Love you, Kelly!

Kelly and I

On Monday October 4, 2021 Kelly arrived in Lancaster from Fort Worth, Texas. Kelly and I met in July 2010 in Freetown, Sierra Leone. From the moment that I met Kelly I was inspired and challenged by her unwavering love and devotion for Christ and others. Few people have had such an impact on my Jesus Journey as Kelly.

This is the longest that I have gone without seeing Kelly. From the beginning of the pandemic Kelly has worked in an ICU that strictly saw covid patients. The amount of suffering and death that Kelly has seen is beyond what I can comprehend. Kelly has one last shift left at her hospital and then she will be heading to the Dominican Republic in which she will serve the Lord through helping women and children with a Christian organization.

I praise God for friendship. I praise God for the opportunity to have spent time with Kelly. While I am deeply sad (and have tears running as I type this) that Kelly is on her way back to Fort Worth, I would not have traded this time with her for anything!

While she was here, we read 2 Peter together on Tuesday and yesterday we read Jude. It is amazing that God in His grace has given us these warnings of false prophets, false teachings so that we will not be led astray. Lies and manipulation are hallmarks of this world but for those who are in Christ we know that Christ is Light and Truth. May we continue to walk and shine Christ’s Light!

I am thankful for the meals Kelly and I were able to share with Nathan. It is beautiful to see how much Kelly and Nathan get along. Truth be told, when I first met Nathan I thought that he and Kelly would be really good together and they both said, “NO!” While I am NOT a camper, mountain climber like Nathan and Kelly, I am glad they can encourage each other in these shared experiences and interests. Kelly helps me to understand Nathan by giving me a different perspective.

What I love the most about my friendship with Kelly is that even though we have very different interests, our friendship is deeply rooted in our love and passion for Christ and others. I am also thankful and humbled that Kelly sees the love that I have for her and for Nathan. I am SO thankful for the opportunity to have hosted and served Kelly and in return, I am SO thankful for how Kelly brought love, joy and the fruit of the Spirit to encourage and bolster me!

Lord God, thank You for the incredible gift of friendship. Relationships are messy and I KNOW that I am not always an easy person to love so thank You for Your grace and mercy that You give to me and give to others who love, live and deal with me!

Lord God, thank You for Kelly. Thank You for her heart to visit Nathan and I before heading to the Dominican Republic. Lord God, prepare Kelly for the Dominican Republic and prepare the Dominican Republic for her. Lord God, prepare the family Kelly will be staying with for her and prepare Kelly for the family. Lord God, make Kelly’s efforts successful! Lord God, use this time to refresh, restore and renew Kelly. Lord, use Kelly to bring life to others as she brings life to me. Lord God, thank You for the friendship that You are cultivating between Kelly, Nathan and I. Thank You and praise You Lord that we all get along and that we love and care for each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Lord God, thank You for this reader. Lord God, may they have a friend who sticks closer than a brother. May they be a friend to others even when it is messy and difficult. Lord God, for the reader who may not want friends or does not have close friends, Lord God, send me, send a believer into this person’s life. You have NOT called us to do life alone. Lord God, for those of us who are bent more toward solitude convict our hearts that You have wired us for community.

Lord God, thank You again for Kelly! May Kelly be Your Hands and Feet no matter where she is, no matter what work she is doing. Lord God, help all of us to be more like Christ. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Published by

Blue Collar Theologian

My name is Mandy Sweigart-Quinn, I live in Lancaster, PA and I am a “Blue Collar Theologian.” I love Jesus! I am passionate about His Word (The Holy Bible)! I come alive when I can encourage others in their walk with Jesus (whether by writing or speaking). As a “Blue Collar Theologian” it is my aim to live/practice/work out my Christian hope with sincerity, authenticity and genuineness. As a “Blue Collar Theologian,” I strive to meet people right where they are (“Incarnational Theology”). I graduated in May 2019 from Capital Seminary and Graduate School with a Master's in Biblical Studies. I am a passionate, excited and enthusiastic person! I love flowers, sports and sunsets. Since January 2, 2018 I have had the privilege of being married to Nathan.

64 thoughts on “Love you, Kelly!”

  1. Thank you for sharing this, Mandy. Your deep friendship with Kelly reminds of Psalm 133:1: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to live together in unity!” You two definitely live out this verse!

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  2. I will also pray for Kelly.
    What a beautiful gift your friendship is.
    I also have a really close friend, Anne, and I appreciate her, as you do Kelly.
    Close friendships with fellow believers are truly amongst God’s choicest gifts. 🤗

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  3. Mandy,
    Amen! Your post made me think of the close friends that God brought into my life each time we moved for health or work-related reasons. Each place was a fresh start but immediately our Lord brought kindred hearts together for encouragement, growth. You are right. We are meant for community in love and service as Christ’s body here on earth. I’m thinking of my friend Julie and the constant prayers being lifted up for her as you have done as well I love the focus of your prayer and pray with you for Kelly and the community in which she will labor and bond with. This past year and a half has tested the bonds of community. Many have come out stronger, many haven’t. May God give us grace and shed His love abroad in our hearts.
    pax,
    dora

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    1. Dora, you are seriously an amazing woman of God! I am praying for the community that the Lord will have you move to and for the friendships that will form and that God will prepare you for the community and friendships. Praise God for the prayers being said for Julie. You are so right about the past year and a half testing the bonds of community. So thankful for the friendship that God is giving me with you! You are loved!!!!!! 🤗🤗🧡🧡😘😘🙏🙏

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  4. Beautiful post, thank you Mandy for sharing your precious friend with us. Nothing is like the kinship we find in Christ’s body and for sure, some “parts of the Body” are closer than others!
    May the Lord protect and guide Kelly in D.R. ❤

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  6. What a day this has been! Was feeling a little on the empty side this morning but soldiered on through. There is so much negativity in this world but today, oh today was different! And your post Mandy is the icing on the cake. Friendships are indeed a gift from God and I am so happy for you. I also will keep Kelly in my prayers. Sometimes it just boggles my mind on how good God is. Just when you think your tires are all going flat, God puts an entire new set on for you and you had no clue they were coming. Thank you for sharing and thank you for showing us your heart. Love in Christ – Bruce

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    1. Bruce, what you said is the exact reason why I shared this!!!! To bring light and love in these dark, deceptive, negative and chaotic times. I am not always easy to deal with and I praise God for each one of you who love me and help me on this Jesus Journey. Thank you for praying for Kelly, that brings a smile to my face!!!!!

      God’s goodness and holiness humble me. Who are we Bruce that God gives His forgiveness, grace and mercy to us?! Praise God for friendship! Jesus loves you Bruce and so do I. Love and blessings to you and Peggy!

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  7. What a wonderful friend. Praying for Kelly. Love this: “What I love the most about my friendship with Kelly is that even though we have very different interests, our friendship is deeply rooted in our love and passion for Christ and others.” Amen, it is all about Jesus.

    Blessings!

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    1. It is all about Jesus!!!! Nathan and Kelly have WAY more in common than Kelly and I but Jesus connects us all! Love, fellowship and unity are a beautiful thing! Kelly is an amazing woman of God and I am humbled to call her both friend and sister in Christ. I am thankful for your friendship and kindness and I pray you know that. Love and blessings!

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    1. Thank you Papa Tom! I am glad it blessed you! My heart is sad but also full. I am thankful for the friendship that we have through WordPress and I pray you know that! Love, hugs and blessings to you and Corinne!!!! 🤗🤗🧡🧡🐶🐶🙏🙏

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  9. From Ft Worth! She MUST be the salt of the earth. Even though I am a Dallas kid, I can honestly say, the valiant fight against COVID among the healthcare pros in Ft Worth is well-known. I am sure you are proud of her. I am, and I don’t even know her. The Lord will be waiting for her in the Dominican Republic. (Terrific shot of the two of you.) God’s grip – Alan

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    1. I am beyond proud of Kelly and I am thankful you are too! It grieves me when I hear our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ saying conspiratorial stuff without ever speaking with someone who is on the frontlines. I have said the same thing to Kelly numerous times over the past few days that the Lord is waiting for her in the Dominican Republic. You are such a blessing to me Alan and I pray you know that! Love, hugs and blessings to you and your family.

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  10. What a beautiful blessing your friendship is. Thank you for sharing this. There is nothing like having a friend whom you share a close bond with.
    May the Lord bless her and guide her in the Dominican Republic

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    1. Thank you, Manu! Amen to the Lord blessing and guiding Kelly in the Dominican Republic! Manu, please know that I am thankful for the friendship that God is giving to you and I. I appreciate your passion and seriousness for God and Truth. I am thankful for your heart for your family and I am praying for you. It is a joy and an honor to email with you outside of WP. Love, hugs and blessings.

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  11. I just prayed for Kelly again just now; wow GOd bless her, she must have seen a lot the last 22 months…
    What a powerful apologetics when Christians from different place and walks of life can love one another…grateful for the friendship Kelly has with you and Nathan!!!!

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      2. Answering question about Saturday ST: it consists of all guys though I don’t think anyone ever said women are excluded. We use FB platform for the video on Saturday as that’s how the guys started it before I joined in; will you be seeing your mom next week as well?

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  12. I’m glad you got that precious time with your friend. It sounds like it was really refreshing! This post reminds me of a saying I saw framed on a wall one time: “Make new friendships but keep the old. Some are silver, the others gold.” I’m glad God has blessed you with a friend like Kelly. 😊

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  14. This is so beautiful Mandy! There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (or sister) this is written is proverbs. Its such a beautiful thing when God blessed us with a wonderful friendship. May the Lord bless Kelly and help her on her new Christian mission journey. May the Lord also bless you, Nathan and PQ. Much love to you all 🥰

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  16. Awesome!!! Glad you got to spend time together. Reflecting on friendships and the blessing of them is so needed so we don’t take it for granted!
    Love that you read scripture together, sweet encouragement!!

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    1. Thanks for reading, Alicia! From your blogs you remind me of Kelly and that is a wonderful thing! I pray that I do not take any of my relationships for granted! Thank you for mentioning this! What a great and necessary reminder! Love, hugs and blessings! Keep smiling and shining for Jesus!!!

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  17. What a blessing to have Kelly in your life. There’s nothing like strong Christian friends. They are the anchors in this crazy world to encourage us and help keep our eyes on Jesus. I have no doubt that Kelly is equally blessed by you, Mandy.

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      1. We are doing good, thank the Lord. I had dental surgery two days ago. I was really dreading it, but I survived!

        My husband’s cardiologist ordered a bunch of heart tests to see how he had fared through the 44 radiation treatments he recently had for cancer. The good news is he said my husband’s heart muscles look strong, which is really amazing, considering that he has had 3 heart attacks in years past. However, there is one small area of blockage to the blood flow in his heart, so my husband will have a cardiac catheterization on October 27. I am PRAYING that all goes well!

        My precious stepdaughter, J… she was assaulted by one of the Afghan evacuees a few days ago. A staff sergeant witnessed the attempted sexual assault and immediately had the man arrested. As the handcuffs were being put on the man that had grabbed her, another Afghan man, an interpreter, said “Why are you doing that, she is nothing, she is just a woman.” At that moment , J — whose mind was reeling from the fact that she had just been sexually assaulted, grabbed on her rear end, by the man being arrested — when she heard the interpreter say that she was worthless because she is a woman — without thinking, she hit the man who said that, very hard. Then she thought that she was going to lose the job she loves, her career with the Department of Defense, and maybe be arrested herself, because she had hit the man when all he had done was verbally assault her. However, after meeting with base command and also with the local police (because of the arrest of the man who physically assaulted her), J was assured that she will not lose her job or be punished in any way, because she had just been sexually assaulted. She has also been told by several people that she is now a hero to all the women there, because the women have been treated horribly by a certain percentage of the Afghan men, who see women as worthless.

        I cannot post about it on my blog because the base command doesn’t want the bad press. But it is a mess. Please keep my husband’s daughter J in your prayers, and also the other women who are working with the Afghan evacuees.

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  20. Wow I fell into a deep sleep! SOrry didn’t get back to your question on my blog until now: Yes it seems California is going to get rid of gas power lawn mower and gas powered leaf blower in the next two years; plus they are going to get rid of gas power cars within the next 9 years. I imagine at the rate California is going gas station would be out of business soon, and there’s not enough electricity for even California usage; we are going to have power outages in the future I think, more coal pollution (that power electricity) and less visitors able to visit our state who drive only gas power vehicles….and the poor with gas power older cars are going to not afford driving and more poor being more miserable. Such is the Commies in our state legislature…

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    1. PA won’t be far behind with some of this stuff. Not claiming to be prophetic! Nathan and I have are taking steps toward solar as energy in our estimate will be the next global crisis. These electric cars are a joke, imagine how many cars will be stranded on LA freeways because they’ve run out of electricity. Same thing in my area but only because we have further distance to travel to get to things. House of Saud isn’t stupid. They are investing in AI and tech because they know at some point in the very near future oil will be in very little demand. For what it’s worth, I just got a notice today that the city of Lancaster is proposing to raise our water rates from $77/quarter to $94/quarter. In 2019 before moving to FL I was paying $45/quarter. Sept 2019-May 2020 water was included with our rent. The prices of everything are continuing to climb. You’re an econ guy, how do we warn people that the current economic situation isn’t what it seems, especially with the big country in Asia teetering on the edge.

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