Switching gears.

So I'm sitting in the pouring rain at the Marriott pool & I find that my heart is so full, I just have to blog. There's a change! :) I have been overwhelmed by God's goodness so many times over the last few weeks that I wouldn't even know where to start and if I did, I wouldn't ever stop. God has blessed me tremendously. I can not believe that I live on this island right now. I can't believe the love & burden I feel for the people I've met & the places I've been. I can't believe the events I've gotten to experience and be a part of! And to think back to the tests of faith I went through before coming here - could God really provide these funds? could I adjust to life outside of comfortable Indianapolis? could I be without my friends, family, youth group for 3 months? Oh, He answers prayers. Every single day. 
These last 13 days with the Harvest youth group from Ft. Wayne were a BLAST! I loved getting to know and serve with them. I was super impressed with the spiritual maturity in such a fairly young group - I'm excited to keep up with them and see how God will use them in big ways in the future! A trip like this is always something you carry with you for a long time and I'm so glad I got to share it with them and make new friends. Here's a picture spiel of some of the things we did this last week, some serving and some fun! 

GOOD NEWS CLUB @ TYRELL WILLIAMS PRIMARY SCHOOL

WORK PROJECTS: PAINTING HAZEL'S HOUSE & BUILDING A SWINGSET

(Matt and the girls have a lot more pictures of these things.. I didn't actually take hardly any of the house. However, Hazel's house is now green and dreamsicle orange and it looks AWESOME. Her neighbors were so interested to hear about the white American teenagers who spent days out there painting it!)

CATAMARAN TRIP!

FIRST EVER AWANA GRAND PRIX

 DINNER AT REGGAE BEACH

before & after.. this food was SO GOOD.

we stopped on the way there to see one of the most beautiful sunsets.

BEACH DAYS

 (once again - the girls got waaaaay more pictures on their cameras. I can't wait to see them!!)

And of course, there was the missed flight fiasco. The group was due to leave at 3:20 yesterday afternoon... So they cleaned. And cleaned. And packed. And cleaned. And ate. And left. Aaand then they came back. Basically they "missed their flight" or in other words, sometimes St. Kitts gets lazy and doesn't wanna check in a group of 12 people if they can even remotely justify it. Soooo when all was said and done, they got 3 discounted rooms at the island's BEAUTIFUL Marriott and I was able to stay there and hang out with them. Romans 8:28, right? :) I, for one, was overjoyed that they'd be staying another day. We swam, ate, indulged on coffee and chocolate, explored, bonded, played some pretty mediocre games of volleyball, and lived it up. Of course this was all in a matter of 20 hours and now they have taken off and are safely headed home! 

Unfortunately this transition has been hard on me. A few weeks ago I could say I had gotten perfectly accustomed to not being surrounded by people my own age at all times - and then I was again. Constantly. For two weeks. it was sad to say goodbye to the fellowship, hilarity, and even nonstop games of euchre. You could say I've been hit with a hint of loneliness. I am extremely glad, though, that this is over two months in and the first time I've experienced this. The Lord has been & IS more than enough for me. I am fully sustained by Him. We just all need a little reminder sometimes, right? Not to mention, Brandon, Wendi, and the kids are just as fun to goof off with :) so much joy comes with serving here!

Moving forward - the semester ends for the students on the island in 10 ish days. That means many of them will be leaving the island and it'll be quiet around CCF! Please keep them all in your prayers as they battle it out with finals the next couple of weeks and will be even more stressed out than usual! 
In 13 days the Bible college will arrive! I AM SO EXCITED, GUYS. Some of my very best friends are coming with this group & it will be a huge taste of home! For those that don't know, the Bible college shares campus with my school and home church :) they'll be coming to serve with Brandon & Wendi for 3 weeks, starting the 22nd.. Bummer though, I leave 2/3 way through their trip. I can't even write about going home yet. While I have some mixed emotions, most of them can be summed up in one word: sad. Very, very sad. That post doesn't have to be written yet though. 
I have 4 more weeks here. God is good. Serving Jesus is sweet. There just isn't anything better than walking in the Lord's will. Even when you can't see where it's taking you, you can always trust. Thank you, sincerely, to everyone and anyone who has supported and prayed for me! The ups and downs have made me just that much more thankful for you guys. Oh, my heart (: