Blooming marvellous break!

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Day 1 in Juba following 2 weeks on leave on the beautiful island of Mauritius. The turquoise of the sea is REAL, and you can see fabulously colourful, tropical fish in the shallow waters. I did snorkelling for the first time which felt very odd trying to breathe underwater, but got there. The island has very shallow waters until a long way out, and there is a coral reef surrounding almost all of it, so lots to see. My favourites had bright pink, patterned heads, and bright green patterned bodies - wild! 


The sun shone fairly consistently except for a couple of days, and we saw a lot of the island, mainly by bus driven either way fast or walking speed. In typical Cressey style, we stayed in 5 different places, but settled in 1 place for a full week at the end to relax and enjoy self-catering, a washing machine, and other comforts of domestic life. And a fantastic swimming pool and 5 mins walk to another perfect beach. 


Steve did 3 good walks up some of the hills (mountains?) on the island, and I joined him for 2 of them. The exercise was excellent in providing some glorious views, and off-setting some of the food! 


Mauritius itself provided many reasons to be incredibly grateful to God - the beauty definitely builds some soul health. There were so many gorgeous flowers and colourful towns. 

But alongside the island, the break from Juba was a gift. It was so nice to just feel 'normal'. Coming away from Juba was a relief because it reminded me that who I am there is not who I am all the time... the circumstances that surround life in Juba are genuinely intense, and brings out very different characteristics in me. It was such a relief to be in different circustmances and remember life outside and before South Sudan. The emotional rollercoaster of daily life, the ups and downs of work, the intense rumination and constant questioning were given a break. 

I really hope and pray to carry this learning through the next couple of months! God gave me the phrase 'leave and breathe' as a motto to think about if and when my thought life feels intense again. It is good to physically leave the compound in Juba and go somewhere else for a change of scene. But also it is possible to create moments in the day to 'leave and breathe' by taking a little break, refreshing my mind and remembering that it is tougher here but God has help to give. 

Enough of that. Here's a coconut:


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