Lead me. Guide me. Stand by me.

I'm only a couple weeks into my journey in Europe, and I think I have already learned one of the most important lessons that I will learn on my adventures abroad...possibly one of the most important lessons that I will learn in life. I already knew this, but I guess it's just more apparent now:

I am never alone, because God is always with me.

Homesickness has taken its course many times, and I'm sure it will continue to do so every now and then. Even though I do have some friends here and I'm adjusted to this new lifestyle, I still miss home A LOT. There are times when I may feel alone, nervous, anxious...feelings that are unavoidable and are bound to come when being away from all that is familiar. But one thing never changes (except for being more prevalent)--God's presence in my life. My family & friends know that my faith is really important to me (...if you didn't, well, you do now haha).

Every weekend I have been here, I have made it a point to go to Mass--regardless of what language it is in. So far, I've been to Masses that were in German, Latin, or French. When I plan my adventures, I make sure that there is a Catholic church nearby so that I can go on Saturday or Sunday. Just give me a new city/country to visit, somewhere to stay, and a church to go to, and I'll be all set!

Marburg, Germany

 Vatican City



Nice, France

I really like going into European churches, too, because they are just so beautiful to see. The architecture is amazing, in addition to the pipe organs--hearing those being played is wonderful in itself.

There's just something about being in a church that is comforting to me, and I love it. It's nice to be in God's house and take the time to be with Him and thank Him for keeping me safe, guiding my journeys, and blessing me with this awesome opportunity to study abroad and experience the world.

There have been times so far when I have thought that travel plans weren't going to happen (i.e. going to Rome--I'll write about this later!) or when I didn't know exactly what to do in a given situation (i.e. missing a train...when the next train wasn't coming for another 8 hours--I'll write about this later, too!), but somehow everything ended up working out just fine...because He is with me.

One song that I've been listening to a lot is "Stand By Me," as sung by the choir that I'm a part of back home. It reminds me that He is always with me--no matter what. It also reminds me that if He brings me to it, He'll bring me through it. This has taught me to be strong, and has made me realize that I'm stronger than I know. I've surprised myself with my traveling/adapting abilities/skills and my willingness to try new things. It also helps further my determination to make things happen and have a "Go for it!" attitude. And when things don't happen the way I would have liked them to happen, then I do my best to make the most out of what I have & enjoy my time abroad as much as I possibly can!

Before starting out on this new chapter in my life, I knew that my faith was going to grow. I am 100% thankful that it has! Throughout my next months in Europe, I know that I will continue to become closer to God, and I wouldn't have it any other way! :)


Peace. Love. Happiness.

--TR