Lord, I don't know where all this is going...

Lord, I don’t know where all this is going…

In exactly one week, almost to the hour, I’ll be on a plane to Spain (well, actually to Chicago, then Madrid, and finally to my destination for the next four months: Seville). I’ve wanted to study abroad for so long, and I knew I would—especially since a semester abroad is required for my Spanish major, but it never seemed like it would actually be happening-and certainly not so soon.

I was not planning on studying abroad this spring semester. Yet, while the plan was slowly unfolding and becoming clearer to me, I’ve been able to look back on how God has been working everything out for me—long before these recent details. I applied last year to be an RA-and I could have never guessed last spring how happy I’d be that I did not receive the position, because that “no” now allows me to be able to have the freedom to go this semester. Even for most of this past fall semester I had no idea that I was going to Spain until I actually decided to be a little bit responsible and talk to my advisors about scheduling, and found out junior year is definitely not the year to go abroad as an education major. So that complicated things for a short while—until the suggestion was made by Karen in off-campus programs that it wasn’t too late to apply for programs next semester-but actually it technically was. I thought, this is absolutely crazy, and then I applied late to Trinity Christian College’s Semester in Spain program after some consultation with my parents.

Needless to say, I was accepted, and that brings me almost to my present time of preparing to depart. So, the beginning of November, I knew I was going—but that was all I knew. I didn’t know anything about my classes, the other students going with the program, and my host family…the minor details…but this didn’t really bother me, at least not nearly as much as I’d expect it to. While my roommate Kat—who will be in Tanzania, Africa for the semester—had pretty much the exact opposite; she’s known that she’s going to Tanzania since last spring, knows practically everyone going with her-including the profs, since they’re almost all from Houghton, and was able to have fun meetings with the group and talk about all the details-which was slightly beneficial to her, since Kat isn’t too detail oriented and definitely doesn’t plan too far in advance (NOT). But despite the large difference in the amount of knowledge each of us had about our upcoming semesters, it was an immeasurable blessing to be rooming with her (another one of those subtle details God surely had in mind long before I could imagine what would come of it). We were able to share in our preparations to leave Houghton, and everything else behind as the close of the semester drew nearer—and for that, Kat, I am inexpressibly grateful.

So, one week. I do now know my roommate, and the name and address of my host mother, otherwise, it’s all still a mystery. I don’t know what to expect for what lies ahead for the next four months, but I have such peace. And I trust in knowing that He has it all planned, and “is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.”

Lord, I don’t know where all this is going, or how it all works out. Lead me to peace that is past understanding, a peace beyond all doubt.
(the Newsboys must have a song to fit any and all circumstances haha).