Wherever you go, go with all your heart

Only a few days left of waking up in this beautiful, HOT, but amazing city. Waking up to sweat beads covering my face is a new normal for me here on this island. Yet, I still can’t complain because everything else about this place is worth the few drops of salty liquid that start my day.

This morning Alisha and I were super productive and made the trek up Pumpkin Hill, which in my opinion was more of a small mountain than a hill. Besides the fact that we were exhausted at the top, the hike was definitely worth it, and view was absolutely stunning. You could see the whole island from where we stood, and the best part was most of it is untouched and undeveloped. The actual city only made up a very, very small portion of this beautiful shade of green, which is then surrounded by the blue of the Caribbean. Most of the island is actually swamp, and therefore has been saved from the expansion of human invasion.

On the way back from the hike we stopped at a place called Treetanic Seahorse Utila. This hotel is a beautiful place you can stay, or if you are just passing through eat/drink at their restaurant. Treetanic Seahorse is full of mosaics, but not just with stone and glass, but with the most random recycled objects you could think of. And they cover every part of everything. There were old inside parts from hard drives, plastic toy horses, bottle caps, old ship windows, a random plate here or there, and much more. The thing is that it all looked so well together. Abstract. A collage. I could have walked around looking at the creativity this man showed over the last 20 years all day.

We have spent the rest of our day just hanging out at our hostel. Because we have a night dive tonight we just want to relax for the rest of the day; sitting and looking at the Caribbean all afternoon never really gets old. While being on the island I’ve learned a lot from the different people I have met while staying at Captain Morgans. One thing I realize more and more with every new adventure is that everyone has a different story. Many of them are a little older than I am, have come from different places in the world, and have amazing travel stories from their past. It’s so inspiring to hear the adventures that these people have had, and only heightens my passion for wanting to see the world even more. It makes me so excited to live the life that God has so graciously blessed me with.

Another thing that I have more of an appreciation for now than before I left Wisconsin is that I was born in the United States. Having a passport that confirms that I am from the United States of America is more of a blessing than I have ever really realized. Many of us take being from the U.S. for granted, but the more I have traveled to other places of the world, and have met other people from other parts of the world, the more I appreciate the meaning of freedom. People from other countries aren’t necessarily allowed to go wherever they want. Maybe because they aren’t allowed to leave, or another country won’t let them in. Maybe their wages are so low that they can’t afford to leave. Maybe they want to, but can’t. Having a full understanding for how blessed I am to have been born where I am able to go where I please is something that I will now always be grateful for. I thank God for all of these opportunities, because without Him none of this is possible.

One final thing I have learned while being in Utila and want to share is that I have been unselfishly been given a choice. A choice to believe what I want to believe. A choice to follow Jesus. A choice to live in the image of God. After having a super eye-opening conversation with Leo, a current dive master in training, who also happens to be from Israel, I feel as though this is a blessing that I may have also been taking for granted. Leo, born in Israel, considers himself Jewish. I hope I did not interpret this in the wrong way, but Leo stated that he is a Jew because of where he was born. Leo told us that the majority of people who are from Israel are Jewish (similar to how many people in other countries think that the U.S. and Christianity go hand in hand, which is not true in my opinion). While having this conversation I was given the interpretation that Leo doesn’t necessarily believe in God, however, because he was born and grew up in the country he did, he respects that he is Jewish, and therefore labels himself a Jew. (This is also similar to the people I met in Turkey who said they were Muslim because they were born there). Because of this conversation and the knowledge I gained, I am now more thankful that I have been given the power of choice, by someone who loves me more than I will ever know. Jesus gave me free will when He died on the cross for me, and He has given me a choice to believe in Him. He died for everyone on this earth, believer or non-believer, no matter which country they are from, or which country they are living in now. How amazing of a gift is that to the world. Jesus sacrificed Himself so that believers could live with CHOICE. A choice to live in the image of God. One of the greatest gifts we could be given. Just think about that for a second, and remember how blessed you are, to live with freedom.

Time to get my gear ready for our night dive. Pretty jacked :) Until next time…

#honduras