Today…where to begin? Well, today actually began yesterday, seeing as I haven’t slept since I woke up to drive to Dallas to start the journey. I am exhausted, but holding onto the anticipation and excitement of reaching my final destination. I am on the train now to Yarm and made it through all of the obstacles necessary to reach this point. It is a most surreal feeling-to actually be here. It’s like a dream. I have had a very interesting and exciting trip so far and have met some lovely people already.
God totally provided a friend and travel buddy for me from the beginning. His name is Ty and Cam noticed his Aggie ring (whoop!) and started the conversation from there. Come to find out, Ty is four years older than us and actually graduated from Lorena, which is the high school Cam graduated from as well. And he graduated from A&M in 2008. Also, not only was he was making the same trip as me, but he just made this trip a couple of months ago. So Ty knew the ropes and was able to help me feel more at ease with traveling. He was a definite blessing and I am very thankful that the Lord provided in that way.
Other people that I met while traveling were:
· Alex-he sat next to me on the plane to Manchester. He is an English professor at Auburn and is coming over for a conference. He has a wife and two kids and was a fun plane buddy to have. I think he appreciated my excitement to see England as we flew over it.
· Corie and Hannibal-a sweet couple from Ohio who both teach at Ohio University. They are also here for the conference.
· Gaurav-a very kind 25-year old Indian with an Indian-American-British mix accent. He was on my train and just got off in Leeds. We talked a lot about the differences in our cultures and how it’s important to experience life and do things that you enjoy. I think he got a good dose of my love for England because every turn I was “mmmm”ing or “aahh”ing at the beautiful countryside. It truly is magical!
(Dad, I get all this friend-making business from you. You should be proud.)
Funny story of the day (which was almost not so funny…):
Ty and I decided to stop and eat some yogurt and just relax a little before we boarded our flight to Manchester. Our plane was supposed to depart in about 30-35 minutes and I was a little more worried about the time factor than he was, but he told me that we would be fine. So we start making our way to the gate about 20 minutes before departure time when we hear MY name over the loud speaker, saying something about my bags and needing to get to the gate immediately. Did I mention yet that Atlanta is the world’s busiest airport? Right. So I’m starting to freak out. We get to the counter and they say, “We were about to remove your bags since you weren’t here yet.” I told Ty I would have literally killed him…BUT everything was fine and we got on the plane and so did our luggage and I have it with me now! Funny how things work out.
So I have about an hour now until my train reaches Yarm where Kimberly and Bill will be waiting for me with open arms. I can’t wait to see them and get some great hugs and go to our home and meet Joan and eat dinner and see my room and SLEEP. J
Please pray for a heart that is fully submitted to God. I don’t want to go through this trip just going on adventures for the sake of exploring and making memories. I want to grow deeply and richly in my faith and love for Jesus. Pray for passion and desire to follow and obey.
Words cannot express how my heart feels being here. It is like home. J My adventure is officially underway. And this is only the beginning of the adventure…
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