Prayer Works.

"Let all that I am Praise The Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise His holy name. Let all that I am Praise The Lord; may I never forget the good things He does for me."

Psalm 103:1-2



After posting my last blog on homesickness, God revealed how faithful He is. I received so much encouragement through text, email, and Facebook, that I was literally blown away. Knowing that people are following my blog and praying for me is the most encouraging thing and I couldn't ask for more. After spending time on my knees in prayer, as well as all the prayers from home, God revealed a hope that I hadn't seen before. One that said, "Do you see? I am faithful."

After a sleepless night (an hour and a half) from jet lag and restlessness, we woke up at 3:30 to take Livia to the airport. Having just come from Texas, I knew how hard it was to leave your family and walk through those gates. Seeing Livia cry brought back memories of my departure and I ended up crying along with a girl that I barely knew, yet had some kind of unexplainable connection with.

After we traveled the hour back from Brussels to Liege, I couldn't sleep (shocker). Thankful for the 7 hour difference, I was able to Skype with my bestfriend and hear what had been going on at home since I'd left. Hearing a voice that I knew and loved made all the difference in the world. I ended up taking a two hour nap, out of pure exhaustion and adrenaline, and woke up around 14h (2:00). Franca asked if I wanted to go explore Liege so I jumped out of bed and got ready to see a city that I still had yet to explore. I was able to see more of the culture and hear conversations going on around me. The more we explored, the more I fell in love with this beautiful city.

After we got home from the square, I asked Franca if I could go run through the block (since you can't really go around). Stepping out of the house without them was one of the most exhilarating, terrifying, exciting things I've done. Not to mention it felt amazing to allow my legs to move again! Not many people would go running in a foreign country, but I felt like a new person afterwards. I never realized how much I loved, and missed, running and squats!

Because I am able to identify certain areas when we go out, pick up pieces of conversations, and step out just a little bit, I am feeling more at home here. Just from the last day, I can tell the difference and I know how hard it will be to leave. A friend asked me, "if you could leave, would you?" No. As hard as it is to be somewhere where everything is unknown, I wouldn't change a second of it. The longer I'm here, the more I love it. I wish that I was able to parle (speak) back when they ask me questions or inquire about something, but I don't know enough of the language to form anything but extremely simple sentences. Prayers for that would be greatly appreciated, and continued prayer on adaptation and comprehension!

So thank you. Your prayers and encouragement has made all the difference in the world and literally turned my sadness into praise. God is faithful, y'all. And He is oh so good!



This is the City Hall of Liege (in the City Square)

The city bus



One of the streets :)

It rains all the time, so of course I had to take a picture if it!



This is inside of the Cathedral that Franca goes to

My family doesn't like the rain, so we ran through it to get back to the car and hid under a lean-to. It was, by far, one of my favorite moments in Belgium. :)

This is the outside of the Cathedral that Franca attends

My view on my run