It is so good to be back in Rome after a week of traveling. I started last week in England for a few days. I have always wanted to visit England ever since I was little and I was so excited to finally get the chance. I stayed one night in Oxford with Anna who was here with the team from Oxford and then two nights in Coventry with Alex and Jon who were here for a few weeks and I went into London for a little while. I loved every minute I was in England. I knew I would like it but I was surprised how much I really did at the end of my few days there. I was upset Thursday when I had to go to the train to leave. From England I met Leah who is visiting from Charleston and we went onto Paris, Venice and Pisa. All for just a few hours. We finally arrived back here Monday afternoon. The travels were a great time to refocus and really pray for open and closed doors. And of course just like God does He answers not always how we expect but He answered.

Since arriving we have been praying for the door to either open or close at my old job. Well the door is finally closed. I got an e-mail last week basically saying that they felt as though God was not calling me to go back. I was feeling that also and had a peace about that but it still came as a shock for some reason. I know it was because it is not just the end of a job but a change in certain relationships with students and other things back home. But right away God answered the prayer and I made the decision to extend my stay here in Rome. I am going to be house sitting/watchin Roberto's children for two weeks. And now I have a job interview in outside London. Which is crazy to even type right now. Right now there are doors opening around me and I need to push them see which ones are right and which ones are not. I have no idea now where I am going to be come September. The two major themes right now that I am praying into are waiting and walking on the water. Andrea sent me a verse that really showed where I was - the verse is Dt. 32:11-14. The second thing God is really saying now is how far are you willing to go? I am feeling challenged to really step out of the boat and into the water. It is incredible after spending a week away to really hear what God is saying and after waiting for Him to close doors to watch everything begin to unfold is so exciting but I know that it is going to still require some waiting.
One really cool note about today. Today I was in Paul's prison praying with Leah and just a sense of peace about everything came over me and as we read through Ephesians you could feel God's presence in there and just sense really how big He is and how big His love for us is. We walked out amazed and in awe over it.
Thank you for your prayers. It is so good to be here in Rome sorting it all out and to have the support and prayers of Tchad and Andrea has been absolutely amazing.