I am feeling excited to have a grand adventure, but to be honest, I’ve also felt quite anxious about the whole thing. I’ve had multiple moments when I’m just looking forward to being home again, and I haven’t even left yet! The Lord has been gracious to remind me to just enjoy each moment and not get so stressed about all the details. Even as I was praying this morning, the thought ‘Calm down a bit- this is supposed to be fun!’ came to my mind, so I’m gonna try to run with that. =)

Here’s our rough itinerary:
July 14-23: Laura in Portugal (yay for seeing Traci and Jonathan!)
July 19-23: Debbie in Norway (yay for seeing Allie and Ben!)
July 23: D & L meet in London and head straight to Paris
July 23-27: Paris
July 27-29: Switzerland
July 30-August 1: Venice, Italy
Aug 1-3: Florence and Pisa, Italy
Aug 3-5: Cinque Terre, Italy
Aug 5-8 : Rome, Italy
Aug 8-11: England- Lake District, Bath, Bristol
Aug 11-15: London, England
Aug 15: Home to LAX @ 11:15 pm

Would you pray for Debbie and me while we’re gone? We’d love prayer for:

• good communication between the two of us. This has been a strength of our relationship thus far, but you know, crazy things happen in foreign countries. =)
• discernment to know what to see, what to skip, when to rest, etc.
  
• great places to stay- it’s always a little weird to book places just via the internet w/o actually seeing them, and there are also a couple of cities where we don’t have anything booked yet in order to give us some flexibility in our itinerary. We’re praying for safe, clean, and not ridiculously priced.
  
• I am praying for rest and time for reflection- I know that those may sound like crazy things to seek on a busy trip, but I’m hopeful that being away from my normal routine and spending lots of time on the train and in beautiful places will be just what I need. I am coming off of a difficult year emotionally, and I am hopeful that the Lord is going to use this Europe trip as another part of the process that I’m working through.
  
• good conversations with people that we meet. Debbie and I love to talk, so hopefully we can meet some interesting people and look for opportunities to share the love of Christ, even in unexpected ways.
  
• We are headed to the land of wheat and butter, and as most of you know, those two things don’t mix with me very well. I’ve put some thought into how to navigate through it all without starving, and I’m asking the Lord to help me find good meals and to help me not get sick when I break my rules a few times. Because you can bet your bippy I’m getting a pastry in Paris and some pizza in Italy. =)

Thank you for praying for us! I’ll be sure to post up-dates when I can.