Free Fallin

I can now check off one of the biggest things on my bucket list....SKYDIVING! That feels so weird to say because I can't actually believe that I did it! Since it was a pretty huge moment in my life, and since I love all of you that follow this blog, I figured I would share the whole experience with you! This past Saturday, me and 6 others from our HELP Fiji group took a trip to Nadi to go skydiving! We met our instructors that morning at 8:30. (I had butterflies in my stomach the entire day) They picked us up and drove us to the office in Nadi where you need to check in, and basically sign your life away! My hand was shaking as I filled out the paperwork and I kept asking myself, “Why am I doing this?” Since I knew that the longer I waited the more nervous I would get, I volunteered to go up in the first plane! The planes they take you in are tiny. There is room for a pilot, 2 jumpers, and 2 instructors. So, me and Sarah from my group were the first ones to go. The rest of the group would be waiting down on Wai Loa Loa beach, where we would be landing. Thankfully, Sarah is the calmest person ever and took the risk of going up in the plane with me, the girl who can't control how nervous she is, so she talks a million miles a minute and screams at random moments. I love her for that! We get to the airport, were briefed on what to do when we get up in the sky, and got settled in the plane. We were basically right on top of each other in the plane..it was quite cozy in there. We took off and I was seriously trying to keep a smile on my face, but I was scared out of my mind! My instructor, Kobi, was a lifesaver. He was hilarious first of all, and also knew how scared I was, so he kept me as calm as he could. When we got to 4,000 feet, I was ready to jump, but oh no, we still had another 4,000 feet to go! I was actually still smiling at this point and kind of excited! The minute I saw the plane door open, and heard the crazy wind, I sort of wanted to die. Luckily, Sarah was closest to the door, so she jumped first. 3 minutes before my jump, Kobi strapped himself to me, and reminded me of all the things to do once I was in the air. I think I went into shock a little bit, because I really don't remember much after we were strapped together. (But, once I watched the video, it all became very clear to me!) It was our turn, and I couldn't really breathe. We scooted over to the door, and I had to put my legs out so they were dangling. He was behind me on my back. Once my legs were out, we jumped!! It was insane! We free fell for a really long time because Kobi couldn't get the parachute to open. But, whatevs. I got more bang for my buck I guess! Once it opened, it was really quiet because we were falling slower. It was one of the most peaceful moments of my entire life. We were falling over the ocean, so I could see all of the water, the beaches, the clouds, and trees. It was gorgeous! I still was in shock a little bit, but I tried to just go with the moment. When we were about to land, Kobi told me to keep my legs up, because it would break some bones if they were drug on the beach. So, before we landed though, he let me guide our parachute. It was so cool! Landing went very well! We swooped down through some palm trees, and glided on the sand on our bums. When we stopped, I laid back and smiled! I was so happy! That really was one of the most amazing things I have ever done!

As cheesy as this may sound, there were a few seconds in the air, that I couldn't help but relate what I was doing right then to the gospel and to my life. I was thinking that sometimes in life we are given extremely hard things. We are given trials to make us stronger, and to help us realize that WE CAN DO HARD THINGS. Now, obviously I chose to do this really scary thing on Saturday, but it was one of the hardest things I've ever made myself do. In our lives, we will go through hard times and have to overcome hard things, but I realized that maybe one reason we go through these hard things is simply just to realize that we can conquer them. I really am so proud of myself for making the jump, and I'm also very grateful for that experience. It helped me realize just how strong I can be. So, if you're looking for something to do this weekend.... ;)