Apologies for the lack of posts. Internet time goes by fast. Maybe time just runs quicker here? Because I don't know how, but there are only two and a half weeks left. I'm ready to wake up any minute now and find that this was all a dream. I am living a dream.

The weekend in London was amazing. Every minute of it was incredible... I don't think I ever went three days straight without a dull minute. We did so much! I met Joe's brother Dave and saw a lot of his artwork, including roughs for a new book he's illustrating for. That was awesome. I made some new friends and learned how to play Perudo. We went horseback riding through streams, hills, trees, and in the bright sun in Exmoor, England on Friday, and I went to Joe's Christian Union group, where I made more friends and watched a movie afterward with ice cream and Rosso wine. Saturday was a great day spent in London. From Buckingham palace, the Big Ben, Parliament, the Tate Modern museum, the Glode Theatre, the London Eye, and more, everything was perfect. It was so good to see old friends and make new ones. I loved meeting up with Lindsay Roper amongst all of it, too! We hung out in pubs, got to walk around a lot, talked, and we had a traditional Sunday roast after a service at a Hillsong Church. And on top of that, a whole other story developed when my flight back to Rome was late, causing me to miss my train to Orvieto. The next one was 6:00 AM, giving me 3 hours to get to my 9:00 AM class.

When I could've chosen to freak out and hide away in the train station til morning, out of sight of strangers, mulling over the fact that I could be in my bed sleeping, I chose to keep on praying and keep my spirits up. Good choice. I saw a guy there that looked American and a little lost, so I knew I should talk to him. Turned out some Italians gave him the wrong train to Florence and he ended up in Rome, causing him to wait all night for a 6:30 AM train to Florence. We decided to stick together and talk. He said, "I hope I get to come back to Rome some time. I hear there are some pretty cool things to see." Then I said, "Let's go!"So, from 2:00 AM to 5:00 AM, I took him to the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, past these monumental buildings all lit up and being circled by birds that gave the illusion of swirling stars, we stopped at a number of places overlooking the empty piazzas complete with sculptures and fountains, and had a pleasant stroll through the perfect weather and empty streets. He mentioned how glad he was to experience Rome for the first time like that. At 4:00 AM, we crossed a pastry shop that was just opening, and he bought me gelato. We made it back the the station in time for our trains, and what could've been a long and dreary night turned out to be such a great one. I'm glad I was able to share what I knew about Rome, and allow somebody else to experience it under such unpredictable circumstances! Thank the good Lord for it.

More and more, I'm seeing how everything can be seen as an opportunity. An opportunity to step out of one's comfort zone, to dig deeper, to learn, and to try something new. I'd rather not be sitting still.

I am starting to see little ways in which I've changed. From what I see, I like it. I can't imagine how it will all surface once I'm finally home.