homesick.

Hello from the beach of Panama City, FL! Tonight is the last night of our annual 4 day 4 night summer vacation. Every single year since since my parents have been married [which will be 25 years in 2 weeks] they have taken a summer vacation to Florida. An estimated 14 of these summer vacations have been spent here in Panama City. It has been the highlight of the year by far since I can remember. So many memories have been made and experiences shared here... so much history and bonding! Every year we spend 4 days on the beach from 9 am to 4 pm, then 4 nights trying out random restaurants, walking around on local fishing piers, and playing cards until the wee hours of the morning. It is nothing less than "living the life".

I want to share with you one of the many many stories that we will have from this week. Two nights ago, after eating at Sharky's, we decided to check out what was going on at the local pier. This is where PCB locals go to hardcore fish for ocean marine life and tourists (such as ourselves), go to hardcore ask thousands of questions and pester the locals and hopefully see them catch something really cool. The night started off with a bang when we first stepped on the pier and watched a man and his son pull up a baby shark probably about a foot and a half long. We all gathered and oohh'd and aaahh'd at their catch, then continued down the pier to see what else we could see. We spread out over the pier in an attempt to overhear what was going on with everyone, and soon word got around that someone had something big on their pole... so big that they couldn't just reel it in. Of course, we decided that we must stay and see what it was!! This was at about 10:30pm.

Well, 11:15 roled around, and still nothing. So, I decide to man up and casually ask the sharpedged, hard faced fishermen what the heck is going on. They tell me that they have caught a nurse shark and that it feels like a big one, and that they will start reeling in 30 to 40 minutes. This reignites our fire, and we are all 8 ready to go again and see this shark! We sit and sit and wait and wait, and finally at 12:00 they start reeling. Then, they stop. Sitting, waiting, sitting, waiting... spread out to eves drop again. They had postponed the reeling until 12:30 because their catch had drug the line further into the ocean. So again, sitting, waiting, sitting... some people sleeping, etc. At 12:30, they begin reeling. We are all 8 crowded around "nonchalantly" [if thats possible for us] to see how they will even get this huge shark up on to the pier. And then we can see the line coming, and we can see the end of the line! And they reel it, faster and faster, and then we see it: a 2 foot long fish that they were using as bate. "Crab damage" they said as they pulled it up to examine it. "that was one big crab that had a hold of it" [with a few explicit fishermen terms thrown in] they said. What could we do? It was now 1:00 am and we had spent almost 3 hrs waiting to see a shark that didn 't exist. So, we laughed histerically, walked back to our car, and left. Because this is how are vacations go... we just role with it.

Change of gears... tonight we ate at Captain Andersons. After waiting an hour and 45 minutes [when we were told it would be 45 min to an hour], we sat down to enjoy a rather expensive meal with hundreds and possibly thousands of other people. It seemed so normal, so natural to everyone... like vacation is just something that we deserve. Then I noticed the guys who were busing tables. They were all young men probably in their early 20s and I think they were all from another country, maybe Africa. I watched them casually (trying no tto look like a stalker). They had such serious faces, so intent on completing the job they had to do... wiping tables as quickly and efficiently as if their life depended on it. I began to wonder what their lives were like. How did they get here, in this restaurant, busing tables? What did they do when they weren't here busting their butts for all these tourists? Were they happy?

And then, a break in the seriousness of their task.. something happened and one of the men broke into the most soft, most beautiful smile. His whole face lit up, and he looked completely carefree. In a matter of seconds, I was back in Haiti. I saw my friends [namely Kessy], children, parents.. all with such serious lives and living through such serious things, but with such joy. Thats what it was... absolute joy.  I don't see that often in this country... smiles for no reason, that light up a room and seem they cannot be destroyed by even the worlds most harsh days. It was a lovely few seconds, and it made me so homesick.

Satan and this world has such a grip on this city.. so much sin and complete disregard for the Lord. It's heartbreaking. And it has made me homesick... for my home in Lawrenceburg, for Haiti, and for Heaven. For the Presence of the Lord. Because only there am I complete... only in the Presence of my Jesus am I able to be fully me.

Last thing... for encouragement tonight for anyone who might be needing some reassurance [as I do] that God has got everything under control.

PSALM 121

¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
   where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the LORD,
   the Maker of heaven and earth.

 ³ He will not let your foot slip—
   he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
   will neither slumber nor sleep.

 ⁵ The LORD watches over you—
   the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
   nor the moon by night.

 ⁷ The LORD will keep you from all harm—
   he will watch over your life;
⁸ the LORD will watch over your coming and going
   both now and forevermore.

         

It's good to know... that when I lay my sleepy head down in a few minutes and fall fast asleep, the Lord is awake watching. And He will always be watching over me, and you. So sweet :)