All Of It

So yesterday was an adventure…. and it was REALLY GOOD!

We planned an end of the semester trip, with our friends on the student life team, Simeon and Lémé… and it was an awesome day!

Just before finals, and after a month of weekly youth ministry training, we decided as a group that we wanted to do something fun together, something that would help us to build deeper relationships. We thought a trip to the beach would be a great way to do that...

and that's exactly what we did!  We went to ChouChou Bay.

Simeon worked hard planning the trip… from making phone calls, to organizing breakfast and lunch, to collecting money, to loading up the truck… and most importantly, to making sure that everyone had a BLAST!  (something Simeon is very good at!)

Phil and I put together an object lesson and a game (we are in youth ministry remember… no event is truly an event without a game and an object lesson!) and we hit the road at 9am for a day full of fun!

With 18 students, 2 EBS staff, and two Heckman kids in the back of the truck, we headed on our way!

This rowdy, excited group, singing the ENTIRE way at the top of their lungs, made quite a scene in every little town and village we drove through! The smiles and laughter from people as we rode by revealed how infectious joy can really be!

After the hour and fifteen minute drive, we arrived, parked, and walked onto the beach, and once again- as I've done every time we have gone to the beach here- I stopped to take it in.  SO beautiful.


This is ChouChou Bay…

Once everyone got settled in, we jumped right into a game… one that not even ONE of them had played before- Tug of War!

It ended up being two perfectly balanced teams tugging for quite some time before one team finally won!  Afterwards we sat and talked about how this game could be used as an object lesson with youth…  they came up with this:  Unity in the Body of Christ, how much more we can accomplish when we work together, the reality of spiritual warfare/battle, fighting against the world's temptations, not having our foundation in sand but on the rock… SUCH GOOD STUFF!  We have been telling them that there are object lessons ALL around us.  They are seeing it!

After some great discussion and some sore hands :), we spent the day just being together…

= 

 All that we have and all that we are is because of Him.

This trip, this adventure, this day was His.

This beautiful beach, the magnificent creation, is His.

These students and staff, our kids, we are His.


God was in every moment yesterday, as He always is…

Driving. Teaching. Laughing. Eating. Singing. Dancing. Playing. Praying. Talking. Walking. Climbing. Swimming. Giving. Living…

all of it.

We are so blessed to be a part of what is happening here in Haiti.  God is raising up pastors who are going to bring change, light, hope, love…  working with these amazing young men and women is a privilege and a great joy!