I am in Italy! The most prominent thought throughout any day is, “Wow, Lord. YOU BROUGHT ME HERE!”
I am constantly reminded every time I open my eyes that He is so, so good to me. The city is beautiful, my apartment is amazing and the Lord is magnificent.

My apartment is in the middle of town right in the midst of the downtown scene. There is a gelato shop directly underneath my apartment (literally the entrance to my building and the shop are right next to one another), and just a half block away is the Piazza which seems to be the heart of downtown. It has been rainy since I have been here and I find everything about this place to be completely enchanting. The people, the language, the natural and historic beauty, just everything is breathtaking.

We are taking a trip to Venice this Saturday as a school and I am excited to see more of this beautiful country. Later on in the semester, we will choose to go to one of four destinations for Outreach week; France, Slovenia, Sicily, or some other tiny Islamic European country whose name I have forgotten. I am praying that the Lord would guide and direct my steps as I decide where to go for that week. We will also be touring the island of Malta as a school and I am beyond excited to see the place where Paul the Apostle was shipwrecked.

I have also been given the opportunity to help out with worship and I will be serving as a T.A. in my pastoral epistles class.

The greatest challenge so far has been creating time to spend alone with the Lord, away from all of the hustle, bustle, and excitement. With all of the new experiences and adjustments, I have really pushed that alone time to the back burner and I’m feeling it in my spirit. I am finding it hard to deal with my roommates’ quirks and personalities, my patience is short, and my tolerance low. I am also realizing just how proud and obstinate I am. Prayers, please!

Love you all!
It is 7:30 pm here, so as the Italians say, buona sera and arrivederci (good evening and good-bye).