The Tides are Changing

The thing that is so difficult about Katie leaving isn't the goodbye. I know I'll see her again. It's that her leaving forces me to come to the reality that all of this is ending, that this experience is coming to a close, that lunch dates at Foodie and pints at Coronation might never happen again--at least not with all of us.

The past two weeks have been such a blur. I worked relentlessly on my three final papers so I could have them finished before Passion and Ibiza. I finally finished them after days of staring at a computer screen; turning them into the student office marked the end of my junior year of college. This fact alone completely freaks me out, and I still have not processed that I will be a senior in the fall.

We had a girls lunch at Foodie on Friday afternoon before heading into the city to meet up with Elizabeth, eat dinner, and get in line for Passion. Some of the uni students from St. Mary's--mother church to my church back home--were kind enough to put us up for two nights after Passion so we didn't have to make the commute back to Kingston. This was a massive blessing, and I was so touched by the generosity and hospitality of Becki and Jess. As if that weren't enough, the Lord totally blew me away at Passion on Friday and Saturday night. I experienced real, full, complete joy--the kind that only comes from a heavenly Father who is so great, so mighty, so powerful, and loves you. It is incomprehensible, but it's truth. The worship, with Chris Tomlin, Christy Nockels, Kristian Stanfill, Matt Redman, and David Crowder Band was, of course, awesome. And the talks with Louie Giglio and Francis Chan left me with a new awareness of my relationship with the Holy Spirit. Did you know that the Holy Spirit prays for you? This is the greatest news ever.

After two great nights of worship and fellowship with incredible people, Katie, Erin and I headed for Ibiza--one of the Spanish Balearic islands. Although it is renowned for its clubbing and partying, we were going to simply relax on the beach and celebrate our birthdays in a place with sunshine (i.e. not London). We spent every day laying out on the soft, sticky sand and playing in the icy Mediterranean. In the evenings, we went to dinner, and then went back to the hotel where we played a nightly game of Bertha Butt. My favorite part about this trip, though, was the talks that we had. We covered a ride range of topics, but a lot of our time was spent dissecting Passion and sharing things that the Lord was teaching us about ourselves and the world around us. Being able to spend this time with Katie and Erin was priceless and only made me more grateful for them than I already was.

If you are wondering, my birthday consisted of the same thing: beach, ocean, dinner, cards. I had a rum and coke with dinner, but didn't drink the whole thing and would have gone to sleep if Katie and Erin had let me. But instead, I kicked their butts at Bertha Butt. It was the perfect twenty-first birthday.

And then...Katie left. We went to Foodie for lunch and Coronation for dinner on her last day. We miss her, but I know she's glad to be home.

The next day, after saying goodbye to one friend, I got to say hello to Elyssa--my dear friend I've known since eighth grade but haven't seen in over two years. She is visiting several friends in London, so I went and hung out with them in Egham. So much fun. And so surreal. I kept hugging her because I couldn't believe that we were actually together...and in England, no less. I am going to see her again today!

I intended this post to be a thoughtful, thought-provoking, philosophical splurge, but I got too carried away telling you about my last few weeks. Hope you aren't disappointed. Many emotional thoughts to follow.

Love,
lvp