mah-mah-mah-mah

There are some people who you meet and never imagine how much you will come to treasure them.

That is what this blog is about.  Actually, one person in particular.

If you've known me for any length of time, you probably know that I love hanging out with boys, but that this isn't necessarily very natural or easy for me.  Growing up, I always wished for an older brother, or lots of brothers (though I was and am extraordinarily thankful for the siblings God gave me).  Alas, this was not to be.  Even in university, though I did make some strong close friendships with guys, I never exactly found that brotherhood I wanted.

Coming to Yad HaShmona, I never imagined I would find these brothers I'd always sought.  I thought that three months (now four) was far too short a time for me to find any level of comfort with new, strange males.  There were three male volunteers, at the time, and only one American boy among them.  Subconsciously, that first month or so, I think we avoided each other . . . not because of any dislike, but because we were both annoyed about our lack of bilingualism and were determined not to hang out only with English-as-first-language people.  After I got over my stupid shyness, though, and actually began talking, we became semi-friends.  And there I thought things would stay.

Then, at the end of August, four of us girls wanted to go to Bet'lehem, which is in Palestinian territory.  We needed a guy to go with us.  So we asked J.  It was a really really good trip, full of J. being a good man and protecting us from annoying or flirtatious Arab men, and culminating with a screaming half-hour of playing on a merry-go-round at a ministry we visited.  At the end of that half-hour, we were all feeling queasy.  There was this tiny moment, as I was hanging over the edge of the merry-go-round, half laughing, half crying, as all the other girls declared they were finished with it, that J. looked at me, and said, "All right, Katie, now you and I."

And right then, oddly, I knew we were really and truly going to be friends.

Since then, this has been confirmed in SO many different ways.  Like the evening I was working housekeeping and he came into the office with two other volunteers and sat down on my lap, wrapping his arm around my shoulder as he did.  Or his fearlessness when it comes to discussing "girl stuff."  Or the day he got his hair cut and let me squeal over him and touch his hair every time I saw him for the rest of the day.  Or his off-the-wall sense of humor and the way he laughs, inviting all around him to join in.  Or his gentleness, during a late-night conversation, with a subject that was extraordinarily emotional to me.  Or the way he hugs me, his long arms wrapping around me nearly twice.  Or how, two days ago, he glimpsed my apparently haggard face and offered to punch out the guy responsible.  Or the way he lets me kiss him "hello" on the cheek.  Or the simple loveliness of sitting on a wall with him today, waiting for lunch and talking about God and life and the future and our plans.  Or the beautiful purity and respect exhibited in his friendships with girls.  Or his finger-spelling to me during lunch today.  Or his obvious desire to serve and please and obey the LORD.

Basically, though he is still young, J. is already the kind of man I am proud to claim as my brother.

So here's to him, and to all the men of God like him.