by Nick Funk
Nick moved to Durham for grad school four years ago and got involved with RM his first week in town! He’s been a joyous and faithful volunteer as part of Tuesday night Evening Group, the Worship team, Summerfest and the Sound.
We were living it up at the pool. I had already gone off the diving board about 20 times and was venturing into the shallow end to share time with the rest of our Reality crew. I soon noticed Kelsey, Miss Em, and Quinn, flanked by Moriah and Megan, “chillin’” on the steps in the corner of the pool. “This is the chill spot,” Quinn said. I smiled at Miss Em. She smiled back, adding, “Do you want to come chill with us?”
“Do you want to come chill with us?” In that moment, Jesus was manifest in Miss Em. It was as if he read my soul, knew exactly what I wanted, and asked me most graciously, “Do you want to come chill with us?” I was honored! (It figures that within thirty seconds, DeCarlo and I were splashing each other right in the middle of “the chill spot”…)
The next morning, we headed to the beach. Miss Em was all about it! Matt and I received the honor of guiding her into the ocean. Wave after wave crashed against our bodies, each eliciting a joy-full “Wwwooooooooo!” from Miss Em.
Later that day, with less than thirty minutes until our departure to the aquarium, I casually asked Miss Em, “You going out in a boat today?” She replied, “I would love to!” That was all we needed to hear! Within minutes, Kelsey and I had Miss Em down at the pier; Quinn, Annie, and I helped her into a canoe, and off we went for a short-but-sweet ride.
I don’t know how many times Miss Em thanked me for getting her into that boat. What I do know is that she was in it to soak up every last minute, to live life as fully as she possibly could, to receive all the blessings God would lavish upon her with the joy and thanksgiving so characteristic of Reality.
This story is about Miss Em; but really, it’s about Jesus. Reality is a place where we interact with Jesus in real, bodily form. God blessed me to see Jesus in Miss Em. May he bless all of us to see Jesus in one another!