Last month I wanted to make a pie. Now, I am not a stranger to the art of pies. I love baking! And pies are one of the desserts I gravitate towards. But this pie was one I had never made. It was, however, a specialty pie made multiple times by a woman in our church, Jane. In order to ask Jane about her pie, I was going to have to call her or find her on a Sunday morning and speak face to face. To my knowledge, she didn't own a cell phone, I didn't have her email address, and I'm pretty sure she doesn't have a Facebook account. As luck would have it, I had something to drop off at church midweek, and as I walked on to campus, there she was! I pulled up a chair beside her as she worked her needle up and down through the quilt stretched out in front of her, and asked her about her sour cream raisin pie. Any tips? Could I substitute the fruit in it, blueberries rather than raisins, since I don't care for raisins and the blueberries were ripe and readily available at Farmer's Market that afternoon? She was ecstatic that I wanted to try my hand at her pie! She asked me why and for whom I was baking it. She asked me what my favorite pie was, fruit versus cream. She asked me about my kids and enquired about my life in general. As my five-year old was then tiring of playing with the straight pins and magnet handed to him to keep him busy, I said goodbye and promised to give her a report on how my pie-making venture fared.
Two weeks later I baked the pie for a dessert auction at our church, benefitting the missions team I will be a part of in July traveling to our sister-churches in Portugal. I was busy in the kitchen, helping cook the lunch, but managed to sneak out for a bit to say hello to some friends. I couldn't help sneaking a peek at the desserts, looking for anything to place a bid on myself, but also to see how the bidding on my own pie was going. It was a modest amount, not unlike the other beautiful desserts surrounding it. I couldn't recognize the signature for the highest bidder on my pie. Minutes later as the auction ended, Jane's husband hovered over the dessert table, waiting until the last second, and happily took my pie back to his table. They'd bid on MY pie! Jane can (and does) make this pie often, yet she chose to spend her hard-earned money on my first attempt at HER pie! I was so happy...and humbled.
A few days later, as I reached into my mailbox, a brightly-colored, small envelope with a handwritten address label caught my eye. It was a thank you note from Jane, encouraging me to keep on baking and telling me how much she enjoyed my pie. My eyes welled up with tears at the thought of this wonderful woman taking time out of her day to encourage me, a busy, most-of-the-time frazzled and overwhelmed mom, trying to improve my baking skills. I had had an especially hard week with my kids, poor attitudes abounding in our home (my own included), feeling like I was always one step behind, and this note from Jane made all this difference to lighten my emotional load.
In our technology-filled world, it is so easy to find information. I could have easily "googled" the pie that I wanted to make, or searched through the archives of my favorite food blogger. But although I may have found a good recipe, and even baked a great pie, I would not have had the chance to connect...face-to-face...with this amazing woman that I admire so deeply. I would not have been able to encourage HER by asking her about the skills that she has acquired over the years, through the many hours spent in her kitchen, cooking for friends and family. If I had looked up the recipe in the comfort of my own home, on my own computer, I would not have connected with anyone...I would have simply gained information, and lost out on the love, inspiration, and encouragement that I received through my interaction with my friend, Jane.
THIS is why our church sends teams to Portugal every summer. THIS is why our church hosted Pastor Marques last summer. There is something so special that happens when you sit in the same room with a friend, chat over coffee and look them in the eye, tell a funny story and watch their reaction or laugh until you cry...together. These are things that are lost through the computer, that cannot be replicated on a Facebook page. And although there are many wonderful things about technology that DO help us connect over the miles, the feeling of an actual hug can never be replicated.
So for those of you that have supported me as I prepare for my trip to Portugal, THANK YOU! I have been in my life, and continue to be, acutely aware of the importance of time spent with another. Please continue to pray for our team of 15 (5 here in the United States, and 10 in Portugal) as we prepare for English camp, the week of July 18-22.
