Some friends are for life. No matter how far apart or how different you become, you can always count on certain people. That's how I feel about Sarah.
My friend, Sarah.
We served with Sarah during our first year in Honduras at El Sembrador. Together, we were learning what it means to be a missionary. We supported each other through a minefield of trials and challenges. But what really brought us together was a shared love of thrifting.
Left without a vehicle several miles outside of the nearest town, the ladies of El Sembrador often felt trapped in the confines of the boys' farm school. To overcome isolation and get a little girls' time, Sarah and I made it a weekly habit to share a taxi into town for coffee and grocery shopping. That's when we first discovered the joys of thrift shopping in Honduras. We explored our town's extensive selection "usados", guarding the doors of sketchy fitting rooms and providing much-needed counsel on proper fit and brand recognition.
Memories of one of our weekly adventures to explore the thrift shops of Catacamas in 2010.
After years away, Sarah recently returned to Honduras as part of a small short-term mission team. And she stayed on a few extra days to relive our glory days of thrifting. I couldn't wait to show her all the prime thrift stores I've found in my new home of La Esperanza. We reminisced and reveled in our shopping victories over coffee like old times.
Photos of our recent adventures in La Esperanza when Sarah came to visit.
At such a pivotal time in my life, Sarah was not just a thrifting buddy. She was a refuge. And all these years later, it's so comforting knowing that I can still count on our friendship...and our love of thrift stores!