Four Weeks

Four weeks.

28 days. 672 hours. 40,320 minutes. 2,419,200 seconds.

In four weeks, I will be on a plane. In four weeks, my island will be within sight.

There are so many things that I anticipate happening once we land on "The Unspoiled Queen". There are some definites.

Ting. I will drink my fill in Ting for thirteen days. For those unfamiliar, Ting is a Caribbean soda that will change your world. Imagine Fresca, but on steroids and 100 times better. When I am on Saba it's as though I have an addiction to the sparkling, green bottled goodness. It pairs wonderfully with a Johnny Cake. Johnny Cakes...those are definites too.

My name will be transformed to "Aleta". The "h" will be dropped and I won't mind it in the slightest. I also will revert back to a couple other titles. "Ms. Thomas"...others may call me "Teacher Thomas". Whatever I am called, I will smile and answer with joy in my heart.

I will sit and visit with a Spanish teacher in her classroom. I will have coffee with Ms. Lynne at The Busy Bee more than once. I will visit with friends in Upper Hell's Gate and sit around their table.  I will visit our friends in The Bottom and our kids will play together. I will be called to the principal's office. I will sit and visit with some beautiful, kind, and talented teenage girls.

Late one night when the day is done for most of the folks on the island, I will walk down the road to Well's Bay by flashlight. Peter will be with me. I will catch a land crab.

I will play kickball and dodgeball.

I will laugh...alot. I will cry too.

These are all things that I know for sure will be a part of my days on Saba in four weeks. But the things that excite me the most are the things that I do not know to expect. The surprises. The things that I can't even day dream about. The things that make one take a double take and stand in awe.

The things that only our Creator can orchestrate.

Coincidence and luck have nothing to do with any of it.

It's ALWAYS Him.

He has broken hearts. Provided redemption. Created bonds of friendship. Opened eyes and hearts like never before. He has healed wounds and allowed many to celebrate the scars. He has washed people in the waters.

He has used the craziest and most obscure modes and methods. His work has been done on a basketball court and during dodgeball games. His words have been shared over pasta, while fathers and daughters danced, and as dominoes were slammed onto a table. Some have encountered Him in the wee hours of the morning on a rooftop or in an empty parking lot. Others have met Him by the sea or on the road or in a gazebo in a park.

However He does it, whatever He uses, whereever He shows up...it's always the best. It's always beyond description. My words here can not even begin to do it justice.

My times on Saba always encourage my hope, strengthen my faith, and bring more love into my life that I can ever muster up to give away. I know the Father is getting my heart ready to serve, but He is also getting it ready to be turned and healed and filled. I need the island. I need time on Her shores with Her people. I am ready for Him to show up and show off on my five square miles.  He always does. That is a definite.

Four weeks.