So Sunday morning I never got around to blogging about Saturday, and then coming back, I was too busy trying to get back into the swing of things (or maybe too lazy to sit down and get things done). But this has been sitting at the top of my to-do list for too long, and it’s going to get done now.
Saturday was a bit more relaxing this year. Since it was Easter weekend, we also had Monday off, which gave us an extra day down in Daytona. Saturday was a day for people to wind down.
I started off the day inside. We sent a van of people to Tuscawilla, but most of the crew stayed at the hotel. Some people went down to the each, and joined them a little bit before lunch. After lunch, a bunch of people went down and set up the volleyball to continue the beach evangelism we had done for most of the week. I decided it was nap time and get refreshed. After a dinner of pizza and leftovers, we had our last debriefing in Daytona. During the debriefing, we broke bread together and shared why we were encouraged by certain people that week. Lauren Bournique started it off by calling someone up on the team, who then called up someone else and so on and so fourth until everyone was called up. It was just great to see how observant everyone was and to see us encourage one another after what was a very spiritually taxing but rewarding week.
Later that night some of us went out into the town for the last time on this trip. When we split up, I went with Laura and Angela. Upon entering the courtyard, they were drawn to two girls who were chain-smoking their way through a pack of cigarettes. I sat down on a nearby bench and prayed and read my bible. During their conversation, a guy who was just hanging out near them asked Laura to take his picture on his blackberry. I told God, if he’s still talking to her in 15 seconds, I’ll go over and talk to him. When I hit 0, they just ended, so I told God, if he’s looking at his phone in 10 seconds, I’ll go talk to him. When I hit 0, he was still looking at his phone, so I nervously made my way over to start some small talk. Conversation meandered around a bit, we talked about school, work, interests in photography, etc. Then when he brought up the fact that everyone was messed up in one way or another, the conversation moved deeper. I then was able to ask him what religion he associated himself with, and he said he was a rogue Christian of sorts. Not knowing what that meant, I pressed him further.
I soon found that not only did he speak very slowly, but he would respond to questions with questions of his own. And questions of the pointed sort, which attempt to deflect questions and avoid the point. I soon discovered this, and kind of took control of the conversation. Not wanting to dilly-dally around, I went off on my own monologue of sorts, just saying everything he spirit led me to say. I reaffirmed what I saw was salvation, but destroyed the lies which the devil had built up which said he was no longer a Christian. I shared how the Christian walk was hard, and how it wasn’t all rainbows and cupcakes, and things would get worse before they got better. But I also shared how there was a peace, deep deep down that transcended all understanding, which came with the knowledge that Christ saved me. Period.
At the end of it, I had no idea what to say, or no idea what he would ask, so I asked to pray for him. After some more pointed questions and pointless ramblings, he allowed me to do so. Then I asked him if he had any more questions, and he asked the first honest question of the night after at least 45 minutes of talking. He asked, “So what do you do to stay close to God?” It was at that point I realized that underneath his cool-cat, standoffish attitude, there was a Christian deep down who had lost his connection with the Spirit, and not feeling anything had wandered off, led astray by lies the devil had whispered to him. I just shared some of the basic spiritual disciplines I did, and reminded him that the Christian walk wasn’t a stairway to heaven, where every day was better than the last. It would go down, but also go up. And in the end, if we knew we were saved, we could live with the assurance that things would turn out for the best in the end, no matter how bad the journey felt.
While I finished up talking to Harvey, I saw that Laura and Matt were talking to two guys, in a pretty intense conversation. We ended up heading back to the vans, then to 7-11 to kill some time before they finished. Ends up that the 2 guys they were talking to had been approached by a group from the Delaware inter-varsity group. Having mulled over the seeds which had been planted a few days earlier, they were ripe for the harvest as they were approached by 2 members of our team. Going over many of the same topics, the 2 guys decided that it was time to act on the gospel message, right there and then. It was amazing to see just how God had used both our groups, not only to plant, but to harvest. It was a reminder that while we the delaware group did not get to see the fruits of their labor with these 2 guys, we did, and that while we may not have seen the fruits of our labor in regards to many of our other conversations, someone else would.
The next morning was Easter, and we spent some time worshipping on the beach as the sun rose. It was a peaceful time on the beach, just being reminded how Jesus rose from the grave after conquering death. Afterwards, I spent a little bit more quiet time reflecting on the beach as Schmucker and Angela decided to jump into the ocean one last time.
We packed the vans and then had a Sunday service together. Then we hit the road for the long trip back. We stopped for lunch at McDonald’s (ugh) and while eating outside, had the opportunity to feed and pray for 2 homeless guys who were making their way to Jacksonville. They were also 2 fellow believers, and one of them kept saying how he couldn’t help but cry after seeing such kindness being shown to him.
After a long day and night of driving, we arrived at the Upland cracker barrel at 7AM on Monday morning. Having our traditional breakfast, we then rolled back to Taylor to unload and then pass out to catch up on some quality sleep after almost an entire day in the vans.
Last night we had our first debrief since coming back, and it was interesting to see how people were doing. Many of us were having trouble adjusting to normal and busy life back at Taylor, struggling with how we evangelize and show God’s love to those around us in a Christian community, especially if it is a complacent one. So keep us in our prayer as we look to continue this Daytona trip in our daily lives, but in a different and more constant way.
For me, this trip marks the end of my Daytona spring break career. But at the same time, it also marks the beginning of my life which will begin outside of Taylor. Next year, wherever I end up, it will not be in a predominantly Christian community, and I will have the chance to witness to people in a very direct way every day. I will have the opportunity to really shine my light, and show God’s love to those who may not have experienced it in a real way. While I am slightly saddened at the closing of a chapter, I am also very excited at the beginning of a new one and the path that lies ahead.
Pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatkidwithacamera/sets/72157623720520440/



































































































































