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After many hours spent waiting in Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport, my third try out of Europe was a success when I finally caught a flight home on Sunday. I met a lot of interesting characters and made a few new friends along the way, but am so thankful to finally be back. Although my journey home took a few days longer than expected, God sent so many helpful people my way that I was compelled to start making a list of all the kind things done for me. One family traveling to Italy helped me drag my two suitcases through a snowy overpass outside the airport while another man let me use his international phone to call the airline after I missed my first flight. I'm convinced a few airline personnel waived the overweight baggage fees I should have incurred and another waved me through although my carry-on bags were too heavy and too large. Not sure if I would even make it home before Christmas, my time spent in limbo Friday through Sunday was stressful and frustrating, but also worshipful as I received God's provision over and over again through many friendly and patient people.

The extra days spent in Paris allowed me to process my time in Brussels some before returning home, but I know there will be more processing necessary in the coming weeks. The experience was so different from what I expected, and my ability to adapt to those differences was certainly challenged along the way. Yet the people I met and whose stories I heard are what made that adaptation worthwhile. I'm thankful for the relationships made, for the experiences shared, and for the peek at a bigger picture of how God is at work in our world. I'm eager to share this processing time with some of you all in the coming weeks. Look for more posts to come!