A friend is one who strengthens you with prayers, blesses you with love and encourages you with hope.

I love this quote cause it is so true of my friends. They are a blessing to me and I cherish them tremendously in my life. My sister began to blog about special friends in her life and it made me want to do the same. The first friend that I wanted to write about is Heidi Shafer.

I met Heidi about 6 years ago at Grace Community. We became fast friends and close through the years. Heidi is one of the most encouraging friends in my life. One of the reasons why I love her is that she doesn't tell me what I want to hear but what I NEED to hear. She consistently points me to the Word and truth.

Heidi got married a few years ago and I got to stand by her side as a bridesmaid. What an honor for me. Heidi is such a Godly wife and mother and I love listening to what she is learning. She always has such great insight.

Heidi has stood out to me lately as a friend who strengthens me with prayer, loves me and encourages me with hope. I got to spend a couple hours with her in December catching up. Since that time Heidi has been faithful to reach out to me every week to see how I'm doing, encourage me and let me know she's praying for me. What a blessing that is in my life. I love you Heidi and am so thankful for you in my life.