Blurred

I must ask you to excuse me if my update seems a bit blurred. The truth is, the past week has been a complete blur and I am just going to start writing and hope it comes out sensibly. The Lord has dealt bountifully with me. That is the truth I have taken out of the past week, and past month since being in Germany. He has been the shade on my right hand. My strength and my treasure. I am currently lying in a bed at the Seamer's house. Stephen Seamer is the chaplain at Christ Church where I have been attending. Julia is his wife. The reason that I am sleeping here? I quite literally packed up all my belongings yesterday and left my home in Kaiserswerth. It's funny how stuffing your entire life into 3 suitcases takes an hour. God placed people in my life during the weeks I have been here that I did not realize would be such an important part of his plan for me. When I found myself with no home, no phone, no family, and 3 suitcases, God sent people that took me into their arms and supported me when I had nowhere to go in a foreign country. All my plans are rapidly changing, but what I find the strangest in the midst of so many REALLY STRANGE events is that I feel free. I feel like myself again. I didn't realize I was drowning until I got pulled out of the water. God gave me the strength to step out in faith and be on top of the waves. I dealt with conflict, I faced realities I did not want to face, I had unflinching honesty about self, world and love, I let God take the lead and show me HIS way, though it was far from where I wanted to go. Being on the other side of the storm, I see so clearly why it rained. The rain that caused me grief also taught me how to let God be my God. It let me open my heart to the wonders of the Lord's character and how he shapes my story. I know with all of my soul that I have great plans ahead of me. Any hardships that are along the way will be fought through with God at my side. I walk IN his faithfulness with his love ever BEFORE me. Bask in the picturesque glory of that statement. I could have chosen to regret traveling halfway across the world and finding myself jobless, homeless, and plan less. But despite the trials of where I was, that was what brought me to Germany. That was my ticket. Now that I am here, I have already met a vast amount of people that I would NEVER give up knowing, despite any hardships I might face. I have learned more about the world in this month than in my entire life. I am growing! I spent the afternoon peeling, dicing, and washing freshly picked apples from a tree Julia and I passed by while walking. We made an apple/blackberry crumble with them. Delicious. I went to a bible study at an Irishmen's house this evening. First time I have heard my last name spoken correctly. My entire life is up in the sky! I have no idea what is coming next and I am reveling in it. I am young and wild and adventurous! I will look back fondly on this year, even though the memories will be crevassed with pain that went deeper than ever before, and days that were the worst I have ever experienced, because molded into those memories will also be the greatest joys in my life and the most exhilarating sense of growth I have ever known. I am blessed. I am EXACTLY where God wants me. I am going to seize every day that comes my way. Carpe Diem. I am the pencil and God is my eraser!!! He truly fixes all the errors. I realize that I have not given much detail into my situation, but for privacy reasons, I will be keeping it that way. For further questions, I will be more than willing to answer (most of them) just send me an email or a message on Facebook. I love you all. Tata for now.