Finally us.

Six months ago, everything seemed like a dream. We had only heard the accounts of others that had gone before us on a trip such as this. “Don’t spend money here…” “Never wear this…” they said. Finally, as we are now just 9 days away from leaving on this journey, our own mark has begun to show. The four of us are equally terrified about leaving what we know and those we love; yet, our friendship and unified sense of adventure — and our faith that God really does want us to do this — seems to wipe away all of our doubt. But that’s just what Jesus does in times of strife, hope finds its own apex within our despair. So, where our image of this trip once hung by a thread, it is now firm. We are confident. We are immortal. Some might say reckless — and some might be right — but we truly believe that sometimes adventure must be reckless. It often must take a plunge, or a risk. In Ecclesiastes 11, verses 3 and 4, Solomon says:

If clouds are full of water,
                                    they pour rain on the earth.
                                    Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
                                    in the place where it falls, there it will lie.
                                    Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
                                    whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

So true are these words. We cannot sit idle and worry about the things we know will happen.  We can only approach this head-on, and love every second of it.

Although there are only some 216 hours until we leave, it feels so refreshing to look back on the entirety of this process up until now. How much love we’ve received, and the full extent of the support from our family and friends. We really do feel the power of prayer from those around us. I personally underestimated this power in the beginning. With all of this at our backs, we have continued to plan and prepare; further cementing our mark on this journey. At the start I felt that we were merely running on the tracks that had already been placed by so many that have gone before. But now it feels unique. God surely has bigger plans than to send us on the same thing that we have read and seen in pictures. It’s a feeling that is hard to explain; which is why I will instead let one of my all-time favorite poets, May Sarton, explain it for me:

Now I become myself. It’s taken
Time, many years and places;
I have been dissolved and shaken,
Worn other people’s faces

She is so good at explaining the feeling of relief when you finally see the fruits of your labor. Finally, we are living our dream. Finally, we are embarking upon the trip that will change our lives, perspectives, and even our faith. Finally now. Finally Europe. Finally us.

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