Today was my first day of school... needless to say I was nervous. However, I was blown away at how faithful God was today. Vincent and I had to take the bus today... school started at 10:30, but we left at 9:00. We got off the bus and walked to Franca's Saloon, which was helpful for me to see Franca before we went. As we walked up the slope to the school, I kept thinking about the word Courageous. It is beyond nerve wracking to go to a school where you can't speak the language, with very few people that you actually know (aka 3). But as I was walking, I kept thinking about being courageous... and then I started praying, "Lord, make me courageous," and next thing I know He's whispering, "you are courageous." That reassurance and whisper was what I needed to keep my feet moving as my heart pounded faster and faster and it drowned out everything in my brain.
When we arrived, we checked the schedule and I was in the same class as the three people I knew, which was very reassuring. Vincent introduced me to some girls and they did the whole, "ohhh you're an American!?!?" with shocked looks on their face. That's always fun to try and explain that you're from Texas and you don't have guns with you.... I love stereotypes :P When we got to the class, I lost all understanding. The teacher and people all talked ridiculously fast and I completely gave up on trying to understand. My brain got overloaded and it just stopped working. It seemed like no matter how hard I tried to concentrate and understand, I couldn't. But that didn't bother me because when I hit the point of exploding, I started praying.
My patience was tested today because I get so frustrated with myself when I can't pick something up. God is definitely working in me on that right now, though. There's not very much I can do for it at this point, but God is so much bigger. When Vincent and I were on the bus home, there were people packed in around us and it was literally impossible to move... after not being able to understand anything that was going on around me for over five hours, it was very annoying to be crammed in between tons of people that I didn't know for at least half an hour. My patience was already limited because I was frustrated with myself and how limited my understanding was, so that pushed me a little farther than I was expecting.
As I get ready to go to a camp this weekend with Chelsea, I can't help but be thankful for how far I've been pushed up until this point. If I wasn't here, I would be going through the college system with people I didn't know, and I would have gone home for Labor day weekend and hugged my friends and family that I miss more than I thought was ever possible. But I am here, and I wouldn't have it any other way. And that's exactly why I'm more thankful for the little things that push me past my comfort zone and make me learn new things than I've been for the little things at home that I miss. Now that I'm here, I can't imagine my life any other way. Being able to take a day trip to Holland, go to Italy for a week, or meet people from all around the world is something that just blows my mind and fills my heart with so much happiness. God is so faithful, and He will give me the strength I need to get through every day of school, and the courage to speak boldly about His name. Love knows no borders. His truth knows no boundaries. He is love, courage, hope, joy, truth, faith, redeemer, healer, King of Kings, and I will do everything I can to glorify Him... even if I can't speak the language around me.
Until next time -à tout-à-l'heure
KP
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