So, as you can assume by the title of this blog, I went snorkeling yesterday. I went with the rest of the staff and a few church groups who decided to spend their day off in the beautiful Caribbean (why would you NOT?!) It was such an insane experience! I grew up watching shows with my dad on the Discovery Channel about the ocean and sharks, yada yada and I practically grew up at the beach, but never had I seen, first hand, this underwater world that I had always seen on the television screen and ridden over by boat for so many years! I actually SAW (outside of a tank, in nature) those bright blue fish that seem to glow as they swim by. I saw the reefs where the fish live, have homes. I saw huge underwater "leaves"-huge purple things that waved as a swam by. I saw a Nassau Grouper (that's for you Diddy!) and I held a sea urchin and touched a sea cucumber. I am not sure how to describe it still, and I'm going to be working on that...i will try to write more later...but for now, just know that snorkeling was one of the most beautiful, God-filled experiences of my life. Another part of the day was the Bi-Luminous Bay. It is a bay of the Caribbean where tiny micro-organisms live. At night, when the water seems to be black, if you get it, your skin causes a reaction with these organisms and the water glows! Bright green. It is the most amazing thing! As people jumped in, there were neon green splashes and as they swam and moved their arms and legs, green beams of light streamed under the surface of the water. It was beautiful! Fascinating! Magnifico! Muy Interesante!
One other thing that happened yesterday was a conversation I had with our Ministry Coordinator/local/friend Elena Maldonado. We were talking about education and she was basically, in a nutshell, saying that education is so extremely important and that God did not put his people here to just float through life without being educated and being excellent (as we are all called to be) in their professions or callings. She also said that one of the greatest assets to her testimony is her schooling...God has blessed her with the ability to be in school, to learn and she is getting amazing grades. She is currently working on her masters in clinical psychology and, when she finishes that, will go straight into her Doctorate studies. The girl is brilliant. She is also anticipating learning more English so that she can speak the language better, and one day hopefully study in the States. She also told me that my Spanish pronounciations were impecable. (Not in those words because she doesn't know the word "impecable"....she said that it was really really good...I knew she meant impecable! hahaha)
I believe that's all i have to report at this point. This place is so beautiful and we have been so warmly welcomed by the locals here. God is ever-present here (and everywhere for that matter...just seems more evident here i suppose). It just solidifies my thoughts on going out and serving and getting away from home and going without asking questions...following God's leading. Anyway...that's all i have. Continue to be in prayer for our team as we travel here in a few days to atlanta and then to Charleston to start our last project! Miss you and love you all. Thank you for your support!
