Today marked an eventful end to an eventful spring break trip. After waking up bright and early to pack up our belongings, the bittersweet feeling of our trip quickly set in as we loaded up our cars and said goodbye to the brothers and sisters in Salinas who had graciously hosted and cherished us through the last couple days. We headed over to Moss Landing to kayak, and our short session left our clothes dripping wet and our feet muddy—but not before spotting quite a few adorable sea otters in the water around us.
Our last stop before heading back home was Santa Cruz (again), where we were able to have a heartwarming lunch with the believers there that we didn't have the opportunity to meet the first time around on Tuesday. Finally, upon arriving home, we had one last chance to blend on our trip, as we joined small groups that we don't usually attend. This, for me, was the highlight of my day and a great way to end a trip full of blending and enjoying Christ with new brothers and sisters. Getting to share all my highlights and experiences of Christ throughout the week, enjoy a wonderful meal and get a chance to get to blend with community members I don't usually get the opportunity to talk with often was a fitting close to my week. Now, though I may be exhausted outwardly, my spirit and heart are full. Praise the Lord for this awesome spring break trip!
—Newman C.
Today we went kayaking (and for some of us, swimming... oops) at Moss Landing! It's a rare opportunity, so my kayaking partner Noah and I decided to go all out, and it was the most exercise I've had in months. Moss Landing happened to be a nature reserve area for sea otters! Even though they were very cute, we were instructed to stay away from them to avoid disturbing them. While kayaking, a sea otter popped up in front of us, so Noah and I were forced into an emergency course correction and "accidentally" capsized and had a pleasant swim. Would definitely go for round two.
The Spring Break Trip has been the most fun I've had in a long time, and I'm kinda sad that it's over so soon. Overall it's been a great experience blending with saints from so many different localities. It's encouraging to see that despite all our different languages and cultures, the Christ that we enjoy is the same Christ, and we enjoy Him in one Body! I look forward to going on future trips and blending with even more saints. Praise the Lord for the oneness of the Body!
—Daniel H.
Today marked the last day of our spring break trip, and it was like a mini encapsulation of what the whole trip was like: the struggle to wake up early in the morning to keep pace with the schedule, trying to catch up on sleep in the car, and the tiring yet greatly rewarding activities that we had. We started off getting up extra early to have breakfast in Salinas followed by our spiritual “breakfast” in which we read about how the Lord Jesus was not individualistic, but was One who always did everything by the Spirit of God and for the kingdom of God. He never did anything by Himself or for Himself, nor did He trust in Himself, but rather He had a humble and selfless spirit, serving even as a slave for the Father. In doing this He set a great pattern for us, showing us that we need to be properly coordinated with all the members of the Body and do all things for the interest and right of God on the earth!
After enjoying the Word together, we had the opportunity to serve by helping the saints in Salinas clean the meeting hall, and even though we were already running late and only got to kayak for about 45 minutes afterwards, I feel like that time couldn’t have been better spent any other way. Speaking of kayaking, we got to see a lot of sea otters, but more exciting, a few brothers fell into the water! That was really funny to watch. Once we all got to wash our feet of all the mud and debris on this really neat foot washing contraption, we quickly made our way to Santa Cruz where we had lunch together with the saints there and got to tour the meeting hall. I really enjoyed seeing the Tai's again, having grown up meeting at the same church as they did until they moved over to Santa Cruz when I was in high school.
Finally, we made a quick stop at a viewpoint on the UCSC campus where my team ultimately lost (shocking! gasp) to the two other teams in our spring break trip game, finishing the way the game began, with our team on the bottom and the other two teams tied on top. We then finished our trip with a long, congested drive back up to Berkeley, during which everyone in my car except the driver caught up on some sleep, and ended the day with some sweet fellowship in our small group meetings. Looking back, even though we didn’t get to fly somewhere out of state and get to see more touristy attractions faraway, this spring break trip was truly a watering to all of us and a very enjoyable time, where we got to see a little more of the Body of Christ expressed in the many different localities that we got to visit. Praise the Lord!
—Aaron F.