Last summer I received a whole box full of snail mail, courtesy of my friend, Elizabeth, and 280 other people!
Elizabeth was planning to come up to visit me in July last year. Our two oldest sons were going to attend camp together, and Elizabeth was going to help me while the boys were at camp for the week. I was exhausted from taking care of a baby, and I was in need of some full time help for a while. Sadly, Elizabeth and her son had to cancel their trip. It was a big disappointment for all of us! We trusted that God’s plan was best, even though it hurt, and even though it was not the plan we would have chosen.
Because Elizabeth couldn’t come to see me in person, she decided to nominate me for a bundle of letters through www.moreloveletters.com. She shared a little bit of my story, and I was chosen as one of the August recipients!
During the month of August, when I was completely homebound and confined to bed for most of the day, 280 people I had never met were thinking of me, praying for me, and writing beautiful letters. They mailed them to Elizabeth, and in September, she packaged them up and mailed them to me.
I had no idea that such a package was coming. Tears filled my eyes as I read a card from my friend, telling me about More Love Letters and the 280 people who had written to me. I was amazed to learn that so many people I had never even met took the time to write encouraging letters to me.
The days and years of chronic illness are long, and often lonely. Receiving this bundle of letters in the mail was such a special gift! I was grateful for everyone who cared enough about a stranger to reach out and send such lovely words of encouragement.
This note was one of my favorite ones. The woman who wrote it shared about Amy Carmichael and how she was confined to bed. She encouraged me to write just like Amy did.
I kept this basket of letters in my room for 10 months, and I read each letter again. This second time through I went slowly, and I prayed for each individual who wrote to me. If you sent a letter to me in this bundle, you were prayed for specifically this past year.
Some of the people who wrote to me shared their own stories of hurt, chronic illness, and loneliness. Many of these people suffer much more than I do. I was humbled that they would take the time to reach out to me when they were facing such hard battles of their own. It was an honor to read their words and to pray for them.
A few of the people who wrote said they were praying that Elizabeth and her son would be able to come to Minnesota for a visit some other time that year. We live many hundreds of miles apart, and we did not think that would be a possibility at all, but you know what? It actually happened! They came up to visit for a weekend in the fall! The boys got to play together, and Elizabeth and I had time to visit.
Lord willing, Elizabeth and her son will be coming again soon, and our boys will get to go to camp together this summer! I am looking forward to time with my friend, and our sons are very excited about a week of camp. This time with our friends will be all the more precious after missing out on this special week last year.
Our visit with friends was one of our highlights 2018. And the bundle of letters was definitely a highlight too! As I read through all of the letters I was reminded how helpful it can be to reach out to friends and encourage them with a handwritten note. It can even be good to reach out to a stranger who is hurting and encourage them with a letter.
A couple of weeks ago I sent my first letter through More Love Letters. I was grateful to be able to reach out to someone who is hurting in the same way 280 people reached out to me last year. As I have the energy, I hope to send more letters to old friends and new friends!
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