Last week a friend posted on Facebook that she would be in Cedar Rapids for a week and would love to get together with anyone in the area. She wasn't expecting a reply from me but we were both glad that it worked out to spend Sunday afternoon together. We first met at a conference for single missionaries while she was living in Spain and I in France. The last time we saw each other, I was moving to Minneapolis. Five years later, she is now in Germany and I'm in Cedar Falls. Between trips to a Chinese buffet we took turns telling the stories of the past five years. In some ways our lives have had similar twists and turns. God led us to different places and opened up doors that we didn't expect or necessarily want. Last November we both ended up in the hospital: I with a planned surgery to remove my thyroid and she with a bizarre infection in the lining of her lung that the doctor's still can't explain. I was also eager to hear some firsthand stories about the huge influx of refugees in Germany. She gave an encouraging report of how the churches in her area are helping to meet needs and encourage integration in the midst of a government system that is somewhat overwhelmed. The news reports don't talk about the open doors for the gospel but they are there and many of these refugees are open.
After a couple of hours of stories we were the only ones left in the restaurant and began wondering if they were waiting for us to leave so they could move on to other things. As we paid the man commented, "You look like friends who haven't seen each other for a long time." That would pretty much sum it up.
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