Greek Spontaneity

What’s the craziest thing I’ve ever done in my life you ask? Let me tell you…

We had a great flight from Bilbao, Spain to Athens, Greece! I was so excited to be in the country but also very disappointed because we had a 16 hour layover before we fly to Albania, and we weren’t going to get the opportunity to leave the airport. Then, once we deboard the plane, Sydnie, our leader tells us that we have the opportunity to leave the airport! One condition…we had to be back before dark; that gave us around an hour and forty-five minutes to find something to do, get transportation there, do what we wanted, and get transportation back. It was a lot, but luckily our team came together to decide quickly and make it work! Some who didn’t want to go stayed back, and 6 of us went out into a tiny town called Artemida!

Artemida is on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, so we decided to hit the beach…after we got food of course! On the way to Artemida we asked our driver for a good spot to eat and he dropped us off right there without hesitation. We all ordered our food and walked down to the beach as we waited for it to be delivered down to us. We all got our pictures and rolled up our pants so we could walk in the ocean, but eventually my intrusive thoughts won…and I’m so glad they did! I decided to take off my shirt, throw my phone on a chair, and dive in even though I was wearing sweatpants. I told the others I was going in and some decided to join! It was SOOOOOOO much fun! I’m not usually the type to do things without much thought, but it felt good to just let go and have fun. Luckily one of my team members had a towel that we all used to dry off as best we could before stuffing our faces and heading back to the airport.

Just like that…2 hours in Greece and I got to swim in the Mediterranean, eat some amazing food, and make a memory that I will never forget! It was one of the best experiences of my life, and all I could do while swimming in that water was thank the Lord for His beautiful creation and the opportunity of a lifetime to do these things in His creation.

As I’m writing this it’s currently 1:30am in the Athens airport, our flight to Tirana, Albania is at 9:30. I’m excited for the next steps in our journey as a team as well as my personal journey. I praise the Lord for every breath He places in my lungs, for every laugh He allows me to have, and every memory He helps me to create. He’s been teaching me to be content in every circumstance, and I feel as though today was a reward for doing so. I’m so grateful to have such a faithful God, who loves to see us full of the joy that He gives. Thank you Jesus!