Running With Hope (Hebrews 12:1-3): Thank You Part 1: Candy Massa

The first thing that comes to mind when I think about my dear friend Candy is she is someone that talks just as fast as I do. ;) When we get together it's a mile a minute and we can talk for hours on end--quite literally. Our husbands don't stand a chance lol. But on the serious side of things, Candy is a dear friend that I will spend eternity praising Jesus for.

We first met through Sovereign Grace, a church we both attended in Tucson for several years. We were in the same small group and quickly developed a Christ centered friendship. It's funny because we both ended up moving a lot so the majority of our friendship has been spent long distance on the phone. She's one of those friends that I can call crying asking her to pray for me and I know she will not only pray for me, but bring me truth from the Bible that I need to hear--it may not necessarily be what I WANT to hear, but I know she will encourage me and gently exhort me if I need it. And then there are the times when she has the boldness to really challenge me in an area where I am blinded by sin and while it may be hard to hear initially, I know it comes from a place of genuine biblical love for me.

We joke around that we didn't really have much in common outside of Christ...we didn't like the same movies, or do the same kind of hobbies, and we have different personalities, but because we are sisters in Christ, our relationship is one that demonstrates just how great that bond is. We have remained close friends through multiple out of state moves (hers and ours) and there may be times where we go a few months without talking, but we always pick up right where we left off without missing a beat.

When this last round of sickness started way back in February, we were actually living with them at the time. A lot of times when you live with friends you can end up not being friends by the time you move out. Candy and I grew closer than ever...we definitely didn't get as much done as we do when we don't live together because we'd get up early and spend the mornings talking, encouraging, and praying for each other. We became "Aunt" and "Uncle" to her boys and we treasure those relationships.

The day after I got out of the hospital she came over, along with my other friend Jenn, and they cooked several meals and got my house all set up with my meds next to me and just helped get some things organized that I hadn't been able to do as we moved in and I caught a cold so the house was mostly in boxes. Candy committed to driving me to Phoenix once a week for Vestibular Rehab for all 10 weeks...with two boys that are 4 and 5 and live in their super hero costumes and run around all day. Lets just say we were very thankful for DVD players! She had to drive 45 minutes to pick me up, then 2 hours to Phoenix, my appointment lasted an hour so she would take the boys to a nearby park, then pick me up and we'd do something fun like go to IKEA or Hobby Lobby or grab some food before the 2 hour drive home.

She also would call me everyday, sometimes multiple times a day, just to check on me, pray for me, and see if there was anything else she could do. She came over and set up the online signup and GoFundMe since I couldn't look at a computer screen. She is also a friend that knows me well and can tell when I'm not doing well...like when I was at Landon's 2nd birthday party and she noticed I was very overstimulated. She told me I should go upstairs and rest in their spare bedroom like I had planned on. I replied with, "I know, but I don't WANT to..." She responded with, "I'm gonna tell Jordan!" Another friend, Shirley, overheard and asked what I was getting in trouble for. When she found out what I SHOULD be doing, she threatened that her and Candy would carry me upstairs if they had to. They helped me upstairs and I was able to rest and join the party again a little later when things had settled down a bit.

It's these kind of friends that are once in a lifetime kind of friends--and I've been blessed with more than one. Candy, I know I've told you a million times over how incredibly grateful I am for our eternal friendship, but now the world knows too. :) I know I will spend lots of days praising Jesus for you and what a blessing you have been to me. Excited to see how God continues to grow our friendship and the plans He has for us in the coming years! Love you my friend!