Spring Rest

3/20/2013

 
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Updating twice in one month?
What?
Yeah, things are changing. 

UTC's Spring Break was last week. So, I took a trip to Emerald Isle with 60 other Young Life leaders for a few days. And it was an incredible time.

It was time of rest, stillness, friends, deep conversations, dancing, fancy dinners & Mexican fiestas, pinatas, skits, worship, serving hearts, laughter, and Jesus. What more could one person ask for on spring break?

I contemplated going on this trip, because being with 20 people can sometimes overwhelm me. So, the fact that there were a little over 60 people signed up for this trip made me start questioning whether or not I wanted to go.
"I'm about to leave so there's no point in going and making new friends, because I'm just going to leave soon..." thought Jenny and I. Little did we know that God didn't really see it like that. Community. So thankful for it.
God has been blowing me away with the word "community" lately. I felt SO loved with those 60+ other people at Emerald Isle. Let me tell you how...
We were split into 3 team for dinner meals on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. So, there were about 20ish people on each teach. The first group was assigned to make an Italian dinner. The second group was assigned to make an American meal. And the third group was assigned to make a Mexican meal. Little did we know what those nights would actually turn into.

Italian night...they had assigned us by table and had name tags for us, fancy glasses and bread on the table, candles and dimmed lights all around. We see all of our waiters, mustaches drawn on their upper lips, ready to serve. I don't think I have ever been tended to like that (maybe at YL camps). I sat there in awe, knowing that if Jesus was physically there that night that He would have been the one to gladly serve me and scoot my chair in and refill my cup, and play a song for me and pick out the best piece of cheesecake for me. Why? Because He came to serve not to be served (Matthew 20:28). AND because He is madly in love with me, and knew my heart would be full after that night.

American night...My group! We made hamburgers and hot dogs and lots of side snacks. We ended up spending $100 more than our budget, but that's okay because we were so excited to get to prepare a great meal for our friends! Isn't that great that once we've been served, all we want to do is take what we've experienced and share it and go serve others? Maybe that's why it feels so good to serve. Maybe that's why Jesus came to serve us first. We ended up doing a skit in the middle of dinner of different states all over the US. Myself, Jenny, and Beth were from Minnesota and did a little skit to go along with that. Flour on the top of our heads, big glasses that we couldn't see out of, and turtle neck dresses. It was so great to get to serve our friends and entertain them as well.

Mexican night...it was a fiesta! Literally! There was a pinata, margaritas (non-alcoholic, of course), Mexican music, Mariachi band, the accents, fake birthday songs, and even a fake bachelor party celebration. I don't think there was ever a point where I had to ask for more food or more of a certain type of food because they were constantly bringing us out more. I laughed a lot this night. What a joy it is to be served and to get to serve others!

As I sat on the beach day after day, with no itinerary for the day, I saw and wondered what God was trying to teach me that week. We had worship every morning and then got to share what God had been teaching us, and it was so encouraging to hear where God had been moving, especially in the hearts of our new leaders. 

"Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming." -Eph. 4:14

I read this verse as I was watching the ocean water. 

Then I read this verse: 


"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you." -1 Cor.15:58

It is so easy to get distracted from Jesus in this world. Even within the first day at the beach sitting for 30 minutes, I felt like I needed to be doing something. Busyness. I heard a statement once, "If the devil can't make you bad, he'll make you busy".

Keep your eyes on Jesus, and you won't be moved.
Keep your eyes on Jesus, and you won't be moved.
Keep your eyes on Jesus, and you will be moved....closer to Him.
Thankful for a growing community and growing hearts.
Love,
T


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