Ocala 2009 part 1

Hej!
I'm back, I think..
( ow, I'm going to write this all down in English, so my American friends can read it too!)

After 2 weeks of being on the road from Minnesota to Florida, sleeping and living with unknown people, walking around in shorts in the hot sun, sleeping in tents in the middle of the national Forest in Ocala, Florida, swimming, praying, singing, laughing and soooo much more, is there now a time for me to sit down with the laptop, to make sure I don't forget anything.
The weird thing of coming back, is the moment you start thinking about all that you've done in 2 weeks. It is just to much to tell all!

Another weird thing of coming back, is that everything is going back to normal. The two weeks of spending in not known places, with new made friends, was so incredible! I mean, seriously, I never thought I would ever would do something like this. Like driving for 27 hours to a place where a bunch of Hippies gather around, to feed them food and the word of God.. To go to Florida, which is a totally different temperature than in Minnesota, cross a timeline, and swim in the see, were things I never thought of doing. Neither was making friends with ( when I first saw them) dirty, drunk, smoky, weird, scary people, who live in the woods, because they have no other place to go. Never thought that I could have deep conversations with them about faith, God, the purpose of life, and other thinks. In the beginning was that difficult, but it is amazing what God can do with you!

I'm going to tell a lot more stories, but now it is time to eat.
See the pictures below.
With love,
Lydia

http://picasaweb.google.nl/lydia.snoepje/MissiontripOcala2009?authkey=w3mXOAX7mzw#

( oke, I wrote a really long story, but everything deleted, so now I have to write it down again, which I can't, because it was such a long story! Man, that is soo stupid, it was such a good story! about what i had learned, and where I was changed in, and some other funfacts. I don't think I can write it down all again! Man! I'm so sorry.. I will try to write some down.)

This trip will always be in my memory, and maybe sometimes I will think back, and long for the time of good conversations, lovely friendships with hippies in the woods, swimming in rivers, praying at night and more.
There are so many things I've learned, and where I am changed in. I will tell you some.
I've learned that:
- I'm not to young to build Gods Kingdom.
The first days we were in the woods, I felt really useless. I felt I was way to young to really make a difference for those people, that they would never take me serious. This was not only a thought, hovering around in my mind, but i was like a solid fact, that would not go out of my mind. I knew I had to get rid of that feeling, because it wouldn't help me, so I asked if people would pray for me. Probably they did, because that day I had 4 great, good, nice, deep conversations. We talked about faith, and purpose, about where they came from, what their story was, how they thought future would look like, and more of that. I felt so blessed, and probably did my age not matter.
Also in the church service we had after the days in the woods, God said to me that I was not to young. We had to come forward , so that people could come to us, and that we could pray for them, if they wanted to become spiritual moms and dads. When I heard we had to do that, I totally freaked out! I mean, I had never done anything like that before, and now I had to do that in a weird, unknown church, with people who didn't even spoke the same language! And beside that, I am only 17! why did people think I could pray for them, I do not no anything. But apparently people did think I had that power, and two elderly people came straight at me. That freaked me out even more! But what was I suppose to do? I couldn't say they had to find someone else to pray with! SO I just gave my fears to God, and the words just came out of my mouth, and it was a wonderful time with God. So again God clearly made the point that Age doesn't matter for him. And he convinced me of that.
- how people look like from the outside doesn't say anything about the inside.
The people in the woods are homeless. They don't have much. They smoke cigarettes all day, they wear not T-shirts, and most of them have way to big pants. They smell like fire, smoke, swet and dirt at the same time. The man had ugly beards, and some of the women too. their hands are dirty, and so are their faces, legs, arms, belly's. You can understand that I felt Kind of out of place in the beginning. But I tell you, at the and of the week, I looked just like them ( except for the beard, and the not wearing T-shirt). And although these people looked weird, they are amazing! They have to much to tell about life itself. They've been gone through many difficult times, so they know what live is. It was not hard to start a conversation about live, about faith, about God. You just had to look through that first impression. Many of those people were great singers, of dancers, or storytellers. It is great to have friends like those!
- I learned 3 words: Epic, Awefull & sassy. What Epic means I still don't really know, but I use it anyway. Awefull is not the same as awful. Awefull is a shorter way to say you are full of awe. It is nice. I learned the word of Jeremy. You are sassy if you are mean and sarcastic ( that's a really stupid word to write!) at the same time. Sam Buz is a good example for that. Like : what is better, being Dutch or retarded? Ow, it's the same.. Well.. maybe that's more mean that sassy. Anyway...

Things I've been changed in...
- sitting in the car. I think after more than 50 hours ( to go there and come back) I now know the best way to sleep in the car, to listen music, to play games, to talk with your neighbour, and more stuff like that. I discovered that I do can write and read in the car, which was really nice! most of the time when I do that I start feeling sick, but in this car everything was oke..
- the way I look to prayer. I realize how powerful prayer is, and how good it is to have more prayer one to one. Just praying for each other. I think I want to do that more, just because I see and feel that it really makes your relationship stronger, with the Lord, and with your friends.
- the way i take care about myself. After living in the woods without shower, or shampoo, or any other thing like that, I really don't care anymore how my hair looks like, of how I look like, and if my clothes are still clean. I think this is a really good thing, just because I save a lot of time now every morning. Ow, and I want to have dreads ( for sure now) so I'm not going to wash my hair, and Jacob ( if he still wants to do it) Is going to make a mess of my hair.
- the way I look to my time here in the states. I think The Source is a really important thing for me to do. Just outreach, do the little things to make big differences. Things like that. I really feel like I;'needed in this place, which makes me really happy and comfortable. I have a goal now, to life everyday to be a light for the homeless. I can't give them my money, but I can give them my time, my happiness and my stories about God. I hope God have some great things in store for me.

FUnfacts..
- If you fall for the first time in your life out of a bunk bed the age of 17, people make jokes about that.
- I got more Miskito bitesom my feet and legs than you can count.
- If I ever get a dog, his name would be Grunion, Dream, Sergant Dog, Pablo, or Pumpkin, just to remember all the dogs who were at the gathering
- There fit 7 people in a hot tob.
- guys in America Do hit girls in the face..
- Flofida's sea does look like the one in Holland, except for the waves, they are bigger, and the water is warmer.
- Minnesota is Not a good place to be in the winter, you die!
- there are more strories to tell than you can count.

I think it is time for me to go to bed, and maybe it would be good for you too! ( or maybe not, I'm just saying..)

LOVE, again
Lydia