Tuesday, May 12, 2015

From Rain to Sunshine

Wow - time flies! It's been almost a month already that I returned back from Europe. I've been completely absorbed with my various tasks here, and I don't even know where to start.

Anyway, I came back to Uchee Pines during a week with lots of rain and little sunshine, which made it rather difficult for me to quickly re-adapt to the time zone. About three weeks ago, we even had a tornado watch in the area. So we were encouraged to take shelter, which only some people on campus actually did. Some were not really aware, since they never received the text message saying "take shelter now", or they just didn't think the situation was serious enough. Well, the tornado touched down about 8 miles (12 km) from here; so the Lord really protected us. Anyway, we had fun sitting in the basement of the lifestyle center!

With my former classmate Joella in the basement during tornado watch

The last lifestyle session was very intense, with 14 guests altogether, which is quite a number given the limited staff we currently have. But it was a beautiful group. This session, we have 9 guests, but even more limited staff. However, I feel more relaxed now, as I start to get more and more comfortable with my assignments. Furthermore, I have a very nice lady to work with this session (and also in the last session by the way). It's such a rewarding experience being here, and I thank the Lord every day for this privilege.

In the meantime, the weather is like summer in Europe, with temperatures up to 92 F (33 Celsius) and lots of sunshine. This past weekend, we went on a camp-out to Camp Alamisco, a place run by the Gulf State Conference only about 1 1/2 hours from here. It was so beautiful and relaxing that I didn't want to leave. But duty was calling!

I will now stay here for one more month until June 18. Then I will go on a 12 day trip to Tennessee to visit some friends, after which I'm going to attend the GC session in San Antonio, Texas. So there are lots of interesting events ahead, and I'm truly thankful for the freedom I currently enjoy. Sorry Brussels, but I'm not really missing you right now...


Happy Group 

With the Robinson family from Tanzania

Children learning how to swim

Mother and Daughter
Little Lifeguard
Outdoor Chapel
Sharing Time