Sunkissed in Cyprus

That was what we were hoping for! And God was gracious and gave us a few days of blissful sunshine!
Cyprus was gorgeous! It was exactly what I needed. I hadn't realized just how much stress I had been carrying from school and life, until I felt it start to roll off me when we got to the island.

My mind cleared.
My body relaxed.
My heart calmed.

Your well-being is important. You have to find ways to get rest in order to keep from burning out. I don't mean, you need to remove yourself from all situations that require work. That is what God has called us to do - work (Matt 16:24). But Jesus Himself also demonstrated the importance of rest (Matt 14:23). There needs to be moments of rest, but those are all to help us keep working for the Lord! If we never find ways to rest, that's when we burnout to the point of not being useful for the Kingdom. Rest is important.
[I like this article, really because they put the first thing first: rest time with God! I like this article because it explains the importance (and sacrifice) of Sabbath. If you find yourself struggling with the idea of rest, read this. If you wrestle with working when you should rest, and resting when you should work, read this. And last, as I read this article and heard this song playing in my head.]

Now, I will show you what "rest" looked like for my in Cyprus, enabling me to get back to my job of investing in the hearts of the students at my school.

The first day was rainy off and on, but it was still a blast. Fairly steady temperatures even in the rain. Coolish water. Overcast skies. But a delightful day. We walked over ten miles - my knees and feet definitely felt it!
We took the bus from Ayia Napa to Konnos Beach and then walked the way back.

We swam in the water at Konnos Beach, even though the skies were stormy and gray.

We hiked to the Cyclops Caves, dodging rain and snacking along the way.

Then we hiked all the way to Cape Greco. I feel like the landscape is similar to the lands of the Bible and it was pretty amazing to hike along rocky trails, imagining Paul or other disciples walking similar paths.

Cape Greco is supposedly the easternmost point of Europe. Turkey isn't considered Europe and the northern part of the island is Turkish. [We were told that on a clear night, you can look across the sea and see the lights of Syria]

The views were lovely, even with the overcast skies.

We stopped into a few more caves on the way and saw a natural bridge.

We ate a delicious hot "mix" sandwich from a sandwich truck (we were recommended to do that, but we think we got it from the wrong truck...eh, oh well.).

And we walked. And walked. And walked. And walked.

The next day started with a crazy big storm, but then the skies gloriously cleared and we hiked down to Nissi Beach - which is the big tourist beach. I see why, because it's lovely!

The water was nothing short of magical! Cool but clear and so relaxing! Shallow for a long way out and protected in a little bay. It was pretty busy, but it was worth it! We soaked up some sun, playing in the water, and just relaxed. Delightful.

 Finished the evening off with a posh fish meze dinner at En Yevo - TOTALLY recommend this place! (Insert heart eyes emoji)
This was our little visitor friend - the waiters are so sweet to the cats, and yet the cats don't even get in the way!
And this is just a sample of our scrumptious fish meze!

The following day we basically did the same thing, and it was totally worth it! We needed that rest - at least I needed that rest. It was beautiful to see the creation God made in Cyprus and how different it is from Budapest. He is an incredibly creative and amazing God, to have made such different climates and cultures. It's marvelous that He allows us to enjoy it!

The trek back on Sunday was a little bittersweet - I could have stayed and soaked up some more sun and sand (and good food). I know it was the perfect amount of time though - it was enough rest that I felt renewed, but not too much to where I felt lazy and unmotivated to work. God is good. I felt a renewed joy in teaching when I returned that I honesty hadn't realized I had lost. It's easy to get bogged down in the trenches and to not even realize how "unhealthy" you've gotten.

I am grateful that I was able to get away, rest, and fellowship with Anna. I am also thankful to have been able to spend undistributed, uninterrupted, indefinite time with the Lord without having to abide by a schedule! 
I only needed a few days of that to feel rested and rejuvenated - ready to tackle the next things God has for me!