 High in the Andes mountains of South America, the snow melt and the rains give birth to a noble river. As it grows in size and strength, it carves the soil from the mountains and canyons and carries the powdery earth within its torrents to the Brazilian valleys below. This river, named the Solimões, retains a brown color as it courses through the lowlands of the Amazon jungle. For nearly a thousand miles its powerful currents flow, solitary and proud. To the north, the lush, deep jungles of Brazil give birth to another mighty river, the Rio Negro. Minerals and elements from the jungle floor transform its waters into a clear but dark current. For 1400 miles it snakes through the lowlands alone, and like its cousin, the Rio Solimões it's made stronger by the smaller tributaries that join it along its way. Both rivers become strong, proud and independent on their own, yet the currents of the Solimões flow faster than those of the Rio Negro and its waters are colder. The Rio Negro is dark yet clear, while the waters of the Solimões are dense and filled with sediment. Despite their differences in color, speed of current, temperature and composition, the two rivers eventually collide near the warm jungles of northern Brazil. Yet, even after these waters join, for many miles they do not mix. They remain separate and stubbornly independent, as if fighting one another and saying, I am strong without you, will not change me. But soon the ground beneath the waters gradually declines, and the two rivers begin to flow faster, turning and mixing one with the other, merging and swirling together, eventually becoming uniquely different than what they once were. Now two rivers blending their differences become one, the strongest river in the world. The newly formed Amazon River then flows with such power that upon reaching the Atlantic Ocean pushes its freshwater currents for miles into the salty seas. An observant person may say that people like you and like me are similar to the mighty waters of these two rivers. We are different in color and characteristics, in culture, in beliefs. We are each unique and independent, coursing through life facing along our own solitary concerns. How can we possibly flow together as one? How can we unite being so different one from another? The teachings of Jesus Christ invite us to become one, like the two independent, magnificent rivers we too can become united. As we encounter the people of the world around us, we can choose to encourage and love one another as the gospel of Christ teaches. With His help, we can combine our unique qualities to form a mighty force for good, a force we cannot create alone. As the Solimoys and Rio Negro eventually unite to become the most powerful river in the world, so we, as followers of Jesus, can become united and powerful, flowing together as one, one with Christ and one with our neighbor.