Stronger.

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger". I'm not dead yet, so I know that God must have been strengthening, and building me up over the past few days. On Sunday I landed in Kansas City for Candidate Orientation Program (COP). One major step necessary for my return to the field in Italy.

Three months ago, when I arrived back in the States, every thought and reaction was coated by overwhelming emotions. There were days that it felt like I had just stepped off the plane, and there were others that felt like I had never left. Those that felt like I had never left were the more challenging ones. My heart and mind were not in one place or the other,..rather I felt like two completely different people. Not that my character had been inconsistent, but as though I had always been in the States, but I had always been in Italy as well. Things as small as meeting with some of my closest friends felt foreign and awkward. I missed "real" food, and the reality of no public transportation set in quickly. The first week at church was definitely hardest, but I don't know that it has grown all that much easier either.

COP:
Support raising, which once looked like it would be a struggle the size of the Alps I used to admire from my terrace, has become a process of strengthening and encouragement. What an incredible opportunity to meet those who share a love for Christ, and to share the ways in which He has inspired my life.

The week has been incredibly intense and filled with long days but God has definitely been encouraging me this week through the fellowship with others who share the same beliefs and passions. We've not only been going through cross-cultural adaptation studies, but have also undergone long and tedious accounting and financial studies. However, I am grateful because it is all things I will need to know and want to be able to do for myself once I am on the field.

Praying that God would continue to guide my heart and my steps as many opportunities lie ahead.

Ciao!