Two nights ago, I arrived back home from Manitoulin Island. Two nights ago, I decided that I would have turned around and traveled right back up there if I could. God has placed such a burden in my heart for the people there, and I long to be there every moment of every day. Let's be real though; every year that I go up to the Island, I go through hardcore withdrawal from it for about three weeks after I come home.
I can't wait to go back up in 354 days! ...........buuuut I'm not counting.
The missions trip was a smashing success from start to finish. Despite all of the crazy things going on in my life (see previous post that was written pre-Manitoulin), God did
wonderful things over the course of the trip.
The trip started with a nine hour car drive that for some reason felt to me like only five or six hours, despite getting backed up on the highway, and making stops. When we arrived, some people decided to go swimming. I currently have stitches in my leg so swimming was a no from me all week; I decided to join my brother and some others while they were fishing. I caught the first fish of the trip! *sassy hair flip*
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my northern pike |
Yah, it was pretty exciting; people were proud of me. I caught it literally
right after I told one of the other team members that I don't even fish.
I'm not going to do a rundown of each day, but they were all amazing! SO many memories were made, and I laughed so much. I had a few life chats with people that I don't normally talk with, so it was awesome to hear what they had to say, and have them pour into my life.
It was really beneficial for me to get away from the situations in my life, and getting to physically distance myself for a week was SO healthy & necessary for me. I had the chance to take in the beauty around me, and relax (...while also being incredibly busy).
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beautiful shots from the campsite |
Let's not dwell on the emotional feelings of exhaustion that I felt at the end of the trip, but on the other hand,
emotionally I came home feeling rejuvenated, focused on God, and joyful through His strength. During late night life chats on Friday night, our last night before coming home, I was discussing with a couple of friends how I felt like this year I wasn't on a spiritual high that was going to dwindle away after a few days of being back in the stress & craziness of home life, but this year it was more like stable spiritual growth. Over the course of last week, I got to experience God providing us with His strength, His joy, and His rest amongst how busy we were. I'm slowly doing a better job of leaning on Him and fully trusting in His sovereignty since returning home.
I'll share some more about the trip, and maybe some specific memories sometime soon. But for now, pictures! Enjoy!
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enjoying some fishing on the dock on the first night |
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when Jenna, Lauren & i decided it was a good idea to hand wash our tshirts #fail |
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me with the bro! |
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we never get along for too long #sos #besties |
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teaching our small group about Gospel bracelets! |
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gettin' my photographer on |
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super cool picture that Mitch wanted me to take |
2 comments
I'm totally with you, when you say that you're not on a spiritual high, but in a stable place.
ReplyDeleteI still can't get over the fact that you got that fish! That was pretty amazing for a non-fisher woman like yourself:P
As always, great post!
lol you have all the sass, Lizzy. XD <3 THE SASSMASTER RETURNS! Love all the pics! ;)
ReplyDeleteGlad to have you back with us (aka me!)! And with a lovely post to boot. ^.^