From Kate Shellnutt, editorial director of news: We’ve shared a few “small world” stories in this newsletter before, like finding you know someone in common with a source you’re interviewing or running into old acquaintances while reporting abroad.
 
The latest “small world” moment happened as I edited a piece by Andy Olsen. It wasn’t until my second read-through that my eyes paused on a name: Meg Kelsey. Took me another glance to put together that the name I recognized from high school was indeed the same Meg Kelsey, now working at Regent University in our hometown of Virginia Beach, Virginia. 

Andy mentioned that her background as a professional soccer player in Argentina made her a particularly interesting legal source—which checks out for the smiley, outspoken Christian soccer star I remember. We haven’t seen each other since we were teenagers, but I was excited enough at the coincidence that I immediately messaged her on Facebook.

My longtime best friend has become obsessed with small-world connections since living in Africa—excitedly reporting back when she saw someone wearing a Virginia Beach T-shirt on the other side of the Atlantic. She has trained me to see the delight in such moments. Even in the big world of evangelicalism, we can celebrate the unlikely ways that God intersects our lives.