The thrill of trust

+JMJ+

Endings lend themselves to reflection. You are able to look at an experience as a whole, retrospectively, and the bits and pieces that were once unclear or downright confusing along the way tend to make more sense.

In the past few weeks, my first year in Rome has been winding down and coming to an end.

More than reflecting on all that has happened this year, which could fill volumes, I keep returning to the moments before I embarked on this adventure.

Before I left the States I was filled with uncertainty. There was no guarantee that I would like Rome, that I would make any friends, that I would pass the first semester of classes, or that I would even find my way to my hotel from the airport. 

More prominent than this feeling of uncertainty though, was the feeling of trust.

Not just trust, but radical trust.

This trust was rooted in the Lord because I had discerned that moving to Rome was his will for me and being assured of his will, I was sure that everything would pan out.

This trust did not guarantee the success in my endeavors, but it did guarantee that the Lord had a purpose for these adventures in my life.

This trust is thrilling and freeing because it confidently throws all uncertainty to the wind and leaps forth into the endless sea of possibilities ahead. When took this leap there was a rush of adrenaline and excitement because for the first time in my life I felt that I was truly going to be challenged.

I have faced challenges before, in grueling sports practices or while studying for a particularly difficult exam, but in these challenges I was always fairly confident I would succeed because I had been continuously training or studying for such occasions. In moving to Rome I had no reason to believe that I was prepared to handle what was ahead because I had no idea what was actually ahead!

This first year was hard, probably one of the hardest things I have ever done, but it was absolutely beautiful.

I have attached a link to my 'YEAR IN REVIEW!' video. I put this video together for my class as a surprise and I think I enjoyed their reactions to the video more than the video itself. Most of them had no idea I had secretly gotten these pictures and I also worked in several inside jokes. It is an inside look at the life and love found in the Church.

Disclaimer, it's in Italian, and some dork does an opening comment, but past that, it's a quick sneak peak into my life this past year.

Know of my prayers and I look forward to seeing everyone when I am home in August! Oh how time flies!