end of an era//a new chapter!

  Hi, friends! Hey, fam!

I am currently sitting in seat 34L on Air France in a beautiful window seat, on my way to Paris for a layover before Romania. As I sit here, gazing out the window to the clouds and sunset, I thank Jesus. And as I look over to Rey who is watching the same movie as me, at the same time as me, but on a different screen, I smile. And as I glance around the cabin to see Gap G dispersed all over the plane, I feel grateful. Finally, as I sit here, thinking about the next 7.5 months that I will spend overseas, I am expectant. Expectant of what the Father has in store and expectant to see how He will work.

               This is me in the Paris airport, drinking a cappuccino, watching a beautiful Paris sunrise.  ( Also! If I were to                                                       move over a little, you would be able to see the Eiffel Tower behind me in the distance!!)

                                                                           one of the funest moments ever!!

I spent the past 7 weeks learning, growing, loving, preparing, and dreaming. Now, here I am on a plane, jetting off for 7 months. During training camp, we had sessions on cultural lenses, forgiveness, honor, the Father heart of God, and everything in between. I learned what it looked like to live in a community of 30 Christ-centered humans. I tented for a month. The Lord gave me a glimpse of what it meant to fully rely on Him to sustain me. I spent my days with my favorite people. I worshipped like never before. I stepped into freedom I couldn’t have dreamt up. I lived on campus in beautiful Georgia with people who encouraged me like none other. Those 7 weeks were precious and equipped me well.

The world race has been pressed against my heart for 3 years and it is so wild to be on a plane, on my way. My time in Georgia was so sweet and I wouldn’t change it for the world. However, as most of my squad hopped a plane or drove all day to get to campus, I jumped in the car for 45 minutes. I wasn’t far from home and Gainesville still felt so familiar. But now, nothing is familiar. In a few minutes, I will drift off to sleep. When I wake up, I will be in another country, immersed in a different culture, listening to a new language, eating different foods, and living unfamiliarly. As Dorothy would say, “we aren’t in Georgia anymore Todo.” That makes me giddy. There is so much opportunity to see the Father move. I praise the Lord for this new, unfamiliar season I get to jump into. I am ready to walk into the growth the Father has for me. So I will push past the nerves and step into this season with an open heart. 

I celebrate this end of an era in the US and I celebrate this new chapter in Romania. I am ready to serve and love and evangelize. The Lord has and won’t stop preparing my heart. I am beyond grateful for it all. Thanks, God.

See ya on the flip!

XOXO,

Oliva