This
morning we drove back to Jacksonville for some prayer appointments with
Christian Healing Ministries, the same prayer people who put on the retreat. There
were two women there who prayed with us for several hours, and it was amazing. I
feel so connected to Jesus, to my family, and to myself through this
experience. I am so thankful that God brought us here. He has loved on us girls
so much this past week, and He has really shown us how much He cares. He poured
out His grace upon us through these appointments, and I feel so equipped now to
share Jesus. Before, I felt like I had a broken heart. I loved Jesus, but it
was hard for me to share Him with others because I was struggling with my
trust. But now, I know that I am ready because I am healed and whole and on
fire with the Holy Spirit. The two women were also very much a blessing to me-
I am so thankful to them for taking time out of their day to pray with me.
After
our prayer appointments, we grabbed some food (aka more Chick-fil-a) and headed
out to the swamps to find some alligators. The prayer women had told us about
this restaurant on our way back to St. Augustine that was on the river- they
said that they had never been to this place without seeing a gator. SOOOO, we
decided to check it out and see what we could find. Upon our arrival, we drove
around and searched the nearby areas, but couldn’t find anything. We even went out
on the dock, with no sign of any alligators. I know, pretty disappointing, but
what can you do? It feels kind-of bad that we have spent so many hours over the
past week looking for alligators, but haven’t been able to find any. I know
that they were in the places we went, we just couldn’t see them. They could
probably see us though…. creepy. ANYWAYS, we kind-of gave up our search, and
there’s a very little chance we will see a gator before we leave in less than
24 hours. Oh well. I guess all I can say is that maybe it was a good thing we
didn’t have any gator encounters because I’m very happy to have all four limbs.
The swamp/ dock where we went looking for gators.
When we
finally got to the hotel, we headed straight for the beach. This time, though,
we actually went in all the way into the water. I think at one point we were in
at about our necks. The waves were HUGE- it was like going into a mega wave
pool only real. The water was so salty though. It hurt our eyes a lot, and I
was a little worried about my contact lenses. We were having so much fun that
it didn’t even matter. There was hardly anyone there, except a couple surfers
and some random people scattered on the beach. The water was warm, and it felt
so good to just relax and let the waves sweep me away. Again, I am in awe of God's handiwork.
The beach.
Lizzie and I braving the waves.
Mom, Lizzie, and I after swimming in the ocean.
After
the beach and a dip in the pool/Jacuzzi, back to the hotel room we went and
here we are now. We had some pizza delivered to our room, and the guys in the lobby
made us a special batch of cookies. This is our last night here in Florida. Now,
it is time for me to enjoy my last moments here in this place that I love. Tomorrow,
Lizzie and I are hopping on a plane and coming home (I'll write another post to tell you how that goes). It’s a weird feeling,
leaving this place that I have come to love so much in the short time I’ve been
here. I will miss it. But also, I am content with what I have received here. I
know that we have done what we were called here to do. I am satisfied with our experiences
(even though we didn’t see an alligator or go parasailing-they were closed for
the season) and am so grateful that God has given me this opportunity that most
people my age don’t get: a chance to travel across the world (kind-of an overstatement,
but whatever) with my family and have spiritual encounters with Jesus. Nothing
could ever be better. I couldn’t have asked for more.
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