In late October the Walkabout
family loaded up the two - 15 passenger vans and the trailer full of supplies
and headed south! What a blast and a wonderful opportunity to get away from the
“camp life” and focus on 3 spiritual disciplines that are vital to our walks
with the Lord! We were scheduled for a 4 day and three night trip to the beach,
along with loads of great food, fun and fellowship!
Upon arrival we began to unload
the trailer and get out all the fun water equipment: Poparazzi, Kayaks, knee
boards, skim boards, fishing supplies and the list could go on. We set up our
kitchen tent, extra large tent for sun shade, 8 tents for 4 people in each, and
our fire pit! As preparation for a few days went on… so did the formation of a
storm! I went with a our two female leaders back to the visitor’s center to
load up on all the water for the 4 days… well while we were there we found out
there had been a tornado warning issued and we needed to get out of there ASAP!
No need to worry though.. as a
Walkabout class (this year and apparently all the previous years as well) we
just expect things to go wrong and you work with what you got… SO we left the
visitor’s center and headed back down the beach to find the rest of the group
and tell them the news. Once we got there, our leaders decided we would wait it
out and load up the larger things in case we had to leave in a moment’s notice.
We also moved all of our tents higher into the sand hills and further away from
the waves.
Obviously we survived and the
remaining days were amazing. We began focusing on the three disciplines of
solitude, prayer, and fasting. I plan to blog about each experience… so be
looking for that! While we were on the beach, we were given many opportunities
to grow in our friendships with one another. We had team building activities,
sand castle challenges and many other fun opportunities! It was a great time
for us to get refreshed and take time away from our normal days and focus on
ourselves if that is what we needed!
That is something I really
wanted to focus on during this trip. My previous week had been a really rough
one. Feelings of not being accepted or loved in my community were just a few
thoughts I was really struggling with. So, going into the week- I decided this
time would be spent focusing on my walk with Him and what truly matters. My
purpose in stepping into the wilderness was not for the acceptance of others,
nor was it to have a great grand fun time every day. I knew this time would be
hard… but I also knew I came to be changed and to GROW in a deeper relationship
with HIM! Though friendships are great and important for accountability, I was
not called into this type of program to just make friends. Instead, I was
called to grow in intentional relationships and to love the unlovable… This is
something I am focusing on every day.
Two of the three nights that we
were there I slept on the beach and loved every second of that. There is
something calming about sleeping on cool sand with a little bit of wind
blowing. Also, I was blessed financially with the opportunity to buy an awesome
sleeping bag… So that definitively helped those two nights! The first night I
slept alone, but on the second night out on the beach, I had several WA family
members join me. I was blessed by their love and desire to experience God’s
creation with me.
It was a wonderful trip that
served as a great reminder to why I chose to come out and be a part of this
amazing program. The Lord knew what He was doing when He led me here and he has
continued to remind me that a life following Him isn’t always going to be easy.
I will struggle, but the greatest moments are found when I seek Him in those
trying times. He is enough. He is more than enough.
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