazing. Each couple cares for four to eight children on a daily basis, and they do so with love, patience, and grace. From the moment you cross the threshold, it is obvious that God's love fills every cottage from floor to ceiling. The kids are incredible. Many of them have experienced hardships that we cannot even fathom, yet they carry on with more courage and fortitude than any storybook hero.

Although the parents and children at Tipton have had an impact on me, it is the people that I traveled with that have truly touched my life. The decision to go on the Tipton trip was made through a series of somewhat humorous misadventures on my part, and there were only a couple of people going that I really knew. Naturally, I had to meet new people and get to know some previous acquaintances better. On the way to Tipton, I stayed with Holly and Jessica. I already knew Jessica, and Holly and I hit it off almost immediately; we had a lot of fun together before we got to Tipton. Once we arrived at Tipton, I ended up staying in the same cottage with Holly (who I had just met), Kendra (who I sort of knew already), Amanda (didn't know her), and Rebekah (an acquaintance). I must admit, I was a little nervous because Kendra, Holly, and Amanda are good friends and I didn't know Rebekah that well; with my reputation for being seemingly transparent, I was afraid that I would end up getting ignored (unintentionally, of course) all week. As it turned out, my fears were unjustified...all of them were welcoming and we all got pretty close over the week (course, its hard not to when there are five girls, one room, one bed, and one shower...). I found myself feeling extremely comfortable with these four girls, in a way that I have not really felt since I left my girls back home.

Now, in order, for you to really understand this, you have to know how I relate to and feel about my hometown girls: Amanda, Sarah, Natalie, Erica, Linley, and Whitney. Of course, I have other friends from home, but none of them are as near to my heart and vital to my soul (or my sanity, for that matter) than these six. Let's see now, where to begin? Ah, I know...

Amanda: Amanda has pretty much been my best friend since all of our friends started dating...except us. Needless to say, we felt a bit like losers, but at least we could be losers together. Our relationship is incredibly harmonious. Amanda has an extreme dislike for conflict, and, as I have mentioned before, I don't really argue with anyone that doesn't argue back. We simply lean on each other and give a little ego boost whenever its necessary. Amanda also has a very admirable personality; she is self-sacrificing, intelligent, and of high character. Her example reminds me to act in a manner that is appealing to God and others.

Sarah: Sarah has been my friend since kindergarten...kindergarten! Eventually, Sarah and I became the co-rulers of our group. We are both strong, opinionated young women with a knack for organizing and a will to lead. Naturally, we clash on occasion, but this is my favorite part of our relationship...sort of. To me, Sarah's most attractive trait isn't so much that she will argue with me, but that she always forgives me. No matter how mean I get, she never holds it against me. For all that we have in common, our differences make us a great team that can tackle any problem.

Natalie: Natalie and I share a love of water and winter sports, but we mostly spend our time beating each other up. Natalie always make me laugh with her antics and her tantrums. If I am not laughing at her, I am usually trying to keep her out of trouble with her parents or explaining something that I just said. Nat is loads of fun to hang out with and unconditionally lovable. She can almost always make me smile, and even if she can't she will be grumpy with me.

Erica: I love Erica's sense of style and her laugh is contagious. She always has a smile on her face and a matter-of-fact attitude that meshes well with my own. We also share a mischievous streak that has led to some hilarious occurrences.

Linley: Linley puts her heart into everything that she does, letting her creativity show her love. When she needs gifts for us, she spends countless hours making them. Linley is the "historian" of the group, always taking pictures so that we remember the good times.

Whitney: Truth be told, Whitney was not really a close friend in high school, but she has kind of taken the place of one of our friends that drifted away. She is so full of fun and life, and absolutely fun to hang out with. She is also a picture fan and lots of style. As much as I love them, I really wish that I knew Linley and Whitney better than I do; they are so sweet, gifted, and a joy be around.

As you can see, these girls are my lifeblood. I can tell them anything and I don't have to worry about making an idiot of myself when I am with them. I can be smart, silly, dramatic, quiet...I can show anything I feel with them; there are no judgements and they always support me. They are my safe place to go home to, and I love them for it. When I was at Tipton over the break, I felt almost as secure as I did back home. I never felt judged or like I needed to hide myself. I really hope that these new relationships grow strong and last. I need some of that security here with me now...you can never have too much help. I know it doesn't usually seem so, but I, like so many others, am really just trying to find my place in life. I don't know where I belong yet, or what the future holds for me, but I am anxious to find out.

"A true friend freely, advises justly, assists readily, adventures boldly, takes all patiently, defends courageously, and continues a friend unchangeably." ~ William Penn