By Victoria Reid

A year ago, my little family moved from the cotton fields of Virginia to the heartbeat of America — Washington, D.C. I had no idea that finding like-minded community in such a large city would be so difficult, but for months, we went without fellowship. My husband was gone for training and working crazy hours, and the lack of friends and community was strongly missed. Every night, I’d pray with my son that God would send us Godly friends that we could do life with. I knew all things were possible, but I had no idea how He’d do it!

I wasn’t able to attend the Torah Sisters Retreat last year since I had just given birth to my daughter, but Amy had sent me a message during it. She said she had met a lady named Krystal and her lovely daughter who were attending, and that they lived within an hour’s driving time of me. In Amy’s wonderful way, she told us both we needed to connect. However, life happened, and as with most federal/military families, schedules are hard to coordinate. After weeks of texting and trying to find a time where we could meet at a coffee shop to no avail, I finally took a risk by offering my home to a complete stranger I had never met — “I’m free on Sabbath, although my husband won’t be home until later, but you’re still welcome to come over!”

I think Krystal and I both legitimately thought we’d get abducted by each other.

Turns out, we had such an amazing time and immediately felt like, in the words of Anne of Green Gables, “kindred spirits”. For several hours, we talked and fellowshipped, and it was as if we’d known each other for years. Our husbands connected once mine got home, her daughters loved my babies and played with them, and we all felt so refreshed and encouraged. As they walked out the door to go home that night, my husband said, “Yeah, I’d trust them to watch our kids.” Honestly, at the moment, I felt like that was really a weird comment. He could have said, “Yeah, let’s get together again!” or “I think we could be great friends!” But, “I’d trust them to watch our kids”? We weren’t exactly looking for a babysitter — nor have we ever needed a babysitter, because our children always come with us.

I had no idea how God would use that statement he uttered literally. In hindsight, it was prophetic.

Despite our best intentions to get together again, life happened. We texted here and there, but our schedules just weren’t lining up. Weeks went by. The first week of July, my 2-year-old son developed a high fever. We took him to Urgent Care, where they said it was Hand Foot & Mouth Disease. We went home with bottles of anti-itch lotion and a mission to keep our 2-month-old daughter from contracting it as well. Within two days, it became evident that this wasn’t HFMD. The rash morphed into something horrific and covered his entire body, changing by the hour. I took both the babies back to the Urgent Care again while my husband was at work, and this time, the nurse looked me dead in the eye and said, “I’m not even doing an exam, I’m sending you right away to the ER. I can’t prove anything, but my gut thinks this is Kawasaki Disease.” I froze. First, what even was Kawasaki Disease? And second, how was I supposed to get in contact with my husband who was in a secured location to tell him that I’m taking our two babies by myself to the ER, in a city we don’t even know?

Even then, God was guiding us. When the nurse heard I couldn’t get a hold of my husband, that we were new to the area, and that my daughter was only 2 months old, she gave me her personal phone number and helped carry the car seat for me, along with snacks for our impending ER trip. I am so grateful God placed that nurse in our life, because had it not been for her, my son would not be here. Turns out, her gut feeling was correct.

Once at the ER, my son began screaming and thrashing uncontrollably. His fever wouldn’t come down from 106 and would remain that high for almost two weeks. My infant daughter started to cry in her car seat, but I couldn’t hold both my children at the same time. The doctor came in, stoically took in the scene by looking at each of my screaming children, then at me, and then asked flatly, “Isn’t there anyone you can call?”

“No. We just moved here.” I said weakly as the reality of having no friends or family nearby sank in. The doctor looked at each one of us again and then back at me. Flatly and with zero emotion, she said, “Well, you better figure it out.” And with that, she left the room.

Panicked, I went through the list of people I knew in my head. I had a couple of acquaintances from a Bible study I went to a few times at a local church, but they all had small children, and I had no idea at this point what my son really had or if it was contagious. I didn’t want to somehow expose their babies to this horrible disease, so I couldn’t call them. Then I picked up my phone and quickly sent an SOS to Krystal as my only other option — “Hey, do you think you could come to the ER and just sit here with the baby?” As soon as she got my message, she immediately said, “I’m on the way!”

Krystal arrived and held my crying daughter while I held a screaming, very sick little boy. My husband finally arrived after his Sergeant heard we were in the hospital. Back and forth, nurses came in and out, and they finally told us that our son would be admitted, but with a plot twist — I wasn’t allowed to keep my nursing 2-month-old due to the hospital visitor policy.

Once again, I looked at Krystal helplessly. “Is there any way you can take her home with you? I know that’s so much to ask!” Without hesitation, she said yes. My husband gave her our house key, and we told her to go grab whatever she thought the baby might need for the night. It wasn’t until after she left that she texted me a random address that I realized…

I didn’t even know where she lived.

I really didn’t know this lady.

I only met her once, for a few hours, and she just left with my infant in a leap of faith and with the only key to my house.

That night, Krystal’s family loved on my baby and cared for her as if she was their own. She sent me photos and updates, and I had complete peace knowing she was where she needed to be. Meanwhile, my son’s heart rate peaked at 217 around midnight. Unable to have my husband or baby, I sat there helplessly holding my son while the doctors became frantic around his bed. For hours, his heart rate wouldn’t go down, and I had to surrender and trust that God would carry us no matter what the future held.

Somehow we miraculously made it to the morning, mercifully my husband’s Sergeant granted him emergency leave so I didn’t have to continue to be alone, and we took turns holding our son who constantly needed to be held down to prevent him from ripping out his IVs. That morning, Krystal brought my daughter up to the hospital so I could do one nursing session and also hand off the milk I had pumped throughout the night. Exhausted, I sat there in the lobby while my husband stayed up on the floor. I looked at Krystal and said, “Listen, are you SURE you’re okay with this? It’s been years since you’ve had a newborn, and I know it’s a lot of work — not to mention, you’re literally watching a stranger’s baby. I can try to find someone else if it is!”

Truth be told, I had no idea who else I could ask.

I will never, ever forget what she said next, because the chills radiated up my spine in confirmation that what was happening was way bigger than just my son being in the hospital:

“I never told you, but last year I had a miscarriage. This week would have been my due date. Yesterday, I had just told my husband how wrong it felt not having a baby in the house, and how much I just wanted a baby to hold — and then you texted me asking me to come and hold your baby. So yes. I will gladly watch your baby for as long as you need, because she is blessing us more than you could ever know.”

My husband and I could hardly fathom how perfect God’s timing was, or how He was working even in our worst nightmare. For almost two weeks, Krystal watched my baby girl. Every single day, she drove almost an hour to the hospital so I could do one nursing session and hand over that night’s milk. Even though she insisted that it was no trouble to her, her sacrifice was not lost on me.

Miraculously, my son survived Kawasaki Disease without any ill effects, and we finally were able to be together as a family at home again. I am so eternally grateful that God put Krystal in my life, not just for the sake of my daughter, but for the sake of having a life-long friend. Our federal/military schedules still don’t connect as often as we wish, but that doesn’t stop us from calling, texting, and checking in on each other even if it can’t be in person. I love how we can seamlessly flow together even with mismatched schedules to show each other grace and love, bring laughter and joy, to encourage and challenge all in the same breath.

Some may say that our friendship is one in a million. I beg to disagree. This is the body of Yeshua in action (1 Corinthians 12:12-31). This is what it means to be His Hands and Feet to the world, that when one person in the body hurts, others hurt too (1 Corinthians 12:26). This is what it can look like when we’re in a healthy place in our hearts, marked with Spiritual maturity and genuine willingness to function as a body together with others who don’t have the same purpose as us. There is unity, care, and connection there — not division, discord, or competition (Colossians 3:12-14). There is grace upon grace (John 1:16), always seeking the best — and assuming the best — of others (Romans 12:16). There is outdoing one another in love…and, in Krystal’s daughters’ case, baked goods, too (Romans 12:10). Most of all, there’s peace that comes from being settled in our identities in Yeshua, knowing that we’re His daughters and we’re just all on a journey to be the best wives, daughters, mamas, sisters, and friends we can be for His glory.

I hope each one of you is given the gift of experiencing this kind of sisterhood that simply seeks to raise Yeshua high. One day, I hope I can finally make it to the Torah Sisters Retreat for myself, but until then, it will always hold a special place in my heart — because I truly gained a sister from it. Why don’t you go this year? Maybe you’ll leave with a new sister friend, too.

About Victoria