Meet the neighbors: Rachel Arnett
Meet Rachel Arnett!
Rachel is the Community Manager of our apartment complex. She runs the show and is an expert at it. She has been in this position for just over 13 years, which is virtually unheard of in the apartment management industry. She is a people person and is very proficient at making herself relatable to every single person that walks through her office door. We have not met a single person in our community that does not adore her!
When we were first looking to move into an apartment we were told that most managers are frazzled and looking for any support they can get. We were also told few managers stay in the business past a few years. The people who told us that had not met Mrs. Rachel! She highly engages every member of the community. Her and the team also regularly host events (i.e. summer cookouts and Christmas parties). When she is moving about the community, people flag her down, not to raise a complaint about something, but rather just to chat with her as a friend. She regularly has the kids of the community in her office because she regularly has sweet treats that she enjoys giving out to the kids. At every event she is the life of the party.
She knows that I am a full-time hospice chaplain and that I also serve at Beulah. I regularly talk about my faith and share what is happening at my church. Whenever we talk about our faith she is always energetic and affirmative, but we have always been unsure of where she is spiritually because of how guarded she has to be as the manager of the community.
In March of 2023 her mother passed away. I took her a sympathy card and a small gift and briefly let her know I was praying for her, for which she was thankful. A few weeks later I stopped in the office again and she was very thankful for the act of kindness. Then she began to cry and open up about her grief and how difficult things had been for her recently. I was able to sit and listen to her and ask questions that helped her express what she was feeling. I did not share my faith - - I had already done that several times in the year or so leading up to this. I am convinced that she knew what I professed to believe and saw us living it out daily in front of our neighbors. Our professed faith aligned with our actions (think James 2:18-22), which made me a safe person for her to talk to.
At this point it feels like we both now wear two hats when interacting with each other. There's the formal hats, where she is the manager and we are the residents; then, there's the ministry hats, where we are the kind caregivers and she is the recipient. Most every time we interact we all bounce back and forth between these roles. We are thankful that now she is willing to tell us (in her own tactful way), "I am having a really bad day please come back in a day or two to chat."
Prayer requests for her:
- Praise God that she is open and affirming of every type of outreach we have attempted so far!
- Her youngest daughter is 13 and entering the challenging teen years
- She still (understandably) expresses grief over the loss of her mother
Pray also that the light of Christ will continue to shine to her not only in our words, but also our actions towards fellow residents and as good tenants. Pray that this light will help tear down the tense wall she has up at times, keeping us at a professional distance.
Allow me to encourage you to shine the light of Christ in every aspect of your life, not just your words. Rachel sees how we interact with her, how we interact with each other, and how we interact with other residents that look very different than us, and she sees that everything in our life is in congruence with our faith. As you live out your life in full view of co-workers, employers, clients, students, your family and children, strive to let the light of Christ shine in all that you do.
Would you join us in prayer for this sweet friend of ours? Can we join you in prayer for someone?
Let us know!
In Christ,
Daniel Maggard
