Thy Will Be Done!

Friends, forewarning, this post is being written as I am abounding with excitement! What excitement is this you ask? Well, it is quite nerdy of me, but as you may know I leave to be whisked off to places I never imagined going in just twelve days. This is exciting yes, but what I have found even more exciting as I plan my stops in these various countries, even continents, is all of the biblical significance they carry.
I have been doing a bit of research and have found that Acts hints that Izmir/ Ephesus was a major port used by the apostles as well as the home to John once Jesus had died. This fact has created speculation that Mary's last days were also spent here as she was entrusted to John's care upon Jesus' death; lucky me, my tour stops at her believed humble abode which is a place of pilgrimage for many Christians and Muslims alike. On top of this, some scholars and historians believe that Ephesus may be where John was living while writing his gospel, well the ones that believe he, himself wrote his gospel. John is also considered to have written the book of Revelation while living in Ephesus. Another book that has clear significance in this region is the Letter to the Ephesians. A lesser known book was Paul's first letter to the Corinthians which is believed to have been written here sometime after his first visit to Corinth.
Furthermore is Istanbul which has very few modern day Christians as they are only beginning to have religious freedom, but Istanbul was still a big passing point being the city that spans both Asia and Europe. I am excited to experience a mecca for another religion though because in my humble opinion it can only be an enriching experience. Plus, it should be exciting to see what it is like for the 1000 missionaries living there as tent makers who are trying to spread the Christian faith- inspiring stuff! Oh, and I may get to take a tour with a Christian man (and foodie!) who has lived there for the last ten years.
The next stop is Athens! Athens is where many think Paul was when he wrote his letter to the Galatians. In addition, Athens is where Paul gave his famous speech at the Areopagus about Jesus' resurrection.
Finally we come to Rome. As a catholic for obvious reasons Rome is attractive...the Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica, and the Pope! Y'all I am SO EXCITED to spend a day at the Vatican!!! But this is not Rome's only biblical significance. First is the obvious section of the bible, Paul' s letter to the Romans, but tacked on, maybe quite as obvious, being the first pope and all, is 1 Peter. The not so obvious book that is suspected to have been written in Rome is the gospel of Mark. Also, fun fact: I just found out today that most of the time Babylon or its fall is mentioned in the New Testament it is actually Rome. At the time of the NT Babylon had very little significance and most of its references line up with what was actually taking place in Rome during the time period.
Anywho....
Now that I have all of this info what might I do with it you ask? Well in the coming two weeks I am hoping to spend most of my time reading all of the above books of the bible that have been mentioned. I feel this could be a bit ambitious, but at the same time I also feel like it is probably the most valid way in which I have, and ever will, procrastinate! So along with the Proverbs 31 study I mentioned a week or so ago (an update on that to come soon!) I am also going to set the goal to have these books read/ refreshed before I arrive in their respective cities!
Honestly, these are not the places I was expecting to see while on my year abroad, but I also have not been this excited to see new places in a long, long, long, long time! This is one of those moments when I truly understand how amazing not having expectations can be, but also how true it is that the Lord has plans for us that are preordained and completely foreign to our tiny little imaginations. His will is so much more powerful than my wants that it actually changes my desires to match His will; what a genius!

The things I am telling you about in this post and so many other things taking place in my life right now are definitely the embodiment of my favorite verse- the one that I desperately clung to when first understanding what a true relationship with Christ is, and every day since...

Psalm 139:16 "Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

I hope everyone has a wonderful week and I hope to get around to my Proverbs 31 update this weekend!

Kentucky Cousins?

As promised I am dropping in to post some pictures from my recent trip up into the Highlands of Scotland. These are just a few of the pics, a peek into the trip, but if you would like to see more pop over to my Facebook. I am not actually sure what the best way to go about this is as we visited SO MANY places! I think I am just going to go for it by picture and hopefully that will put us in some kind of order!

Day 1- Loch Ness

Our first stop was the small town of Dunkeld to see a cathedral!

After a quick stop there we hit the road again and stopped for a few pictures here and there along the way including some in on of two National Parks in Scotland, this was Cairngorm...

After a few more stops in places on the loop up north we arrived at the bottom of Loch Ness in Fort Augustus (I will just add that there is a ton of history revolving around everywhere we stopped; mostly to do with the picts and other Scots fighting the Jacobites)

Upon our continued journey north we hit up a castle, passed through Inverness, then stopped at an ancient stone burial ground (but the main attraction for me was the Hogwarts Express Bridge over yonder!)

Finally, to end our journey on the way back we made another stop in Aviemore which is the ski town in the Cairngorms here in Scotland. (Fun fact: there are areas of mountains (Bens) in Scotland that have the same climate of the frozen tundra!)

I am not going to say "that was it" for day one because it was actually an eight hour trip and I actually cannot believe how much ground we covered! 

Day Two- Highlands and Whisky Distillery (which I forgot to take a picture of...)

First up we have the Fourth of Fife bridge, some odd "scottish sea creatures" that just look like horses to me, and the Wallace Monument.

I proceeded to take some pictures as we drove though Trossachs National Park before making it to Famous Grouse Distillery

We stopped in a few small cattle towns that lie between a lot of farm land which reminded me so much of home...as did the Scotch! (I am fairly certain Kentucky shares a common bloodline with Scotland!) After the distillery we had a few extra minutes and made a stop to take a wee walk through the woods to see a waterfall. 

Apparently this waterfall normally looks like a small creek with a nice lagoon at the bottom, but because Scotland is basically flooding right now, we go to see it much larger, not to mention the forest was covered in the site of my favorite flowers, lilies of the valley! After the short hike it was back on the bus, another stop back in Dunkeld followed by our arrival back in St. A's. Day two was quite a bit shorter, but I think I liked it better as I thoroughly enjoyed the countryside!

This brings us to the end of the peek into this beautiful area of the world God has me right now, but I assure you I will be checking back in pretty soon, but with a completely different topic! 

Hit the Road Jack!

Hey, hey, hey whadda ya say?! (Sorry, weird mood!) Anyhow, I just thought I would pop in to give some details of the trip I mentioned in my last post! Before I get to that one though, be on the look out for some pictures to be posted in the near future of the trips I am taking this weekend! Tomorrow will be the Loch Ness (hopefully I see Nessie ;)...HIMYM reference anyone?!) and Sunday will be up into the Highlands and to a fairly famous whiskey distillery. I must say I am pretty excited to see the land of what seems to be my Kentucky cousins as they did inspire bluegrass music and Bourbon!

To fill you in on my up coming spring break though! I am taking a trip with another JYA, Molly. We will be off to Rome to hop on a cruise that will sail to Olympia and Athens, Greece, followed by Ephesus and Istanbul, Turkey, and topped of with Naples, Italy before we head back to Rome to site see for a couple more days! I cannot even begin to explain how excited I am for this trip. There are so many things flying through my head that I want to do, but I must say at the top of my list is the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. I am pretty sure I will want to buy everything (Harem pants!!!!!); I am just wondering how I will get it back with Ryanair's stingy luggage limitations!

Not too much in this post, but get excited for some pictures to be headed your way!

I Guess You Could Say This Is Valentiney...

Hello again friends (finally)! I am just stopping in to update you all now that I am all settled in up north here in Scotland again! I am actually lucky enough that it is about 20 to 40 degrees warmer here on the daily than if I were back in Lex!
Anyway, on to the real reason I am updating my corner of the world wide web! I have regrouped and managed to muster up some energy and confidence over the break and I am back in St. Andrews, and taking on my future in life, in full force. So far, I have managed to get a lot of small things accomplished like getting a part time job at a sweet little family run gelateria, finished cover letters and internship applications, etc. etc. etc. Along with this I have joined a bible study here in St. A's with some of the sweetest, most wise people I have met since being in this town. Such a breath of fresh air! I am beyond thankful.
In addition to figuring out how to better do life up here, I have come to terms with a lot that is going on in life in general. Last semester and over break I was beginning to get overwhelmed with the idea of my future since real life seems to be approaching much quicker than I had ever anticipated. With this being said, I have decided, upon a lot of prayer, that that is exactly why I am in this small secluded place 3,000 miles away from home, family and friends. To get a little more specific, I feel that I am here to truly form my identity and figure out who I am without the influence of so many loved ones. Of course, I already am someone very different from anyone else and have an identity, everyone does, but up here I am able to see for myself what that is rather than identifying myself by who I hang out with and the things I do, though those are important in shaping me. (Enough with that soap box!) One day, probably mid to late semester, I will devote a post directly related to this idea.
Anywho, to move things along...to continue shaping who I am I set a few goals to reach this semester to begin making me the person I want to become. I want to strongly stick out my christian lifestyle which I can tell you is no easy task when, for the first time since really understanding what my christianity meant, I am removed from the daily presence of my christian friends and community. While it is difficult, it is also rewarding now that I have figured out how to plug myself into a different community as well as hold myself accountable to daily time with God.
The second goal I have set for myself is to do an in depth study of Proverbs 31 and begin creating habits that are found in it because there is little I want more than to be a wonderful wife and mother someday. Friends, I must say this study is very interesting so far, it is extremely challenging, but it is also giving me insight that I have never heard. I sincerely wish I could talk to every wife and mother I know about this topic because I want to take it all in and truly understand what lies ahead, and how to prepare myself to be a wife that is not doubted; that works from before dawn to past dusk; that is uplifting yet honest; that raises children and houses a family in a loving, inspirational christian home, and so on. I am beginning to understand that having a spouse and a successful marriage is privilege that is God given; I really do hope to be deserving of this gift. I desire the responsibilities that come with being a wife so much, but they are something I know I will only understand, God willing, when the time comes. And I so desire it to come!

Well, I guess although this ended a bit random it is just in time for Valentines Day! (wanting to be a wife is about the same as having a boyfriend right?! .....Maybe I'll just stick to my cupcakes for now.....)Anyway, I will be sure to check in soonish with details of my upcoming spring break trip!


P.S. If you have any advice or help with Proverbs 31 I would be extremely grateful for it. Even if you know someone who has good wisdom on the topic please, please, please turn them my way! I would love to learn from them and maybe even ask a question or two!