10 Months Ago

Nearly 10 months ago I headed to a little town called Friedrichshafen in southern Germany. I knew that great things awaited me, because I knew that God was leading me to that place. Where God leads, great things are bound to happen even if unseen to my human understanding. But I could never have anticipated that so many great things would happen. When the apostle Paul said that our God was able to do more than we could imagine, he was right. I never doubted this, but all the same I stand in awe and still a little bit of surprise at just how true that statement is. So many times the phrase 'who would have thought...?' has popped out of my mouth since coming back to Minnesota.

In the past 10 months,

I lived in a foreign country. My world view and understanding of people and cultures was inevitably broadened. Not only did I live in Germany, but studied in a school where 11 nationalities were represented within the student body. I experienced the unity of the body of Christ in a whole new way, seeing how the life of Christ bridges all cultures and traditions and languages. I miss hearing prayers in Japanese, Arabic, French, and German. Coming back to North America after such an experience has opened my eyes to see where we often become narrow minded and stuck in beliefs that are really basically cultural.

I met people that will become life-long friends. Yes, I still stink at long distance relationships, but I'm learning. And these people are worth keeping in touch with, and not necessarily so that I will have a place to stay if I'm in Kenya or the Netherlands.

I fell in love with the man that I am going to marry in 10 days. This has been my biggest adventure yet, the one way that God has worked in me the most dramatically. I was a perfectly happy single woman when I went to Germany, and only 4 short weeks after arriving there God made it clear to both of us that he was moving us on from singleness. Life can change so quickly, and yet when I am going the pace that God is leading it doesn't feel quickly at all. It just feels...well, natural. I never felt rushed, pushed, or pressured by either God or Jacques. I did sometimes feel stretched beyond what I was capable of, but those moments were rather brief. I don't wonder at the speed at which our relationship progressed as much as I do how clearly God led us, how faithful He was and is, and how incredibly good He has been to us. Every detail, every need, every tough decision He has taken care of, and believe me there have been a myriad of all three.

Most importantly, my view of God has expanded. I think that God often teaches us in two phases: first He teaches us, and then He teaches us what He taught us. That may sound confusing, but chances are you've been through both so you know what I mean. During the intense phase of chronic illness He taught me. And in the six months at Bodenseehof He taught me what He had been teaching me before. I had many 'Ah! so that was what He meant...' moments.

I observed and experienced the power and love and faithfulness of God in my own life and in the lives of fellow students. There is nothing harder than seeing the suffering that God often grants His children, but there is nothing more exhilarating than seeing the beauty that comes from that very suffering.

I began planning our wedding! This has been quite the roller-coaster ride. For all you up-and-coming brides out there, you can in fact plan a wedding in three months. No, my wedding hasn't actually happened yet so I won't speak too soon, but so far I've been amazed at how much you can cram into such a short amount of time.

It's been a full, crazy 10 months. Who would have thought?