Never Forsake a Friend!

Posted on July 2, 2019 by America's Keswick in Victory Call

Proverbs 27:10 – “Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend…”

One day, an unexpected package arrived. The return label revealed the name of a lady we had never met in person, unless you count when my husband was a tiny baby. Alice attended my father-in-law’s church in the late 1950’s and after almost 50 years, connected with us when he passed away in 2002. Over the years, we have kept in touch through occasional letters and Christmas cards. Alice includes a gift every year of a world-famous Fruit Cake from Collin Street Bakery. I like fruitcake, so I look forward to her gift! My Google search revealed that about 20% of the population like fruitcake. I think that means I must not be so weird. I’m also in the 10% of the population who are left-handed, meaning that being left-handed is weirder than liking fruitcake!

Since it wasn’t Christmas time, we couldn’t imagine what was inside the box.

Our eyes filled with tears as we opened the box and unwrapped the contents. Inside we found Alice’s well-worn, marked-up, red-leather Bible from the 1950’s. Inside the Bible were some hand-written letters from Joe’s mom and dad to Alice and her late husband, Oscar.

Attached to the top of the Bible, we found a purple sticky note with these words, “Dear Bro Joe, couldn’t dispose of these things-thought you would like them. Love, Alice.”

As we read the letters and newspaper clippings tucked inside the Bible, we learned about the lives of Oscar and Alice and about my father-in-law’s ministry in Tampa. Along with his sermon notes, jotted down by Alice in the margins of her Bible, were other pieces of history. We found Alice’s wedding announcement with her picture as a beautiful, young bride, and the obituaries for Oscar and for my husband’s mom, Ermina Rose Olachea (2011), and his dad, Dr. Joe R. Olachea (2012). There was a newspaper clipping announcing the death of Dr. Lester Roloff, a friend of the Olachea’s, who died in a plane crash in 1982. There were poems by Mrs. Ruth Narramore, wife of Dr. Clyde Narramore, who shared Jesus with a twelve-year-old boy (my father-in-law) in Tempe, AZ. The Narramore’s later paid for him to attend a Christian college. Enclosed was another poem called “My Pastor” by Essie Hunter and a poem about Alice’s sister who died at age 17. There were also some letters.

One letter was written by my father-in-law, from his church office in Green Cove Springs, FL, in 1965, several years after he moved from Tampa. Alice’s prayers for her husband were answered. Dad wrote, “We are so glad to hear about Oscar receiving Jesus Christ as his very own personal Savior. Praise the Lord, it is an answer to prayer and all glory and praise unto Him who has loved us and given Himself to redeem us by His precious blood. Glory!” The words that followed were an encouragement to Oscar to continue walking with Jesus.

What a precious gift we received from my father-in-law’s friend! I love that God gives us practical day-to-day living instructions like we find in Proverbs 27:10. What if we had missed out on the blessing of this gift and a lifelong friendship by disregarding a simple truth from Scripture? Take some time to study the Book of Proverbs. You will find a treasure of practical truths for living well and living out our faith in this world!

Written by Kim Olachea: Kim Olachea has been a pastor’s wife for 35 years in NC, GA, and NJ. In 2018, she and her husband transitioned from local church ministry to serve with EveryEthne and DisciplePath. Kim is the founder of ProverbWise and Pastors’ Wives, EveryDay Lives. She is the Administrative Manager at JC Jackson Homes of New Bern, NC, and is the owner of Online Bookkeeping Solutions. Kim’s favorite place is being near the ocean. She is a pianist and co-leads tours with her husband to the lands of the Bible, including Israel and Greece. She enjoys writing and spending time with her children and grandchildren. Joe and Kim have five children, three of whom are married, and seven nearly perfect grandchildren. Joe and Kim reside in New Bern, NC.

The Daily Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 13-15, Acts 4:1-22| You can download our 2018 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. – Romans 5:18

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