Hurry Up We’ve Only Got 7 Days Left!
Hey friends and families, welcome to the second-last blog of OTG if you can believe it! We so appreciate all of your prayers and support, and look forward to sharing all of our stories with you in person in just a week or two. Until then though, here’s what we’ve been up to:
It may come as a shock to some families but we spent a lot of time this week not talking! We had the opportunity to spend time in reflection and study, taking time in the quiet to think through life decisions, plan for the future, and seek God’s presence individually. This was very fruitful for us as a team, and we have enjoyed sharing with each other what we have learned about ourselves and about God. However, even in a quiet week for the team, we had lots of laughs, countless cups of tea, and even a trip to the beach when we got a sunny morning!
Daryl’s Birthday!! On Thursday night we put on our Sunday best (jeans and a t-shirt) and set off for Uncle Daryl’s surprise birthday party - he was especially surprised that there was not only a birthday party but also eight extra guests! We spent the evening playing games, taking part in a quiz his daughter made, and enjoying an amazing meal made by Andrea and Christy. A highlight for some was meeting Marlow the dog who joined the celebrations (don’t worry Frodo, you’re still Eva’s favourite)!
After a week of reflection, we decided to interview the team, asking each of them three questions:
How have you grown in the past five weeks?
What is the silliest reason you have missed your phone?
What has been your favourite moment from our tramping (or kayaking) trips?
David:
Time for self-reflection, and figuring out what he wants.
To use the torch when he loses his head-torch (the irony is real).
The night walk with a full moon at Anchorage bay.
Noah:
Learning about how he thinks, and how he can develop his contributions to a team.
To check the Tottenham scores!
The laughs on the second night of the first tramp.
Adam:
Learning why he does things, which affirmed past decisions and makes future decisions easier, and learning how much he enjoys finding out more about how the Bible fits together as one story.
To use YouTube for songs (memory verse songs aren’t enough for him apparently…).
Paddling the Waka with the Whenua Iti group and sleeping under the stars at Angelus hut.
Stina:
Learning to enjoy all the time she has with Jesus.
To look up what the wild pigs look like because she hasn’t seen one yet!
Sleeping outside at Angelus hut (unlike some people she stayed outside the whole time).
Louisa:
Learning to do things even when she doesn’t want to (did someone say allergic to cleaning team?), and learning to accept herself as the person God has made her.
For something to do while sitting around.
Reaching the summit of Angelus as a team.
Mirjam:
Learning how important it is to pray and be in God’s presence, and learning about her personality.
To translate (which is more confusing Faroese or Northern Irish??)
Sliding on the scree on the way down from Angelus peak.
Eva:
Learning about herself, how she thinks, and how this can help her in making decisions.
To use valutaomregner (a currency exchange calculator) to change prices into krona … and to see what a possum looks like because she still isn’t convinced they exist…
Sharing dinner with the Whenua Iti group
Eden:
Understanding how she thinks and what is important to her, especially looking to how she will prioritise and make decisions in the future.
Skyscanner! Faroe Islands trip coming soon… (and a Swiss ski reunion…)
Running into the sea at Anchorage!
Prayer Requests:
Please pray for safety & good health for us as we head off on our road trip
Please pray that we really make the most of our last week here, enjoying community with each other and learning everything that God wants to teach us in this time.
Pray for us as we prepare to get our phones back and leave OTG, that we would have wisdom in how we approach coming back to ‘normal life’.
Written by Eden (Northern Ireland) & Eva (Faroe Island) on behalf of the entire OTG Team