unpacked.

I've been home for a little over a week now and finally have everything unpacked!

I still don't think I'm fully used to the fact that I am home and my semester in Spain is over. It's already feeling like a dream. Did I really just spend 3 1/2 months studying Spanish in Málaga, living with a Spanish family, and traveling in Europe? I could not be more grateful for this opportunity.

I learned so much and I grew so much. Here are a few of the many things:

I know that God is with me no matter what. He whispered His promises in my ear on so many different occasions reassuring me of His presence and purpose. I'm still working on letting HIM be enough all the time, but I have felt Him in new ways and have learned to trust Him more.

I am so blessed to have such amazing family and friends in my life. Having people to miss is a blessing. My amazing parents love and support me no matter what.

I have incredible friends to share life with.

I have the best brother in the world. Even 5,000 miles apart, we grew closer.

I have gained a new understanding and appreciation for other people and cultures around the world. I met a lot of amazing people and learned so much from them.

I learned how much I love Greeley and UNC. God knew that it was the perfect place for me and I am so grateful that I ended up there. I'm really excited to be back next fall!

Learning a second language is so important. Everyone in Europe is familiar with multiple languages and many are fluent in 2 or 3 or 5. In the US, we often assume that everyone should speak English and when we go to different countries, we assume people will speak to us in English. Why don't we learn their language?

Traveling for me is more about the people I'm with and the relationships I'm building than the sights I see. I would rather travel to the poorest regions of the world and spend time loving on the orphans and people there than see all the tourist sights Europe or somewhere else has to offer. In no way does this mean that I didn't love this trip, because I did! I saw a lot of amazing places and history and culture. But  now,I would rather work on raising money to go to Haiti, than saving money to go on another tourist adventure.

Fellowship, church, and worship is so important. Though I missed a lot of what I am familiar with here and being able to understand the entire service, we found an amazing church in Málaga that I really miss. The people were so welcoming and it was such a privilege to worship in Spanish!

I feel like there is so much more than I will ever be able to put into words. This experience was absolutely amazing and I am so blessed. I can't believe it is over. I can't believe I did this. 

I'm so happy I did this.