Waiting on a promise

I wake up early, recognizing the warm air is still making my skin sticky. I climb out of my lower bunk and thank God again that I brought a mosquito net to fend the bugs off at night. Thankfully I've only seen scorpions and bats outside our little yellow casita. Cooling off by our shared fan and washing up for this new day is all a rush because getting out to see the sun rising over the ocean is my goal almost every morning. I head out into the muggy morning, locking my door tight where my sleeping room mates are. I always try to remember to say a quick prayer over them as I leave. I figure even if all of us don't get along quite yet, prayers will help. Sitting on splintered wood near the every-moving water I open my journal and write. And write... and write. Stopping for a while to read my daily portions of the bible to get through the entirety of the Word before DTS is over. This is when I enter the Lords gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Resting in His presence in the morning stir my heart and I usually turn to breakfast with wet eyelashes.

I only make breakfast on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. My breakfast duty buddy is a lovely Norwegian. Cooking the usual beans, eggs, and tortillas for our mornings. We try and make it through cracking as many eggs as we can before a black, rotten one shows up. I wish I had a biblical lesson to this morning "game" but I don't. I just kinda hate it. But on this morning, I don't have to make breakfast. So my room mate, Akira, does. Which means my newly found favorite breakfast, OATMEAL!!! I don't know why I love it so much.

I love this meal because only the early birds get up for the first hour. Which means we have one big table of some of my favorites.

Lou and Aaron are a married couple from the UK. Lou is almost always scratching my back, making me laugh or telling me stories and sweet nothings about myself (most of which I need to start receiving). Her husband, Aaron, is so fascinating. He is either talking about something deep or his eyes will light up with boyhood delight if we talk about an adventure to take. My other breakfast friends is the "base leader" (at least for now because the other one is on outreach with a team). Francis is always picking on me in his mixed accent but I know its just because I'm his favorite. With a few other students like my lovely Linden (don't worry, I'll talk about her plenty) and my "delightfully Scottish" friend Matty. It is almost always quite the exciting morning.

As the time for lecture for the day grows closer, I quicken my step to grab my already half full note book and my other essentials for worship and lecture. The days trade off for morning worship or intersession. I head into the sand room a few minutes early with my hot cup of coffee in hand. Before worship we have a quick devo led by a student or staff. When worship begins so do the "Jesus bumps". I've become used to dancing and seeing people get words for others and sharing them freely. I've also become used to the feeling of sand covered concrete under my bowed knees. Worshiping feels so quick but also long in the moment. I leave wanting more.

Sitting in lecture is actually some of my favorite times because usually someone is asking me to draw on them, the speaker is making us do "exercises" that are uncomfortable in the moment but so good. Learning to share what you see for people in prayer and sharing what the Lord is digging at your heart about isn't my comfort zone. Neither was being the first to answer a question or read a passage in scripture until I got here. I should probably learn how to leave time for someone else to answer before I take a shot at it. But I also love it when one of the staff, Chris, gives me starburst and thanks me for speaking loudly and unashamed. I might just get along with these people.

Before I know it the lunch conch has been blown and we are off to chat and laugh over rice and beans. The days fly by because we have free time until dinner or community meeting. Only if I don't have dinner duty though. I usually study for reports or this world geography test we will have soon. Sometimes I swim laps in the ocean to prepare for my diving certification in a few days. Resting for the afternoon with any friend or finding my small group leader to spend time with is my favorite. Oh my do I just adore Katie. That was a total God thing to make her my group leader and my good friend. Walking through life with her will be a complete joy. I'll probably write more about her as time goes on.

Dinner rushes in and we gather for prayer and to visit. I love this time and I love the time after just to BE in Belize. Walking in the moonlight on the beach or even watching this bright orange moon rise over the ocean is when I feel peace flood my soul. There is usually two or three groups of people doing different things in the nights. I like to stick around base for some reason. But I also like to head to the casita for a cold shower and to slip in bed. So that is what I do. Rinsing the day and the bug spray off of me and settling in to my little corner of the casita. I almost go to my desk drawer and take out a letter from my family. But I know that if I read one, I will most likely end up crying. So I don't, I just keep on. I love these people and the community, I love lecture and I love when I can encounter a little piece of God. I have to learn to like it now though. Which comes with time you see, I have been promised by God that something grand would come out of this. I know this is where I'm supposed to be. But resting in His promises is hard because I'm a now person. But wait wait wait and RELEASE, is always going through my mind. That the Lord has something bigger and WAY better than what I thought could be mine. I will wait, I will trust, I will release. It is just harder sometimes than others.

I think over my travel here and my first day. I spent it longing for home. To be held one more time by my family. I drive up my mountain, roll my windows down, breath in air that is cold and have Bob Dylan play through my crackling speakers. I miss triple shots served with friends. I want to look around a room again and see people I've done life with but now, now is the time that I am only His and He is only mine. How that looks, I don't know yet. But I'm excited to know.