Ahhhh, Antigua

I forgot how wonderful it is here. Somehow in the interval of the last few months, my mind had been occupied with the hard things- the hurricanes and ant infestations and sunburns and long days studying and sleep deprivation and feeling all alone as the only Christian, all those things.

But when I got off the plane- actually, after I'd made it through the 2 hour line-up in customs, and I got in a taxi headed towards the university, I suddenly remembered.
The evening sun was streaking the horizon with pink and orange and it was warm and beautiful. We came over the crest of a hill near the university and suddenly there was the ocean, blue-green and dotted with sailboats. The hibiscus and oleanders are all in bloom and I feel as if I've walked back into paradise, leaving cold, rainy Vancouver behind. I felt like I'd come home.
Last night I unpacked my bags and sat on the verandah talking with some of my classmates by the light of the stars and a mosquito coil. When I tumbled into bed, it was listening to the sounds of birds and crickets and the breeze in the trees.
This morning the sun woke me up and after we'd done a few things I took my red umbrella and walked to the beach. Halfway there we stopped under an overhang to wait for a temporary shower to pass by, and then we kept on our way. What can I say about the beach? Magnificent. I am pink from head to toe (almost), but it was so worth it.
I feel a little guilty saying it, but it seems easier to worship and praise God when I am surrounded by such stunning beauty. I can look at the crashing waves and say, wow, God, in wisdom you made all this. I can look at the brilliant pink of the oleanders and bouganvilia and say, wow, God, this is such an amazing expression of your love for us.
It is in times of difficulty that our love for God is really tested, but for now I am content to bask in the glory of the paradise around me and just say thank you to him.