"slowly, but surely, began to feel a sense of comfort" (S23)

slowly, but surely, began to feel a sense of comfort as she listened to what this remarkable individual had to say. It wasn't just what this person was saying that caught Jesse's attention, which included discussion on how God calls individuals into a loving friendship and how we have the freedom to accept such a friendship, but it was also the way this person conducted himself during this discussion that caught Jesse's attention. This person was not yelling at the top of their lungs. They were not condemning those whose religious opinions differed from their own. Rather, their message came across in such a genuine and friendly way that it felt as if Jesse had known this individual for years. Despite the fact that this video was recorded prior to Jesse's frustrations with all of her unread messages, the comfort that Jesse felt after this individual seemed to be speaking directly to her through his discussions on friendship in this genuine manner inspired in Jesse a desire to approach others in a similar way. Sure, it would take Jesse a while to respond to each of the unread messages. And yes, Jesse may not be "best friends" in the world with each individual who messaged her. But after hearing this remarkable individual's discussion on how God invites us all into friendship, and how this individual's own genuinely friendly manner allowed Jesse to both clearly interpret this message and develop a sense of trust with this speaker despite the fact that they never have met, Jesse too believed that she could exhibit similar traits in her responses to her messages, and in her future interactions with people. From this remarkable individual, Jesse learned that it is not just what one says that matters. It is how one makes those who receive this message feel that matters as well. With these concepts in mind, Jesse opened up her messages app and began to type her first response.