Steemit Engagement Challenge S5/W6 - "A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed"

^{Photo created on PicsArt App}

Introduction

I greet and welcome you all, fellow Steemians, to my contest entry.
As every contest is unique in its kind, this one isn't exceptional either. This is much more of an opportunity for participants to say "thank you" to their friends who stood by them through thick and thin. I promise to share mine with you all too.
We're good to dive in.

My own understanding of the "A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed" adage

The subject of the adage in question here is "friend." Who is a friend? We often ask.
To me, a friend is that companion with a very strong attachment. A friend isn't necessarily a family member; neither is a spouse, but someone who shares mutual affections with you. Friends are meant to provide assistance to themselves at all times.

Is every friend genuine?

Not all friends are genuine; some are just so-called friends; however, the definition of a friend still stands, with no blame but on those who make choices about friends.

Right from the beginning, people suffer for their mistakes in different ways; some risk their lives in the hands of people they call friends.
Not every friend you have has the mindset of being upbeat and watching you smile as they should. Some people are in your life to betray you and hurt you the best way they can. Take heed that some of their behaviors may not be as outright or obvious as you may expect, but they are still dangerous.

So who's worthy to be called a friend indeed?

A real friend is indeed a friend. This type of friend is interested in watching you grow even better than them; their intentions are very clear to you. A type of friend who once stood by you in your difficult time or is ever ready to stand by you in both your trying times and difficult times is that type of friend who's worthy to be called a friend indeed.

A genuine friend is also someone who tells you the truth about what you need to hear without worrying about how much it will hurt you. A friend who provides solutions to your problems when you're in need, a friend who makes out time to visit you—these are qualities of a friend indeed.

My true friend: how we met and how long we've known each other

Not all friends are betrayals, and yes, I also have a genuine friend, whose name is Raphael Sr.

How we met

How Raphael and I met and became friends is quite amazing. I'm ready to narrate.

It all started as far back as about 8 years ago during my time as a member of the "Catholic Altar Servers Association of Nigeria", a religious association for young adults primarily aimed at assisting the priest during mass on the altar.
It happened that when the association was introduced in our diocese and further spread to parishes and then churches, we were called to enroll in the training, and only a few were chosen, of which I was one. Though the training was meant for everybody, the officials will always appoint only those they wish, give them training, and then appoint them to serve the mass the following day. I was always left behind since I wasn't even a member of that particular church, though it was the same church; I was an outsider.

Raphael, then chief sacristan, with the responsibility of maintaining the sacristy and other sacred objects of the church and the power to disagree with some decisions of the officials, ruled out a call for equal treatment of all members for fairness to reign. This was how I got the training and was able to serve at mass.

Note: serving at mass had been a dream to us.

How long have we been as friends?

Raphael and I have known each other and have been together for over 8 years now. As far back as the friendship has come, we haven't hit the rock, and there is no sign of ever hitting it. This is very convincing that there's no sign of parting ways anytime soon.

Qualities that attracted me to him, his sacrifices to me and how intact is the friendship

^{Raphael and I}

One bare truth here is that I wouldn't still be keeping the friendship if not for some good qualities in Raphael that attracted me to him. Besides, I got what I was yearning for, which was having the opportunity to serve at mass; of course, that's what made us friends. It was that easy, but then other qualities of his keep strengthening the friendship.

While Raphael is an extrovert, I'm an introvert. It sounds weird, I guess, because these two types of people barely keep friendships, yet ours is built on understanding.
He's naturally a concerned, sociable, and outgoing type of person. He's a selfless, easygoing type of person. Also, Raphael holds no grudges and always tells everyone he calls a friend what they need to hear at the time they need to hear it.
He's super supportive too, both physically, financially, and morally. He's naturally endowed with the talent of advising, and I can bet he's making good use of it too.

His sacrifices for me

This is where I'm 100% sure I'll be wrong; by listing his sacrifices, I mean, time alone will not permit me, and as such, living some unmentioned will make me feel guilty. Let's have it anyway, for the sake of this contest.

My current job, which I love so much, was provided to me by this Raphael without my struggles, and I have no idea how it happened. That's pretty much right? Kindly wait; the previous one was singlehandedly given to me by him too. I loved everything he gave me. Currently, he's looking for a job that's even better for me at precisely the same place he's working. I believe him because nothing he proposes to do that he doesn't do and I'm optimistic as well.
The job aspect is the least of the many sacrifices; however, I remembered it first and decided to list it alone.

How intact is the friendship compares to before?

Because it's being built on trust, the friendship has remained intact and is even stronger than before.

Is Raphael on Steemit?

Raphael isn't on Steemit, despite my convincing. Because Steemit requires consistency and hard work, Raphael isn't always able to blog consistently due to his always-full schedule of activities, including his job.
What about creating an account and visiting it when the chance arises? I asked him one day. I even let him know that he can learn and earn not only by blogging alone but also by investing in his money in steem; in that case, he will only need to support other authors. He agreed to create an account and give it a try, but since we don't meet often, he's still yet to do it. Hopefully he will—maybe this week. I will do well to share his account with you all as well.

My short message to him on how amazing he is

^{The smiling Raphael}

Dear Raph, as I fondly call you, may you continue to be the good person you were born, a life saver to not just me but everyone around you. Your philanthropic deeds have traveled so far and are so diverse. You contributed so much to making me the type of person I am today, and though I'm still yet to reciprocate, you seemed not to give up on me. I say thank you. May the better days we always desire come to pass.

Conclusion

The author's words in this publication aren't impressive. As I said earlier, it's an opportunity for me to say thank you to this gem for his sacrifices. I'm forever grateful.

In inviting @miyexi, @okere-blessing and @kyrie1234 to participate