We just finished a
full summit in Aledo, Illinois where I was able to sit through all the services
and just soak in for a break. It was awesome. I had not sat in but one service
since last spring. Granted that’s my fault because I’m in charge and could have
made time for myself to get in service but… life.
The other night while
in service it dawned on me all of the “last time” moments I am about to have.
The last time I will wear the team dress I’ve had since my first year. The last
time I’ll get to teach my favorite lesson. Or the last time I’ll tell a story
that’s made the most impact on my life. The
last time I get to go out to lunch or coffee with my close friends. The list is
endless and I can’t help but get emotional over some of these things. So I
asked my boyfriend, to help me come up with a word or phrase that I could say
to myself to keep me from slipping into sadness.
And yes, I did say
boyfriend. Like how I snuck that in there? His name is Nathan, he’s from
Michigan, and he leads the older kids club called, Base Camp. Now you have enough information to stalk him,
so in the words of my father, “Get crackin!”
Anyways, he took some
time to think about it and called me later than night. He told me about how it
can be easy to compare travel years and nitpick at what you do and don’t like
between all of them. But rather than doing that, just live in the moment. Enjoy
the blessing that moment is.
Since then there have
been so many times I’ve had to say to myself, “Marina, just live in the moment.
It’s going to be OK.” It’s been so very helpful. Just reminding myslef not to
get anxious over it and pray for grace.
Now we are in route
to The Barn at Buladean. A place you may have heard me mention before. We’ve
spent a couple of Thanksgivings there since I started traveling in 2012. We’ll
be staying there till Sunday then going to a conference at the Billy Graham
Center in North Carolina. We’ll be
helping and attending with some of it. So that’s my update on life for you!
Thanks for reading!
