The Little Things.

I'm a firm believer in the unexpected. Spontaneity is the spice to the frequent blandness of life, and I embrace this belief with all my strength. I love that I serve a God who is constantly surprising me with little blessing each and every day, even in the most simple ways. I value the small things, and I love that he has filled my life with unexpected surprises each day, such as;

- A co worker who is currently working their way through seminary. Don't get me wrong, I actually (despite how everyone else feels) love my job. It's simple and I work with some cool people. However, it's often discouraging to be the only one who is active in their faith or who even has a faith at all. With the warmer weather comes new co workers, and one of them just happens to be currently working through seminary. It's refreshing to tell someone about Romania and my purpose in going and instead of receiving an uncomfortable nod, I hear, "God is going to bless you so much through this trip. What an incredible opportunity!"

- Showing me that it is possible to love a youth group again. I've been attending my friend's youth group sporadically for the past few months, and quite honestly didn't expect to go back after the first visit. I only accepted her invitation because I felt bad refusing, but little did I know that God had other plans for me. It's refreshing for once to go into a group of people where I genuinely feel comfortable being myself, despite the fact that I know no one. After my experience with the previous youth group I attended, I truly believed I would never go back into a youth group. I'm glad to have been proven wrong.

- Mountains. Honestly, is there anything more beautiful than the mountains? I don't think there is. I was lucky enough to spend my weekend in Banner Elk with the aforementioned youth group, and not only did I get to see the mountains in all their glory, but they were covered in snow.

He knows how great the little things mean to me, and chooses to bless me through my quirks. Be it a moment of breathing in mountain air or realizing there is a place where I belong, Christ is constantly showing his love for me through the little things, a little surprise each and every day.

"Surprise us with love at daybreak; then we'll skip and dance all the day long," Psalm 90:14.

Days until Romania: 114.
Funds raised: $1,835 out of $4,350.