16 days

There are only 16 days until I leave for the Holy Land. There is still so much to do, but some things are coming along very well.

I got my housing assignment, and I am going to be living with Holly again, as well as two other girls. I love Holly. We're also living in the house we requested: Crick Road (see the picture at left).

There is a sweet old man at my church who has been praying for me to be able to go to Oxford, and was so excited to find out that I got into the program and was actually going for real! He and his wife gave me a check for $100 as a gift to help with expenses. I am so grateful for the awesome support I have from my church family.


A few weeks ago, I sent a letter to the Monastery of St. John the Baptist in Essex, to ask if I might be able to stay there for Holy Week and Pascha. Yesterday, I got a note from Sister Paula, the guest coordinator for the monastery, saying that I was indeed welcome to come and stay for that time. I am so excited!

There is still a lot that needs to be done, but so far a lot of things are coming into place. Stay tuned for more updates.