Project ends in two days. The three main directors have come back to close up camp. We have spent all day cleaning up camp. Our cabins are empty. The family room is bare. Basketball hoop taken down. The kitchen is closed…. It is raining and grey here, which fits the mood. Nobody likes the idea of leaving.
We all had our last day of work on saturday. Which I was pretty pumped for, not going to lie. I didn't make super strong connections at work, or at least I thought I hadn't…. Until my superior had tears in her eyes as we walked out of the store! And my other co-worker who is high school aged and accepted christ with us while we were here got emotional too. We really did make an impact there in the little k-mart…. I'm sad I can't continue to see the transformation God is doing in these people's lives! That's where I have to trust that we planted a seed God will grow.
It rained yesterday during our last beach sharing time. Which put a damper on things. But we stuck it out under some covered picnic tables and played card games and still made the best out of the day. Though I didn't pack warm clothes (cause we were at the BEACH) and I was freezing in my swim suite and light jacket by the time I got back to camp! I didn't warm up for hours.
It's weird to think we are leaving. It really hasn't hit me. After 2 months of living so closely with all these people it feels normal. To think we won't have the crazy adventures every night like we have been is saddening. Everything from hiking a mountain at 2 am, swing dancing parties in the middle of the woods under the moonlight, coffee dates at Starbucks, movie nights, mini golf, girls night eating every piece of junk food in sight, thrift shopping for ugly prom dresses, shaving cream fights, girls vs. boys prank wars (we girls definitely won), going out to the docks late at night to look at the moon, spontaneous ice cream runs, and those are just the little things we got to do when we didn't have things planned to do!
Going to miss the morning devotionals, the monday night life group talks where we can be vulnerable and open about things in our lives, the tuesday night worship night, the thursday night teaching nights, and the training we received in seminars on friday nights, the bible studies on sundays after church, the intentional sharing on the beaches sunday afternoon, leadership meetings where we helped each other learn to lead our life groups and support each other in our common positions.
This community is some this so special it's hard to describe in words. Which makes how much I'm going to miss it even harder to describe. Just the way we lift each other up, are willing to share in the hardships of life, and find commonality in our love for Jesus Christ is something special. When one person is down we are quick to come alongside them and pray for them, offer support in any way we can. I can't think of any other group of people who quite do life like we do here on summer project. God is truly at work here at LTSP. He has done transformational work in our lives. Even throughout the little adventures we are able to see how God is using us to influence those around us. We've had people come up to us out of the blue and ask us what it is about us…. They see that there is something different about us. And every time we say it is Jesus. He is the common thread that bonds us together is such a visibly transformational way. It's amazing.
God is amazing. And I've learned more than anything to trust in God and his timing. That even when I don't understand why I'm doing something he does… And I can rest my hope in him. After this trip I have all the reason in the world to trust in him for everything.
