Into the Home Stretch...

Its hard to believe, but I only have a month and a little left to this amazing trip.

I remember thinking when 1 month for a vacation would have seemed L--ONG to me.

But now that i´ve been traveling for 9 1/2 months (i just had to stop and count on my fingers... Feb, March, April...), it is merely the final chapter in a long book.

How do you write a final chapter?
I guess you would look back over everything you´ve done so far, with some regrets, i wonder if i should have done this; but mostly just amazement at ALL that has happened. 


I think the BIGGEST thing as a take-home lesson for me has been The Amazing Faithfulness of God. Hmmm, maybe that could be the title of each of our life-stories, all with different sub-titles. I can see it, a whole library of books, one after another after another, lining the shelves... in as big a room as the Library of Congress in the States, or in one in the Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast... all with the titles, The Amazing Faithfulness of God; The Father´s Grand Adventure with Ericka; or The Amazing Faithfulness of God; You Fill in the Blank with your own story...

As I´ve been traveling I´ve learned some things, things I already knew but that got more cemented in my realization... like, I prefer nature and being outdoors to cities. Or, I really like spending time getting to know people and becoming their friend and interacting, past the surface level, in their lives. 


I´ve also learned some new things, mostly by seeing it 1st hand, in ways that challenged how i originally thought about things... like, our world is beautiful, i love blue skies, open waters, mountains, hills, flat lands, but trash and pollution can make it really nasty, so how do we realistically, and with good results, take care of what has been entrusted to us? 


Or, wow, i guess i really DON´T EVER have to worry, about anything, because God said He would take care of it and He will take care of me. Now THAT´s cool. IF i can really walk in it. I BELIEVE (and have SEEN) it to be true... but it always seems that it is TESTED! Ahhggh. Well this monkey-wrench was thrown into my life, or that thing just happend, and now i´m worried and have to figure out what to do or how to respond, and my belly gets all yucky inside and my brain goes into manic overdrive to try to ¨figure it out¨or think ¨what i´m going to do¨. But its been really amazing to hear (or trust i´m hearing/perceiving) God impress in me, ¨You DO NOT need to worry, EVER. For ANY circumstance. I WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU.¨ It's that faithfulness of God thing. Hmmm. Sometimes i wish it was easier to over-ride my natural brain thoughts and let Him direct me more.

Ok, i´m heading out to visit Montserrat, just outside of Barcelona... i guess its a beautiful place, IN NATURE, so i think i´m going to like it! :) I took the metro all by myself yesterday, for the 1st time on this trip! Ha! That seems funny, doesn´t it; but in the amazing faithfulness of God, on this ¨solo¨adventure with Him, He has taken care of me over and over and up til now, i´ve never ridden or had to figure it out alone! But now, i get to, b/c i´m ready to...? :)

Oh yeah, i forgot to say; i´m now in EUROPE, for the last part of this journey... the final chapter of this book, but i´m sure there will be sequels... many.

(Spain now, train to Switzerland tonight, Italy next week, then Greece the week of thanksgiving... with my MOM!!! yep, she is flying out to spend the week with me!!! can you tell i´m excited? It will be a great girl-week! Then i´ll end up in the Brit Isles...)

Blessings to EACH OF YOU!!! May you see and know and realize the Amazing Faithfulness of God in your own life!!!

a hug,
ericka :)