A little bit about love

"Let us love not with words or speech, but with actions and in truth." 
1 John 3:18

I met a special person last year.
A very special person.
We met at Student Life international conference. Back then, I didn't know the consequence of introducing myself. I had no idea that we would become what we have become now. At the conference, we were just acquaintances, then we became friends, and now... my desktop background is a photo of the two of us.
We established what we were in April. When this person said the words, I smiled, because I already knew.

"Guess what? You're my best friend." Those were her exact words.
(HAHAHA who were you guys thinking of?? :P Sorry to disappoint)

I'm not going to tell you everything about Lauren, it's not yet her 21st. But a story that I do love :
You know how at uni sometimes there would be presentations from other companies, and it would be a catered event?
Lauren and I were walking along a corridor, it was evening and there weren't many people around, except for some waiters and a long bench of food. It was obvious the people they were catering for were still inside the lecture room because there was still food on the platters.
I whispered to Lauren as we approached, "Quick, grab some food. Grab some food." CLEARLY joking, because you do NOT walk past and casually grab someone else's food especially when the waiters are looking at you.
But Lauren did. She reached out and grabbed a handful of crackers as we walked past.
I was mortified.

And she told me this story of how she used to sit at the front of the bus and talk to the bus driver and tell him when he's left his indicator on.
She is one of a kind.

But most of all, she is full of love.
During my time of sickness, her acts of service really touched me.
When I got sick and needed many many treatments, Lauren offered to take me to radiotheraphy once a week. It didn't matter how early we had to get there, she would give up her schedule for that morning to drive me.
I love her to bits. I especially love going to church with her!

I've noticed that everytime she sees me she starts giggling. I have no idea why, but it's really contagious :P
She thinks my future husband would be the luckiest man because I can cook (ha). I think her husband would be a lucky man because there is never a dull moment with her around :)

So when CanTeen held an event to Paint the Earth, I made something special for my best friend. Paint the Earth is a place in Albany where you can choose a ceramic item; ornaments in the shape of castles, ballet shoes, animals, piggy banks, clocks, vases, and kitchenware such as plates, coasters, mugs, jugs. And paint it using special ceramic paint! They also have stencils and pens to make painting easier. It was so much fun. I want to have a birthday party here.

I painted her a plate. Originally I had another bible verse in mind, but as I was browsing the plates, this verse popped into my mind.

"Above all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Colossians 3:14

And I thought that summed her up completely. My best friend is compassionate, kind, humble, gentle and patient. And over all these, she is filled with love that reflects who God is.

Along with the plate, I gave her some of my baking I made that morning.

Apricot and White Chocolate Bars

3/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup water
150 g butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1 cup white chocolate
1 cup rolled oats

Place apricots and water in a small saucepan on medium/high heat. Stir until boiling. Turn down the heat and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed.
Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted. Stir in brown sugar and mix. This is essentially apricots in caramel.
In a bowl, sift together flour and baking powder. Pour in apricot mixture and stir quickly.
Add chocolate and oats, mix well.
Pour into lined slice tin.
Bake at 180C for 25 minutes.
Cool for 10 minutes in the tin before transferring onto wire rack to cool completely.

And to conclude, one more funny thing : Lauren and I were walking towards the oggb and she goes, "Why are we going to the Glenn building? I mean business building!"
Oh, Freudian slips.
I can't wait for our double date tomorrow <3

To my best friend for all of eternity.

Signed,
Elisa