I chaperoned youth camp. While there, we were all split up and sent on different mission opportunities through the area near Asheville, North Carolina. Some of our adults and kids participated in manual labor, others cleaned and organized, while many went to different parks or neighborhoods to make crafts and play with the kids. My group ended up at a beautiful park in Black Mountain.

While many adults and teenagers crafted and played with the kids, I was drawn to the mamas and grandmas. Many people wondered how I talked with so many people; I wondered how they didn’t. I met a mom who moved from California to North Carolina because her friend recommended a really great church. Another lady was an 84-year-old former hippie who blogged about her town. There was a grandma sitting alone on a bench and quickly we learned we not only had the same first name but also loved to write. I even ordered her poetry book after talking with her and learning about her life. After that I had a long chat with a wonderful Muslim woman who was in the education system and who coordinated opportunities for locals to connect and experience the area in small groups. I even visited with an elderly lady and her caretaking friend. The younger friend was undergoing breast cancer treatments. I prayed for her and encouraged her to be a light wherever she went. I absolutely loved meeting and connecting with all of these wonderful people.

Of course I had a few takeaways from this experience. First, people are people. We all have a deep need for connection, interaction, and being seen. Second, appearance and assumptions have no place in interacting with others. Third, older people are just younger people who are trapped in old bodies. And lastly, follow up matters. I connected on social media with over half of them and plan to continue the conversations I started at the park in North Carolina. I am genuinely interested in getting to know these people better.

So many of these conversations felt divine. The kindness we exchanged. The words of encouragement offered. And the hope we gave away. It seemed as if every meeting was a divine opportunity to make a connection with a person made in the image of God, just like me.

We aren’t so different, you and me. Let’s take the time this week to start a conversation with someone we don’t know. And ask God to make the appointment divine.