Friends

This text started something.  Bethany met a lot of women individually at Orientation and thought, "I want to get to know her better." So she sent us text individual text messages and invited us to her place on the first Saturday of the quarter. It was a casual invite for snacks and maybe a movie. It turned into a life-story sharing evening with the 8 women that showed up being uniquely heard and affirmed. It created a group of women that genuinely want to cheer each other on to greatness: of achievement, acceptance, calling. It is a group that organically came together, and before the end of the evening there was a group text message established. We keep adding people to the group message and inviting them to our gatherings. But it is not everyone's cup of tea and many have bowed out. Those of us that have stayed have found something incredibly unique and just this week many of us commented on how it has completely changed our experience of school and the specialness of the group. It makes us more confident because we know someone has our back and someone will reign us in when our ranting gets too extreme. This balance is crucial and honest and empowering. I know that many of the words used in this description are cultural catchphrases; in this group they are given flesh and breath. 

This group message has brought many invitations and gifs, needs for rides and offers of rides. It means that at almost any hour of the day one of us will be in the library to commiserate with whatever glitch has happened in your day. If you are sick and need someone to bring you food, you will have choice as to who and when. If your professor doesn't know how to use the online grading system and it looks like you have failed a major paper one friend will pray, another will contact others in the class and see if they too failed, and another will affirm that the communication at school really needs to be worked on the next day when you tell her the story. People you have known less than 3 months will celebrate your birthday in a way that celebrates you: In my case this meant seltzer in the group study room, during finals week.

In a time when the idea of women in ministry is even under ever more constant barrage it is vital that you have people not just tacitly acknowledge your place at the table, but cheer you on to take that seat. These women do that in myriad ways! And for that I say Thanks be to G-D!