"OH MY GOSH!!!! OH MY GOSH!!!"

Yeah that's all I could say Thursday afternoon when I looked up expecting to see Asaf and saw Rusty standing outside the apartment door where the Hills were staying. I still can't believe he came without me knowing.

I should be going to bed right now, but I thought I would fill everyone in on my wonderful weekend.

So if you didn't pick up on it or you haven't already heard-either from me or all my crazy friends who can't help but tell all our friends back home and that have to take creeper pics of us all the time, Rusty surprised me by showing up in Spain. Yes, Alicante, Spain. I didn't know. Beth captured it on video, don't worry. "But for real"(yes I used that intentionally), I was in shock. I had no idea. We were all sitting and talking at the Hills waiting on Asaf-someone is always late. Always. I mean we are in Spain. So of course I didn't think anything of it. And I was sooooo excited to see the Hills I really wasn't paying attention to anything going on. Even Beth slipped on the bus that morning "Asaf, you excited to see your bro today?" I heard it and didn't even think anything of it. Haha they had to tell me to get up before I could move. It's hard to process something like that in a short time. You think you would stand up and run, but you have to convence yourself it's real first. Haha. It was probably the best surprise of my life. It's going to be pretty hard to top that.

I can't believe the time has already come and gone. Time is going by soooo quickly now. But recap of the weekend. Rusty got there and we all hung out with the Hills for a while. It was great. We talked ate reese's, took pictures, laughed-then we broke off little by little. The Hills had dinner with Hayley's host mom (they said it went great!), we broke off and went to my apartment and made food and talked with Su (my Korean roomate) for several hours. It was awesome. We learned all about her culture and got to explain differences. She is HILARIOUS. I love her. That was so fun. The next day we all went to cine, even Rusty, which he kept up so well. I have been here almost 3 months and I'm still trying to understand it all. But then after that, yeah of course I skipped my other class, there was really no stopping that, so did Asaf, we took Rusty to el Mercado Central. Our huge farmer's market. We got papaya and some other great fruits and just walked around. We then went back and ate lunch and hung out at my apartment till everyone got done with class. We then proceeded to go to the beach and walk around. We all then met up with some of our Japanese friends (very important to understanding our experience here) and got Pakistani food and gelato. It was a good night. We then went back to Brynn and I's apartment to watch "Nacho Libre" of course. Asaf could literally quote the whole thing. Saturday the bros got a haircut (well Asaf) Rusty had apparently inspired him...I don't know why. ;) While the girls had spent the night with us-in which Beth and Karissa ended up in bed with me before they went home. I love bedroom time. I do miss that from OBU. Waking up in the morning and going into one of your best friends bed after they wake up and talking is just great. I then got to rest and try to get rid of this cold thing I contracted. Then we met up again and went to "il duomo" our cafe and saw Ji!!!! It was crazy, Josh ran out and got him and he and Rusty got to talk. So cool. Ji met up to come to church with us too! :) Rusty seriously got a true Spanish experience (well our Spanish experience). Rusty and I then took off to the castle to watch the sunset and grabbed dinner at an italian place called "Sale and Pepe". Let's be real, I was happy. Any time you stick pasta and bread in front of me, my life is made. After that we met back up to go to Valor with Josh, Asaf, Beth and Karissa. It was so fun hanging out with everyone and talking and laughing. Josh never fails to tell us about his cousin, Jake, it's great! Haha he loves his family. I understand. We finished the day with "Feris Buler's Day Off".  Sunday we all went to church, Rusty even got to play on the piano some after-that's the first time in a long time I've got to hear him play. We then all ate lunch and met up at the beach again. It was a beautiful day, but windy. I'm still getting the sand out of my hair. Haha. We went out for tapas and then came back and facetimed with my Dad and then Karis. Then Brynn came home and her and Su came and talked with us. Monday came and I saw Rusty off at the bus stop.

It went so fast. But it was SO good. I feel so blessed. Not only did he take all the time and money and planning to come here and surprise me, but all my friends kept their mouths shut and worked with him to make it super special for me. Thanks friends! It means a lot.

This weekend really brought this semester into perspective. I am SOO glad I did this. I am sooo glad the Lord gave me the strength, time and provided everything for me to do this. It has probably been one of the most life-changing things I have ever done. I have been stretched. I have cried. I have laughed hard at times. I have grown close with some people from OBU I never would have probably talked with. I have prayed. I have spent so much time in the Word. I have memorized scripture. I have been frustrated. I have been sick. I have been showering a lot less. I have become domestic. I have grown closer with some of my best friends. I have missed some of my best friends. I missed the birth of my nephew. I have seen my family grow. I have seen my friends grow. I have understood that God is the only true faithful and constant, never-failing person in my life. I have met people from all around the world. I have made two great friendships with Americans I never would have met had I not come here. But I think above all, I have understood my purpose more clearly than ever. I am here on this earth for Christ. I am here to glorify Him and share His love with everyone around me. I want to make His name known. My actions speak a lot of my faith, but I have learned the importance of my words. Prayer is powerful and necessary. I have 3.5 weeks left in Alicante. (I am about to head to spring break for 2.5) and the time is rapidly decreasing. It scares me. I know I will be excited to go home, but it breaks my heart to know I may never see most of these people again. I don't want to waste the time I have left. God is SO good and so faithful and so loving. He has blessed me beyond belief. Right now, I am in a place where I can't comprehend how much I've been blessed. I don't deserve it. However, I am grateful for it. Obviously not enough, but I am grateful. I have a wonderful family and friends and I'm experiencing one of the coolest things ever. The Lord has opened my eyes to sooo much.

Well this may be the last one for a while. Spring break starts Thursday. I will go to Switzerland, Austria, London, Edinburgh, and Galway. I'm so pumped. It's crazy! So thanks for all the prayers and for reading this long thing (if you made it this far).

Pakistani with the Japanese, someone has a picture of us all at gelato.  

Asaf's new haircut. They had such good bro time. 

Rusty playing piano for Wilmer. Yeah I think the little girls were impressed. 

Yeah our friends are creepers, but it is pretty cool, I mean we were in Spain. #nbd

Piano, Piano

Welp. I'm back from Belgium and back to class. It was an amazing break from class and seriously probably one of the best weekends of my life. Definitely the best weekend here abroad. We were beyond spoiled. My parents don't even feed that much and give me that many kisses when I'm home. Though I have a feeling when I get back from Spain they might.

The theme of the weekend was "piano, piano" which means slowly, slowly. It was wonderful. We were never in a rush to get some where. We just took our time and enjoyed the company around us. We were with an Arabic family from Turkey who all moved to Brussels as the Lord called them. It's amazing. We went to all of Leyla's sisters' houses and her parents. We had tea and/or coffee every place and something to eat. They never failed to make us feel welcomed. We got to wear slippers every place went or fancy little shoes they just wore in the house. It was cute. Every time we met someone we got about  3 or 4 kisses and a huge hug. This family loved on us. You could tell how happy they were to see Bethany too-you could see the love for her and her family. It was nice to be around such strong Christian fellowship. It's amazing how God loves through people. He provides such a deep love, o and it is soo good.

So one of the first things we did after Leyla picked us up from the airport was go have Belgian waffels. So good. Didn't see that one coming. They don't taste like American ones. They are 100x better. We went around and saw the Grand Plaza and Manekin Pis. Haha so funny and then met up with her sweet niece, Deborah. Goodness, they all just welcomed us with open arms. I feel like I gained another family.

We had Turkish tea and coffee. They even read my coffee grounds. haha They just do it for fun, but it was funny and a little scary. I will never forget Leyla's "reading" o you will be married soon and have twins. AHHHH! Not a funny joke haha. My Grandma was a twin and my sister had two kids unexpectedly. I'm young, I'm going to take it slow, I have time. haha. I turned around and told her the same thing, she understood my fear at that point. May be in 10 years. haha

We met her fiance, Bernard. He was great. He is a 60 year old Belgium man. Kind of big and hilarious. He fed us soooo well. We had what was kind of like cheese fondue with real Swiss cheese and potatoes, a wonderful salad and tomatoes and chocolate mousse for dessert. O it was good. We definitely did not go hungry. It's back to reality is Spain. But it is good to be home.

We saw some beautiful churches and amazing architecture  It was gothic style, so different from Spain, but so cool. I loved it. It even snowed on us. That was cool to see even though it was cold; however, I was at least dressed appropriately this time.

We went to their church Sunday morning. It was their last service in that building. It was so special. It's a Turkish church and literally everyone who goes is related some how, they are at least all connected in some way by family. It was great. We went to the service, sang two in Turkish that Beth and I recognized, listened to a French man preach and the pastor translate, then of course went down after for tea and coffee and talking. I loved it. Such a neat experience.

It was one of the coolest experiences of my life. I experienced a completely different culture within a different culture and it was with believers. It's amazing to see God work all around the world and to see such faithfulness in other believers. O such faith they have. It was so encouraging and challenging. I pray for the willingness they have to follow Christ where ever He leads. I'm realizing how valuable this time I have here is. I will never experience anything quite like this again in my life. I'm trying to soak it up as much as possible. It's quickly coming to an end and it makes me sad. I have met some amazing people here and I don't want to miss out on time with them. I have a new home away from home and although there are things I miss from home, I love this place. It's beautiful and I love the people I've met. I've made friendships I will never forget and have experienced cultures I never would have before. I have class with Japanese, Russians, Americans, Chinese, Germans, Koreans, French and have met people from so many places around the world. Ugh, I can't comprehend this is my life at times. It's a big blessing.

Beautiful Beth in the city.

First cathedral we saw. It was SOO tall.

Yeah this picture does not do this justice. It was ginormous. 

Mankein Pis. Haha Apparently this little boy went "tinkle", as my dad would say, on a bomb and ended the war. It's a huge deal in Brussels. They even dress him up at times.

Beth enjoying her first Belgian waffel before she got sick. 

I love the buildings and then green grass, the snow and the tree in this picture. 

This was the second cathedral we saw. I think I liked t more. The detail was insane. They love to have small statues of all the apostels everywhere through out this church. It's crazy.

Grand Plaza. Again this does not capture the true essence. 

The small building on the left I think was one of my favorite buildings I saw there. It was so cute and quaint. 

A different section of the Grand Plaza.

The Royal palace.

Beautiful street leading to the Grand Plaza.

This was a huge museum there. So cool. So much stuff from the war. It was crazy seeing a different perspective.

Our Japanese friends enjoying their first pie at Brynn and I's apartment. Brynn did amazing!!! Love those girls. 

Welp. I'm tired. So that's all for now.

Pictures!

Love my family! They made my week! 

The Valentine's flowers. I felt special. :)

Il Duomo-my cafe. I love it such good coffee.

Beth we enjoying her GINORMOUS strawberry, she had to take a break with other strawberries before she finished it. haha 

BRITT! She made it! Bedroom!!!!!!

Okay this is just the story of our lives.

He had his first date! Yes. Well, apparently he didn't like it, but whatever.

FaceTiming with the rents! Love them.

Love this girl! We've had some great coffee dates!

Oh, I love this boy.

Yeah! My nephews!!!!! :) Miss them.

Yeah this was when I stabbed myself. It was soooo cool to see how deep it was. I liked seeing all the layers of skin. 

Welp We're Sliding Down.

Well we're already over half way. I started my third term of classes today. I have the same professor I've had for my last two grammer classes, Marina, she's amazing. Seriously. She goes above and beyond the call of being a teacher. Then in my complementary course, I'm in cine, with every student from Ouachita that's studying here and all our Japanese friends. I'm struggling writing english today, the spanish gets mixed in.

I'm literally amazed at the fact that I am on the downward slope. But really, we had 8 full weeks of class (I mean besides the days I skipped) and now we only have six. What?! Where has the time gone? Beth and I are leaving for Belgium in a week and a half. That is surreal because about a week after we get back I'm jumped on a plane to Switzerland to meet my friends for spring break! Bah!! The time is slipping away and I'm realizing how much more I want to take advantage of it. I'm trying not to burn myself out though.

This last was good in many ways, but also hard. I was exhausted, I figured out that I was on the verge of iron deficiency anemia (if I wasn't already there) and had some really rough days in class. My teacher even asked me about it. I love knowing she cares so much and that she's so attentive to what's going on. But I figured it out and am feeling better, gotta get that meat; however, I wish it wasn't as expensive haha I'm a cheapskate. It's nice having energy to do life. I've started running more consistently too. It's great. I forgot how much I loved doing it everyday. I also had some really good days this week. The Lord continues to teach me so much here. For one I got to share more about him with some of my friends, I was so grateful for the opportunities, but it's definitely making me crave the Word more and wanting to really memorize it. I'm realizing how important that is to my faith and sharing with others. I got to sit down with Brenna and plan the second half of our spring break too! We booked our hostels and tickets! AH! So cool, so surreal. I can't believe I'm getting to go to all these places. The UK is going to be so cool and beautiful! Church was awesome, it was one of the first times I really felt encouraged after leaving, mainly because I could understand most of what the pastor was saying. I have gained so much respect here for people who come to America and are basically forced to learn english. It is hard. And it's really intimidating and discouraging to be on the side where you are the minority and can't communicate or understand others. So it was so wonderful to step out of church and feel confident in what I heard. Don't get me wrong, I definitely didn't catch everything, but I was able to fill in most of the pieces.

I got to facetime with all of my family this weekend too, so good. They are beautiful and those boys are growing like nobody's business. I can't believe it.

This weekend Rusty got to meet up with Karis for a week. I'm not going to lie I am a little jealous, I wish I could see my sister soooo badly. Most of my friends have family coming to visit and although I am ecstatic for them, it is a little hard knowing I won't see mine till I get home. But the good news is I will see them when I get home and what a blessing that is. It makes me realize too that the Lord is the only completely consistent being in my life. It makes me rely more on Him and helps put me at ease for whatever He throws at me in the future.

Shout out to Ashley Randels for MAKING MY DAY with her wonderful HILARIOUS email. Girl, I miss you and Sam! Skype PRONTO!

O we got a new roommate! She's Korean and soo cute! I'm still struggling with her name though. It's Sugi or something like that, but for short in the future I'll refer to her as Su, es mas facil. I'm so excited to get to know her!

I'm in Spain. It's normal now, but still a little bizarre when I think about it and think about how normal it is. I know not everyone has an opportunity to do something like this, but my prayer is that people will step out and when opportunities arise they will take advantage of them. My view of the world, my view of God, my view of people has grown so much. I've learned SO much. Most of the things I've learned you can't know until you've experienced it yourself.

I'll attach pictures soon. I have a couple new ones of everyday life.

Booya.

Almost Half Way

So this week is the last week of my second term. After Friday I will have made it half way through the semester. We have 6.5 weeks of class left and 9 weeks from today I will be back in Arkansas. WHAT?!?! That's crazy. This is our last term that is truly four weeks long and it's almost done. Next term is basically 3 weeks because we have a long weekend and we are finish the 27th for spring break. We get back in April and have 3 weeks of class then are on our way back home. It's crazy how fast the time has gone. I've been away from home for 7.5 weeks. That's I think the longest it's been ever, I think the longest I made it at OBU was 7 weeks. But then I had a phone to call my parents, I had "parents" at OBU and FBCA and I had a wonderful RA (shout out to Leigha Hill) to take care of me. I'm learning independence is great, but it is nice when I don't have to cook my food everyday, when my mom will do my laundry when I come home (bless her soul for doing it for all those years in high school with my nasty sweaty running clothes, that is true love), having someone take care of me when I'm sick or I stab myself in the hand, having someone take out my trash (OBU you've spoiled us), having someone make me fresh-baked cookies and so much more. I love being independent, don't get me wrong, but I appreciate the help and being a little spoiled every once in a while. I mean it's nice to be taken care of. But I can't believe how fast it all has gone.

Beth and I were talking. For once she's feeling a little of the homesickness. It's nice not to be alone on this issue with her; even though I do empathize for her. We were talking about what it's going to be like when we go home. We both know we're going to be excited, but when we actually get home I think we're definitely going to miss somethings here. It's weird to think about. We both agreed our beds are going to heaven though. But what about waking up that first morning? How strange is it going to be at home? How strange is it going to be living at home for over a month? That will be the first time in almost 2 years that I've spent that much time at home. That is weird. It's been cool to grow an appreciation for things at home too and at OBU. I NEVER thought I'd say this, but for once in my life I am actually missing Ouachita's caf. It's soooo easy and although I get tired of my peanut butter sandwich and spinach salads, it's soooo nice to have a place I can get "free" food (well pre-paid) and as much as I want a still make sure it's healthy and it's so close and I don't have to really make it or clean my dishes. Who knew? But I am learning to make some really good foods and I'm rockin' the stir-fry veggies. I have them down to the perfect texture-yeah, Rusty, you're gonna have to learn to like them. But seriously, we are blessed at home. We have so much. It's crazy coming here and we seriously look so wealthy, honestly in comparison we are so wealthy. People here can't travel to Italy or Paris on the weekends. Heck, most Americans who study abroad here can't really do that. I'm blessed. I'm blessed with amazing friends and family who love me way too much. I'm blessed to be in a country where I understand almost everything people say. I'm blessed to be pretty financially stable. I'm blessed to have opportunities like this to study abroad. I'm blessed to have food to eat everyday. I'm blessed by quality Christian fellowship. I'm blessed to have a God who loves me no matter how much I mess up and fail. I'm blessed to be apart of the body of Christ and to be used for His glory no matter where I'm at. There's so much. Let's be real though, I don't have to be at home to be blessed by most of these things. I'm so grateful to be here.

I really do hope the students that have opportunities like this will take advantage. It's life changing. I've learned so much here that I just couldn't have learned at home. Home is great. I love my family and friends and I have so much that allows me to be comfortable. But do I really always want to be comfortable? Do I really need to be? Should I be? I mean Christ did call us to a life of struggle and persecution. He didn't say it would be easy. In fact He said it would be quite the opposite. Even Paul said,"We must go through many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God." (Acts 14: 22) It's not meant to be easy, but in 2 Corinthians 12:10 "That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." I'm understanding more and more what this means as I grow in my faith. I'm grateful for the challenges, they draw me closer to the Father. The make me realize how much I need Him.

I have met people from all around the world here: Russia, China, Japan, Belgium, France, Korea, America, Scotland, England, Ireland, Spain (of course), Italy and many other places that aren't coming to mind. It's crazy! It expands your world-view like crazy, especially when you live in a place for 4 months. I'm realizing our way of life is so different from the rest of the world. My standards and values as a Christian are not normal to most people. For once I'm really realizing I'm the minority. Ouachita and honestly the South of America is not like the rest of the world. Duh. I mean it's not even that big. Most people don't attend church. Most people don't know what it means to have a relationship with Christ. Most people find it different that I attend church and read my Bible. Most people don't know Jesus at all. Most people think of church and being good is synonymous with the word "Christian". Most people think I'm abnormally happy (I really like this haha, thanks Lord). It's different, but it's good. I've never wanted to be in the Word more. I've never wanted to be as intentional. I've never felt as small, but empowered at the same time. There's so much. I can't really explain it well, even if I could talk. I mean let's be real, even if you heard me talk you would get confused. My sentences and ideas don't always flow well. I get very distracted and can make some very strange connections. haha

I know so many of you back home are praying. I appreciate it so much. Keep praying for the friendships we've built! And pray I stop hurting myself...that may take a lifetime though, so use your discernment.

In 2.5 weeks Beth and I will be on a plane to Brussels (hoping to see Paris the same weekend)! Then in about 4 weeks we have spring break! Bah! Salzburg, London, Edinburg and Ireland here I come. I'm about to blow up these joints. (okay, sorry I'm really not cool enough to be saying that-I usually use 5-year old phrases-that just sounds weird coming from me). 

So that's all for now. I know I write more often, but just think how long these would be if I didn't. Yeah, I know you're grateful. Thanks for reading. (You say "No pasa nada") ("Gracias")

#booya

A wider perspective

What a week. I got back from Italy, I got some beautiful flowers, finally got my glasses, spent way too much money on groceries, talked with my dad multiple times, wrote some letters, had cupcakes twice, had some great time with new and old friends, made some horrible pancakes with corn flour (haha the disadvantages of not knowing enough Spanish), took a midterm, got to talk with one of my besties (Brittany-miss you!!!), had some great talks with Rusty, heard he was sick, then my sister and now both of my nephews, spent great time in the Word, cleaned my apartment (felt sooo good), and bought a awesome new candle to replace the weird smell in my room. It's been a good week.

But seriously it's been a good week. Some days I definitely felt the homesickness a little more, but nothing like the beginning. But I don't really think it's being here, it's just I wish everyone else was here with me. I love it here, I'm actually really comfortable. But there are moments I wish I had the friends and family with me. FaceTiming Britt, Clay and Logan for a bit really made me realize how much I miss them and how valuable their friendships are. Beth and I have had some really good quality time this week though. It's been amazing to see our friendship deepen. Honestly, after 16 years I didn't know that was possible, but it is-that's a complete God thing. It's also been soooooo good to make new friends. I spent Tuesday afternoon with my new friend Brenna and got cupcakes and it was soo good. We had such great conversation. Then last night we had two french girls, a scottish girl and a danish girl all come over to our house to make pancakes and talk. It was amazing! How cool is it that this group of girls from all over the world can come together in Spain. It's just hard to wrap my mind around. It's so awesome! It was nice to speak english the whole night too. Except for all of us slipping at some point because the spanish word got our point across better. God is soo good. Beth and I just loved hanging out with them. We spent three hours talking and getting to know them. How cool is that. We went all over the map (literally and figuratively). I can't wait to get to know them better. We also got to go with Julie (one of the french girls) to this american style restaurant called VIPS for brunch. It was soo yummy. I love crossants here. We had so much fun with her too. On Valentine's Day we all went and got cupcakes again. We had so many new friends there. Our friend from Russia, friends from France, it's was great. It's amazing to make friends with people all over the world. It's made me realize what a missed opportunity I have a OBU. Our international club is amazing and I'm wondering why in the world I have not been involved. Now I really understand what it's like to be an international student and there is sooo much opportunity at Ouachita to get to know students from all around the world and make them feel more comfortable. To befriend them and also share the gospel. I am so excited to be involved in that next year.

Also, I now understand how my mom felt when I got sick here that first week. It stinks. Between my sister, my nephews and Rusty all being sick was not fun, especially when I can't be there to check up on all of them. Hey, I'm learning new stuff everyday. At least I know they are all in good hands. I can't believe Jase is already 3 weeks old. I love seeing all the pictures. He's such a beautiful baby. He looks like Cole a little, but his head isn't quite as big (haha Cole you're just a cute). They make me smile soo much. I can't wait to see them when I get home.

I think as a whole this week has just really taught me about intentionality. Both with the new people I've met here and my family and friends from home. I definitely can't do it all. But I'm realizing that I need to find that handful of people and really invest in their lives. I don't want to be half-hearted, I want to love on them with the love of Christ. It's made me realize when I go back to OBU that I have to pick and choose what I want to be involved in. This last semester was great, but I was definitely trying to do too much. Some things got neglected and that's hard to look back on. Even Christ chose to really take personal time with His 12 disciples, He loved everyone and shared His love with everyone He met, but His long-lasting everyday relationships were with the twelve (and as a believe we all share in that, but I mean in person while He was on earth). I can love on everyone I come in contact with, but I may not be able to have close relationships with everyone I talk to. That's a hard concept for me to grasp at times. I get so excited to meet new people to share my joy that some times I have to realized the Lord has placed other people in their lives for deep friendships. But that doesn't mean I think it's right to be exclusive. This may not make any sense in print, but in my head it's clear haha. Well kind of, my head is really just a big mess of things too. In the same way with non-believers, I've realized I really have to take time to love on and being intentional with those God has placed in my path. To really take time for them and have real conversation. The Lord has been very faithful here in providing me with opportunities of real friendship with some girls here in Spain. I've realized He has intentionally put me where I am and allowed me to really hit it off with a handful of girls. I love it. It's so amazing and really emphasizing the importance of intentionality and purpose.

Okay enough for now. Sorry it's so long. Thanks for the prayers. :)

I'm still pinching myself.

Okay if I'm going to be honest, my brain is kind of else where right now, but I figured I should blog for the sake of all the people who want to hear about Italy (okay let's be real, it's for my parents and Mrs. Butler). 6 days ago I was on my way to Italy. I've already been there and back. I can't believe it. What's even crazier is that we met up with 6 other people studying abroad in other countries and we went on the biggest weekend of the year Carneval! WHAT?! It was super crazy and super exciting. I was forced to be surrounded by masks...my dad would have been so proud.

We met with everyone in Venezia. Seriously one of the coolest places I've ever seen, not that I've seen a whole lot. But it was so unique and so colorful. Ah I still can't get over it. It was the coolest cultural experience. We ate a lot of pizza and pasta (uh I had pesto gnocchi-heaven) and TONS if gelato...seriously though, that's my kind of city. It was sooo good. The streets were literally water and we saw all kinds of gondolas. I'm still trying to figure out why they all wear stripes. It was so great to meet up with the Austrians and Jacob from Liverpool. I can't believe all of us OBU students met up in Italy. I still can't wrap my mind around it.

It was freezing. But the coolest thing happend. There was a thunder snow. (Yeah, that was funny explaining it in spanish to my teacher). It was sooo cool, it was while we were dancing in the plaza for the festival. It was awesome. Never heard thunder or seen lightening while it's snowed. I got to spend good time with the girls too and got to know Victoria so much better. It's sad it took us studying abroad to figure that out. haha She's awesome and I think we're going to take a trip to Barcelona together-Beth and I with Emily and Victoria! YES! I missed Em too, I love conversation with her, it's always good. It was super fun getting to know Greg and Margo too. It was great to put faces with the names I have heard so much about. And yes of course it was great to see Rusty. However, I think it was harder leaving them all this time than the airport in Arkansas. But there are sooo many fun adventures to come! Spring Break 2013 #Salzburg #Ithinkyes

It was a great weekend with Beth too. I'm so glad we are such close friends. She is seriously like my sister. (shout out to my real one, Davinia, miss you like crazy and we need to FaceTime soon). We are now meeting weekly to keep each other accountable and reflect on our time and pray. Today was great. I am definitely understanding the value of Christian fellowship and accountability. I miss that about OBU and definitely took my friendships for granted. Being able to have conversations about Christ that are meaningful and intentional is a great great thing and I miss having more of that, but I am so blessed to have some friends to do that with here. I feel for the other students who don't have any close friends with them. I know the Lord has to be teaching them so much. Beth and I were talking too about how much we've grown here already. It's been amazing to see God work and be so blessed by Him working in and through us. I pray He continues to do so and that we never put anything in the way to prevent that.

Beth and I FaceTimed Clay, Britt and a little bit of Logan today. I almost cried out of pure joy. I didn't realize how much I've missed them. Ah it was so great. Words cannot express how happy it made me. They are such great friends and I am sooo blessed to have them all in my lives! Shout out to all of you back at OBU: Britt, Ashley, Sam, J-Stew, Amanda, Clay, Garet, Kyle, Logan, Zach, Hunter, Coon, Jake and all of you other crazy kids. I miss you all and I hope OBU is treating you well.

I can't wait for all there is to come! :) Till next time. Booya.

"If there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation of love, any fellowship with the Spirit, any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, sharing the same feelings, focusing on one goal. Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but with humility consider others as more important than yourselves." Phil. 2:1-3

What sweet friends. I was so happy to see them!

Yeah, I know you're jealous.

I'm not going to even bother with words...

My beautiful friend. O and this church's ceiling was literally all small mosaic tiles. CRAZY!

This is for Heidi. Sorry Em I never gave you a good face. haha

So beautiful. And yes this is a famous bridge that's been in tons of movies.  Booya.