wowzers.

I’ve made a new friend this week, and he makes me so happy, yet at the same time, my heart aches for him.

He loves music, and loves recording it. He loves listening to the good stuff from the 50’s and 60’s.

He has these intensely beautiful brown eyes that just melt my heart and are definitely a window to his soul. Along with his gorgeous smile, which is starting to make its way out more frequently, makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But he is full of pain. Deep, intense pain from a lifetime of broken relationships, disappointments and proof day in and day out that love does not exist in his world. So. So. So. Sad. But don’t you worry, there are plenty of people working on him right now.

You’re all getting all excited now right? Slow down. I didn’t say any of this was in a romantic way. I love this man for sure, but not in the dating sort of way. But I tell you what –experiencing even a small piece of the love the Savior feels for this special person –wow! Unreal! That is what I have been feeling for him this week. And it rocks my socks off! It has been reminding me of that love that I felt for total strangers everywhere I went as a missionary.

True charity is much more of a rarity than it should be in this world. We struggle so much to be filled with that type of love, even as members of Christ’s church and having the blessing of the gift of the Holy Ghost. How much greater would this world honestly be if we all had a little bit more love. We are divine beings, and we are capable of such greatness, so much powerful love and kindness. We need that more in our lives, every single day.

Back to this new friend of mine…he is a stud to say the least. He is just grappling onto the smallest pieces of light and hope that he can find, and making a big change, little by little. I am incredibly blessed by his example and his faith (which he doesn’t quite yet realize that he has). Having never fallen too far away from the gospel myself (at least not off the deep end, or not really lost hope or my underlying faith), I am constantly amazed when I see people come back and grasp on for dear life. It is the most amazing, miraculous thing that I think one can ever witness. Seriously. That is happening for this friend right now. And I love it.

It makes me giddy inside, and out. Last night after we sat and talked in my car for a couple hours after our drive back from Taco Tuesday, I went home and could barely contain myself. My heart was aching for him to be filled with God’s love and with that hope of the gospel that he so desperately desires, but also rejoicing because he’s about to get smacked in the face with all full force and he has no idea what is about to hit him. So cool.

That’s all. The gospel is true. We are so blessed. God loves us. (Do I sound like a preachy missionary yet?) But really, come on people! Freak.