St. Augustine Spring Break

Centered in Christ Through Coastal Creation + Coronavirus Confusion

Prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) escalation, my roommate + I had planned to venture down to St. Augustine for Spring Break. Despite the uncertainty + unknowns including national mandates for social distancing + our university moving to remote learning, we followed through with the adventure anyway, living day by day with the evolving news + surrounding environment.

Day 1
After a six hour drive down south full of conversations + laughter, music jams + podcast reflections, we arrived at our home for the week late Sunday evening. The next morning, we rose before the light + headed to the sand lying outside our doorstep. As the vibrant orange sun softened + rose into soft golden light, we flowed through a yoga sequence. Once our bodies had awoken through movement, we rested + reflected + renewed our spirits as we opened God’s Word to begin our study through the book of Micah. Weeks prior, we had flipped through + discussed which part of Scripture we would like to go through together. We both agreed that we would like to study Revelation more in depth, but figured we would start with something a bit shorter, perhaps more manageable or understandable, + a portion of Scripture that often gets overlooked. As we read + worked through the specific chapter for the day, our perspectives were made more + more aware of God’s consistency + intentionality in loving us, even in the case of punishment. It is for our good! A desire to hear + sing a praise to our gracious Father was in due order, so the first hymn I navigated to was “Here Is Love,” which consisted of lyrics so applicable to our morning’s moments in Micah as we sat marveling at the ocean. It also happened to be Savannah’s birthday, so her family came down from their nearby town of residence to spend the afternoon with us + we enjoyed a nice seafood dinner at the marina.

Day 2
Our morning began with a bodyweight beach workout circuit + a continuation through our study of Micah. After we grabbed some breakfast, we headed up to Fleming Island to visit Savannah’s family for the day. I got a tour of the house + was introduced to all of their furry family members including two dogs, two cats, + a little brown bunny. Savannah + I walked down to a nearby dock admiring the surrounding homes, overgrowth of Spanish moss, scurrying geckos + rippling waves. We spent some time playing around with our cameras + doing a mini photoshoot of our unplanned matching of outfits + personality. One major theme from the week was discovering how similar the two of us are, not only in appearance but in interests, intentions, influences, ideas. It’s such a blessing to see how God has brought the two of us together in a way that was so cohesive + aptly timed. That evening, we went out to a restaurant where Savannah’s sister works so that we could visit + see her 'in action' as she served us fresh foods + dreamy desserts. However, the experience was quite out of the norm considering coronavirus changes that required many dining tables + other options to be excluded from service. When we arrived back to their family home, we took a stroll around the nature trail surrounding the neighborhood, then headed back to our place in St. Augustine Beach.

Day 3
We jump-started our day with a run down to the pier along the beach, followed by another yoga flow. For our Bible study time, we ventured out into town where we stumbled upon a coffee shop to switch up the setting. Perhaps the change in setting ushered in a shifted perspective + clearer vision of what + how God was moving. The two of us sat on a bench outside for who-knows-how-long discussing, praying, praising how we were individually + collectively growing, how we were being pushed + challenged spiritually, the art + magnificence of God’s creation, His plan + purpose in placing us together, ideas + proposals for doing ministry + seizing Gospel-centered opportunities. Our overfilled + overjoyed spirits continued as we explored the old historic area of St. Augustine that afternoon. We wandered around the architectural beauty that is the Flagler College campus, perused through small local shops, + wandered into some art studios along the oldest street in America. It was here in this latter location where we met a man named Holiday (in honor of his birth date falling on Christmas Day). Our conversations floated around current status of life + career, passions + interests, stories + testimonies. As we shared, he was moved to tears by our “beauty,” our hearts, our motivations, our pursuit of Jesus. I sensed a longing behind his rounded glasses + cracking voice. I am certain our encounter was purposeful, whether for the sole benefit of meeting + interacting, or perhaps a reason greater than either of us conceive. Savannah + I continued exploring + engaging with the community, as our eyes were caught by decadent milkshakes being served up at Prohibition Kitchen. The venue inside modeled old saloon style vibes with newspaper menus + orange-gold lighting hues; although the establishment ironically was prohibited from selling any alcohol at the time due to new coronavirus regulations. Late that evening as the sun disappeared + the sea of stars arose, our toes traveled back out to the sand as we strolled, stargazed, sang, + searched for hidden ghost crabs.

Day 4
Following another morning routine of exercising + studying Micah on the beach, we met up with some other students from our university who happened to be vacationing in the same location as us at the same time! The large group of us spent the whole day at the beach, including times of jumping waves + constructing a sand castle memorial for an unfortunate crab who was no longer creeping + crawling (we named him Eugene). Shortly after departing from the group to return back to our resort, we received word from our university that all in-person classes, events, trips, even graduation was canceled for the remainder of the Spring semester. Obviously our minds were a bit flooded + taken aback by the news as we proposed scenarios of what this decision means for us individually, as well as the corporate impact. The two of us decided to relieve any potential stress arising by walking into the little town around St. Augustine beach to return to the coffee shop where we talked over tea. Businesses were closing up for the night, so we escaped back to the beach where we sat in the sand looking up at the vast array of speckled stars, felt the warm air interrupt by a ripple of cool breeze, listened to the incessant building + rolling + crashing of the waves along the shore. Once again, we spent hours just resting in the presence + greatness of our God — His creation; our fragile + ever changing lives, His stable + steadfast existence; what He may be doing, what He is doing, how He is working, how He is using us, what He is teaching us, why… Man, I can’t begin to explain the depth + significance of this moment + this friendship. For such a time as this, for both of us. What a blessing.​

Day 5
A bit of an interruption ensued, as we diverted our usual morning routine in order to make a pit stop at the auto shop to get some work done on Savannah’s car. We dropped it off to get checked out + fixed up as we returned back to their home for an exceptionally chill day of lounging in the backyard, reading books + getting organized for online classes, playing with curious kittens + loving dogs. At this point, eating establishments have been ordered to close all dining tables/rooms while continuing takeout/delivery service, so we stopped by a taco stand in St. Augustine beach then ate out of the bed of Savannah’s father’s truck, then ended our night with a bedtime Bible study time through the next section of Micah.

Day 6
Back at it again with our daybreak routine: yoga, workout circuit, Bible study. Afterward, we spent a little extra time laying in the sand + drifting off while listening to the waves + feeling the morning sun’s warmth. The move for the day was to check out the state park that was just down the road from the beach, yet when we arrived we discovered that it was closed due to the coronavirus situation. So, we instead picked up some Caribbean food to-go then ended up in the vicinity of a historic lighthouse + boat ramp where we picnicked within a small park of overhanging green trees + delighted Spring critters. After filling up on coconut shrimp + fried plantains, we explored random tidbits around town including a plant nursery, thrift store, pet adoption center, + food truck garden. We both took a brief siesta before meeting up with the family for a sunset picnic on the beach.

Day 7
Sigh… Our last morning full of sand + sun + waves concluded with a workout circuit + deep stretch. As we wrapped up Micah, we reflected on our (personal + humanity's) continual rebellion against God + our blindness to His greater workings; yet the Lord’s unceasing, unconditional, unbounded love for us in providing us discipline that is showered in our own growth + His mercy, as well as the way out of our pit + the coming reward rooted in Christ Jesus. We packed up + moved out of our resting place in St. Augustine Beach, then returned back to the food truck garden to enjoy poké + smoothie bowls before embarking on the drive back home where we will be settling into yet another new + unforeseen routine amidst the ever-evolving coronavirus situation.

As far as travel opportunities + updates for this blog, I had many upcoming that have now dissipated: I was going to be spending some time in New Orleans at the beginning of April for a professional psychology conference in which I was presenting my own research; the end of May was to bring a trip to the Dominican Republic for a short-term study abroad in which I would have been able to conduct my own nutrition education program to students as an additional research endeavor; and as of a few days ago, my return to Denver, CO for summer missions was also ceased.

It's easy to be anxious + confused + question why all of this is happening, especially since it's something unlike any of us have ever encountered or experienced before. But it's also easy, with a bit of pause + prayer, rest + reflection to see God's hand in it all + feel His presence in every space. It is definitely a time of shifted perspectives + realizations of our human fragility. God is using this time of weird schedules + wrecked routines to re-establish our priorities + dependence on Him. Now is the time for us to "Listen!" as He exclaims in Micah + boldly change our lives toward His direction. The current circumstances look bleak on the surface, but I am looking forward to the continual journey with the Father despite my dim, limited view.

Stay safe, healthy, well — in mind (virtual contact is better than no contact), body (sanitize + eat clean), spirit (dig in to the Word, fill up with prayer).