Welcome to Week 5 of
The Loft ~ A Wednesday Link-Up!
Come on up!!
Graphic by Kerry Messer
#TheLoft
You will find my Week 5 post and the linky tool near the bottom, but first, may I remind you how The Loft Link-Up works?
The Loft is a place for conversation, community, networking, and Christian growth.
Each week we provide a topic to start the conversation. Then, Wednesday morning at 5am EST, the link goes live, and for 6 glorious days you can link up your post on that week’s topic. The linky will close at 5pm EST on Monday. Please make sure the post you link-up pertains to the chosen topic of the week.
To Participate:
1. Be creative. Feel free to use words, photos, video, audio, your family pet, whatever, to communicate on the weekly topic.
2. Listen twice as much. If you leave one link, visit two.
3. Be a community. Include #TheLoft graphic and/or hashtag in your post and social media so we can find each other.
4. Write like Jesus would write. We are a Christian link-up. Offensive or inappropriate posts will be deleted. No questions asked.
5. Be pertinent. Our heart is to build community and intimacy, and our means to do that is to build each link-up around a single topic. Please make sure your post is on topic.
When you link up at The Loft, your link will appear on two blogs! We’d love for you to visit The Loft co-hosts and know who we are:
#TheLoft
Ruth: My sincerest apologies for not being around for Week 4 of The Loft. It was one of those very busy weeks. Glad to be back this week though! 🙂
Today’s Topic: Best Vacation (we would love to hear all about that vacation that lives forever in your heart and memory. what made it so special? where did you go? who was with you? do you have a picture or two you can share from that wonderful time?)
Best Vacation
The best vacation that I have ever had was not really a vacation at all! It was part of a ‘gap year’ to the USA for approximately four months when I was aged 18. It was not as relaxing as one would expect of a vacation, so in this sense, it wasn’t a proper vacation.
I spent two and a half months doing conservation work in national parks with the American Conservation Experience. It was hard work. Lots of trekking and manual labour. I was very tired. But I got to see some of the most beautiful places.
In between all of the hard work, some fellow volunteers and I were blessed to explore some other parts of the USA in our spare time.
San FranciscoÂ
Las Vegas
There were many beautiful sights when I was volunteering and some wonderful people from all across the world coming together for the common good. It was one of the hardest times of my life physically and emotionally. This was my first time away from home. I was across the pond. I missed my family.
But God was preparing me to trust Him like never before and to encourage me to step out in faith.Â
He did this by being with me always. I knew He was with me in all the beauty that I encountered. Undertaking Trek America for 3 weeks and visiting friends at the end of the 4 months completed this wonderful experience for me.
Below are some lovely photos that I hope you can enjoy from my time in the States. I hope to be back in the USA again soon. I really do hope so. It is a big part of me.
I would love to spend more time writing about my time in the USA. I did start writing up my journal on this blog from my time in America. You can read it below:
https://ruthclemence.wordpress.com/2014/09/16/usa-travel-journal-part-1/
https://ruthclemence.wordpress.com/2014/09/18/usa-travel-journal-part-2/
‘The earth is the Lord‘s and the fullness thereof,
    the world and those who dwell therein’ Psalm 24:1
July 8 (Week 6) Topic: “Pot Luck” (today you can link up any post, any topic, any picture, anything that strikes your fancy. words, videos, music, pictures…give us your best today for our pot-luck get-together)
I hope you will plan to join us each week at The Loft.
Now, it is time to link-up!!
Click on the image below to add your link!
An Anchored Hope 
Ruth, thank you for this post… I love that you had this adventure… FAVORITE line; “But God was preparing me to trust Him like never before and to encourage me to step out in faith. ” Isn’t He like that? Ever stretching our Faith? He is faithful! Blessings to you on your journeys!
Wow! So you visited some awesome places in the good old US of A. I have been some of the places you visited but not all, so I totally enjoyed your pictures. When you come back to the US, hopefully we can meet up! Likewise, if I get over to your little corner of the world, we will have to meet. Good to have you back at The Loft this week!
Ruth. YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL and adorable. I loved your post. What an opportunity of a lifetime – a real character builder. Let me know when you get back to the states. Chris P.S. I’m from Arizona and miss it so much.
Chris – thank you so much for your comment and I am sorry in my delay in getting back to you. I would love to meet up with you and Leah if and when I can get back to the USA. I miss it ever so much. Arizona was awesome and so beautiful!
What a breath taking vacation, though it sounds like you worked pretty hard! Which of the National parks was your favorite? Have you been to the east coast of the US?