Follow along on our adventures of the 2026 Marine Biology Trip!
Table of Contents
Day 1
Ahoy Mateys! We have embarked on our voyage of the 2026 Marine Biology Trip!
Today was all about preparation – getting lab equipment unpacked, setting up the lecture area, and getting tables and chairs set up, amongst many other important behind the scenes necessities.
Staff drove to the Miami airport and picked up the students and brought them to a safe arrival at Gulf View Waterfront Resort on the island of Grassy Key. Praise God everyone arrived safely!
The evening was spent getting to know one another, learning the captain’s rules, snacking on smores, and getting all settled.
Pray now for a restful night sleep for us all, as tomorrow, the real fun begins! Also, please pray for good weather and calm seas. Right now, the seas are a bit rough which may cause some challenges with our excursion schedule and the ability to see all of God’s handiwork. But we serve a God who calms the seas and waves, so we call on Him to do just that!
Day 2
Today was the first full day here in the Keys. We began with a morning lecture that was then followed by everyone embarking on excursions to a variety of marine habitats. Each excursion was an adventure and many fascinating creatures were found. We carefully collected a variety of them and brought them back to our hotel where we placed them in tanks for in depth studying.
Working together with their habitat groups, they began to classify the specimens that were found today. One student exclaimed while looking closely at one of the organisms, “Woah, God’s creatures are amazing!”
This evening, we had our first Bible Seashore Session and Michael is doing the topic on “Abide in Me.” (Which is also already recorded and on our website). We will be spending the week diving into the passage in John on what it means to abide in Christ. The rest of the evening was spent with more classifying and some volleyball. The students seem to be bonding well and are getting to know each other faster than groups in the past. So praise God for that!
There are a couple of prayer requests that I would ask for you to lift up to our Lord. Our boat that we haul down here from Wisconsin is not running properly and we are having a hard time getting it fixed with limited resources in the Keys. Thankfully, we have a mechanic along but there is a certain part that we need that we are not able to find. Pray that we can either resolve this issue, or that we can come up with an alternative. Also, we had to reschedule our trip to the coral reef as Captain Hooks is not taking anyone out for the next few days due to rough seas. We have it now scheduled for Wednesday. Please pray that God calms the seas so we are able to go to the reef this week and that we can have smooth excursions!
We are looking forward to another day of fun and excursions tomorrow!
Day 3
Sharks, manatees, rays…oh my!
Despite the high wind conditions, God has still blessed us with some awesome excursions! One group caught a juvenile nurse shark, others caught a few rays, and even a handful of kids were blessed to see a manatee and her calf swimming on a grassflat! And many other amazing creatures were found as well.
One student, when classifying a Scrawled Cowfish, was in awe over the blue and yellow design that God gave this fish. And several students participated in an experiment with sea anemones by testing out their nematocysts (stingers).
Tonight’s Bible Seashore Session was focusing on how we need to be “grafted” to God and remain close to Him by spending time in His Word and in prayer so that we can produce fruit.
Unfortunately, we did get some bad news from Captain Hooks today. They decided it was best to cancel our trip to the reef, and they said that conditions are likely going to be bad all week, so rescheduling does not look to be an option. To try to make it up to the students, we announced to them this evening that we will be taking them to Theater of the Sea, a beautiful marine mammal park, tomorrow. A lot of the kids sound very excited about this opportunity!
Please continue to pray for good weather, health and safety of our students and staff, and that God would continue to work and use this trip for His glory!
Day 4
As I had stated in yesterday’s log entry, Captain Hooks had to cancel our trip to the reef due to a week of rough seas. So instead, we decided to drive the kids up to Islamorada and take them to Theater of the Sea, a beautiful marine mammal park. There, the students got to hang out as a whole group and watch dolphin, sea lion, and parrot shows. They also got to learn about the park’s sea turtles, sharks, rays, and more. The park also had a small lagoon, and several students said that they enjoyed snorkeling there. Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time!
Tonight our Bible session was on how God prunes us through trials and how to make sure we are not false disciples. After, we all indulged on some fry bread and the rest of the evening was spent playing volleyball, classifying, and doing labs. The groups are clearly bonding as you could hear laughter throughout the grounds as the kids were working together.
It was a good day full of many blessings, and we are looking forward to another day tomorrow!
Day 5
If you recall from a few entries ago, we were experiencing mechanical issues with our boat, and since the trip to the reef got cancelled, we wanted to make sure that each student had an opportunity to ride on a boat over the ocean. So, we decided to rent one for the day to use for excursions. Each habitat group got a chance to ride the boat out to a habitat to explore. Everyone seemed to have fun with it!
Today’s Bible Seashore Session was all about John 15:5 and what Jesus meant when He said that apart from Him, we can do nothing. We learned that if we remain attached to Christ, then the Spirit working in us, will help us to produce good fruit.
Afterwards, two habitat groups went out on a night excursion to a rocky coast. With the help from flashlights, the students waded through the water, flipping over rocks and getting a view at what the habitat looks like at night. And all of the students got to see bioluminescence in the water, which is always fun to experience. One student said this was her favorite excursion so far!
Tomorrow will be a busy day as we leave first thing in the morning for Aquarium Encounters where we will have lecture and the students will get to do a snorkel in the coral reef tank there and get to hand feed sharks! Check back tomorrow to see how it all goes!
Day 6
Today was spent at Aquarium Encounters! We have such a good relationship with AE that they let us come in, as they have done in the past, before they opened so Michael could give the lecture on sharks, rays, and fish in front of their large tanks. After the lecture, the students go the chance to snorkel in their large Coral Reef Tank and hand feed a variety of fish and rays. They even then fed sharks, large rays, and eels through holes in the glass of the tank so they could see these large predators up close. The students had a blast!
The rest of the day was spent studying, classifying, labs, and another night excursion. Our Bible lesson for the night was on how we know if we are a false disciple or not and Michael gave us some examples from the Bible on false disciples – one who claimed to follow God but later turned away from Him.
It was a busy day and we are all ready for a good night sleep! Check in tomorrow to see what other adventures we experience!
Day 7
It is hard to believe that today was our last “normal” day. We are on the homestretch now. The students embarked on their final excursions for the trip and all of them went to the grassflats to explore. Some things that were seen were squid, rays, cowfish, lobsters, anemones, and so much more.
The rest of the day was spent doing labs, final classifications, and further studying the marine life by creating Ecological Profiles on certain specimens.
This evening’s Bible Seashore Session was on how God is not our “genie”; He does not grant us anything we wish and simply pray for. He will grant it to us if we are abiding in Him and if it aligns with His will and brings Him glory.
After, we had a game of Family Feud, marine biology edition! It was a fun, yet educational time for all and a great way for the students to study and work on teamwork. The Grassflat habitat group were the winners!
Tomorrow, we will continue to study, and finish up some pages in the labbooks, and then the students will be presenting skits on their habitats, followed by a delicious dinner at a local restaurant. Stay tuned for more updates tomorrow!
Day 8
Today was the final hustle to get last minute lab work done. We had our final lecture this morning on Mollusks and at the end, each student dissected an oyster, revealing a pearl on the inside that they will get to keep. This afternoon, the groups put on their entertaining, yet educational skits on their habitat that they studied.
Tonight’s dinner was at a local Florida Keys restaurant, The Wreck. The students had the chance to try some fresh seafood and everyone seemed to have a great time. When we returned to the hotel, we were greeted by Captain James Lane (who did look a lot like Michael….). He shared with us the Gospel story as he explained to the students how the pirates were pardoned for their sins if they chose to turn away from piracy, comparing it to the grace we receive when we likewise choose to turn away from our sin.
The rest of the evening was spent watching the sunset and studying as the students prepare for the exam tomorrow. Please pray that they all get a good night sleep and will be well rested to do their best tomorrow. Pray also that they will recall the information they learned and that the Spirit would calm any nerves they may have!
Day 9
The last day…It is always bittersweet to reach this point of the trip. This day is filled with anticipation as the students take their exam and await their grades, but yet at the same time, it is sad to think our time together in the Keys is coming to an end.
We are so proud of how the kids did this week. We have seen improvements and growth in each and every individual. Regardless of what their final grades may be, they should each feel proud of what they accomplished.
This afternoon, the students had a chance to relax and have some fun. Most spent their time at the pool or by playing a game of volleyball. For dinner, we took the entire group to a nearby park by the water where we celebrated the week’s accomplishments with a pizza party. There, one of our teachers and Michael Lane’s granddaughter were baptized! Praise the Lord!
Tonight, we all gathered and shared what some of our favorite memories of the trip were. There was a lot of laughter and also a lot of tears!
Now we are finishing with all of the packing, preparing for our departure first thing in the morning. Please pray that all of the students and staff will have safe travels home!
I will be making one final update once we have made our return to homebase in Wisconsin. Until then, God bless!
Final Goodbyes
Our journey has officially come to an end.
The goodbyes have been said, and the students and staff have made it home safe and sound.
This was an incredible year. Though the devil tried to interfere in a handful of ways, God continued to prove His faithfulness, provision, and protection again and again. The students got to see the world in a whole new way as each day God showed off His beautiful creation. Friendships and memories were made, and we hope that they will hold on to these in their years to come.
Ultimately, we saw people grow closer to God. Everyone said they grew closer to God on this trip and that they learned more on what it means to be a true Christian and what is required of us if we want to abide with Christ. There was even a student who claimed to have accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior on the trip! Praise God!
All of us staff here at E4F and from the MB trip pray that the students will keep their desire for God strong and that they will continue to pursue a relationship with Him.
Now that this trip is complete, we have already begun planning for next year’s trip which will be….
April 15th – 24th, 2027!!!!
Registration will open soon! So, check back to our website or social media platforms and stay tuned!
Also, we will soon be posting all of our pictures from this year’s trip on our website, so keep an eye out for that as well so you can get a closer look at all that we experience on this trip!
Until next year, we’re signing off!