Where’s Neale?
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine..." Ephesians 3:20
Thirteen years ago, our daughter, Neale, traveled with us to Malawi for a summer camp for the sponsored students supported by Peachtree families. She was in high school. Each day, a little girl—probably five years old—attached herself to Neale's side.
Her name was Tamandani.
They played together, walked hand in hand around the school campus, laughed, and enjoyed one another's company. Although they came from opposite sides of the world, they didn't seem to need many words. Their friendship grew naturally.
When camp ended, we returned home to Atlanta, assuming those sweet memories would simply become another treasured chapter in our family's journey to Malawi.
But God wasn't finished writing the story.
Each summer when we returned for camp, Tamandani came looking for Neale, asking the same question:
"Where's Neale?"
One year I gave her a photograph of Neale. The following summer, Tamandani carried that picture around camp, showing it to people and asking if they had seen her friend.
Years passed. When Tamandani reached high school, she applied to become part of Peachtree's student sponsorship program. She was accepted, and without hesitation, Neale chose to sponsor her through high school.
This spring, Tamandani was accepted to college, where she is studying to become a teacher. We couldn't be more proud of her.
When my husband, Jay, heard the news, he jokingly called Neale and said, "You're going to wish you had never picked up that little girl. Now she's going to college!"
Of course, he was kidding.
Our hearts were overflowing with gratitude as we watched God continue a story that began more than a decade ago.
Recently, Neale's husband, Robert, traveled to Malawi for the annual summer camp. While he was there, he surprised Tamandani with a FaceTime call to Neale.
Thirteen years after these two girls first met, they were smiling at one another once again—this time through a phone screen, separated by thousands of miles yet connected by years of friendship, generosity, and God's faithfulness.
Only God could write a story like this.
Two girls meet at camp.
One grows up in Atlanta.
One grows up in Malawi.
One friendship.
One photograph.
One sponsorship.
One college acceptance.
One FaceTime call across continents.
Looking back, it's clear that God was writing a story far bigger than we could have asked for or imagined. It makes me wonder how many ordinary moments in our lives are becoming tomorrow's stories of His faithfulness.