Monday, September 12

            I had kind of a tiring, challenging day today. It started off really good…I read in Mark about the woman who poured expensive perfume on Jesus before He was crucified, and it reminded me that God showers us in extravagant blessings every day. I prayed for God to give me strength to bless others extravagantly and that He would open my eyes to see the blessings He lays out before me every minute of the day. After this, I had a peaceful walk to school and started classes as normal.

            One daily blessing I’ve been noticing is that the “walk” signal on stoplights almost always shows up just as I get to the crosswalk, and I always walk across the street with a big smile (which makes me easy to pick out as an American) because I know that God is watching out for me as I walk to and from school. During class I kind of felt like I was just having an off day, and I got a bit more homework than I would have liked. After school, I studied in the park for a while as usual, and then Corinne and I went home for lunch. The afternoon seemed to drag on rather slowly as I worked on homework.

            I know that homework is a big part of the reason I’m here, but during long afternoons like this, I can’t help but think “I can do homework at home, where I’m comfortable and have friends…I should be here having fun or at home with my nose in books.” I’m praying for patience and eyes to see what God has for me each day as He guides me through my semester here. Later in the afternoon, I just couldn’t stand studying anymore, so I went to the neighborhood park, which has become one of my favorite hang outs, to read and walk for a while. It was really refreshing, and I ran into my friend Danielle there, which was just a wonderful gift from God…by that point in my day I needed someone who could just relate to me, and she was the perfect person for the job.

            Eventually, I had to get back for dinner and to finish my homework, but I felt a lot better after my break. I went to sleep reminding myself that God is my strength and provider. I know He has my life in His hands, so I want to live everyday of my life seeking His purposes and following His path.