Aruba - A Taste of Heaven

Getting to Aruba was a challenge. It was extremely frustrating to wait in the airport 7 hours just to get a plane that could take us 30 minutes away. It was really terrible because we had no idea why they kept making us wait, we were so bored, it was extremely cold, and there was nothing for us to eat. Waiting in the airport is not normally bad, but it was really terrible in Maracaibo. I was so antsy because I wanted to get to Aruba so bad - and because we were supposed to go to the grocery store and get Taco Bell that night so that Sunday could just be a completely free day to spend at the beach. When we finally arrived, I wondered why we hadn't ever come sooner! Aruba is SO close to Venezuela. When we came back, it took MAYBE 3 minutes of air-time to see the coast of Venezuela after leaving Aruba!

As soon as I arrived in Aruba I knew I was meant to be there!! It felt so much like home, even though I had never been there before. It was a really cool feeling. I think that arriving in Heaven will be a similar, but greater feeling. I had wanted to get there so bad, had to wait in poor conditions for awhile, but then finally arrived and was able to rest and enjoy God's creation. It felt familiar (a beach, English speakers, familiar food, cable TV, and nice things/furnishings), but better than anything I'd ever experienced before. I feel like I was made for Aruba - in Heaven God is preparing a place for me that will be made for ME! It will be so great to go home to Heaven - it will be all new, but feel familiar. It will be just right for us. The best thing - we'll never have to leave!

I had such a great week. :D I had a plan to windsurf, wake up early every day, do my quiet time on the beach, explore the island, run on the beach, look at the stars on the beach at night, basically spend as much time as possible on the beach! When I arrived, I made some new plans to hike the beaches that were near us. I'm very proud of myself and glad that I did manage to wake up early each morning, spend as much time as I could on the beach (and not get very burnt!), and exercise a lot. I also accomplished my goal of taking windsurfing lessons! It was SO fun! It was less challenging than I had thought, because I used the beginner's board, so that was good and bad. I really like challenges, and I feel like I mastered the skill fairly quickly. The main skill required is balance. There are many levels of boards, and once you learn to use one, you advance to the next. I would love to take more lessons or practice more in the future. It's pretty safe, fun, and not too difficult. It was really cool to take advantage of the wind that God made in Aruba - who would ever think of praising God for the wind? It was a great opportunity to be more appreciative of all of creation. I think we will do so much more of that in Heaven, too.

I felt like I had a lot more to say about Aruba, but I think I said most of it in the explanations on my facebook albums. I feel so blessed to have had such an amazing week. It was difficult to leave the sparkling blue waters and soft white beach, but fortunately I have ANOTHER amazing vacation to look forward to - spending the week with my family and Whit in the Florida Keys! I am so thankful for these trips - islands and beaches are some of my favorite things in the world. Now that I've gotten to do everything I wanted to do in Aruba, I will be able to focus less on the clear waters and more on spending time with my family. God orchestrates everything so well! :)