Exhale
Ugh, dearest reader, I wish I could have coffee with you and tell you all about the amazing moments I experienced just in this last week. There are simply too many to discuss and I couldn't possibly write about them all (so, let this be an encouragement to reach out to me if you want to hear more about it in the future ;)). However, here are some of the staple moments I will share...
The first few days of this week were spent cleaning cabins and lodge rooms (and I took on bathroom-duty with full ardor). Though it was not a glamorous first few days of the week, scrubbing toilets and replacing garbage bags gives a person lots of time to speak with God, so I was thankful for the opportunity.
On Thursday and Friday, the Awaken Project students had the treat of having Pastor Paul Cross come in and teach us about Inductive Bible Study. He shared a great deal of wisdom (and humor!) that will serve us well as we continue to study the Word. Overall, our time with him was amazing and us students already requested more sessions with him in the future.
To top off this week, the TAP students got the privilege to participate in the Mount Carmel Fall Retreat. This event offered time for fellowship and Bible study for the entirety of the weekend. Personally, I was able to connect with many amazing people. Specifically, since males and females studied separately during this retreat, I was able to share my heart with multiple women as well as have them share theirs with me.
Going off of that, I am going to end this week's highlight reel by letting you in on a little secret: this week I experienced a few different moments where I walked away thinking, “That was an answered prayer.”
I won't go into detail on what that all entails, but I wanted to tell you that I have seen God work in personal and deeply special ways in my first 20 days here.
On a final note - the title of this blog is called "Exhale"...why? Because it was a word used in a conversation I had with a new friend of mine this past weekend. After sharing part of her beautiful story with me, she said "I feel like I am finally in a place where I can exhale."
And that, my friend, is exactly what I did this week.
Just taking a moment to ruminate on where I am, why I am here, what I am doing, and who I am with, fills me with an ethereal joy where I can't help but exhale and appreciate it all.