Spring Break Trip to Georgia

Yes, it's been a while as Chrissie just noted.

The other Chrissy (Chrissy Valentine) and I took 15 students down to Cumberland Island National Seashore for Spring Break. We left on March 2 (My birthday!) and got back to campus on the 13th. My Chrissie was not alone - Emily came to spend the week with her! What a blessing! She's alright ;)
Anyway... Cumberland Island (CI) was a blast. We spent the first day kayaking the saltwater marshes and got to see the dolphins playing in the harbor. We then spent 7 nights in the backcountry of CI. The Island is about 14 miles long and between 1 and 3 miles wide, depending where you are. Our longest hike out to the beach was only 30 minutes! We got to watch both the sun and moon rise over the Atlantic! Very cool. Oh, the morning we did the sunrise, I forgot about the time change, and got everyone up two hours before the sunrise instead of one. They weren't happy... until the sun came up that is.

We did two days to service with the park rangers - picking up an old dump sight and clearing trails. One of the themes of the week was stewardship, not only of God's creation, but of everything we've been given, including ourselves. We considered what gifts and abilities we've been given, and how we can use those to bear fruit. We challenged the students to live not for themselves, but for others... especially for God.

The island was a great place to be for Spring Break. We were carrying everything we needed to live on our backs. Ipods, cell phones, even watches were all left behind. We ate when we were hungry and went to bed when we got tired. All we had were each other and God's creation to keep us company. The students meshed really well together. A sense of community grew steadily through the week. The relaxed, out of the norm experience, was what they all needed.

Each of them encountered God in a special way over the trip, whether they knew it or not. Through relationships, conversation, sharing life together, you could see God moving in their lives. Times of discussion were meaningful and fruitful. The students had many opportunities to consider their lives and how they relate with God. All were awed by the wild horses running around, the moonrising over the Atlantic, and the fellowship we shared each day.

I hope to post some photos soon.