Beyond a shadow of a doubt...

Whew it has been a busy couple of weeks! The pictures above are of Valentines Day. We went on a group date-- due to the lack of guys on this trip it was 4 girls to each guy-- We had a great dinner and then went to the Nation Concert Hall of Dublin. It was an incredible night. We really had so much fun.
We have had one of our Taylor professors here for the past week teaching Celtic Christianity. We have been in the classroom a lot, and we have really been learning so many good things though.
This past week we took a trip to Kelkenny, Ireland. We got to see some great Monasteries, Abbeys, and best of all Castles!!!
The business is sometimes overwhelming, but I know that it will slow down soon.
I have really enjoyed getting to know people better on a daily basis. There are so many different people that bring so much to the group as a whole. It has been so cool to see how God has uniquely chosen each of us to play a key role in this experience.
This has also helped with being a bit homesick. There are many times when I want to pick up the phone, or see someone's face from back home, and I can't. I know that this is good for me. I need to learn how to love my family and friends more, but depend on them less. Which for me is a bit difficult because there are just so many great people to miss.
God has been teaching me to trust in Him more, and fear this world less. I have gotten so caught up in my own plans that I haven't taken the time to give those to God and ask if that is even what He planned for me. For now I don't know what that will look like as it plays out in my life. I have always been a bit of a worrier, and I think that this idea of trust is going to be an ongoing battle in my life. This doesn't mean that I can choose to embrace it and become complacent. If anything it means that I need to strive harder to combat it even more. I have so many questions about my future, and fears as to how that will look. I think for now though I need to just embrace the moments. And let me just say that there are so many fantastic moments in this place! I never want to take them for granted.
As for now I know that beyond a shadow of a doubt I am in the right place at the right time.
And I'm feeling blessed :)

The Start to my Beautiful Adventure!

I've been in Ireland for over a week, and the time has gone by so fast. Traveling didn't necessarily go as planned, but it ended up working out better than I expected. Surprisingly I remained strong and held off tears for my goodbyes. It was hard to say bye to Mom and Dad, but I wasn't totally convinced that I was really going away for so long.
So after waiting for over 6 hours in at Indy for our plane to arrive from a storm in Charlot, we had missed our flight from Philly to Dublin. We ended up taking the flight that night to Philly and then we stayed there and left for Dublin late Saturday night. The good news from all of this is that I got to see Rachel while I was in town. It had been over a year since I had last seen her, so it was really great to get a chance to spend time with her-- even if it was for only a short while-- It was good!
So if any on you were wondering what it might be like to sleep on a plane, it's nearly impossible. After a night of hardly any sleep we arrived in Dublin on Sunday.
This country is breathtaking. I was captivated the moment we landed. I am loving it so much! The are so many things to see and explore, I can hardly take it all in. Sometimes I think that three months may not be enough (Don't worry Mom and Dad, I will be more than ready to see you by then!)
I am living in a little town forty minutes outside of Dublin called Greystones. It is so great. Outside my bedroom window, that is the size of a shoebox, I get to see the hills and the ocean.
There are a lot of cute shops in walking distance, and we can take the train, aka the Dart, to so many other connecting towns. Everything is quaint and close here. It is going to be hard to go back to Upland.
My team is great, and I cannot wait to see the ways that we grow throughout the next couple of months. It is going to be neat to see how much our community grows throughout this time.
Late night talks, long hikes, walks along the shore, and coffee treks to new places consume my days.--it's pretty rough!
So you are probably thinking what about school? Well we have had a few classes, but the have been nice. It has been a bit difficult fighting jet-lag and getting use to the time change. In addition to that they have been gracious enough to let us explore and get use to the area.
We went to Glendalough on Saturday it is a monastic village from the 6th century. I climbed over 600 steps to the top of these crazy hills and then down and around a beautiful lake. God's creation is constantly taking my breath away here. We visited Newgrange, which is a stone age passage tomb that is older than the pyramids! It was really neat! The next couple of weeks may be a little more tough academically, so I will have to buckle down and get to work.--I guess that is what I am here for after all...
I am truly blessed to be here, and I never want to take this place for granted. I hope that you all are doing well :)