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It was 3:30 am and the last four hours had seemed an eternity as she slipped in and out of consciousness. When the plane finally landed in Israel, the feeling of victory that swelled in her heart was indescribable as she praised God for His unfailing faithfulness. “I am sending you to My people, Israel.” He had said. And in Israel she now was. There was still customs to get through, the shuttle to find, the hotel to locate, and then the question of what to do for the remainder of the morning, but none of that was as important as the fact that she had seen the fulfillment of God’s promise in her life in such a real and tangible way. ...

“Are you interested in going?” she asked, looking away from the road for a brief moment to look at my face. “Yeah, I actually am.” I said as I pondered for a second the reality of what was going through my heart and mind. Israel. The Holy Land. The inheritance of God’s chosen people. My home for the spring semester. I had not planned on going abroad for any more semesters. Work, pay for school, finish school had been the plan, but as Alina answered the questions I was asking about the Calvary Chapel Bible College campus in Jerusalem, I realized that a true consideration of the possibility had been stirring in my heart. ...

Have you ever seen the movie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? You know the scene where Mike Teavee gets shrunk and Willy Wonka has the Oompa Loompas take him to the taffy puller to make him big again? Well that’s what this semester has been like for me. I thought I had firm faith before coming here this semester, I thought I had learned to live by faith and trust God, but let me just say that I hadn’t (and probably still haven’t) seen anything yet. If you’ve followed me on my adventures through Bible College, you know that I am now pursuing my bachelor’s degree at Calvary Chapel Bible College in Murrieta through Calvary Chapel University. I shared a few posts ago about the higher tuition costs and the way God has provided, but recently my faith was put to the test. ...

Human beings will let you down. It is just a reality of life. It isn’t a sad reality, really, just a fact of life. If we can grasp that then I think our relationships will be a lot more fruitful because we won’t project unrealistic expectations upon those around us. The only thing we have to be careful of is that we DON’T lower our expectations of God. So often I feel like I have it backwards; like I have monumental expectations for the people in my life and then when they disappoint me, I turn that back on God and expect Him to let me down too. The only difference is that He never disappoints and He always fulfills His promises even when people don’t. ...

Do you ever feel like there are some parts of you that you need to conceal in order to appear to advantage? I do. Parts of my face, my body, my heart. So many blemishes and flaws that I wish to hide as if tucking them away and keeping you at arms distance where I look my best will make them any less present. But the reality is that those parts of me are still there even when I fool you into thinking they aren’t. Before you read any further, I have to give you fair warning; I am about to be totally honest and it may be…well, I’ll let you decide how it affects you when you get to the end. ...

Roses are sometimes pink. Violets aren’t always the same shade of blue. And life isn’t always what we thought it would be. Last night two of my closest friends from high school promised to love and cherish one another before death do they part and I couldn’t be more excited for the new chapter of their lives. I had the privilege of standing beside Mel (the bride) as her maid of honor and it was not at all what I thought it would be. If you asked her, (and she answered honestly) she might tell you that I let her down and that I didn’t really fulfill the role she asked me to play in the biggest day of her life. And she would be right. ...

May 31, 2017 And just like that the semester is over, Bible college is complete, and I am back in sunny southern California. The emotional transition back into life at home has been MUCH smoother this year, for which I am grateful. When graduation rolled around last spring I was dealing with the most potent mixture of sadness and joy as I looked back on the amazing three months I had spent in Italy and ahead to the uncertain chasm of time that lay between me and any possibility of seeing all of the Italian people I had fallen in love with. I had made a friendship that I didn’t want to move thousands of miles away from and the thought that I might not see Daniela again for who knows how many years made my heart feel like it was suffocating. BUT, God has been so faithful and He allowed me another incredible three months in Italy (just one year later!!!) with all of the people I hold so dear, plus plenty of new friends who I now cherish and miss. About a week before graduation I was feeling that familiar sadness that kind of colors everything and makes you feel heavy (the kind that evokes long wistful sighs), but I just took it to the Lord and asked Him to turn my mourning into rejoicing. ...

I only have two weeks left in Italy and they are going to be jam packed! Tomorrow our hermeneutics block class starts and will completely change the weekly schedule. Usually we have Mondays off, but tomorrow we will have 5 and a half hours of hermeneutics and then our usual classes will continue on Tuesday through Friday with the addition of a 2 and a half hour hermeneutics class everyday. The idea is that you get a semester’s worth of class time and learning in just two weeks so it’s nose to the grindstone, but only for a little while. Unfortunately my mom will be arriving right in the middle of this craziness because of a scheduling error which made it so that the class was moved to these next two weeks rather than last week and this coming week. ...

There is a love that transcends feelings and emotions. It is steadfast and pursuing. It gets a hold of you and never lets you go. That is the love that God has for us and expressed to us through the cross. That is the love that I have experienced, and that is the love that I so often forget to extend to others. This week has been the most difficult of the semester, hands down. I have experienced so much of what makes us human. From others alteration, injustice, bitterness, distrust, fickleness, infidelity, betrayal. From within anger, pain, sadness, confusion, doubt, unrest. Yet in the midst of it all, I was met from above with love, mercy, grace, patience, kindness, compassion, peace, and joy. ...

Today we leave for Greece! We will be exploring Athens and Corinth as part of our Footsteps of Paul class and I am SO EXCITED!!! I can’t believe that I will be able to walk through the Acropolis and stand atop Mars Hill, that I will get to behold the Bema Seat in Corinth and gain a greater understanding of the Bible through these places. All of the students (except for one girl who sprained her ankle badly on her outreach) and 6 staff members will be flying there today and I ask that you keep us in your prayers. Several of us have been battling colds and other physical infirmities, so please pray for health and safety for all of us as we travel today and while we are there. We will arrive there at 11 pm (which is 2 pm California time) after 9 hours of traveling, so I am sure we will all be exhausted. Our hostel is a five-minute walk from Mars Hill, so I hope to take advantage of the sunrises and sunsets. Monday is a national holiday so most businesses will be closed, but we will be able to explore Athens and possibly (Lord willing) go to the beach. We also plan on seeing Mars Hill and the Temple of Zeus on Monday. Tuesday will be completely absorbed in our trip to Corinth where we will get to explore the ancient ruins of the city and see the Bema Seat which Paul references in his letters to the churches. On Wednesday we will go to the Agora and the Acropolis and then Thursday morning will be spent searching for souvenirs before we head back to Italy at 12 pm. It is definitely going to be a whirlwind of a trip and I can’t wait to see all that the Lord has for us there! ...