I'M HOME!!

Well I made it home safe and sound! I'm sorry that I have not written any sooner than this! Things have been a little busy.

I made it home at 7:00PM on Tuesday, May 10. My parents, Gaga, Alex, Ashlea, and Chelsea were there to welcome me home. They were right up in the front at the airport. My dad was the first person I saw as I was running to meet everyone! It felt so good to be in America. I was so overwhelmed that I could not stop smiling. It was great to be home!!!

I have had such a wonderful experience in Europe. I am so thankful to God for allowing me this opportunity of adventure, learning, and independence. Our God is awesome. I saw His power through the beautiful waves crashing onto the rocky beach in Italy. I saw God in the church there in Verviers, Belgium. They were such generous, hardworking, Christian people. I also saw God in our group. I have made friendships that I will cherish and I am so thankful for that. This is an experience that I will never forget and I advise anyone thinking about studying aboard to NOT PASS UP THIS OPPORTUNITY!!! GO FOR IT!!

Thank you so much for reading my blog and following me on my European adventure.

WE ARE ALMOST HOME!!!!!!!

Two days till we are home!! We are all packing and cleaning! It is great knowing that we will be home so soon!!!! I CAN'T WAIT!! Here is a picture of Justin helping me pack my suitcase and backpack. It is very difficult trying to get your suitcase under 50 pounds but I think we did it!!!

Luxembourg!

We came back one day early from free travel so we could take a day trip to Luxembourg! Luxembourg is the smallest country in the world. It was pretty. We walked through this huge park and took lots of pictures. It was great being able to relax, take our time, and not be on a schedule! We didn't see anything very impressive but here are a few pictures!

It was a great day! Thanks for reading!

Ireland, Scotland, and Italy!

We had a three day trip to Ireland. While we were in Ireland we saw Dublin, Cork, Wicklow, Bray, and Cobh. We didn't have a lot of time in Dublin and Cork so we didn't get to see too much. However, we had two full days in Wicklow and it was wonderful! We relaxed, fell asleep in the soft grass, and enjoyed the small town life! Here are a few pictures of Wicklow! This was the exact way I pictured Ireland!

We also went to Cobh, Ireland, which was the last place the Titanic docked before it sank.

In Scotland we stayed with a couple who graduated from Freed-Hardeman and are now missionaries. They were so hospitable! We had a great time with them. They cooked us dinner. They took us around Scotland and showed us some of the countryside. Here are a few pictures!

I found this beautiful rose laying on the shore in Scotland.

We also went horseback riding! That was such a fun experience! We got to see the countryside and it wasn't by walking, riding in a taxi, bus, or train! Here is a picture of my horse. Her name was Whisperer. She had gas and liked to eat branches.

The last leg of our journey was to Cinque Terre, Italy. Cinque Terre means "five lands" or "five cities." They were located all along the coast of Italy and you could hike from one city to another. It was absolutely beautiful. I think this was one of the most beautiful places I have been in Europe. The five of us stayed at a campground in tents! It was absolutely wonderful!! Here is Justin in his tent. Lacie and I had a tent for ourselves and we had so much fun!!!

We hiked through all the cities. It took the majority of the morning to hike and we ended up in the last city at the beach! It was a wonderful day!! Here are a couple pictures!

This was an awesome second free travel!!!! We had a wonderful two weeks!! Thanks so much for reading!

The Royal Wedding of William and Kate!

I got to go to the Royal Wedding! I got to go to the Royal Wedding! I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE IT!! Here is the story of our one day adventure!

We went to London for the first 3 days of our free travel trip then we went to Ireland. Then we came back to London on Thursday night for the wedding. Our flight from Ireland to London was supposed to leave at 10:00PM but it got delayed. We finally arrived in London and made it to our hostel around 1:30AM. By the time we got settled in our 24 person dorm room :( it was around 2:30AM. We all slept in our clothes and woke up at 4:30AM so that we could be out the hostel door at 5:00AM to head to Buckingham Palace. We walked for about an hour to get to Buckingham Palace around 6:00AM. There was already lots of people. People were camped along the main street.

People were standing everywhere. We walked around for awhile trying to find a good place to stand where we could see them drive by and see them on the balcony. We found a spot to the left of Buckingham Palace around 7:00AM. We were behind a crowd of people. Throughout the morning we would inch closer and closer to the front allowing us, around 9:45AM, to be a couple rows from the front. We had a wonderful spot!! We met some nice people who were standing around us. Some of them were from London and they were telling us different things about the history of the royalty and why things were done the way they were. It was really interesting. I learned that no one else attending the wedding can wear the same color as the Queen. She wore yellow. Here is a picture of her leaving Buckingham Palace heading to Westminster Abbey.

We got to see Kate Middleton and her father drive by on the way to Westminster Abbey.

After they were married, we got to see William and Kate drive past in their carriage. I took a video instead of pictures. The video is posted on my Facebook. She looked absolutely beautiful as they drove past waving. We also had a great view of the balcony. Here are a few pictures!

It was a wonderful experience. It was worth standing from 6:00AM to 2:00PM! This was my most memorable experience and I am so thankful that I was a part of history!

London, Oh London, How I Love Thee!

Hello readers! We made it back from our two weeks of free travel! I will be posting multiple blogs talking about each place we visited. This first post will be about London!

We left on April 21 and took the Chunnel to London! We arrived in London that evening and the first thing we went to see was the London Bridge. Suprisingly, the London Bridge was just a normal bridge, but you could see the Tower Bridge from the London Bridge. The Tower Bridge was so beautiful! We walked across it at night and the view from both sides was so pretty.

We got to see Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace. We were trying to make it to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guards, but we were a minute late and did not get to see the whole precession. The gardens by Buckingham Palace were beautiful. The weather we had in London was wonderful. It was so warm! Inside the gardens they had spectacular flowers. Here are a few pictures of the flowers!

We got to see the famous Big Ben!

If you go to London, you must do the London Eye. It is a huge ferris wheel that allows you to stand up within a glass, oval compartment. You can see all of London from the London Eye and it is a really fun experience. Here is a picture of the London Eye and the compartment we rode in!

My most favorite part of London was getting to see Wicked!!!!!! It was the most incredible show I have ever seen on stage. We got tickets for 15 euros and our seats were on the very top row. They had binoculars for us to use, so we had perfect seats! Next to the Royal Wedding, this was one of the best things I got to experience in Europe! Here are a few pictures from the show!

We were able to see the National Gallery which had wonderful paintings. I think this art museum was one of my favorites while in Europe. We also went to see Abbey Road! Here is a picture that might look familiar! :)

This about wraps up our experiences in London. We had a full 3 days and still didn't get to see everything we wanted to see! However, it was an awesome trip and London is in my top 3 favorite places of Europe!

Faith Through All Things

Hello blog family!
On Saturday, April 16 a group of five other students and I took a day trip to Amsterdam and Haarlem, Holland. Our purpose for going was to see Corrie ten Boom's home, Anne Frank's home, and the tulips!

Our first stop of the day was in Haarlem, Holland. We went to Corrie ten Boom's home. If you have read or heard the story of Corrie ten Boom, she hid multiple Jews in her home. We waited in the alley next to her home for the next tour to begin. We stood in the same alley and by the side door where Jews used to come and ring the bell for help. Here is a picture of the house and the side door.

We went through her home on a guided tour. The house was in the same condition as it was when Corrie and her family lived there. When we reached Corrie's bedroom, we were able to see the place where her and her family would hide the Jews that came to stay with them. In the bottom of the linen closet, there was an opening where the Jews would crawl through to get behind the wall into the hiding place. Here are two pictures.

It was really neat getting to see where the Jews would hide. When Corrie's home was raided by SS officers, they never found the six Jews hiding in the hiding place. The only thing that the SS officers found were ration cards belonging to the Jews who were in hiding there. God's hand was at work. When Corrie and her family were taken to a concentration camp, she ministered to women within the camp. She also ministered to a guard within the camp. Corrie's faith was incredible. She is such an inspiration to me. I hope that my faith would be as strong as her's during times of horrible trouble and distress.

We left Haarlem and headed to Amsterdam. We had a couple of hours before our Anne Frank tour. We headed into Amsterdam. My first impression of Amsterdam..."This is the most worldliest city I have ever been in." Amsterdam was crowded with people. There were people smoking weed and drinking. There were inappropriate things posted all throughout the city. A girl in our group said that Amsterdam was a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah.

Luckily our Anne Frank tour was at 5:15. The Anne Frank house was where Anne Frank and her family hid above her father's business in a secret annex. The secret annex was located behind a magic bookcase. We were able to walk through the secret annex. It was huge. It was really neat getting to see Anne Frank's room and the magazine clippings she cut out and hung on her wall. We also got to see her actual diary. That was very neat. The secret annex was not furnished the way Corrie ten Boom's home was but it was really inspiring getting to see where they lived in hiding.

We didn't get to see any tulips because the gardens were located outside of Amsterdam. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to see these two historical homes. The Holocaust was a terribly horrible time, but God was present and God was working. Corrie ten Boom was a perfect example. She should be an inspiration for us to stay true to our faith in Christ Jesus.

Our last and final trip is free travel! We leave on April 21 and return May 6! I will post all about our adventures when we return! Thanks for reading!

"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Colossians 3:17

Lacie and I on the train to Amsterdam!

A Journey to Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic!

Hello to my blog family! We have returned once again! Our group traveled through Germany and Austria. Then a handful of students and I headed to Prague, Czech Republic. Here is a highlight of what we got to see and do!

On April 6 we left for Germany. It took the majority of the day to get to Freilassing, Germany. Our hotel was fabulous! We were all on the same hall and our windows and doors opened onto a large porch and to the roof. We were able to spend our nights out on the roof enjoying the view and the weather. From my hotel window, I could see the Swiss Alps! So beautiful! Here is a picture of our view!

On April 7 we had a wonderful breakfast at the hotel. The hot chocolate was divine! It was the best I have ever had! The weather this day was wonderful, so we decided to do our outdoor activities. We took a boat tour on Lake Konigssee. It was so beautiful. The lake was surrounded by mountains. We stopped at an island and had free time to hike and put our feet in the water. It was so relaxing. Here is a picture of our view from the island!

On April 8 we went to Salzburg, Austria. We saw the gardens where a part of The Sound of Music was filmed. Then we went to Mozart's house! It was really neat getting to see where Mozart was born, a lock of his hair, and some of his first pieces of music. By mid afternoon, we met back up with the group and headed to the Salt Mines! We rode on a train that took us into the mine. To go further underground we had to slide down slides! Here is a picture of some of our group on the train car about to go into the mine. It was a blast!! We learned about how they mined salt and received a free sample as we were leaving.

On April 9 we went to see Neuschwanstein Castle. Walt Disney modeled Cinderella's castle after this castle. It was really pretty! We had to take about a four hour train ride to get there. Then we hiked about 20 minutes to get to the castle. The view was beautiful from the top of the mountain. We had a guided tour through the castle. It was neat getting to see the inside. Here is a view of the castle before we hiked to the top.

On April 10 we went to Dachau Concentration Camp. What an experience. The week before I had been thinking about going to the concentration camp and thinking about how it is going to feel to walk through it. I was a little nervous. I was thinking it was going to be intense and gut-wrenching. When we arrived at the camp, we had about 2 hours to walk through the camp. There was a museum that contained all the information about the camp, the war, and the prisoners. There were multiple times where I teared up reading about how they treated the prisoners. Some of the things were absolutely awful. After we walked through the museum, we went out into the camp. The weather was beautiful and there was not a cloud in the skype. It felt weird having such nice weather and beautiful greenery surrounding you while you walk through a concentration camp. We entered through a gate that said in Germany "Work Brings Freedom." It was so surreal reading that, knowing that millions of prisoners walked through the same gate and read those same words. We were able to walk through the barracks and see where they slept and showered. There were so many beds crammed into one room. I could not imagine living in a room with so many other people. We walked along the main path between the 31 barracks. It was unbelievable how many prisoners could be housed there. We walked to the back of the camp where the gas chamber and crematorium was located. We stood in the room where the prisoners were told to take off their clothes for a "shower." Then they were taken into the next room, the gas chamber. Then the dead bodies were taken to the next room where they were cremated. It was such a chilling emotion to walk through these rooms of death. Here are a few pictures from the camp.

The prisoners were treated with such brutality. They were treated as dogs. They had no way to stand up for themselves. They had to put up with the cruelty or them were murdered.

The barracks were made to hold 200 prisoners.

This is the gas chamber and crematorium.

The entrance gate to the camp. Every prisoner passed through this gate. The words mean "Work Brings Freedom."

I am so thankful that I was able to go to this concentration camp. There was a memorial within the concentration camp and on one of the walls it had "Never Again" written in four other languages. The sadness and awful treatment of human beings will never be forgotten in my mind. In the book Night a boy and his family are sent to a concentration camp and as the boy is watching terrible things happen he keeps asking, "Where is God? How could God let something like this happen? Is there really a God?" Can you imagine being in that circumstance where your faith is tested. I hope that I never lose sight of God, even through destruction. God is always there and in control.

After we had time in the concentration camp, five other people and I headed to Prague, Czech Repulic!

On April 11 we went out to explore Prague! We went to see the John Lennon Wall, the Charles Bridge, an Easter Festival, and other monuments in Prague. The weather was great this day! The Charles Bridge was very pretty! You could see so much for the bridge. People had stands set up with paintings and jewelry. The John Lennon Wall was really neat because there were people from all over the world who wrote things on the wall. Here is a picture!

On April 12 we went out into Prague to see the Prague Castle. We also went back to the Easter Festival and went up in a tower where you could have a panoramic view of Prague. It was absolutely beautiful!

The Easter Festival is Prague is a major ordeal. It lasts for almost a month and there are stands set up with authentic food, elaborately painted Easter Eggs, and crepes! It was fun going to a festival in a different country. The night we went to a bridge next to the Charles Bridge to take picture of Prague at night. It was very pretty when the sun was setting!

On April 13 we headed home to Verviers, Belgium. It was an all day trip. We were so excited to get back "home"! This trip was a lot of fun!

Our next adventure is a day trip to Amsterdam on April 16. Our final trip before returning to the States is our 16 days of free travel to England, Ireland, Scotland, and Cinque Terre, Italy. Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed! Be looking for new posts soon!