Settling in... :)

Things are finally settling down. I am getting more comfortable with my surroundings and the people that I am going to be spending the next 9 months with. The first few weeks were a bit stressful trying to figure people out and create a new routine. Lectures were just starting and assignments were coming in. God had a lot to teach me about looking to Him for assurance and not those around me. One of the girls gave a devotion at breakfast a few days ago and it talked about looking to God for our acceptance and it was a really good reminder.

We have family groups every second Sunday night and they are probably one of my favourite things. We have a meal with a family that is either staff or a family from he community that has been a part of the school in the past. My family group "Parents" used to be students about 6 years ago. There are 6 students and 1 staff member in my family group and we get to do assignments together :) Small groups are definitely more my thing than large groups. We are also starting up book reading groups this next Monday and I'm pretty excited for the same reason as the family groups. Being able to get to know people in smaller groups is exciting for me. You get to know who the people are in a more relaxed environment.

There are a lot of German speaking students here so I have decided to start learning some German. My hope is to be able to have real conversations with them by the end of the 9 months... It's going to take a lot of work but I'm kind of excited. They are really easy to practice with which makes it so much easier. I just have to stick to it for the whole time and not give up when it gets tough. Maybe I will have to visit them in Germany for a while so that I can become immersed in the language and be forced to learn it compared to being able to speak English whenever I want to. We'll see.

Lectures have started and we have already finished two topics. The first one was on the whole Bible and the next one was on the accuracy and reliability of it, and we are currently doing a series on the Holy Spirit. So far the topics have been really good but this last one has been a bit hard to follow because of all the rabbit trails that we end up on during class. We get new seating arrangements every two weeks and we aren't allowed to sit by the same people which is fun. I like it but I also would like being able to sit in the same place every time though. I am a creature of habit.

Travel weekend is coming up in a few weeks and I am still unsure if I want to go somewhere or stay at the school and take the weekend to just relax and do whatever I want with no pressure to be anywhere but meals. The campus is starting to feel like home and I am a homebody more than an adventurer so we'll see what ends up happening.

Missing the Train~The First Few Days

Sovereign by Chris Tomlin is definitely my theme song for the last few days. Flying across the world by myself; missing my train in Stockholm and then running to a bank late at night in a small town on my way to Vetlanda definitely made me thankful that I know a God who is in control.

Through the whole journey I have felt God's hand in everything. From super friendly custom guys in Iceland to the many people helping me with my huge suitcases on and off trains. Even by causing the ticket guy to give me my new ticket for free when they never do that (he made it clear that he normally wouldn't give out free tickets because of missed trains). Also, He has kept me from getting overwhelmed by the language difference and missing my train (which caused me to take a bus late at night...): He has been very faithful.

I was listening to a Francis Chan sermon a few weeks before I left and in it he was talking about how he knew God loved him because the Bible said but also because God would answer even his smallest prayers. Prayers that weren't really even prayers but mutterings of his heart like wanting a better golf club but refusing to buy one because he didn't think a golf club was more valuable than helping someone else. God then chose to bless him with a better golf club at his next speaking engagement. He went on to say that since he has been "seeking the kingdom of God above all else" he has seen how faithful God is. I have always seen His faithfulness but this summer and on this trip, I have seen His hand in more things than ever before.

This doesn't mean that I won't encounter difficulties, because I did, but that when they present themselves I can trust that God will provide a way through them. It has nothing to do with my worthiness but completely because He chose me for Himself. Now I just have to trust that He will provide the friends that I will need to do what He has called me to do while I am here.