What My Future Holds

Okay. Time to clear up a few things.

The day before I left for Israel I applied to Richmond University in London for grad school. Yes. The London in England. I also applied to University College London, but Richmond was my number one choice.

The FIRST day in Israel we went to the Western Wall to pray. 

All this past school year I faced a lot of rejection and it's been difficult to be patient with my future and God. I prayed for my future at the Western Wall. Wrote the prayer and put it in the wall. Such an amazing experience.

The next morning I woke up with an acceptance email from Richmond. 

(Richmond University, Kensington Campus, London)

WHAT?! God is too good to me y'all. 

I'm not saying that I got accepted because I prayed at the Western Wall. But I am so thankful that God waited for me to have that experience to reveal to me His plan for my future. What a sweet sweet moment in my walk when He does those things for me.

There's NO WAY that I got accepted through my own accomplishments. In my opinion, my application was sub par at best. I didn't even take the GRE. Not only did God grant me acceptance into Richmond, but UCL wanted to interview me! I wasn't even expecting to hear anything back from them. They have a very competitive program and the fact that they wanted to interview little old me is crazy. God didn't have to do that for me, get an interview, but He did just to bless me, I think He knows I need to encouragement.

With that being said, the entire time I was in Israel I was carrying this weight of all the things I had to get done for Richmond. a deposit of 60% of the tuition, a CAS so I can apply for a visa, Health forms, housing deposits, you name it, it's STILL on my list.

I even started to doubt Grad School abroad. Which, if I've talked to you at all about me and grad school, it's always been a hard "No, I don't want to go ever." But, knowing the art market and industry, God has slowly opened up my heart this year to the idea of Grad School. 

After studying abroad in Italy, I knew that if I ever did go to grad school it would HAVE to be abroad. I need to be where the art is. And London is that place. It's also the place for the cheapest flights. So, if the art isnt there, its not too far or too costly to get to the art. 

The fact that I was doubting the desire to do my studies abroad again really scared me. It was like the enemy was and still is using EVERYTHING he can to deter me from this path God has set before me. 

I was originally going to travel 10 days after our trip ended through Jordan. But, three days ago we sat down to plan it and the money and time out of the states was too much. I broke down and called my mom. 

The deadlines for Richmond are at the end of this month, originally I wasn't going to get home until July 3, too late for all of these deadlines I haven't been able to work on due to my travels. So, my mom started making phone calls.

She ended up getting a flight for me the day our trip ended with the first group that left Israel and they only charged the ticket change fee. Praise the Lord! My other flight back home was too expensive to change, but my mom and brother were in Kansas for a basketball camp so I flew into Kansas and drove 9 hours back home with my mom. which, seriously, worked out perfectly because my brother left 30 min after I landed to head to camp. So my mom didnt have to drive home alone. 

God is good.

There were many moments throughout the trip where His provision and peace were experienced. Our last day in Israel I bought a little ceramic pomegranate as an Ebenezer for this trip and experience in Israel as a reminder of God's provision not just in Israel but in the days to come.

From His timing of my Richmond acceptance letter to a healed heart and last minute travel changes (and everything in between) shows just how personal the God I serve is. 

I am glad to be home and have time to adequately prepare for this new adventure that is grad school. But I wish I was still in Israel. All the turmoil and heartache that is there just makes me long to be there more. I want to be there to help the people more and bless them. For I have been blessed tremendously by God and therefore can be a blessing to these people, His people. 

Back to the happenings in Israel. The boys are still missing. And just because I'm not there anymore doesn't mean the conflicts have stopped. The things I read in the news this morning were saddening. It is only getting worse. I pray that you will want to keep up with God' s people and pray for them. Praying for them is the best thing you can do for them. 

I am so excited to finally publicly say I am going to Richmond in London in the fall and that it can be a testimony of God's provision in my life. Excited to see what He has in store next. He never fails to send me on a grand adventure.

What awaits me here at home is my to-do list for Richmond, and moving out of my apartment. A job would be nice, but I we will see where that gets me. I'm looking forward to an unplanned summer with a month or so to reflect on the changes happening in my life. College graduation, volunteering in Israel for a month, and acceptance to Grad school in London is a lot to take in. I also need to get working on my summer book reading list ;) and see my friends one last time. 

This is a sweet sweet time for me as I transition in life and I'm so humbled that you have kept up with my time in Israel and the way God is working there. He has big plans for that small place.