"Be not afraid.."

As I sit down to write this, my bags are packed, my bathroom and bedroom is clean, and my mother's breakfast lasagna is in the oven for everyone here, oh and yes Mom and Dad are in Paris!!!! All day today I was thinking about what I was going to write, for I leave here for Paris tomorrow after six weeks of being here! For those of you that have been reading this the whole time, you know that it has been a rollercoaster for me! I have had lots of remarkable moments, but lots of challenging ones as well!! However, I honestly cannot believe that I have been here for six weeks and my sojourn here in Saint-Brieuc will be over tomorrow morning at 7 when I get on the bus! It is rather interesting because I feel like I did when I left my house in Indiana six weeks ago. I am excited to go to Paris and see my parents, but at the same time I am very sad to leave Armelle, Laurent, Clemence, Laurane (and kitty). NO, they are not my family, but they have been overwhelmingly gracious to me the last month and a half! I could not have asked for a better family to stay with! I have learned so much from them, and am so grateful for everything they have done for me. Now for a little bit about my week..

Thursday was Bastille day, kind of like the 4th of July here! The girls, Armelle, another mom and her three kids and I went to a little ammusement park in Brest, just two hours away! It was very neat, but tailored for younger children. However, it was very neat and I had a great time watching the little Elise while her mother Daphnie rode some of the rides with the other kids! Friday, the girls and I went into town for a little bit and then I went to school for the rehersal for the spectacular for the parents that evening! My fellow students and I put on a show for the parents out of gratitude for everything they have done for us! I was in the theater play and also another little skit about our six weeks here! Yesterday, we hung around here for a little bit and I tracked mom and dad's plane in the morning and waited for it to land in London! After that, Armelle and I went to Mass, and it was gorgeous! There are so many churches here, and not many people who go to Mass. Therefore, each week Mass is held at a different church in order to use all of them! After that, we went to a little pizzeria with two of Armelle's friends. Laurent was the only male and it made me think of our family at home with dad :) We then went over to their Marie-Claire's house and I fell asleep on the couch! Today, we went to a little town where Laurent works an hour away! You can only get to it by boat, and there are no cars allowed on the island! It was gorgeous, but it rained most of the time! Haha I had on my longs sleve shirt, a sweatshit, my raincoat, and another big raincoat! The wind was crazy, but it was so neat! Tonight I packed my bags and then started to get everything ready for tomorrow!

Now, I know I am not supposed to listen to my music, but I needed something to listen to the other day, so I came across, "Be not Afraid" on my Ipod. And, I cannot get enough of it! The words to the song apply to me so much, and when I get sad or down, I sing it to myslef! Today I was thinking back on my stay here and thinking about what I have learned. When I thought about how I felt when I left, somethings all started to make sense. When I left my house a month and a half ago, I thought I had a pretty good grip on life. Everything made sense to me, and I was going to have the time of my life in France before leaving for college three weeks after I came home. But, then I got here and everything wasn't as peechy as I thought it was going to be. I worried alot (still do) and missed my family (still do). But, I think that has helped me to realize I do not know everything there is to know about life. I have so many questions now, and I am so grateful God has granted me this experience to question things in my life and grow closer to Him. Before I came here, my faith was great; however, I had not really had any experiences where it had been tested. While I have been here, there have been numerous occasions where I have questioned what I believe, but I think those questions are what have made my faith stronger in the end. I will be the first one to admit right now that my faith needs a lot of work. But, I am grateful to all ends that I have come to realize this fact! It is not easy, but each day I strive to grow a little closer to God and revel in the mysteries that he created for us!

This will be my last blog post here from Saint Brieuc! I leave tomorrow morning for Paris, then meet my parents Wednesday evening! I will update later in the week on my parent's computer! I know I said it earlier in the week, but I really have no idea who reads this thing, but I have come to realize it is more of an outlet for me and a place where I can convey my thoughts and feelings in a language I know very well! Thank you to everyone who followed this thing along the way, or for those of you that read just one or two! However, most importanly thanks for the prayers! They mean the world.. they really do! I feel so blessed to know I have a support system who cares for me! You guys are amazing! I hope everyone has a great week, and I will update you once I have access to a computer (with my parents... I feel like a kid on the night before Christmas right now.. I am excited and nervous all at the same time!)

AL