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