Get Over the Sun

 Greetings Rafikis!

 Last night I went to bed on time, like around 9:30ish. Which meant that I woke up on time, like around 5:45ish. Which also meant that I had an hour to kill this morning. So I put on some flip flops, and explored the area around our living quarters. I had heard of a secret cove, and while I had nothing I needed to keep secret, I supposed it would be a good place to think. Past the signs pointing to the beaches with all sorts of options (clothing, tops, etc... luckily we're the only group staying here!!!), I found the secret cove, with a medium sized red hammock tucked under a wooden awning. If you can get down the razor sharp rocks in a pair of Reefs, then the reward of solitude can be yours as it was mine.

  The thoughts of this morning centered much around the same subject matter as our Calitan worship thought this morning, delivered by Dr. Bonnie Nelson. The hook of her worship talk centered on Jeremiah 29:11 and how God has promised us a life full of purpose and also how God brings us back home when he sends us out (think of home in many different metaphorical ways). Worship was later in the morning, after my time at the secret place. 

  During my time at the secret place with the sharp rock doorstep, I was able to listen to some music, watch the sunrise, and ponder what I've been reading in Ecclesiastes while on this trip. The writer seems a bit dismal, talking about how everything is meaningless, under the sun. I haven't gotten to a point where the writer turns it around yet, but what echoes in my head are the words of a Shane and Shane song called "Get Over the Sun". What I get from both the song and from Ecclesiastes is the life is about getting through what's under the sun with a perspective that comes from "over the sun". Meaning that God's kingdom, even though here on earth (too!) is way above the sun and way above the things underneath the sun that are meaningless. Your perspective of life must be in relation to living a kingdom lifestyle that thinks of eternity as well as the here an now. Both "uber" important!

  And so before I turn in for the night, I think of the people of Roatan and the children of Roatan and how a group of 30 some odd individuals decided to "get over the sun" for spring break and bring the kingdom of God to them. I think of 16 year old Austin Mock who gave up a week of sleeping in and doing pretty much whatever he wants, to come explore Roatan and the possibility of bringing more high school age youth this way. What made him go? "I've never been on a mission trip before", he says, "so I decided to go".  Amazing. Simple, but amazing. Much of life is simply about deciding to go. 

   Well Rafikis, the Dental Team has packed up and the porch is just a porch again. The hummingbirds own it in the day, the bats own it in the night, and the golden retrievers just simply manage the space. The medical team has closed shop and the beach is just the beach again, ready for the next set of sun-tanning tourists. 13 houses, a shop, and a school now have access to purified water. 120 some odd kids know that God's word is "Surprising, For Everyone, True....". Tomorrow is a down day where some of us will sleep and recover, others will zip-line, go scuba, or snorkel. Others may finish a electrical job yet to be done.  Much like when a political candidate is predicted to win by a landslide, I think even though we still have tomorrow and Sabbath (where we conclude VBS) as two more full days here, we can start calling our Roatan trip a success.

  Please pray for four of our trippers who are under the weather! Pray for our safe return home! Pray for all the people we have connected with since Monday morning!

- Fidz