Last night in Oxford

Welp, this is it. It is my last night here in Oxford, and surprise surprise, it’s raining! haha It has been such a wonderful last night out with my friends!! I know I have said it a million times, but I could not be more blessed by the people that I am here on this trip with. What a special community! Seriously, it brings me to tears every time I think about what a blessing each person has been on my life this semester.

On a more exciting note- I’m all packed and ready to go! I have fit all of my things in my suitcase only by the grace of God haha. It is going to be a nightmare to get to the airport and on the plane… I just want to get home! Haha but it will all work out.

I am excited to be going home!! As hard it is to be leaving this country and my amazing friends, I am ready to be back in Texas. It just doesn’t feel real at all...I feel like I am getting ready to go on another trip and I will be back in a week or so, but I won’t! But hey, all good things must come to an end right?

Well, I have got to go and soak up every second I can with my friends before I leave! See you tomorrow in Texas!

Peace and Blessings!! 

"Delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart"

Psalm 37:4

2 days... WOW.

Well hello there!

Holy cow, I only have 2 days left in Oxford. This cannot be real!! It seems like just yesterday that I was unpacking my things and looking ahead to all the fun trips I was going to go on! Now, the trips are done and some of my stuff is all packed up and I am beginning to reflect on the many incredible things I have learned this semester by being abroad!

Here are just a few thoughts (serious and less serious):

Chips (or French fries): I AM SO THANFUL FOR THIS FOOD!! Haha not only is it delicious, but there have been numerous times on trips where that has been the only thing that I have been able to eat. It may not be the healthiest, but it sure beats being hungry! In Paris I seriously had French fries every meal but one (stupid culture who loves bread…). God has provided for me so much this semester as far as what I have been able to eat with my gluten allergy, and chips have definitely been a huge part of my diet.

Queues and “mind the gap”: Don’t cut the queue (line)… EVER. Just don’t do it. It is the biggest mistake that you can make in this culture. Seriously, English people love their lines, and you better not cut them! There is a joke that if 3 English people were locked in a room together, the door would open and you would find them forming a queue haha This could not be more true! When I return home, I am going to be the lone American forming a line over everything (and I do mean everything) because that is what I am used to doing here! Haha and “mind the gap”…. This one is going to have to be explained in person, but all I can say is when you get on and off a train you better mind the gap! Haha

Dreamtime: This tea has changed my life. It is so freaking good. Also, there have been so many amazing memories made over many cups of dreamtime! This is my favorite hot tea in the world, and I know that everytime I drink it I will think of my friends and the hilarious memories we have shared over a cup of tea!

Community: Although this word has been ruined by my core class, the community I have experienced here has been like nothing that I have ever had before! What an amazing group of people that God has put with me with this semester. Although there are times where I just want to be alone or skype without someone without interrupting me (I did not have one conversation alone all semester- AND I LOVE IT!), I adore the people that I live with. I have seen Jesus in every single one of my friends this semester, and we have seriously become a family here. Through the good times and bad, this community has always been there for me. I have been able to truly understand why God does not want us to go through life alone… community is sooooo important! This is only the beginning of what I want to say about community, but I don’t have time to write it all down now!

Church:  Experiencing different churches has really changed my relationship with Christ and greatly increased my love for his people. I can’t explain the feeling of worshiping with people who don’t look, dress, or sound the same as you (or even speak the same language!) and knowing that they are your brothers and sisters in Christ. Wow. Seriously, I get chills just thinking about it! I have learned so much about how different traditions do things, and it has greatly increased my personal convictions. I also have learned so much about the Lord’s Supper, Baptism, and communal reading of Scripture. I have gotten several glimpses of heaven this semester, and it only increases my longing for the day that we all get to sing to our King in Heaven together!

            My love for the people of God has increased more than I ever thought possible! As a bible major, I knew that I loved the church and the people in it, but I have never been so in love with the Bride of Christ as I am now. I yearn to be with the people of God at all times, and I am humbled and excited to have been called to serve them full time! The body of Christ extends past Plano, past Texas, past America, even past Oxford! It has been so amazing getting to see this first hand and be a part of the church on a global scale. It has also made me realize how much I love and feel called to my church back home! Some of the times I have felt the most homesick was when I was missing Parkway Hills: the people, the staff, and my kiddos. I can’t put into words my passion for the body of Christ, and I had never really grasped this idea before this semester!!

Well, there is so much more that I could say, but I have got to go pack (yikes)! Hopefully I will put some more of my thoughts on here in the future, but this is all I got for now haha

Peace and Blessings!

“And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.” Colossians 1:23

Top of the Morning!

Top of the Morning to you!

As I write this, I am sitting with Megan in the most legitimate book shop/ tea place EVER. Being in here and sipping on my tea while listening to jazz music automatically makes me feel creative and inspired… I feel as if I should write a book right now! But no worries, I don’t have the time today to do that on my blog! Haha So much has happened this weekend and the beginning of this week. I cannot believe that just one week from now at this time I will be on a plane back to the States! What an incredible whirlwind of a semester it has been, and it is insane to think that it has been almost 5 months. But more of my depressing attitude later, let me tell you about my trip to Ireland!

Friday: Once again, we began our journey early. 12:30 am (with no sleep or nap this time before) came quicker than normal, and it took some mental preparation to start off this trip on a 4 hour bus ride to the airport. I take for granted the fact that I live within 45 minutes to DFW and Lovefield at home, for trips to the airport here are journeys in and within themselves! Stanstead Airport is the bane of my existence. Anyway, we made it to the airport and to our gate with plenty of time to spare. There were lots of kids at the airport for some reason that day, so I had a great time playing peek-a-boo with some of the babies around as I waited to board the plane! I colored with Cameron the whole flight, and then we got off and found our bus to take us to the Blarney Castle. Ok, Ireland is absolutely beautiful. I have never seen such green grass in my life!! We headed right away to the Blarney Castle where we kissed the Blarney stone! It is supposed to bring eloquence and fertility into your life after you kiss it, and you have to lay down and lean backward over the castle in order to kiss it. What a fun time this was! After the castle, we caught our train to Killarney, where we were staying. The train ride was fun, but me and a couple of friends ended up sitting on the floor cause there was no room (this is a funny story- ask me later!) I had a great conversation the 2 hour train ride and enjoyed looking at the beautiful scenery! What a wonderful and precious little town Killarney is. Wow. Our hostel was very nice too, and even with 11 of us staying in a little 8 person room, everything worked out ok. If we weren’t close before, we are now!! Haha That night we went to a wonderful dinner and then did some shopping. Then, we went back and played cards for like 10 minutes before some of us went to bed. We were all so tired (we hadn’t slept in like 24 hours remember!) that we fell asleep rather quickly.

Saturday: We woke up and took a bus to Dingle. LOVED this city! So great. The bus ride was the best ride of my life, and the scenery was absolutely incredible! I felt like I was dreaming or something. Then, after lunch, we did the most exciting thing in the world: WE WENT HORSEBACK RIDING THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS OF IRELAND!!!!! AHHHHHHHH DREAMS!! It was absolutely the highlight of my trip. What a blessing it was to be on a horse again, and in NO back pain! Thanks be to God for healing me! Seriously, I almost started to cry on the horse because of how good I felt and how I was in no pain (well, except for the normal pains of not riding a horse in a while haha). What a mighty and incredible God we serve! Not only was the ride fun, but we got an incredible view of Ireland from the top of a horse- AH!! The friends I went with made is so much fun too, and this afternoon made a memory that I will have for the rest of my life! After this we looked around a little and then headed back to Killarney. We ate dinner and spent the rest of the evening chatting and walking around the cute town of Killarney. What an incredible day.

Sunday: We got up and went to the national park to see the waterfall and stuff. HOLY COW. I can’t even talk about how pretty it was. I tried to capture some of it through pictures, but that really isn’t fair because there is no way to really capture the beauty! We spent the rest of the day eating (we found a gluten free restaurant with pizza- yay!) and traveling back home, where we arrived at 4:30 am… wee. Cameron, Michael and I played Life, Risk, and Mash on our phones together the whole trip though, which made it much more fun and enjoyable! And we colored on the plane again- I’m telling you, it is cheap, fun therapy!

One super cool thing though: on our bus ride back, I sat in front of an NFL legend that played for the Packers in the Icebowl and has won two superbowl rings! Who would have thought this would happen on a bus ride back from Stanstead at 2:30 in the morning!! His name was Dick Capp, and his is 75 years old and has ridden that bus every 10 days for 21 years. He coaches an American football team both here in England and in the States, and we spent some time talking to him about his life and experiences in the NFL… SO COOL. He even said I had a precious southern accent (which I don’t get much- my friends think I sound more northern than Texan haha). It was so cool.

Monday was a boring day- I slept in and then wrote a paper and hung out with some of my friends, which is never boring! Then we had our community worship service, followed by a dance party… SUPER FUN!!

Tuesday- Last English and Greek class of the year…YAY! Then I studied for our INTS exam this morning at 8:30. I also went to Christ Church, which was absolutely beautiful (that is also where the great hall scene was filmed from harry potter). My friend who volunteers there gave us an exclusive tour, which was super cool!! But the highlight of yesterday was crepe night! Our floor family made crepes and hung out and enjoyed our time and sugar high together for about an hour as we listened to the same song on a loop haha I absolutely love my floor, and it is going to be so sad not to be living with them after this! Oh, and we bought tickets to see Phantom of the Opera this weekend in London…you know, the usual. (I AM SO EXCITED!!)

Now I sit here in this book shop, sipping on tea, and trying to avoid thinking and studying for my Greek exam that is tomorrow. Time flies by! It is crazy to think how much this semester abroad has changed my life. I am never going to think the same ever again, and my view on God and people have forever changed! What an incredible God we serve! There is so much that has happened this semester- I can’t wait to tell you all about it when I return home!!

Well, my procrastination time is over. It is time to study for Greek (unfortunately). Hopefully this jazz music will drown out the negative thoughts I have for Greek at the moment…

Peace and Blessings! 

PALMA!!!

Well hey there!!

 I can’t believe that there are only 15 days left here in Oxford. It feels like it was just yesterday that I was unpacking my things and finding my way around this wonderful city. Time flies!! As I think about the last few weeks I have left here in Oxford, I am increasingly thankful for this semester and everything I have learned and experienced by living in a different culture for 5 months! I am going to miss so much about British culture, and I can assure you that I will be using British terms a LOT when I get back to the US!

Anyway, I just got back from a trip to Palma De Majorca in Spain!! This. Trip. Was. AWESOME. Seriously, it was exactly what I needed this weekend. There is nothing better than chilling on the beach in the sun with your friends. Nothing, I tell you! (And I found out that the Mavs clinched the playoffs over the weekend, so that made it that much better- GO MAVS!!!). The only bummer was that I had a cold the whole weekend, but I was on the beach so it was all good! We stayed in a hotel this time, and it was so wonderful. It was great to have a break from staying at a hostel (although they are not that bad) and have a hotel room for a change! I roomed with Audrey and Megan and they were the best roomies ever!! The first day was spent traveling (we started at 12:30 am Thursday morning haha) and spending the rest of the day eating and laying out on the beach. Of course, laying on the beach for me mostly consists of talking and building sand castles as I listen to Ben Rector! We had a traditional Spanish meal for lunch, and for dinner we had German food (in Spain… I know, it was slightly weird- but delicious!!). Friday was spent mostly at the beach and in a neighboring town shopping. Saturday was spent again at the beach (feel a theme? Haha) and then a day trip into downtown Palma with 5 of my friends! (there were 15 of us on the trip total).  We built a legit (and I do mean LEGIT) sand castle with a tunnel and everything on the beach that day, and my friends buried me in the sand. That was fun haha. That day, we also got into the water. After getting over the initial shock of the freezing water, we all enjoyed body surfing the waves. Ok, the waves were SO big!! Some of the biggest waves I have ever seen for sure. It was so much fun! During the day trip, Courtney, Megan and I bought paintings that are so beautiful! The six of us then saw the beautiful cathedral in Palma, sang ‘Nsync songs, and played on a beautiful playground before meeting up with the others for dinner. Now, for dinner we had… TEX MEX!!! WAHOOOOOOO!! Ok, it wasn’t real tex mex, but it was as close as I have had in months! I had a delicious tostada and a glass of ice tea (wow, I haven’t said that word in so many months! Haha). Dinner and the conversations that followed were so funny and life-giving. I am so thankful for my friends its not even funny! Sure, it is fun being on the beach, but my friends are what made this trip amazing! Anyway, Sunday was again spent on the beach. Then, that afternoon a couple of us went to the Palma Aquarium… BEST AFTERNOON EVER!! The aquarium was so cool. Megan and I also split the best banana split that I have ever had. We walked up to the restaurant and were handed 4 (count them 4) desert menus with over 16 banana split choices…. It was so sweet. We definitely picked the right one too! Yummmmm. Anyway, our flight was at 11:15 pm Sunday night, so we headed to the airport where we chilled for a little bit before getting on our flight. When we got to London, we had an hour or so before our bus to Oxford, so we chilled again. Also, we flew into Stanstead, which is a 4 hour bus ride to Oxford (DEATH). Ughhhh that was long. Needless to say we arrived in Oxford at 8:30 am Monday morning… AM. On little to no sleep. It was awesome. Fortunately, I don’t have class on Monday, so I spent the day sleeping, doing laundry, and doing Greek translation ( Oh, and watching Lost haha).

 This trip was absolutely amazing. It was very relaxed and chill, and I had a wonderful time getting to hang out and know my friends better. I traveled with some people that I had not traveled with before (besides Italy where we were all together), and it was so much fun getting to know them better! Our God is so good- I saw his beauty firsthand through the weather, the waves, and my friends this weekend.

            

The thought of leaving here depresses me, so I choose not to dwell on it. It hit me for the first time this weekend that I was leaving soon, and it almost brought me to tears. This semester has been absolutely amazing and life-changing. I have made life long friends here and have learned so much about myself and life in general. I am ready to come home for the fact that I miss people at home, but it is going to be so hard leaving here. So so so hard. But I am so thankful for everything this semester, and I wouldn’t trade one moment of it for anything in the world!

            

Well, I’m going to Ireland this weekend, so there will be many more stories to come! Thanks for putting up with my rambling!

PS- I can’t believe that Pudge retired! He is the reason I began to watch baseball and thus start to watch sports. I owe a lot to that man!! haha

Italy!!!

Well hey there!!

I can’t believe that I just spent 12 days in Italy!!! What an absolutely amazing trip filled with lots of laughter, learning, beauty, and memories that will last a lifetime! There is no way for me to accurately describe to you how much I learned and experienced the past couple of weeks, but I will sincerely try my best to tell you some of the exciting things that happened! (I apologize for the super long post that this is going to be… if you need to, take a tea break half way through- that’s what we do during every class here in Oxford! Haha)

Well, here we go!

Background information: I went to 5 cities in Italy- Assisi, Rome, Florence, Venice, Como (and then 1 town in Switzerland… more on that one later haha) The first 3 were with the entire study abroad group as a part of our FLEX fieldtrip (best fieldtrip ever), and then the last two were when they released us for the last few days to travel on our own.

Wednesday- Well, once again it was an early start. 3 am came super quick, but the good part was that we had a coach come to our house and pick us up so we didn’t have to walk to the bus station and we didn’t have to make any stops (it’s the little things in life). Once we got to the airport, we went through security and then waited to board the airplane. Now, we flew Ryan air, which is a super cheap airline. They only allow you to have one item of carry on with you and it has to be under a certain weight limit as well as size (this one item counts the purse too… they seriously mean 1 item). I can’t believe that I got all I needed for a 12 day vacation and my purse into a backpack. If you don’t believe that prayer works, you should have seen my bag! Haha Anyway, the flight was really good and it was so beautiful to look out the window at the beautiful country of Italy as we were flying over it! The moment I stepped of the airplane, I knew it was going to be the best week ever because it was WARM!! The weather was beautiful, and the whole time we were there (minus one day of rain) it was 75-80 degrees and sunny!!! Praise the Lord! We were then picked up by a coach that took us to Assisi and to the Basilica. This church was absolutely beautiful, and it was so cool to see the chapel where St. Francis had received his calling from God (the reason we went to Assisi was because we had just finished studying the life of St. Francis in class). It was cool to be able to see all of the places that we had just studied in class just a few weeks before! After this, we went and had our first Italian meal. This four-course meal was such a treat, especially because they had a gluten free meal for me! Wow I love the Italians and their food! Then we headed to where we were staying for the next few nights. We stayed at a convent that was run by nuns (that’s right, you heard me!). It was seriously the coolest thing ever!! Not only was the view from the nunnery beautiful and the rooms super nice and pretty, but we were served a nice breakfast and dinner both days by the nuns! And by dinner I mean a full on 4 course meal in which they made me gluten free food as well. BEST MEALS EVER!! After this we visited the church at St. Domino and sat through a vespers service (the monks prayer service- all in Italian)… it was wonderful! After this was my first Gelato experience…. HOLY COW. I SERIOUSLY GAINED 10 LBS FROM GELATO THIS TRIP. You think I’m kidding….. it’s not a pretty thing, I’m telling you. Was it worth it? DUH. Totally worth it. I’m not ashamed, for it was all for the sake of Gelato. Anyway, I will give you the total gelato count a little later (this way you will be forced into reading the rest of my blog in anticipation haha). Our first day in Assisi was beautiful, and although it was a long day, it was a great start to the trip!

Thursday- The moment that my eyes opened I realized “hey, I’m in Italy!” I got up a little early so that I could go and spend some time with Jesus before the day started. It was so beautiful outside and it was wonderful looking at the view as I spent some time with my heavenly Father. After this, we headed on a walking tour around Assisi. I learned a very important lesson this day: never make a nun mad. My friend and I got our group kinda scolded and kicked out of a church because we were not wearing jeans, but skirts. Our teacher told us that they should be fine… but they were not according to the nuns (and you don’t mess with the nuns). A good story for sure! Anyway, our tour guide was amazing and we had a great time learning and seeing the city of Assisi. That afternoon, we took a taxi (cause the hike would take HOURS) up to the caves that St. Francis used to go to with his brothers to spend quiet time with God. The taxi ride was very pleasant. Our driver was sweet, and although he didn’t speak hardly any English, we had a good time trying to use what little Italian we all did know to talk with him! And the scenery was BEAUTIFUL! Anyway, when we got there I climbed up a little into the mountain and sat on a rock to spend some time with Jesus. My friends walked around and saw the cute little church that was up there, and I told them that I would find them later after I was done spending some time with Jesus…  bad idea. Haha Ends up, I had NO idea where they had gone and I spend a good 30 min wandering alone in the woods trying to find them. Don’t worry, I’m not completely dumb. I realized that I couldn’t find them and decided to go back to my original spot and wait for them to get back haha It all turned out ok, for I got to spend a good 2 hours alone with Jesus in the beautiful mountains. In college, especially on study abroad, alone time is super rare and I enjoyed every minute of my 2 hours!! After this, a group of us walked down the mountain and into town. We did some shopping in the cute little shops of Assisi and then headed back to the nunnery/convent/hotel (the place that we were staying haha) for dinner. A group of us sat outside before dinner laughing and bashing core (a class ACU has made us take that we all strongly dislike) with our professor Ron Morgan. Oh how we love Ron! Then we sat down for dinner where the nuns served us another INCREDIBLE meal! Wow. Thinking of it makes me hungry again! After dinner, we had a communal worship time where we focused on reconciliation and peace. I absolutely love worshiping and praying with my brothers and sisters on this trip, and our worship times are always the highlight of my day! Then, we decided that we all wanted gelato (you will find this a trend in my blog haha). We only had one key back into the nunnery/convent/hotel, so we decided we would all go as one big group. But then greatness happened: we convinced Ron and Janine (our professors) to go with us! I can’t put into words how much I love my professors… they are so awesome! Anyway, we spent our last night in Assisi by a fountain, gelato in hand, telling stories and laughing our hearts out with Ron and Janine. I laughed so hard that night that I snorted at least 10 times in a row (at least I think that’s what the final count was). We then walked back, full of gelato and sugar and teary eyed from all the laughing. We all then proceeded to go immediately to bed… we needed some sleep because in the morning it is off to Rome!

Friday- Well, I got up and had my last Jesus time in Assisi and then headed to breakfast (after of course stuffing all of my clothes and such back into my backpack haha). After our last breakfast provided by the nuns (seriously, this was sad), we got on the bus to head to Rome! I sat next to Megan, and Lisa and Stacy sat in front of us, so we played the “would you rather” game for a good hour and ended up telling stories of our families growing up. After this, Megan and I colored and listened to music, starting with Ben Rector (naturally) and ending up with Lady Gaga. The two of us ended up having a full on dance party in our seats as everyone around us laughed at us. We arrived in Rome and walked to our hotel, but it wasn’t quite ready for us yet so we all went to lunch! I had a girls lunch with about 8 of the ladies and it was absolutely yummy! After this, we checked into the hostel and headed out to “roam around Rome!” Hey, when in Rome…. (it was so fun being able to say this and it actually apply!). After a few hours of shopping and exploring, we all met up and our professors took us on a tour of the city. This included the Spanish steps, the trevi fountain, and so much more! It was so fun to get to see all these things, but it was so crowded. SO CROWDED. We had just come from Assisi where it was not crowded at all to the tourist capital of Italy. It was fun, but I’m not going to lie, the crowds kinda ruined it a little bit for me. After this I went with a bunch of people to a great little restaurant where we had dinner. Tracy Shillcut, one of our professors, ate with us this night and it was so much fun.  Now in Italy, a meal is an event! It takes a good 2 hours to eat, and it is absolutely wonderful. I wish we did this more in the States, for I had some really good conversations and got to know some people so much better over a meal! We then stumbled upon heaven…..we found a place that had 110 GELATO FLAVORS….110!!!!! Watching us in there was like watching kids go into a candy shop. We had at least 2 cups of gelato each that night… including Tracy! Boy, that gelato place was seriously the best part about Rome! I would go back just for that. After gelato, we headed up to sit at the top of a little mountain where we could overlook all of Rome. I had an awesome conversation with one of my friends on the way up there, and when we got up there we all found a ledge to sit on. We ended up singing some songs as we overlooked the city of Rome at night, and it was beautiful (caught some of the people who were walking by off guard too by our singing haha). It was a wonderful night! We all wanted to go back and play spoons (card game), but we were too tired so we all went to bed for the night.

Friday- I woke up and had breakfast, and then headed out with some of my friends to the huge fruit market that they have in Rome. O my gosh, this was like the farmers market on steroids!! It was so delicious!!! Everything there was so fresh. We then headed back to the hotel to meet to go to the Vatican! It was cool, but it was so crowded and we were all so tired that it wasn’t as awesome as it should have been. But the Sistine chapel was sooooo cool! It was so fun to get to see the paintings that I have studied for so long in school! Once we got through that, we went to St. Peter’s Basilica and walked around. We met a Rangers fan there, so that made the church so much cooler. I mean, yea we saw the Pieta and all, but he was a RANGERS FAN!! Felt like a little piece of home. Well, at this point our feet felt as if they were going to fall off and our stomachs were growling loud enough to lead a country into battle, so we headed to lunch! I had a great meal eating with one of my friends and catching up with her. We walked around for a little bit and looked in some of the shops and then headed to meet up with everyone again. Then we headed to the Lux in Arcana where we saw a bunch of things that they just released that the pope signed many years ago. This included letters between the Pope and Abraham Lincoln, King Henry VIII, and the excommunication of Luther. It was awesome! At this point though, we needed another gelato break so we went to the 110 gelato place again! We then headed to dinner (that’s right, after dessert) and had a wonderful meal full of laughter and stories. Then we walked around for a while enjoying the beautiful weather. Then, it was bed time!!

Saturday-

This day started off well because I won a bet. Back story: two of my good guy friends here are Houston Rockets fans. The Mavericks were playing the Rockets Friday night, so we had been giving each other a hard time all day about it. Then my friend Ziggy decided to make it interesting, so he bet me a gelato that the Mavericks would lose. Of course, I took this bet because I couldn’t let him talk this way about the Mavs!! Anyway, I found out Saturday that the Mavs had beaten the Rockets in overtime. I am so proud of my boys! Therefore, he had to buy me a gelato!! And I got to give my friends a hard time all day about it. I was such a happy camper! Anyway, on Saturday we headed first thing to the flea market. Wow, I love flea markets!! Super super fun. After this, we went to lunch and got more gelato (we are addicts, ok?). Then we headed to the Roman Coliseum a little bit early so that we could get some pictures and such before we had to meet up with everyone. It’s a good thing we got some pictures, because it started to POUR down rain when we were going to the Roman Coliseum and the Roman Forum. When we met up with everyone at the Roman Coliseum, we found a place inside and had a devotional and took communion. It was so cool to be able to worship in a place where so many people had given their lives. We also had a cute elderly couple join us for our devotional and communion, and I loved sharing this with brothers and sisters in Christ who we didn’t even know!! Well, after this devo we toured around the coliseum and then went to the Roman Forum. It was pouring at this point, so we all looked like wet puppies. We refused to buy any umbrellas from the gypsies (ugh… gypsies) so we were all soaked. The forum was cool! After this, we all split off again for dinner and had a great time fellowshipping with each other again… and then got more gelato (shocking, I know). This was our last time having the 110 gelato place, so it was a little depressing, but I’ll be ok (sniff sniff).

Sunday- Well, we woke up and headed off to Florence!! I sat with Courtney for the first part of the bus ride and jammed to Backstreet Boys. Then I sat and colored with Cameron for the rest of the trip. We then checked into our AWESOME hotel and had a brief meeting before breaking off to do our own thing. Our hotel here was so cool, and I shared a room this time with 5 other girls! It looked like the room from Madeline!! Then, as we were heading to the markets, I found GLUTEN FREE FOOD!! Florence is my favorite place in Italy to eat, for they had both gluten free pasta and pizza! SO HAPPY!! Then we met up for the Galileo Museum and walked through that. We then had dinner and gelato, and went back to the hotel and played spoons (card game) and laughed a lot before going to bed!

BREAK: ok, so if you can tell, my stories are getting shorter and shorter! Sorry!! Ask me later about the details of all these stories, I’m too lazy/ tired to write them all down now!!

Monday- Well, we woke up early to climb to the top of the Florence Cathedral Dome. It was hard work!! There were soooo many stairs. But it was worth it, for the view from the top was absolutely beautiful!! We took lots of pictures and admired the beautiful view for a while, and then we headed to the building that was an orphanage and hospital for children until not too long ago. We then got to go to the Academia museum to see the David sculpture… this was probably the best museum I have been to! I really enjoyed the David sculpture and the entire museum! I then saw 2 firetrucks (highlight of the day!) and a couple of us went to the child healthcare museum. After this, we got more gelato and shopped around at the markets for a while before we met everyone at the uffitzi (spelling sorry) museum. It felt good to sit and chill before going to another museum!! Then, we headed to dinner at a family owned restaurant that was SO good! We beat the other groups there, so we got a big table and the first choice of all the food (winners). Then, we went and got more gelato and sat by the water! Cameron dropped his so we had to go back and get more, but then we all sat by the water and talked for a while! Well, this sitting turned into a giant dance party!! We had a great time dancing and laughing by the water before heading back! Once we were back, ziggy and I colored a picture for a while and then I went to bed! What a fun day!

Tuesday- Markets and such…. (I forgot to write down what happened, so I don’t have a ton of stories haha) I’m sure that we got gelato about 5 times and then ate a great dinner!

Wednesday- We went down to eat breakfast, and I found out that Ron Morgan is a Spurs fan. This was really depressing news.... I lost a lot of respect for that man that day. Let’s just say that breakfast turned into a time of me and Ron yelling (in love) at each other over the Mavs and Spurs. I live with too many Spurs fans…. Anyway, after breakfast, I packed up all of my stuff really well and got ready to leave. This is when we were getting ready to leave for our travel breaks, so we spent a ton of the morning hugging each other and wishing each other a good trips!! Then, a couple of us went to get a good lunch and walk around the markets one last time before leaving. That afternoon we took a day trip and went up into the Chanti Region of Tuscany and toured a castle and vineyard. It was absolutely beautiful!! I learned a lot about the history of the family who owned the castle and also about how olive oil was made, since they had an olive tree vineyard. It was a beautiful day, and we had a great time getting all dressed up and seeing the beautiful Tuscan region! Then, our group split up because we were all on different trains to get to Venice. There were five of us (Cameron, Alex, Rebecca, Melany, and me) who were on one train that left at 1:15 am. So after we got back from the Chanti region, we went to dinner with some of our friends that were still in Florence. After dinner, we headed to the train station to catch our train. Well, it turns out that we were at the wrong station, so we RAN (and I literally mean ran) to the last train that would take us to the correct train station. Don’t worry, we made it in time, but I totally got my exercise!! Well we got off at our train station, and it was SKETCH! Looking back, it was a little scarier than I gave myself credit for when I was there. Anyway, we had an hour and a half before our train left, so I tried to sleep on a broken bench at the train station. I did end up getting about 30 minutes of sleep before our train came, which was unexpected and super nice! Well then we got on our train. Now, these trains are sectioned off into 6 seats (3 in each row facing the other 3- about the size of a dining room table). So comfy…NOT!! But praise the Lord, I slept practically the whole time!! We got to Venice around 5:15 am, and we met up with the other group who had already got there and we went right to sleep!! We all got up around 10 and started to explore around Venice. We split up into two groups of 6. Now everything we read about Venice told us just to get lost. Well, we accomplished this for sure (they put me in charge- that was a guarantee to get lost). It was such a wonderful day! We ended up accidentally walking into a person’s house at one point… that is funny story for later. Also, we went on a gondola ride!!!!! IT WAS SO GREAT!! I learned so much about the history of Venice and had a wonderful time going up and down the river just looking at the scenery… on a gondola!!! It was a highlight of the trip for sure!! Then we met up with the other people and had a wonderful dinner on the water!! We found a good deal where we got a 4 course meal for 15 euros, and the food was amazing!! And the view was beautiful too, since we were literally right next to the water. After this, we took a water bus (since water buses and water taxi’s are the only way to get around Venice) back to our hostel area. Then we went to bed because our train to Milan and Como left at 5:15 am the next morning!!

Friday- We left at 5:15 (so I seriously spent 24 hours in Venice) to head to Milan to catch our train to lake Como. The train there was fast and really pleasant, but we got there late, so we BARELY caught our connecting train to Como… and when I say barely, I mean the doors closed the second the last of us stepped on the train! The train to Como was nice and short, and we then took a bus to our hostel which was about an hour. The view was absolutely amazing!! Lake Como is like Hawaii… but Italian and BETTER! You can see the Swiss Alps and the lake all at the same time and it was absolutely beautiful. We could not have picked a better place to end our trip! Anyway, we got there and went to lunch and then went and took a nap out on the beach for a while. Now the water was COLD so we didn’t actually get in, but we had a lot of fun just laying there and napping under the sun and throwing/skipping rocks. After a while, we went and looked around town. We went in a pharmacy to get sunscreen, and right in front was a whole shelf of gluten free food!! It was such a gift from God! Then we just walked around and found a really cool beach where we skipped some more rocks and sat and talked for a while. Outside of this beach was a wall where someone graffitied Backstreet Boys lyrics on it… SCORE. Highlight of my day (and it was in yellow and blue = even better). We then went and ate dinner at a great place right on the water (we really like eating on the water apparently). The only bummer about this was that because Como is not a touristy place, the restaurant employees spoke NO English and we speak very little Italian, so we had a funny time trying to communicate! After this, we sat out and looked at the stars a little bit before going to bed!

Saturday- We woke up to another beautiful day in Como!! Courtney and I decided to go sit by the water and chat for a while, so we did that for a while. It was so wonderful- I love that girl to death and we really needed to catch up on life! After this, we heard that the other group had already left for Switzerland…

Pause… I forgot to mention that Como was right on the border of Switzerland. We could take a 10 euro bus and spend some time in Switzerland… and we did! It was great!!!

Anyway, Courtney and I had a picnic date and we shared a whole tub of gelato while we waited for Cameron and Steven to finish kayaking so that we could go to Switzerland with them. We really felt like having some Swiss chocolate, so we decided hey! Why not go to Switzerland! Haha So we all went to Switzerland for just a while (an hour and a half to be exact haha). Got some chocolate, sat by the water, played in the park… it was a great Switzerland experience!! Anyway, after this we had our last Italian meal (soooo sad) and headed back to sit on the beach with the other group for a while! We concluded our night by sitting on the beach laughing and telling stories… it was great!!!

Sunday- We traveled… all day. We took a bus to the train, a train to another train, another train to the plane, a bus to the right part of the airport, a plane to London, a bus from London to Oxford, and then walking from the bus station home. We met up with our other friends who had gone to Switzerland for the whole trip at the airport though, so we all rode on the same bus back to Oxford, which was so nice! I sat by Ziggy and Jackson and we talked sports the whole time… which was so nice and really needed! Then we got home around 8 (which was earlier than usual) and I watched some Lost with Cameron before going to bed. (I have started watching Lost now… and boy is it good!!! It’s not good for school though, cause all I want to do is sit around and watch Lost haha)

Italy was seriously such a great trip! I had a great time with all of my friends and made many memories that I will have for the rest of my life!!

Final Gelato count: 20 cups (at least that’s all that I wrote down that I had haha)

Thanks for making it through this entire blog. Wow, it was a long one!! Haha Blessings and Peace. Christ is Risen tomorrow!! 

The land of Kilts and Bagpipes!!

Greetings!!

So… I have less than 36 hours before I leave for Italy! There is so much to do in so little time! But this weekend was totally worth it… Scotland was AMAZING!! One of the best trips I have been on so far BY FAR!!! It was a ladies trip, and me and the four other girls had an absolutely wonderful time bonding and exploring Scotland!! Let me go day by day for you:

Friday: Well, we left at 3:45 am. Good times. We caught the bus and headed to Luton airport. We got there in plenty of time for our flight, so we all sat down and ate some breakfast. There were actually about 20 of us that traveled to Scotland together, but we ended up splitting up into groups when we got there (which was soooo nice.. I totally needed a girls weekend!). Anywho, security was interesting. The lady did not like me very much, and I was yelled at several times in the security line. My favorite was when she told me to shut up and “focus now, talk later.” Ok lady, my bad for liking to talk. Ugh, that was the worst security ever!! But once we got through that, we waited for our gate to show up on the screen. We flew a super cheap airline, and they do things different than in the US. Basically you have like 10 min once they put what gate you are up on the screen to get to your gate. It is insane. Well, with some confusion (my bad guys) we thought we were going to miss our plane so we ran (and I do mean RAN) to our plane. Well, we made it fine. Then we began our flight and were on our way to Scotland! The landing was a little crazy, but we made it!! It was raining when we got there, and unfortunately it rained all day, but it was still AWESOME. Upon landing, I saw a fire truck and firemen, so my day was made immediately! We then split off from the other group and headed to our hostel. Our hostel was so cool!! It was an old church that they converted into a hostel, which was pretty legit. We then ate a wonderful lunch at an Italian place around the corner from our hostel. We spent around 2 hours eating and talking, something that never would have happened if we were with boys! After lunch, we went to the grocery store to get some food to make for breakfast and such. Then we went to the Scottish Art Museum and St. Mary’s Cathedral, where we got to go to the even-song service. It was beautiful! I love sitting and looking at the beautiful chapel while listening to music! Then we sat and had a wonderful dinner together chatting about life and our study abroad experience. What a wonderful group of girls God has blessed me with here!! I absolutely love sitting and talking with them about everything, ranging from fashion to our faith. They are so awesome. Then we headed back to our hostel and went to bed after talking for a bit! We were so tired!!!

Saturday: Happy St. Patricks Day/ Megan’s Birthday! What a wonderful day this was!!!! We woke up a little later than planned, but it was worth it! We then made ourselves a wonderful breakfast and had a great time fellowshipping over a wonderful meal. We headed out for the day, and as we were walking, found an awesome book store! We spent about an hour looking at all the books (once again, something that would have never happened if there were boys), and I bought a really cool Scottish Book of Prayer!!! We then continued to walk and we found a tea truck where they were giving us free tea… that’s right, FREE TEA!! It was very exciting!! When they found out it was Megan’s birthday, they videoed us singing happy birthday to her and are going to put it up on their facebook cite! We are going to be famous…haha! We then found a shop where we bought what we refer to as THE PANTS. Now these pants are so legit, and I love them very much (you will have to see a picture, they are hard to describe). We all got a pair, and we look so cool in them haha Anyway, let me tell you that in Scotland, people literally walk around in kilts and its normal. Its hilarious! We then stopped and watched a guy play his bagpipes (again, perfectly normal for Scotland) and then ran into other girls from the other group outside of the church! It is always so nice running into people from our trip, even when we have only been a part for a day! We also did a lot of souvenir shopping! Then we went to the Elephant Café for lunch, which is the birthplace for Harry Potter! Then people ran by us in kilts… again, completely normal haha. At the elephant café, we ran into the other people from our trip! It was awesome!! We laughed and chatted a bit, and decided we would meet at the castle in a few hours. Our lunch was awesome, although it did take forever for us to get it. And they had gluten free cake and brownies… BEST DAY EVER!! Oh, and we saw another fire truck when we were walking around. IT WAS GLORIOUS!! We then met the other group at the castle and then decided we wanted to hike up Arthur’s Seat. This mountain was LEGIT!! Us ladies hiked up to the very top ( I mean the very top) in our skirts and dresses with our purses and shopping bags.. that’s right, we are true wilderwomen!! It was a bit of hike, but totally worth it! The view from the top was BREATHTAKING! One of the best moments of the whole study abroad experience thus far for sure! We spent some time at the top reading scripture and praying as we viewed the beauty of the Lord! It was such an awesome experience that I got to share with the ladies! After a long hike down, we stopped at a pub to watch the huge Rugby game (England vs Ireland). England SMOKED them.. it was awesome! Haha We then went on a 2 hr long free Harry Potter tour. This really didn’t mean much to me because i’m not a Harry Potter fan, but my friends loved it! And I learned a lot about Edinburgh on it. We even met girls from Texas on the tour! They go to school at UNT…I felt a little bit of home and it was so nice! We then ran into the other group again at a restaurant and chatted it up for a while. Then, we made dinner at our hostel and enjoyed ice cream Sundays for Megan’s birthday! Yummy! I cannot accurately describe how amazing this day was…. It sounds so lame in my post, but it was such a wonderful day!! Ps in case you were wondering, Megan and I tripped a total of 14 times today… it was a new record.

Sunday: We woke up and visited a couple of graveyards on our way to walk up Cannon Hill. We took lots of pictures and spent some time up on the hill looking at the beautiful view (again, this would have not happened had there been boys). We decided that morning to have our own church service outside as we looked at the beautiful landscape!! This was such a good decision! We had wonderful fellowship, sang some songs, read some scripture, and simply looked at the beautiful world the Lord had created. I cannot put into words how cool it is to look out at the sea and the mountains when you are reading Psalms about them!! We then ate lunch at a baked potato bar and went to the Museum of Childhood. This is my kind of museum!! We played with cars, had a tea party, tried on little kid clothes from a long time ago, and looked at all the cool exhibits they had in the museum!! We then spent some more time looking at St. Guiles Cathedral and watching a guy play the bagpipes (its normal, I promise! Haha) Then we went to a candy store where I got a huge lollypop. This was a bad decision…I was soooooooo sugared up!! We then stopped at a little kid toy store on the way back to the hostel to get our things, and that was blast. We headed back to the airport and had some time to chill (and look at the cute UK soccer players) before our flight boarded. I didn’t get yelled at in security this time too, which was nice! We got to walk onto the tarmac to get to our plane, so I got to wave again like I was the Mavs after winning the Championship… I still felt cool!

(Sidenote: the mavs beat the Spurs this week!!! Yayayayayyayayayayayayay)

Anyway, we got back to Oxford and I had to turn in some homework and take a shower (cause I smelt BAD) before bed. But I finished these tasks quickly and was asleep really fast!!

Today has been a BUSY day!! When we landed, we had less than 48 hours before we would be leaving for Italy. In the next two days I have a massive research paper and a quiz along with classes, so its super busy! There is also a ton of stuff to pack for Italy (I only get to take a backpack for a week in a half….pray for me!!) and I have to figure out my schedule for next semester (yikes!) Anyway, it has been nice to be home and laughing with my friends! Best part was seeing my friend Cameron wear his kilt that he bought in Scotland to class… so funny.

This weekend has been so real, and one of the best trips thus far!!

“For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, 
and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care” Psalm 95: 3-7

Sverige!!

Hello there!

Ok, so it is going to be difficult beyond words to describe how freaking awesome my trip to Sweden was. However, I will attempt to give it my best shot:

Thursday: So, we left the house at 4:30 am. Normally, I would be completely exhausted, but I was so excited about Sweden that I was full of a ridiculous amount of energy and couldn’t stay still, or quiet for that matter (totally not at all like me right? haha). We walked to the bus station and got on a bus that would take us to the airport. The whole 2 hr bus ride I was so hyped up on energy that I actually did homework (that’s how awake and crazy I was) and spent some quiet time with the Lord. When we arrived at the airport, we went and checked in to Norweigen Air and went right through security. Now, I have been to several airports in my life, but I have NEVER had an easier time checking in or getting through security. Seriously, I thought it was almost a joke how easy and efficient they were at the airport! Anyway, we then went and got some coffee from McDonalds and sat down to people watch and talk before we got on our plane. We had about an hour to kill, but it went by super fast. Then, we went to our gate and got ready to load the plane. The most exciting part of the plane ride was getting to walk out on the tarmack and up the stairs onto the plane instead of walking through a tunnel!! Call me weird, but I have always wanted to do that!! I felt like royalty as I stepped down the stairs. Yes, I waved and pretended like I was the Mavericks getting off of their plane after they won the championship (don’t judge me, it was awesome!). The plane ride was smooth and easy. I colored my fire truck coloring book (thanks to the Abilene Fire Dept) and listened to music as I eagerly awaited our arrival in Sweden. As we got closer and were getting ready to land, it hit me: I WAS IN SWEDEN. SWEDEN: THE PLACE OF MY ANSESTORS!! I’m not going to lie, I had a moment. I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes and started bouncing up and down in my seat like a 5 year old who was getting ready to go to Disney World for the first time. This entire trip has been filled with moments where I just look at God and start crying because he has given me so many blessings!! Our God is so cool. We got through customs easily ( I must have looked like a Swede haha) and took a 20 min train to Stockholm City. First off, the weather the entire weekend was BEAUTIFUL!! A little bit chilly at times by the sea, but I would consider 48-52 degrees to be really nice, especially during the winter in Sweden! We then walked around and found our hostel. Seriously, the best hostel ever! It was really clean and safe, and the shower pressure is actually better than my shower here in Oxford! Haha we then walked around the city and took tons of pictures!! Our hostel was seriously right across the street from the Baltic sea, and the view was INCREDIBLE! We then ate at the Taco Bar. I know, Mexican food in Sweden? My answer is YES! It was seriously the best Mexican I have had since leaving Texas! I only had to go to Sweden to get it…. I felt a little weird eating Mexican food in Sweden and having the Swedish waiter talk to us American kids sitting in a Mexican restaurant in Sweden using Spanish. Weird culture shock there haha. After this, we came back and went to bed after talking for a bit. We had been up for a while and we were all exhausted!! My friend Alex counted the number of times I mentioned “Sweden” the entire 5 days, and the total came to 454… yea, that’s right. I couldn’t stop saying that word! I was so excited!!!

Friday: I got up, and while everyone was eating breakfast, went and sat on a bench across from the hostel right by the sea and did my quiet time. Holy Cow. The view was absolutely INSANE! The sun had just come up, so it was sunny and very pretty by the water. I enjoyed sitting there and praising the Lord for everything he has done for me!! And as I was walking back across the street, I saw a fire truck! That’s right, a SWEDISH fire truck. Unfortunately I was so awe-stricken that I didn’t think to get out my phone and take a picture. I then ran back inside to tell my friends about yet another gift the Lord had just given me!!! You couldn’t wipe the stupid grin off of my face haha Anyway, we then took the underground to Stansen, where we went to the open air museum. This was a huge area that had an aquarium (soooo happy!), a zoo (with many native Nordic animals), and a bunch of old houses and buildings from Sweden hundreds of years ago. This place was awesome!! The aquarium made my day, but I also got to see moose, wolves, and seals!! And we got to see the seals being fed, which was pretty legit. The only disappointing thing was finding out that I wouldn’t be able to see the bears because they were hibernating (makes sense I suppose). After this museum, we got some Swedish candy (we prob ate enough collectively this trip to feed a third world country). We then got lunch! For lunch, I got the special hotdog. Now this consisted of mashed potatoes on top of the hot dog. AWESOME. I don’t know why we haven’t thought of doing this in the States before. I loved it!! Then, Rebecca and I went to the Junibacken Museum, which was a children’s museum. I felt like a kid in there and it was soooo fun!! They also take you on a ride that takes you through a traditional Swedish story (translated in English for us thank goodness!).  Then there was pippy longstocking’s house! I had a great time playing with everyone and having a bunch of kids and adults looking at me funny as I was doing it. I then had the best apple juice I have ever had in my life. I also bought a curious george book about firetrucks that was in Swedish!! A triple win!! Best. Book. Ever. We then roamed around and chilled for the rest of the night! Very fun and low stress day!

Saturday: We first got up and went on a boat tour all around Sweden!! One of the best decisions we made for sure! I was a tad chilly, but completely beautiful! What a view. After this, we roamed around another part of the city we had not seen yet. We initially looked for Ikea, but when we found out it was really an hour away, we decided to just roam awhile for a while. As we were roaming, we came across a Christian book store that we spent like an hour in ( I could have spent all day there haha). It had everything from Veggietales to Christian Novels, all in Swedish! I felt like I was in heaven. It was there that I found a Swedish bible!!!!!!!!!! The most amazing thing I have ever purchased in my life! It was a used bible from the 1800’s and I absolutely love it!! I also bought a children’s bible written in Swedish. I cannot put into words how excited I was to have found this bible and how much it means to me to have a Swedish bible! It’s a long story, but I had another moment when I was leaving that bookstore!! I was so full of joy!!! After a lot more laughing and window shopping, we came back to the hostel to chill for a little bit before going out again for dinner and such. We all sat around the table and chatted for several hours, and this was such a life-giving conversation!! I absolutely love my friends and I am so thankful for each of them. Then, a guy we met in our hostel came and hung out with us! Michael was from Germany, and he was pretty legit. He taught me the German word for fire truck, told me that he knew where Dirk’s family lives (he’s going to give me directions, no worries) and that he likes the backstreet boys. Instant friendship occurred. We then all went out for a while, and I ended up talking to Michael for a good hour at least. I learned so much about Germany and his studies (he is pre-med) and was presented with an opportunity to share my faith with him. I love when God works in these ways!!! Before heading back to the hostel, he showed us a German church in the area, and we decided we would go there in the morning for church. Then, we taught him how to play Go Fish and War (card games) and played cards for a while before going to bed.

Sunday: We got up and went to a German church in Sweden!! It was seriously the coolest part of the trip for me! It was the first time that I had really sat and listened to German in that context, and let me tell you it was beautiful!! And it was helpful to be sitting by someone who could help translate for us (Michael came with us). I understood basically nothing the whole service, but it was absolutely breathtaking having the Lord talk to me in a different language!! And the building was gorgeous as well!! After this, we shopped. We dedicated this whole day to shopping and getting beautiful Swedish things to take home with us. It was so much fun!!! Exhausting, but so fun! We then went out for a nicer dinner that night, and we came back to the hostel and played games. Holy cow, I pretty much peed in my pants with all the laughter that happened that night. I laughed soooo hard. Then we went to bed!

Monday: First, we woke up and I attempted to fit everything that I had bought into my backpack. The fact that it all fit and zipped should earn me an Olympic medal, just saying. Then, Alex and Chelsea went to the Harley Davidson museum while Rebecca, Melany, and I went to the photography museum. It was a pretty cool place, I’m not going to lie! And at the top, there was a breathtaking view of the entire city of Stockholm with the sea and all its glory. I had another moment there too haha Then we found a great place for lunch as we were walking back to meet our group at the train station (and we stopped for more candy…. I had no idea that Swedish candy was so freaking good! Don’t tell my dentist). We got to the airport with no problems, and we had a good 3 hours or so to kill. We played more cards and talked, and then I bought a Winnie the Pooh coloring book that was in Swedish (it is so cool). Then, as I was coloring, I noticed that a little girl was eyeing me and my coloring book, so I went over to her and asked if she wanted to color with me. I always love a coloring buddy! I ended up having a wonderful conversation with her mother, and I was invited to stay at a lodge they own in Northern Sweden if I ever come back! The plane and bus ride back to Oxford were sad, but really uneventful which was nice. I slept a little bit, which was great. Then I got home and took a shower and went to bed! However, the heat in our house was broken this entire weekend as we soon found out, so it was rather cold in our room. Seriously, our room was colder than it was in Sweden.

Tuesday (Today): Since classes don’t start till tomorrow and none of the other traveling groups are back yet, I had a wonderfully relaxing day full of homework and sleep. I volunteered tonight, which is always the highlight of my week. My German friend Theis and I spend most of the time laughing at each other, and I think I convinced him to let me help edit his dissertation for his PhD. He says his English isn’t very good so he needs help, but I think it is just because he knows I’m such an awesome editor (TOTALLY KIDDING). We will see if it really happens, but I am honored to even have been considered to do it haha.

God has blessed me with amazing friends and experiences this trip, and his blessings are overwhelming!!! I could talk for hours about this trip, and I probably will the next time I see anyone!!

My closing thought:

“If then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him!” Matthew 7: 11