Caribbean Cruise, Reflections

Chris parents (mom and step dad) graciously offered to take us on a cruise along with his brother, sister-in-law, dad and step-mom. They flew us to the San Juan and paid for a 7 night Caribbean cruise in a large room with a stunning balcony. Wow!! To top that off, my parents willing said yes to watching our kiddos the entire time we were away.

As the time got closer to our departure, I felt myself getting anxious. On our past trips, our kids get sick. Every time we are away, Isaac has some kind of allergic reaction. I knew we were going to be out of reach on the trip, and my parents couldn't just call our cell to ask for advice.

So, I purposed to pray. I am a planner, a prepper, a list maker, a list checker...a control freak. I was reminded by our gracious God that this life is not mine to control. I can to the best with what I am given, but I don't really have control. So I rested in Phil 4:5-6, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, will guard your hears and minds through Christ Jesus." I let go of all the things I was trying to control and prayed...and prayed more. I thanked God for His sovereign control. I prayed for His mercy on all of our health, for endurance for my parents, for the kids to obey, for us to have great bonding time with Chris' family, for Chris and I to have a time of unity that would enrich our marriage, that, regardless of circumstances, we would be purposeful to pray and praise (and not complain), and that we would have opportunities to share the love of Jesus with those we came in contact with on our trip.

Well, God answered our prayers. We were not worried, we were joyful, my parents survived, our marriage was blessed with many moments where "I love you" could not help but roll off our lips, we had wonderful family time, especially around the table at dinner each night (as we laughed and ate food off one an other's plates), we even had opportunities to share Christ with people we met, literally, from all over the world. We had long conversations with people we met like Pru and Paula (and their triple rainbow story). We even had an opportunity to talk with our room attendant for over an hour and pray with her. She even invited us to a crew-only worship service time. God opens the doors. When we pray, we see them and are quick to follow through. It was really cool.

I will give praises for each day, but I wanted to note a few praises, overall:
*Family dinners
*Knowing the kids were in great hands
*Reading--God's Word, Psalm 119, Dr. David Livingstone
*God's beauty
*Legs to take the stairs
*2 showers a day
*Vitamin D
*Not getting sick or sea sick
*Meeting interesting people from all over
*Having food prepared for us, dishes cleaned and our bed made each day
*Being reminded of how big God is as we looked out at the ocean...yet how important we are to Him
*Being graciously served by people who work so hard to support families they don't see for 7 months at a time
*Having so much quality time with the man I love so much