Rather than waking up to an alarm clock, the first thing that broke through my sleep at 9:30 in morning, were the bells in the tower above my room. Instead of staying in a youth hostel, we have rented rooms in the St. Peter's Archabbey, which is a Benedictine monastery. Rather than getting right out of bed, preoccupied with thoughts of classes of to-do lists, Lisa and I ate ate breakfast in bed (medifast crunch bars :)). As we lay there in the warmth of our covers, the sunshine and subtle harmony of life on the street below leaked through our window. Without a church service to complete our Sunday morning, we settled for ichurch and listened to one of Mark Driscoll's sermons. His focus on Ruth and Boaz put two very godly people on my heart.
One of the most challenging aspects of traveling on a weekly basis, is not having a church family that is supporting, praying, and worshiping along side of us. With this in mind, I must say that God has gifted me with a truly wonderful woman in my life. She is not only my roommate, but also a loyal friend. Lisa, is very observant, caring and a wonderful listener. Much like Ruth never left Naomi's side, no matter how poorly she viewed life, Lisa never get's frustrated when I struggle with contentment and joy. Instead she encourages by entrusting me with her own feelings and struggles. So often people ask how we doing, but then they fail to hear the response, or even worse, don't actually care. Much like Ruth, Lisa cares about the welfare of other, often putting their comfort above her own. If getting to know Lisa and growing closer to her is the only purpose that God intended when He lead me to Germany, than it is all worth it. Not to mention, she is a superb travel buddy!
The Boaz in my life is most certainly David James Holcomb. As Ruth was working in the fields, Boaz came to her to encourage her and affirm her. She was a foreigner and it was such a deep desire of her heart to be cared about and supported by another. Boaz, not knowing this at the time, came to her in the field and asked her if he could pray for her. She needed a man; a protector, a provider, strength and leadership. As Mark talked about what single women should be looking for in men, I couldn't help but go through the check list in my head. David, much like Boaz,is first and foremost a godly man, who desires to grow more and more in his relationship with his Heavenly Father. He is a hard worker and protector. Just as Boaz, he does not desire to only protect the physical, but also the emotional and spiritual. He kind, gentle, considerate and uplifting. I am a blessed woman!
Carrying our Sunday school lesson with us, Lisa and I headed downtown to check out the heart of Salzburg. With our city map in hand, and no agenda, we started to explore. Our first stop was lunch, which was a wonderful salad bar at a local pizzeria. From there we decided to check out the famous chocolate torte that David suggested. Satisfied from lunch and dessert, we decided we needed some exercise.
The castle perched above Salzburg was silently challenging us to climb up the hill to its gates. As we started our hike, we became less focused on the castle and more on the way the sunshine lit up the city below. Finally we reached the top, but instead of touring the castle, we followed a beautiful path to the Richterhohe Fortification. We had no idea where we were going, but our little spontaneous outing was blessing us with the best views of Salzburg. About a mile down the path, it forked perfectly to drop us back downtown.
It was now after five, and see that it was a Sunday, and most shops were closed, we decided to start heading back. By this time most if not all of our bodies were numb from the brisk air and snow that remained on the ground; sweats sounded lovely.
To end our day on a perfect note, we all had a rondevous in the meeting room. This ended up being a time of meeting our new professor, Dr. Horner, and also learning about the art course that we started today. Then, in praise and worship, the stone walls of the monastery reverberated with the accapella of our fellowship on the road. It was the perfect end to a wonderful day!
On a side note, please pray for me as I miss home more and more everyday. I am faced with some unexpected challenges, but regardless, I find peace in knowing that I am where God wants me. I love and miss you so very much!
Love,
Heather Dawn
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