Needless to say, because we were in as a tour group our daily activities necessarily varied from what would typically occupy a team's time. We set our hearts to not be frustrated by this but to walk in obedience to the Lord within these unconventional circumstances. We knew we were called by the Lord to pray fervently for this nation and to glorify His Name where He is not honored. So whatever our itinerary held, we looked into it for an opportunity to pray and to worship the Lord... and our leader who negotiated the trip with the local authorities had tactfully appealed for some activities to better facilitate those ends. For instance, he asked for a nature hike, and an afternoon on the beach. These are not typical activities offered by the government tour agencies.
We were taken out of the city proper to be near the sea for two days. One morning, we went on a scenic boat ride around a beautiful little cluster of forested islands; it was fun and we even saw seals! The highlight though was throwing bread to the seagulls. The birds, of course, were common. However, the opportunities they afforded were less so. It was while participating in this feeding that our guides became uninhibited for a few moments, giddily throwing crumbs and laughing like children. It was awesome to see them a little bit off script. So many on our team were steadily stirred throughout our trip by God's heart for these young men assigned to guide and monitor our group. I am certain the Lord is desiring to break through into their lives one day in the not so distant future. Other fun while afloat? Well, who's to say whether those flinging their hands in the air were feeding sea gulls or praying over the nation whose flag we were sailing under that bright morning? Haha. Joyful and expressive prayer was hidden in plain sight, the wind drowning out our voices as God Himself inclined His ear. It was a joy to share that excursion with our guides, and to freely proclaim that "The earth is the Lord's and all it contains, the world and all that dwell in it."
