Refresh

Refresh // rɪˈfrɛʃ //   ...give new strength or energy to; reinvigorate.

A change is as good as a rest, they say, and I've never really understood what that meant. Until I found myself chatting to a stranger on a plane on the way to Iceland trying to explain the reasons behind my trip. 

He was pretty amused by the idea of travelling to a non-famous part of Iceland and staying there for 10 days; that the Blue Lagoon wasn't actually on my to-do list; that the main reason I was going there was to give other people coffee. But, as I tried to explain my job and the organisation I work for - "we help Christians to get excited about prayer, then tell them to do it, non-stop, in a room" -  I realised that I was actually pretty excited to change up my regular routine; to get out of my comfort zone and try something different. 

And the change was far better than a rest. 

Being honest, I was a tad apprehensive about being on a tiny island of 4,000 people for 10 days. I'm the kind of traveller who wants to pack in as much as possible on one holiday; to go to one place after another, after another. Being planted in one tiny place was definitely going to be different.

But it was an interesting tiny place. A place where a volcano formed out of the ground and erupted less than 50 years ago; a concept which puzzles me still. A tiny place with a rich past; hijacked by pirates, and also inhabited by monks. A place which radiates with utter beauty; where sunshine, rain and wind appear and disappear faster than anywhere else I've known. 

There was a lot of prayer, which is probably a relief as half of my time away was technically work; but there was also a lot of time to explore; to hike; to eat; to experience the joy of an Icelandic swimming pool (actually more like three pools, a steam room and a cold tub). And of course, being a team, there was time together, to transition from strangers to friends.

Spending time with people is always my favourite thing to do; but to spend time with a group of similar people striving together towards one goal, with God at the centre, is particularly special. It was a joy to encourage one another, to learn together, to laugh (a lot), and to get to know some different cultures and traditions. We shared stories, deep and significant; shallow and amusing. It formed us, it moulded us; it enabled us to serve better together.

I discovered how to pronounce the name of our Icelandic festival in the end (try it for yourself: Þjóðhátíð) - although it took a lot of practise and my language skills did not improve much more. We gave out coffee each morning and afternoon and encountered friendly festival-goers, hungover festival-goers, and a lot of confused faces when we explained that we wanted to hand out free coffee simply because we were Christians and we liked serving others. 

We didn't sleep much. We walked a bit, climbed a lot, talked even more -  but I've never felt so refreshed. 

I learnt a lot about myself on that tiny island. I learnt a lot from others too. And Iceland has quickly become one of my favourite places - from the scenery, to the incredibly good coffee, to the wonderful people I now know well who live there all year round. It was such a joy to be there; to serve there; to be refreshed and inspired to keep going in the day-to-day. 

Because that's why change is so refreshing: it's a break from the daily grind which gives time to reflect and analyse where you're at. With different people in a different place, new insights are uncovered, new lessons learnt, wisdom gathered. For me, it was a simple reflection from an Icelandic man when he described his relationship with God. It was the many beautiful words given to me by team members. It was walking, finding utter peace and remembering the tiny space I occupy in the world. Moments that I've brought home with me to change my day-to-day.