Sunday, October 7, 2012

THEY SHALL RUN AND NOT BE WEARY....

WOW...I looked at this blog a few weeks ago and realized it has been a REALLY long time since I posted anything here.  So in the last few weeks I have revisted this, but would sit down and realize I have no idea where to start.  Life from this summer, happenings over the past months, or the here and now.  I have decided that going back and talking about everything was to big of a task so I am just going to pick up on the here and now.  Life here has been super busy, but in it all God has been working. 

Two weekends ago I had the chance to go with the 11th graders on a class bonding trip.  In 11th grade there seems to be a large number of new students coming into the class as other students leave to pursue studies elsewhere.  As a result you often times end up with half of the class being students who have been at HOPAC most of their lives and the other half brand new to HOPAC.  The school has found that taking the entire class on a weekend trip to focus on getting to know each other goes a long way in helping the class to bond together as one class. 

We left on a Friday afternoon to head to South Beach to a place called Bamba.  I wasn't sure I was up for going as I was extremely exhausted not only from work that week, but things that were happening outside of work.  It was just the trip I needed though.  As it is a weekend for the kids to bond with each other we didn't have a packed full schedule.  As leaders we played lots of team building games with them, but we also gave them a fair amount of free time to hang out and enjoy playing on the beach or in the ocean.  This also gave me time to just sit back and enjoy God's creation. 

On Saturday morning I woke up early, not really by choice as a rooster was being extremely loud outside my window, so I decided to go out onto the beach to spend some time alone with Jesus.  The weeks leading up to this trip were exhausting and I was just down right tired and needing some major refreshment.  As I sat there I was reflecting on the signficance of the place where I was sitting.  This was the exact place I sat with my friends from Faith Church in th summer of 2010.  On our first day in the country of Tanzania we traveled to Bamba for a cultural training day.  Before that though we had an amazing worship service, with a time of singing and communion.  One of our focus verses for that trip was Isaiah 40:28-31and I can clearly remember singing Everlasting God (Strength will Rise) on the beach that day.   As I sat on the beach during this trip, I opened up my Bible to start reading.  I have been doing a read through the Bible in a year plan, so I started out by reading my Old Testament portion.  I looked at my reading plan and opened up my Bible and started reading.  I didn't really think about it until I started reading and I got to the verses.  Yup, thats right on that exact day in my reading plan Isaiah 40:28-31 were the verses that were part of my reading.  I am sure if anyone was watching me they were a little confused.  As I sat there in awe and amazment, I smiled and almost laughed out loud.  God is good. 

As I walked away from that weekend and even through the last few weeks God really has been reminding me that He is my everything and I truly just need to learn to rest in Him.  My strength to live here can only come through Him and the more I lean into Him the more I will be able to run and not grow weary.  I came home from that weekend exhausted from the loss of sleep, but energized in knowing that God is in complete and utter control of EVERYTHING and He has me right where He wants me. 


Bamba Beach 2010 Worship Service

 
11th Grade Bonding Trip Bamba Beach 2012
 
 
 
 
Isaiah 40:28-31 (NIV)
28 Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.