There is so much on my mind- and writing it out is sometimes the best way to process. So, feel free to skip this post if you want, it's mostly just jabber. But it you are interested in what it running through my head, continue on.
So we are coming towards the end of this semester, kind of but not really. It just seems to be flying by. I've gotten to do so much, see so much, and experience a whole new life, and I still have many more stops to make in the next few weeks. Here is my schedule for the next month or so. I am just finishing my first week of European Literature, and this class has been pretty fun. Our professor is great, he is from my school though I've never had him as a Prof before. We do a lot of creative writing, exploring to Old Town to be inspired, and lots of class discussion. I like it. We have one more week of this class, which will probably fly by. Then on November 7th, myself and two friends head out for a week long road trip through Europe. That only gives me a crap ton of anxiety, but it's okay, I'm trying not to worry too much. I'm a great driver, and I know how to drive manual, but driving through 7 different countries, all with difference road laws scares me a bit. Planning this trip is also getting a bit expensive, and I'm worried we will run out of money and be stuck somewhere is Belgium or Austria or something. So prayers for this trip would be much appreciated! Also we're going to be sleeping in the car most nights, so.... yeah, there's that! It's all part of the adventure, right? :) Well, after that we end up in Salzburg Austria where we begin our third and final academic tour through Austria and Italy. I'm stoked. Mainly because the money doesn't come out of my pocket- woo! We will be doing a European Art tour through the two countries for a week or so. When we get back from that, we only have one week left! That is when we will be finishing our German Class, and we have A LOT of work due that week, so wish me luck. Taking classes in Europe is harder than you'd think. There is so much you want to do everyday and it's easy to forget that you're actually here for school. So we often fall behind in classes because we would rather go explore a castle than write a paper- is that so wrong? ;) Don't get me wrong, I am still able to manage my time properly, it just gets tough. So that's that. What else is going through my mind? Well, I just skyped me advisor back at Corban, and we figured our what my schedule will look like next semester, and we found out that it will not be possible to graduate in May, but by December '15 I will be a college graduate. What!? That gives me a little bit of anxiety because it means I should start thinking about... I don't know... what to do with my life?? Ah... I have a few plans for after graduation, but I am keeping them on the down low for a while- until it is for sure. The day after I fly back into the states I have a dentists appointment... to get my wisdom teeth out. And then I have a doctors appointment to discuss possible shoulder surgery that month. So pretty much- I am not TOO excited to come back. Ah, what else... I miss my dog.... a lot :( She's probably forgotten me by now. It hurts my heart to think about. Okay... I think that is all for now. Any questions? Ask away. ALSO, feel free to send me a letter or a package. I will probably cry. my address is on the contact tab above. Much love
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This past Sunday at church, I was able to listen to a wonderful message on forgiveness. And I just wanted to share with you what I got out of it because it's good stuff! We read from Matthew 18, the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant. Matthew 18:21-22 says this... "Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?A)' data-cr="#cen-NIV-23749A"> Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."
So here are my thoughts... In those times, saying "Seventy-seven" was just like how we say, "a million" or "all the time". So Jesus is saying, we need to forgive a million times, all the time. And the idea of forgiveness... it seems so unfair. Think about it... we don't deserve it, others don't deserve it, but it's something that we are all offered. How easy is the idea of forgiveness when we seek it from others- when we want them to forgive us- but how harsh is the idea when someone wants forgiveness from us. We love the unfairness of forgiveness when we desire to be forgiven, but we hate that we also must forgive all the time, even when people hurt or wrong us. Just think about that for a little bit. It makes my head hurt to think about it too much- but it does make me appreciate the grace and forgiveness that Christ offers us, and that we are to also model. I'm not sure if that made sense, but it was something that really got me thinking. Just the idea of forgiveness and how it IS so unfair, but in the greatest way possible. You know what else doesn't make sense? The fact that after we give or receive that unfair forgiveness- there is freedom. It's like an entire weight of guilt, anger and shame is lifted from both the forgiver and the forgiven. So where in your life are you lacking that forgiveness? Where in your life do you want to experience that freedom with whoever or whatever it is that you are in conflict with? Just some food for thought. This week in Paradise:
After a long and grueling two weeks of class and academic tour, I decided to spend the entirety of my free week lounging on the beach, enjoying peace and sunshine. A few of my friends and I hopped on a plane last Saturday and headed for Denia Spain. Thanks to my wonderful father and his timeshare, we were able to stay in our own apartment, just a few meters from the beach. For an entire week, we got to simply relax in o80 degree weather, and do nothing! No schedule, so responsibility, and no class. (Although, we did have quite a bit of reading to do, but reading is so much better when it's done on the beach, or pool side.) I will post some pictures soon, I know, I keep saying that… but believe me when I say that it was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. Soft gold sand, clear blue water, clear skies and good company. If anyone is looking for a relaxing place to spend a vacation, Denia is a great place. Probably because it is like a retirement town- so it's mainly sweet old people, not many crazy kids. However, if you are into the loud party scene, the party capital of the world, Ibiza Island, is literally right across the sea. We opted out of the island tour. instead we sat on the beach every day and tanned (burned). One day we did go and explore the Denia Castle, which was so beautiful. It overlooks all of Denia and the Port. We didn't learn much about the history, because none of us read Spanish. But that's okay. All in all, it was a very relaxing week. You ever have a week where you are so tired that you just wanted to crawl up into a ball and sleep for 11 years? Yeah, me too. This week. Don't get me wrong, it's been a wonderful couple of weeks full of adventures, new knowledge and great friends. But it has also been the most exhausting two weeks of this journey so far. Last time I wrote, I had just gotten back from my trip to Ireland, and was beginning my two week course of the Reformation. If any of you have ever studied the life of Martin Luther, or the history of the reformation of the church- you know how interesting the subject is. But try actually walking in the steps of the Reformers, and seeing the places of history that you've only ever heard about.
The first week of class was spent in the classroom, and involved enough homework to make me cry from stress. But I suppose that is what happens when you cram 3 months of work into two weeks. The only thing that got me through last week was the thought of what is coming up next week... Spain! This week we started our Reformation Academic Tour around Germany. The 15 of us (13 students, one prof and our amazing director) piled in two vans and started our journey. Our first stop was Dresden, the Florence of Germany. Actually, I guess our first stop was a town outside of Dresden, where we went to a church that Kelley has connections with. Kelley translated the message for us, and then we got to have a nice lunch with some people from the church, including a former AMBEXer. They then gave us a presentation on something their church puts on every summer. English camp! They told us all about what they do every summer for kids all over Europe. They not only teach them English, but they also teach them about the love of Christ. I don't want to bore you with details, but long story short... I'm coming back to Europe next summer and teaching English. It's already decided and planned. Pretty great right? Our next stop was Berlin. It still doesn't even seem real that I was there. I can't believe all that I saw and learned- it was most definitely one of my favorite stops so far. We spent two days there, and you can bet we went and saw the Berlin wall. But even better than that- we spent the evening with Kelley's friends and learned about their experience with that very same wall. 25 years ago, they lived on the east side of Germany (literally, their house was backed up against the fence) and everyday looked out to the west side of Germany. It was so fascinating (and heartbreaking) to hear about their experience on the communist side of Germany, only being able to see the free side. There was such a separation between the two sides, even though they were only a wall apart. And to think that this only went on 25 years ago. Next stop was Wittenberg, "Luther City". We were also there for two days, and we got to see the home of Martin Luther, where a large portion of the Reformation began. We saw were Luther nailed his 95 theses, his church, his house, and so much more! Wittenberg was a very cute little town, emphasizing little. Other than study the amazing history that took place, there is not much to do there. But well worth a day trip if you are every interested. Next we stopped in Eisenach, where we toured the Wartburg Castle. This was where Martin Luther not only hid out when he was excommunicated, but more importantly, where he translated the Bible in German- for the common people to read. We then stopped at the home of the famous composer Johann Sebastian Bach. We got to see each of the different instruments that Bach played in his time, and listen to different selections of his. It was a pretty great experience. Also there are really cool chairs there... check out my pictures soon! The days are all mixing together, but I believe our next stop was Erfurt, the town where Martin Luther began his journey as a monk. We learned about being a monk, and let me just tell you- I could never do it. We also visited the Cathedral where Luther preformed his first mass. I'll post some pictures of that too- it looks like Hogwarts. We stopped in Mainz, and visited the Guttenberg Museum, where the printing press was invented. Then drove to Worms, where the Diet of Worms took place in 1521. After that we landed here in Heidelberg, only for one night. Because tomorrow I leave for Spain! Woo-hoo! Just in time, because I am beyond tired and in need of a relaxing week on the beach. Yeah, I'm still alive.... but I'm not sure I should be after all I've don't this week haha.
This past week, I've done some unforgettable things! I've been all over Ireland, in some of the strangest situations, and it has honestly been one of the best weeks of my life. Five of us girls flew from Memmingen Germany to Shannon Ireland- with the wonderful help of a site called "Couch Surfers", some busses, trains and planes. I think overall, in the past week I've been on 7 trains, 5 busses, 1 taxi, and 1 plane. Meanwhile, I'm typing this as I am all snuggled up in the airport in Ireland. I'll get to that in a second. So we flew into Shannon, where two of my friends split off and went one way- and three of us went another. We took a few trains to Dublin where we stayed in the middle of the city! I won't go into too much detail, but the few days we spent in Dublin were like a living hell... Just don't go to Dublin- unless you are a party animal. That is all they do there! And the hostels are... interesting. While we were there, however, we did get to do some really wonderful things. We toured the Guinness Store House- FUN! We took a train to Belfast where we toured the city on a "Hop on- Hop off" bus- FUN! It was so crazy to learn about the history (and present days) or Belfast. We drove right passed the Peace wall, which separates Catholics and Protestants. It was originally built in the 60's and intended for a few months use, but it is still up and even bigger today. They have a gate that joins the two sides, but it is only open during certain hours of the day. How crazy! We also passed the site where Titanic was built, and we were tempted to go in the museum but we are all cheap.. We also passed a few cites on the "C.S. Lewis" tour, since he did live there and all. Then we did quite a bit of shopping too, and back to Dublin we went. Luckily we were only in Northern Ireland for a few days before we made our way to Ennis. Let me just say- Ennis is now my favorite town on the face of the earth. I am in love, and I hope one day I get to move to Ennis, or somewhere in South-West Ireland. We took a train from Dublin to Ennis where we met some very friendly people who told us all about Ennis. We had heard that it's called "The friendliest town in Ireland", and boy is that true! People are so delightful, and love to help you out or just chat. Our hostel, the Rowan Tree, was one of the loveliest places I've ever been, I definitely recommend it for all you travelers. And by the way, Brittney, they are already expecting us in the summer! Can't wait :) It felt like home, and it was right in the middle of the small town, I already miss it! We got comfortable right away, and went on the explore the town and all it's glory. We had a wonderful supper at one of the many pubs, and I slept so well that night! Which, if you know me, is a BIG deal. The next day we booked a tour with Barratts tours, which I also recommend. We spent the day touring west Ireland, from the cliffs of Moher (SO AMAZING), to Galway, and so many places in between. I secretly don't remember the names of most of the places, but I do have pictures! :) Guys, the Cliffs of Moher was my favorite part of this trip. I literally sat on the edge of the cliffs with my feet dangling over the water. But shhh, you're not supposed to do that.... I took many pictures, so please take a took in the "Part 3" section of my photos. Our tour guide was amazing and I hope when my best friend and I go back, we get him again. The next day we relaxed, after running around Ireland for five days. We did some shopping, some napping, some coffee drinking, and some hanging out with our new friends. We met people from New Zealand, Germany, America, Italy, and Spain. That was a cool experience. Guys seriously, you have GOT to check out my pictures. I don't upload all of my pictures on here, because they are all posted on facebook, but a majority of them are here on my blog for those of you who don't have FB (Shannon). ;) Anyways, it is about 1:00 PM here in Shannon Ireland, and our plane leave around 6:00 AM in the morning.... tomorrow. But the three of us are all sitting in the airport lobby, ready to stay the night here... This will be an adventure! The busses don't run early enough to get us to the airport tomorrow, so we decided to put up camp here. Luckily I have quite a bit of homework to do- and they have wifi! Alrighty, that's all for now. Miss you all! |
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