~~ Summer is nearing its end. Not much longer till we have to slow down for school zones, stop for busses dropping kids off at home, and do some tax-free shopping for back to school clothes [August 7-9 for SC folks]. I'd like to dedicate this post as kind of a recap of my summer. Summer is like one huge long day. There is a sunrise, and a sunset. And of course, a few meals inbetween.
~~ Sunrise. End of school. A solo flight to PA for a friend's wedding. Graduation. Birthday. This was the sunrise of my summer. The excitement and anticipation of completing the chapter of my life called Highschool, sharing that excitement with all the family and friends that supported me in my graduation, and less then a week later hitting the ripe old age of 18. That was a very stressful, yet amazing week, and a great start to a wonderful summer. Sunrises are gorgeous. This sunrise was a new beginning, not only for my summer, but for the rest of my life.
~~ Breakfast is the first meal of the day. That first chance of energy after a long night of laying still, in the dark. The energizing start to my summer was Summer Camp. What a great start too. I wrote a little blurb about summer camp in a previous blog [In Between the Lions] so I won't go into a ton of detail here. But summer camp to me was like a nice blend of bacon, eggs, and cheese on a croissant. And lots of fruit. Summer camp was a wake up call after a long night of sleep.
~~ Lunch tends to be the meal that I share with friends. We go out shopping, then stop and share lunch together at Ruby Tuesday's or McDonald's [depending on the heftiness of our paychecks for the week]. Lunch is a time of giving as well. Sharing left overs off of each other's plates, splitting the bill right down the middle, etc. So my lunch this summer was Belize. Now I haven't shared anything about Belize in a post yet, so here it goes. Brace yourselves.
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~~ The team that Cornerstone sent to Belize was an absolutely amazing blend of people, and I am so glad I was able to be a part of it. We worked well together, and I don't think there was ever a bicker among one team member to another. The week was filled with young village children, some who spoke English and some who did not. The theme of our week, one of the words that kept popping up at the end of each day during our debriefing session, was love. Even if the people of each village we visited couldn't understand a word we said, they all could comprehend love. Whether it was a hug for a small child, throwing a frisbee to an older youth, or smiling at a pregnant woman with a brood of children clinging to her legs.
~~ Another common word in Belize was joy. Most of these kids had NOTHING. Just the clothes on their back, and shoes if they were lucky enough. Yet everytime our problematic school bus arrived on a ministry site, kids came running. Little feet pounding across the hot asphalt or the dusty sand. Then they would line up and smile the biggest smiles while they waited for us to climb off the bus. Once we picked some kids up from a children's home.. most who didn't have parents anymore whether through abandonment or death. Those kids were joyful. You couldn't tell them apart from the other kids who came with their parents. They were hungry for God's word.
~~ The last word that popped up a few times was family. It was heartbreaking and humbling to watch 7 year olds walk up to ministry sites holding a baby in one arm, and the hand of a 3 year old in the other. Watching them huddle in little groups with their brothers and sisters and cousins, taking turns with the youngest, and clinging to each other. The biggest chance we got to serve them was to let them be kids. Even if only for a day. The women in our team would collect the babies and younger children so the older kids who play the roles of mom and dad, could run around like elementary aged kids are supposed to.
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~~ Dinner is typically a family event. That's the meal that most families gather around one table, talk about their day, and eat together. So the dinner of my summer was the trip that most of my family went on. Beach Plant. My mom was a chaperone, I was a junior chaperone, Hannah and Bekah were participants, and Sarina was the usual sidekick/mascot. It was great to get to minister to another church in Myrtle Beach alongside with my youth group and my family. It was indeed a great trip over all. I made some new friends, and learned some new lessons.
~~ Some people eat night time snacks. Kind of a little pick me up before going to bed. So if there was an event in my summer to label a snack.. it would definitely be the weekend we went up to Pennsylvania. It was wonderful to hang out with old friends, visit with a lot of family, and on the return trip home, make a huge tax-free purchase in Delaware. My 17" MacBook Pro [with the free ipod touch and printer]. Oh the joys of being a college student. Free stuff. :] For some reason though, they make you spend money to get free stuff. So I guess it's not completely free? Oh well, that was still a very happy day, and a nice treat. Kinda like a bedtime snack.
~~ Now here we are. The sunset of summer. A little less then 2 weeks till school starts. I can feel the ending arriving. Almost like watching the sky turn colors as the sun nears the horizon, completing it's full arch across the blue backdrop speckled with fluffy clouds. The day isn't over yet. This is going to be a jam-packed two weeks, from Camp Rock at the Stone every morning, Carowinds on Saturday with some friends, and the youth trip to Dollywood. I'll be pretty busy almost every second of every day, right up till the 17th when I once again walk the FDTC campus, this time as a fully-enrolled student.
~~ Everyone has seasons in their lives, much like this description of a day I dedicated to summer. This summer I walked through some light rains, and a few full-blown thunderstorms. However, I also soaked up the sun, and even saw a rainbow or two. One of the passages of scripture I memorized this summer was Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. Verse one says, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven," and then it continues on with contrasting phrases, showing that we'll go through happy times filled with smiles and laughter.. as well as hardships laden with sorrowful tears of resentment and regret. I could speak on this passage forever, so maybe at one point I'll just dedicate a blog to it. :]
~~ This summer was very busy. The other day while I was out with my mom searching for some school supplies [yay!] I mentioned how busy my summer was. I told her that I was excited for school to start, because then I'll have more time to hang out with people and do some of the things I planned on doing this summer that I didn't get a chance to do. For example, rearrange my room, paint my walls, read some books, etc. Much to my disappointment, my mom just laughed. I guess she knows something I don't? It couldn't possibly have anything to do with being a full-time college student, could it? I'm sure it has NOTHING to do with my part time job, and the other commitments I make to people and church throught the year. Oh well. :]
