Day 99-Rachel Murray(Even though you'll always be Rachel Leonard to me!)

So guys,

    Today's post is a bit of a step back in time. As I entered middle school, I was blessed with not one, but TWO amazing small group leaders, one of which stuck with us all the way through senior year. Today, I want to talk about one of them that is still very near and dear to my heart, Miss Rachel Murray(or Rachel Leonard...). I don't quite know what it was about Rachel that just drew me to her, maybe it was that she was one of my sisters best friends, maybe it was her infectious laugh and smile, but whatever the case, before I even really KNEW Rachel, I was drawn to her. In the fall of my 7th grade year, we went to this student conference called Planet Wisdom. I was without my life-long best friend at church, who had a musical performance or something that weekend, and I really didn't KNOW any of the other girls very well, so I was sufficiently terrified. Throughout the weekend, I grew closer to my own small group, to the 8th grade girls small group, and to the leaders, but nothing compared to what happened with me and Rachel. On the very last night, they invited those who had never accepted Jesus, or who were struggling in their faith to come forward, and for the leaders of the students to come pray with them, I stepped forward, and Rachel followed behind me. As we went into the other room, I could feel my heart start to pound a little faster, and the tears start to come. I had been a Christian all my life, but I didn't really know what that meant. I accepted Christ when I was so young that it was hard for me to really believe that the four year old version of myself knew what any of it meant, and I was racked with guilt about my life, because I knew deep down that I wasn't living the way I should be. When I began telling this to Rachel, she took me by the hand and said, "Rose, I may not know you super well yet, and I may not know your life story, but I know your heart. I know that you are caring, you are kind, you are loving, and you have a heart for serving others and for serving God. It doesn't take a genius to see that, and I don't want you to EVER think that you aren't doing a good enough job at being a christian, you are doing your best, and that's enough! It is so obvious that you truly 'love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength'. I'm so proud of you for PUTTING yourself out there this weekend, because you don't have your best friend by your side, and you've never been to a church thing without her, and THAT is brave!" What an amazing leader, right? From that moment on, Rachel and I slowly grew closer and closer, and I am so happy that we did. The next year, Rachel went off to college, and I continued on to eighth grade, but that didn't stop us! We somehow maintained our friendship even with an ocean separating us! Five years later, I am proud to say that nothing about our friendship has really changed, even though just about everything else in both of our lives has changed. On the off chance that we are both at church on the same Sunday, mass chaos ensues, lots of screaming, laughing, and talking(obviously...), it is truly like no time has passed at all! It is so obvious that God has been there throughout our entire friendship, and that is the one and ONLY reason that we are still close today. I want to say to those of you leaders in middle school and high school youth groups, a lot of the times you don't see it, but you changing those students lives, and they will never forget you, and Rachel and I are a perfect example of that. I still remember that night at Planet Wisdom like it was yesterday, and I know that I am so fortunate to have had such an amazing woman of Christ as a leader! Rachel, I want to say thank you. That night at Planet Wisdom was one of the very first times I really struggled with my walk with Christ, and you really spoke to my heart that night. You are truly an amazing leader, mentor, friend, and sister in Christ, and I am grateful to have had you as a leader. You shine in everything you do, and everyone that meets you cannot help but love you. Your smile and laughter is so contagious and beautiful, I love it! You are a blessing to everyone you meet, but to me in particular, so thank you for loving me. Thank you for not letting that friendship die when you left, and for making it a point to finding me EVERY time you came to Blanchard, it made a little 8th grader or high schooler feel so loved and so important! So all in all, I love you, I miss you, I am so grateful to have had such an AMAZING leader for my 7th grade year, and I want you to know that I would not be the same girl that I am today without you, so thank you!!!!
<3 Always,
Rose