Hello all!
Well, it's December 1st. I'm leaving for the States in exactly two weeks.... I can't believe it! Really, I can't, it hasn't hit me that I'm leaving France so soon. I keep saying it, wondering if it will hit me. But it doesn't. I'm excited to see many of you soon! But I'm also sad to leave behind those that I have grown to love and cherish so dearly...
The month of November has been an interesting one. I spent the first part of this month in Belfast (See last blog post), and it seems as though it's been one event after another since then. Claire's family came to visit, I was glad to be able to see them before they left since they arrived while I was gone. Last week I was able to reconnect with one of my dearest friends here. We hadn't seen each other for so long because of busy schedules, but we were finally able to make time for each other and catch up with each other. This week was Thanksgiving, and what a lovely Thanksgiving it was! I was able to cook the turkey, which to be honest, I loved! It was a fun job! Everyone involved, the new interns, our team, and Sarah and Cece all pitched in, and everything that everyone made was completely delicious! It was a little taste of home for all of us I think. It was a time of thankfulness, and sharing our lives together. I was also able to meet, and connect with a young woman who is new to Evolution 13. I am so excited that I'm able to make this connection, even if it is right before I leave. We both had seen each other a few times, but didn't really know each other. Then one Sunday at church, during and intense and beautiful time of worship, we ended up praying for each other. The Lord used that moment in such a big way, we both had words for each other, and in a way, it brought a deep connection between us. I'm excited to be hanging out with her this evening!
Now, it's December 1st. Two more weeks, then I'll be heading back to life in America. But I will not be the same. I have been changed by my time here, in so many ways. The Lord has grown and changed me, making me more like the woman He has called me to be. I have been touched by each person I have had the privilege to know here. I have come to know a little bit about other cultures, not just French, but German, South African, Gabonese, North African, just to name a few. Many of these people in my life here have become family, they are relationships that I cherish, and pray will continue even after I leave. I cannot describe how I've changed, and I do not know how deeply leaving here will affect me, but I do know that I am not the same person you knew when I left. My eyes and my heart have been opened. I cannot wait to share, in person, with you, all that I've learned. Be blessed!
Blessings and Love,
Chrissy
