"Best friends are the siblings God forgot to give us." ~ Unknown

I have wanted to blog about this for sooooooooooo long, but I could never really could get my thoughts and appreciation into words until now. I am going to write to you about my sister from another mister. Over nine years ago when we first starting living on post in Buedingen, Germany. We attended the chapel on post, the first Sunday we arrived, a woman came up to me and voiced her opinion on the current chaplain, and then introduced herself as Jhona Oberholtzer. She told me that she has 2 boys who's ages were 2 and almost one and then told me that she just found out she was pregnant with her third. That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Living on an army post in foreign country is challenging, but here are a few memories from that time that I clearly remember. here is an overhead view of post

Castle gate, entrance to downtown Buedingen

Buedingen Castle
The Obie's and my family decided to take a train to Frankfurt for a day. I don't remember what happened in Frankfurt, I remember what happened on the train. Jhona was pregnant with her daughter Grace and got up out of her chair to go somewhere on the train. When she got back she forgot that the chairs on the train seats fold up when you leave, kind of like the ones at major stadiums. Well I don't know if she thought that she could slide into the chair with her bottom or if she simply forgot that she had to fold it down. Whatever the case may be she ended up on her butt on floor, she hit the floor hard. There was a lady trying to help her up but Jhona wouldn't let her and kinda snapped at the lady. She hurt her tailbone pretty good. I look back now and don't remember if I laughed or not, but now I laugh my pants off cause it was so funny.

The farmers market is another memory that clearly stands out in my mind. We would load up the kids in strollers and head downtown. It was easily a half an hour walk from post to downtown Buedingen. We would go down and look at all the vendors and see what they had to offer. My favorite was the people selling flowers, Jhona's was the people selling stuffed olives. That could have eaten the whole bin if you would let her. Those olives made here world go around. On the way back we would sometime stop and get our kids a scoop of gelato, we would window shop in Joh's, or stop at the bratwurst man and get what my son called a white hot dog. Then we would head back to post. We would sometimes walk the old farm roads which were off the beaten path and let our boys run free. The trails would dump us on the far end of post. Sweet memories!

One December our families got together and we strung popcorn and cranberry's and put it on a Christmas tree outside on there balcony for the birds. I could go on and on and on and on, but I won't. There are so many memories from Germany that tested our friendship and for me truly shaped it. We have had our bumps and bruises, not nothing major enough to end a friendship created by Christ.

Jhona is one of God's greatest creations. She will and has bent over backwards for me and my family. She loves me for who I am, and has my best interest in mind. She has no problem correcting me when I am wrong and putting me in place when I need to readjusted. Everything she does is laced with love. She pulled her kids out of public school to home school them because the Lord told her it was the best thing for her family. She has been stereotyped because of this, but still continues to follow the convictions of her heart. Homeschooling was the best choice, those kids have excelled and have done much better at home then at public school. It doesn't work for everyone, but I know it works for them. Through the power of and surrender to Jesus she overcame Bipolar. I could tell stories about that subject, but watching her heal and seeing the transformation in her family has been so wonderful. She has and continues to heal from her childhood. She has healed and forgave people from her past and seemed liked they didn't deserve to be forgiven. She has allowed the Lord to work in her life and transform her through forgiveness, healing, and surrendering into a beautiful woman of Christ.

I wish everyone could have a Jhona in their life. When you have a Jhona it makes life's uphill battles not so steep. It makes love so much sweeter. It takes the sting out pain, it makes you almost like her cat because her cat has special needs. It gives family a whole new meaning. The number one reason why everyone needs a Jhona is because it makes life worth going through. Jesus knows what He is doing when He picks out your friends.

My heart is hurting right now because I can't see her often, not even once a year. Our hubby's jobs are not the same anymore so that has pulled us on opposite sides of the country. I wish I could see her everyday. I wish I could be there to give her a hug when it hurts. I wish for cleaning parties. I wish I could be there to jump up and down in victory with her. I wish I could watch her kids grows up in front of me instead of in pictures. I wish that I could on friend weekends with her. I wish for a lot, but I know that the Lord has us where we are at for a reason. Distance hasn't separated us yet, and it never will. She is my soul sista and I am truly blessed to call her friend! I love you Jhona!!!!