Of heartstrings.

This city has become home to me. I don’t live here, and other towns are closer, but I call Meadville my hometown. I love these streets. The old cobbled bricks, the falling apart mansions, the shops. True, there’s a fair share of shambles and trash, but to me, the beauty far outweighs the trash. (I know…it might not if I lived here.)

But really what I love about this city is the people I know who live here. People who need Jesus…but they teach me so much about Jesus because they are real. They don’t pretend, like I do, that they have it altogether. It’s only when I allow myself to broken, too, that I can bring Jesus to them.

There’s this one housing complex that I especially love. I asked my friend Becca why God is calling me to leave when I love this place so much. She told me, “Rosanne, God gave you that love for a reason, and He can use it even when you aren’t there in person.” Thanks, Becca. I pray that He does, and that others of His people will love this place, too.

And then, there is this charming house where my amazing friend lives. A place where the light of Jesus shines bright. A little family making the presence of Jesus real on these streets. I will miss you, Carla!

I wonder if, and how soon, God will bring me back here. Until then, I hold this city—these people—in my heart.