Hi everyone. so i'm back in Meknes after a wonderful and much needed relaxing spring break. I spent a week in Taghazout, a small fishing and surf village on the Atlantic coast in the south of Morocco. Because it is a surf spot they were pretty used to foreigners and so it was nice to get a break from being the center of attention- the only white people in a 5 mile vicinity! We - 8 of us- stayed in a beautiful apartment rented out by a surf camp run by a bunch of Brits. Imagine that- just taking 6 or so months out of the year to live on the Atlantic and give surf lessons. If I could surf well I might be tempted- so I guess you all can count it in your blessings that I can't, otherwide I might not've come back! The weather was beautiful and the Atlantic was gorgeous. I didn't get that much swimming in because the water was still a little too cold for my taste. But it wasn't terrible just lounging about in the sun all day! I did, on one of the first days, get out and try to surf but apparently it isn't my thing. I didn't get up to my feet at all, the waves were too frequent and kept beating us around. I enjoyed it and can now cross surfing off my list but I didn't enjoy it enough to try again! Oh well, as beautiful as the Atlantic is I much more enjoy my lakes, the ocean is too salty for me! All in all it wasn't a terribly exciting vacation but just what I needed.
On last Saturday our spring break ended and we got on a bus for a very long ride into the desert to meet our group for an excursion. Our Meknes group, as well as 4 or so Spain groups visiting Morocco all spent 3 days camping in the desert. I mean full on golden dunes Sahara desert. It was beautiful, the nights so clear! It was a small patch of desert outside Merzouga in the Atlas mountains. Before bed I would just wander out a ways into the desert and just remind myself how lucky and amazing it is that I am sitting in the Sahara in Africa. Sometimes I just forget that I am really here. We rode camels on the second day, which was really fun. None spit on or near me but the one my roomate and I were on had some serious saliva issues- constantly foaming and drooling. Pretty gross.
Well I think I am 5 weeks today from the end of the program, which has caused me to do a little bit of reflecting and what not. Im not gonna say that this trip has been ideal. Most of the time it has been a really eye-opening and valuable experience, but sometimes it has been outright lonely and difficult for me. I've still got a bit of the homesickness and wondering why I am here but I have been reading my Bonhoeffer "Discipleship" that I brought along as a study. This last week I came across something that really helped me out. It was talking about how Christ's followers are called to break ties with everything of the world; friends, family, jobs, home in order to reforge these relationships through Christ.
On last Saturday our spring break ended and we got on a bus for a very long ride into the desert to meet our group for an excursion. Our Meknes group, as well as 4 or so Spain groups visiting Morocco all spent 3 days camping in the desert. I mean full on golden dunes Sahara desert. It was beautiful, the nights so clear! It was a small patch of desert outside Merzouga in the Atlas mountains. Before bed I would just wander out a ways into the desert and just remind myself how lucky and amazing it is that I am sitting in the Sahara in Africa. Sometimes I just forget that I am really here. We rode camels on the second day, which was really fun. None spit on or near me but the one my roomate and I were on had some serious saliva issues- constantly foaming and drooling. Pretty gross.
Well I think I am 5 weeks today from the end of the program, which has caused me to do a little bit of reflecting and what not. Im not gonna say that this trip has been ideal. Most of the time it has been a really eye-opening and valuable experience, but sometimes it has been outright lonely and difficult for me. I've still got a bit of the homesickness and wondering why I am here but I have been reading my Bonhoeffer "Discipleship" that I brought along as a study. This last week I came across something that really helped me out. It was talking about how Christ's followers are called to break ties with everything of the world; friends, family, jobs, home in order to reforge these relationships through Christ.
"Christ intends to make the human being lonely. As individuals they should see nothing except Him who called them."
"Christ has untied the persons immediate connections with the world and bound the person immediately to Himself. No one can follow Christ without recognizing and affirming the break is already complete"
Bonhoeffer also talks about how Abraham is commanded to sacrifice his son...
"Abraham had left everything and had followed Christ, and while he was following Christ, he was permitted to go back and live in the same world he had lived in before"
" Everyone is called into discipleship alone, but no one remains in discipleship alone"
I know I can't apply everything the way I want it to but it made me feel better, made me feel that this semester is that time for me. I am away from everything familiar and comfortable, amongst people that are not of the same lifestyle as me and that I have to use this time to work on my relationship with God. I dunno. It was just really nice to read this as I was down the another rut.
Now I'm back at classes and missing my relaxing naps on the beach. Ah well, what can you do..
Anyway, that's what is going on now. Send me emails if you'd like - finmeg@bethel.edu. love to everyone!
