The Mountain

You know it has been a blessed week when it goes by so fast, you did not see it coming to a close. That is just how this week has been. Spending the week with Spencer, Chelsea (Shelty), and all our friends here in England could not have been more enjoyable than it was these past several days.

We are thinking of forming a band, we already have our album cover

Spending time with these friends has reminded me how grateful I am for God's guidance in my life. Both Chelsea and Spencer became my friends at a time in my life where I was struggling deeply in letting go of control to God. Most people who know me know I am a Type A personality who likes to plan things out and have control and order in my life. However, when I first went to college, God really began to teach me that I wasn't trusting Him enough. In my mind, it was as if my life was a mountain I must climb, and God was my harness and belay. I was doing the climbing, in control of each step I made, and God was there in case I really slipped up, keeping me from tumbling down to a lowly state. But God taught me with a gentle loosening of that harness and a gust of reality wind that He is not just a harness. He is so much more. He is the one placing my hand on each rock, encouraging me with each step, guiding me up a path in relationship with Him. Being with these two friends and all my new friends here in England has been a reminder how much God has blessed me in His guidance, and how much more of a climb through life I get to enjoy in relationship with Him.

A little treasure in the woods

A walk in Blean Woods

I love all the traveling, I love school, I love Canterbury; but it is the relationships with new friends, the growing relationships with old, and my relationship with God that has made this time in England so monumental. We didn't get to go to Brugge, Belgium on Saturday like we were planning, but it turned out even better, because we got to spend time with our friends Dave, Josh, and Sarah in the Blean woods instead. It was better to be with friends than anything.

This why we are friends

I am now in a place of juxtaposed feelings. I am so excited to return home to family, friends, and the Christmas celebration, I can't even wait. I miss home dearly and have been so excited to return. At the same time, I have (in risk of sounding over-dramatic and feminine) fallen in love with Canterbury, it's people, it's church, and it's beauty. I become a bit depressed every time I think about leaving my new friends I've made here in Canterbury. It is a love-hate duality that I both love and hate.

Blean Woods, a beautiful place

That has been my week that flew by too fast. Thank you Chelsea for coming to visit! It was a week full of great memories with great friends.