Celebration Dinner + Paris + Final Thoughts

I'll be on a plane home in less than 48 hours, and so much has happened in the past week! Last weekend, I went to Paris for an overnight with the other interns. It was a weekend of sightseeing and walking and eating lots of yummy pastries! There really is just not enough time to do everything, but we got to do all the major attractions. The Eiffel Tower is surreal because I've seen pictures of it so many times, but to actually be there was really neat. One of my favorite parts of the trip was when we ate dinner at the top of a modern art museum, which overlooked the whole city. It was beautiful. 

We loved re-enacting art in the Louvre. 

Tonight was our Celebration Dinner and all the missionaries, interns, staff, and pastors and their families came. It was a sweet time to eat together, and look at pictures from an incredible month. The hardest part about leaving will be saying goodbye to my precious new friends who are going all over the world. It's been such a joy to grow with them and learn from them.

We have made lots of friends around Brussels, and on Sunday, we were invited to a friend from church's house for Greek coffee (didn't know that was a thing, but apparently it is, and it's amazing! There's no going back to Dunkin Donuts now!) and it was a special time to talk and learn. Coming from a small state and living in the same town my whole life, has not always given me the chance to meet people from all different cultures, and that is something I have really loved about this trip. The world is a huge place and I love meeting people from different parts of it. 

Friends from church 

I'm not a coffee girl but that all changed after Sunday :) 

30 days is a long time to be away from home, but I am grateful I got to spend it with the wonderful people that I did. There is still a lot to think about and process, and I will probably be posting a final post about what I have taken away from the trip, so stay tuned if you're interested. Thank you for following along in my journey - I am so thankful for each of you!

Week 3 + Brugge + Christmas in July

Week 3 is almost done, which is crazy because I only have two more! Time is flying by, and I am trying to savor each moment. From changing diapers to canal tours of beautiful old cities, this week was full of fun and memories. Since we are a few weeks in, everyone is getting more into a routine, and the kids are getting used to us, which means less tears at morning drop-off.

Last Saturday a couple of the interns went to Brugge for the day, and we explored! It is a beautiful city, although a little crowded. It is the middle of tourist season which meant lots of people, but that didn't take away from the archaic beauty. Brugge is one of the oldest cities in the world, and it was such a great experience to visit! 

We took a canal tour which was quite the experience! It was a great way to see more of the city from a different perspective. 

(shoutout to my favorite sister!) 

And of course, the highlight of my week is always spending time with the kiddos!! This week we threw the kids a surprise "Christmas in July" party complete with hot chocolate, stocking decorations, the movie "Elf", Christmas cards, and lots of Christmas music! The kids really liked it, and it was a fun way to end the week. 

Red and green were required intern uniforms today :) 

We wrote "Merry Christmas" in each of the languages of the country's that the kids are going to. 

This past week has been my favorite so far. Although it's been so hard to be away from home when there is so much unrest going on, I am trying to savor each moment here- each hug from a kid, each impromptu snuggle time as we read stories, and even every moment we clean all the toys. :) It's been one of the biggest blessings of my life to get to work with such amazing people every day, and it's been beautiful to see how God is working in the kids' lives and mine. Thank you for all your support and prayers!!

PILAT Week + Brussels

Week 2 is wrapping up and what a week it was! PILAT week is language training for the missionaries and is an intense week of learning other languages, learning other sounds, and practicing, practicing, practicing! Many of them have to learn other language for their field, which is obviously challenging, and they need the extra time to work. Which means us interns get to hang out with awesome kids for a few extra hours! :) ($5 to anyone who can guess what PILAT stands for! :))

Since we watched the kids in the mornings and afternoons I wasn't able to travel, but there was still much to do! Last Saturday, Meg, Abi, and I went into downtown Brussels for the day to explore, shop, and eat waffles. The weather was gorgeous, and I really like the city of Brussels. The people are kind and friendly, and the architecture is amazing! It's hard to capture in a picture, but here are a few pictures of the Grand Place.

I love experiencing Belgian culture... especially Belgian food. The waffles were no joke and I had mine with strawberries and cream. It was SO good!

Sunday was our first day at our home church for the month and I loved it. The service was almost completely in French, which was beautiful and a great experience. The congregation was very welcoming, and people tried their hardest to speak conversational English. I loved meeting everyone and I am looking forward to getting to know them better over the next few weeks!

Kids, kids, kids!!! We got to spend lots of extra time with the kiddos this week and it was great! They are sweet kids, and it has been such a joy to spend time with them and love on them. Since I am in the baby room, I spend most of my time with them, and I have absolutely loved it.

On Thursday night my church group had a prayer meeting at our church in Brussels, and it was a  really incredible experience! We got to pray with and for each other, people in the church, the city of Brussels, and I really loved it. It was beautiful because it was a testament to how God can work through language barriers and it was a picture of the global church- all in one room.

Today is Friday which means some down time, reading, journaling, and then an intern dinner tonight on the town. This week has been long, but fulfilling. There is still a lot to process, and think about, but I am continually so thankful for this opportunity, and for the people that have made it so amazing. And there's so much more to come! 

Week 1!

Week 1 is wrapping up and it's been an incredible experience so far!! So many wonderful people are here, and it has been amazing to get to know the other interns and the missionary families. It's been one of the biggest blessings to grow and learn with them!

Working with the kids is great! I am in the baby room and get to snuggle and love on them. 

We have been also doing several training exercises, and, for example, on Thursday we went out on a scavenger hunt in Brussels. The point of the scavenger hunt was to get to know people and immerse ourselves in Belgian culture. It was an interesting experience and European culture is so very different from American. We talked to an older man who was sitting by himself on a park bench, and we got to hear about his life. He was thankful for the company and we learned a lot from him. 

We walked around the city and visited an old church which was beautiful. 

Other than that, this week has been full of adjustments, introductions, jet lag, and learning. I absolutely love it here, and am so thankful for the opportunity! Enjoy a few other quick snapshots from my week. :)