"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."

-Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Lately I've been extremely grateful for all the incredible friends I have in my life. I've been blessed with an amazing group of people that I can always count on. Just this week I needed a place to stay overnight and when I reached out to one of my friends last minute, she opened her home to me, got me an air mattress to sleep on, and offered me all the food in her fridge. It's so encouraging to know that I always have people I can turn to when I need them.

I never realized just how important community and friendships truly were until I got to college. Growing up, I would have small groups of close friends, but we eventually always drifted apart. When I got to college, I went through several periods of loneliness and struggled to hold on to a solid group of friends that both encouraged me and challenged me when I needed it. I tried to brush it off and thought that I just needed to focus more on my relationship with God. Then I began to come across verse after verse about the importance of community and friendship such as Romans 12:4-5, 1 Corinthians 1:10, and 1 John 1:7. I realized that friendship wasn't something optional, but a necessity. Human beings were created for community.

When I came to this realization, I started to look around. It dawned on me that I actually had more friends than I thought. I didn't need to find more friends; I just needed to make more of an effort to connect with the people I already had in my life. I started reaching out to my friends and deepening the relationships that were right in front of me. I saw the flaws in myself and how bad I was at making plans, answering texts, and staying connected with my classmates over school breaks. I finally understood that in order to have fruitful, life-giving friendships I needed to give 100%. I had to stop feeling sorry for myself and start being a friend.

This is one of the reasons why I decided to go on this World Race trip. I'm hoping to build strong friendships with my brothers and sisters across the globe that will last a lifetime. I want to find more friends that I can add to my list of blessings.