Simply Florence: March 2013

I'm very sorry to all of my readers for not keeping up with my blogposts! I promise to try my best to update this at least once a week! hehe

So much has happened since the semester started that I don't know where to begin. We're going into our fifth week of school ~~which means I haven't blogged for five weeks~~ and midterms and SPRING BREAK is just around the corner! God has blessed me with so much this semester and everyday I wake up with more reasons to continue thanking Him for what he's done for me. For the first time (EVER), my close group of friends are all Christians. My roommate Madeline and I go to church and Bible study together and although at times it feels weird, I'm glad to have someone who will push me to go to Church when I have those days when I don't feel like it. Having such a close group of friends who share the same faith as me has made being abroad much more easier. My heart weeps when I meet other study abroad students who long to get "blacked out" and "shit-faced" drunk every night. There's nothing wrong with drinking but why would anyone want to wake up the next morning not remembering what they did the night before?

Looking back at my photos, I'm coming to the realization that I've done so much within the first half of my semester! I went to Venezia for Carnevale and got to visit the islands of Murano and Burano. I visited Steph in Torino the same weekend that Mike was visiting her so I got to see another Italian city and see two great friends at the same time. I also got to revisit Pisa and take my touristy photo and see Joyce and Guido again in Montecatini. I went to Rome to have my own Lizzie McGurie adventure and I got to see Papa while I was there! But what makes me so happy about this semester is being able to fellowship with everyone from Church. Just last weekend, the weather was so beautiful and EVERYONE was able to come out to Cascine Park. It was so wonderful to be able to have a mini picnic and sing praises to Him. And the most amazing thing was being able to see how our worship to the Lord was immediately changing the atmosphere in the park. People kept looking our way to see what those "strange Americans" were doing and I know God will work wonders in all those who were there at the park that day.

Last weekend, I had a mini breakdown. On Friday, my wallet was stolen again for the second time. This week was such a struggle to get through because I was running low on food and I had absolutely no money. Everyday was a test to my faith and trust in God. I was stripped bare of everything I had and the only thing I had left was my faith in Him. My wallet still hasn't been found but I believe that he will work another miracle for me. In the meantime, I only have more words of thanks to say to Him.