He Holds Everyone On Earth

Today I am sitting in my backyard (they don’t have those in the cities I visited) in Sherman, TX listening to the hum of the air conditioner, the birds chirping, and the leaves ruffling together when a light breeze hits. I am thankful and resting and reflecting. I left the States 18 years old. I’m back, but now I’m 19 with a lot of knowledge and a whole lot of perspective.

I’ve learned how to explore and to look around and see what is right in front of me. This world is HUGE y’all and the Lord created it. He made the trees and the birds and the waters and the hills and the people. I’ve seen SO many people this summer.

I’ve been to Spain and France and Portugal and Italy!! So many people in Spain, in France, in Portugal, and in Italy.  I saw just a small fraction of the people in these 4 countries and an even smaller fraction of the 7 billion people as I traveled on multiple planes, a train, and buses. I people watched a lot. People with all sorts of different backgrounds, people that speak different languages, and people that I never even spoke to. I wandered what their lives are like and how cool it was that the Lord made them.

He knows how many hairs we each have, He knows our every thought, when we sit and when we rise, He created us all in our mother’s womb. Every breath we take is given to us by Him. He sees us all. (Psalm 33:13) Just sitting and meditating on that leaves me in awe.

In awe because I saw the works of architects like Gaudi, artists like Michelangelo, Picasso, and many others. I learned about composers and musicians from Spain as well. How cool the Lord made them and gave them their talents! They all point to the Lord.

Spain

In Barcelona, La Sagrada Familia amazed me. It’s the Gospel displayed in stone on the outside of the church in three facades-- the nativity, the passion, and the glory facade. Construction began in 1882, and it’s still not complete. When it’s finished, the tallest spire will be 560 FEET. It’s already massive, so I cannot imagine how big it will be when it is finished. It blew my mind, and I definitely want to go back in 2026 when they hope to have it completed.

France

In Paris, I climbed 674 steps of the Eiffel Tower to the second floor (379 FEET) and saw cars that looked like ants and people that looked like dots. I saw the Eiffel Tower at night. Oh and we were in Paris the day of the Euro cup final Portugal vs. France. There were people everywhere. I saw THE Mona Lisa in the Louvre. Across from that there was a painting by Lorenzo Lotto “Christ Carrying the Cross.” It was definitely moving. This beautiful painting displaying how much God loves the world and so many people see it when they walk through the Louvre. 

Portugal

In Lagos, we went to the beach. The ocean was beautiful. I always get that shrinking feeling inside when I look out and can’t see where the water ends—If His grace is an ocean we’re all sinking. “95% of the ocean is undiscovered.” How cool that the Lord created it, and He knows every detail about the entire ocean.

Italy

In Rome, I saw the Sistine Chapel. It was filled with people craning their necks to see nine scenes from Genesis. People from all over the world listening to audio guided tours that tell them about Creation and the Creator. I walked into St. Peter’s Basilica. Talk about MASSIVE (430 FEET). It was under construction from 1506-1626 and it was built without modern technology. This time the tour talked about Peter and how he went to Rome to spread the Gospel. Peter who got out of the boat and walked on water with Jesus, Peter who cut off the ear of the guard when they came to arrest Jesus, Peter who was crucified upside down for his faith. In Latin every quote from Jesus to Peter found in the Bible is written in seven-foot tall letters around the church. It said “Tu es Petrus..” You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18

Tu es Petrus

The WHOLE WIDE World

I am so thankful for the six weeks I got to spend in Europe. Thankful for everything I learned. This is just a small glimpse of the many things I saw and learned this summer. I have seen so many places with my own two eyes. I traveled 5,000 plus miles. I walked a lot of miles. Every day my feet were dirty and every day they hurt—so worth it. I had so many different foods and heard many languages. Even after all of the people and places I saw, I still haven’t been everywhere or seen everything. There’s always more to learn. I’m so amazed and so thankful. Thankful to get to wander and learn about this world. Thankful that I have found that I love traveling and being lost (a lot).  I saw just a glimpse of how big the world is. It all pointed back to the Creator and has left me even more in awe. The earth is FULL of the steadfast love of the Lord. It’s a great big world we live in, and He’s got it ALL in His hands.

“Let ALL the Earth fear the Lord; let ALL the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him! For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm.” Psalm 33: 8-9

6 Things I Love About España

1. The Food

Our house mama is quite the cook. Everything is fresh and so tasty. For breakfast every morning I have toast, fruit, and coffee. It's a little different from American breakfast, but a small breakfast is plenty for what comes next. Lunch is around 3 every afternoon, and it is always worth the wait. It normally consists of salad, sides, bread, a main meat, and fruit. After lunch, it's siesta time. Then off to my music class that ends at 9 p.m., which puts me home just in time for dinner around 10. It was difficult adjusting to the eating schedule, but now it is completely normal. Most of the time I have no idea what I am eating, but I know that I am always full. Not knowing has been most of the fun, because it leads to tasty surprises. I will for sure miss all of the fresh foods that have so much flavor.

2. Shopping

To all of you that have ever had to shop with me (mostly my parents), it is not always the most pleasurable experience (sorry about that). Anyways, I LOVE shopping here. The clothes are so cute, and they are inexpensive when compared to how much it costs to buy clothes in the States. I was the girl that wore t-shirts and jeans for the longest time. In Europe, that's the fastest way to stand out. They do not wear athletic clothes for anything besides to workout. Don't get me wrong, there have been a few days I just wanted to wear a loose shirt and a baseball hat, but women definitely do not wear those here. Honestly my blue eyes and light hair stand out regardless of what I wear, but I have put in effort to wear real clothes.

3. Architecture

There are so many historic buildings, churches, and monuments in Spain. It just blows my mind how most of these were built before modern technology. They are not only massive, but also beautiful. It gives insight to history and talent of each architect. I have learned so much about Spain through the structures I have seen. One place I have frequented often is Plaza de Espana. It's about a ten minute walk from where we have class. I always notice something new. There's just so much, my eyes never know what to look at. That's how it is with pretty much every structure I have seen.

4. Music

I have to say, I was disappointed when I walked into a store and heard T-swift playing through the speakers. Don't get me wrong I can jam out to her songs with the rest of them, but it is not what I was expecting to hear. I didn't realize how popular American music is here. With the pop music, there's also Enrique Iglesias. They love him here. His songs can be heard through the car radios as I walk down the street. I've enjoyed trying to sing along even though I can barely pronounce the words. Thankfully, I am taking the Music of Spain class where I have learned about Spanish composers and styles. I have been to three flamenco concerts and there is always music in the streets. Follow the music--it will not disappoint.

5. Language

I came to Spain with the ability to greet, count to 10, and say some colors in Spanish. It has definitely been a little difficult not being able to fully communicate with my host family, but I have picked up on some words and phrases. Most frequently used- lo siento (sorry). Most of what I have learned has been through signs, because it is so fast when spoken. I have also learned the name for foods and household items. Verbs are a little more complicated. I would say that I barely know Spanglish because the amount of Spanish I know is still very little.

6. Time

The mentality of the Spaniards is "It can wait until tomorrow." It has been nice to remember to enjoy each moment. As Americans we have this go go go mentality. We are rushing to get to the next practice, the next football game, the next task of our day. Here the people walking in the street are not in a rush. Yes, they have things to do, but it is not the same vibe that is found in the states. To go meals are not really a thing here. People sit down and they enjoy their meals and their company. In America it would be considered "bad" service, but here it's the norm. Even their "fast" food, is not fast. In Sevilla there are Burger Kings everywhere and a couple of McDonalds, but here they appear more like restaurants than fast food. The pace is much slower and enjoyable rather than trying to cram as much as possible into one day (I am for sure guilty of that). Spain has taught me to slow down and soak in everything and everyone around me.

When Life Gives You Lemons, Drink Lemon Soda

I boarded the plane at DFW airport to leave the great U.S. for the very first time feeling excited and nervous, but mostly excited. Did I mention it was only my third time to fly, and the first time for me to fly alone. The flight from Dallas to Madrid was awesome. I was in the aisle seat and no one was sitting in the next two chairs to the left of me, so I laid down and slept. As crazy as it was, getting back to Texas a little less than 24 hours before my flight helped me sleep through 5 of the 9 hours. The flight departed right on time, and I arrived to Madrid around 9 A.M. on June 20th. 

I checked my bag in Dallas and asked for it to be transferred to my connecting flight for me. I thought it would work, but before I boarded the woman who helped me called the gate and told me to check for it in Madrid just in case. I didn't see it in Madrid, so I proceeded to get to my connecting flight to Barcelona. My reservation code was not registering, and I asked for help from three different people who all told me to go to the kiosk to check-in. I had already tried that, but it was not working. Finally, someone sent me to customer service. By the time I got to the desk it was 10:30 am and "my" flight was at 11. Turns out my ticket was pending. 

Up until then I was a little frazzled, but now I was straight up stressed out. My Sympathetic Nervous System took over-- increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, etc. It's known as the fight or flight response. I really just wanted to fly. I knew that I needed to be on time to Barcelona because my friends were going to meet me at the airport there. I was panicking.

Let me just take a second and say how thankful I am for the woman who helped me. I am thankful she did everything she could to get me on that flight safe and sound. Basically what ended up happening is I bought my ticket and she stamped the boarding pass and told me to go quickly. I went through security and ran.(I was that crazy person running through the airport because I was late) I boarded the plane at 10:58 A.M. (It left at 11 A.M.) Well because of me, it departed at 11:15. 

I knew when I got to Barcelona that my bag was probably not there, but I knew it was better than me being stuck in Madrid. I was so happy to see Robin, Kendra, and Kyntra. I was beyond overwhelmed and ready to be out of the airport that I decided I wanted to just leave and deal with my bag later. (That was dumb)

Off we went to check into our flat, where I met an incredibly kind woman named Aurelia. The name Aurelia means golden and that she is. She is one of those people who has a calming presence.  She was incredibly kind and treated me above and beyond what I would expect from someone who was only supposed to let us into the flat. Aurelia is from Canada and moved to Barcelona 25 years ago. She can speak English and Spanish very well. She helped me call the airport (the automated voice was all in Spanish) and she even drove me 40 minutes back to the airport to take care of everything. The car ride was awesome. She told me about her kids and Barcelona. She told me about Canada and she told me what she liked about the States. Her favorite store in America is Target. We talked about American politics and compared it to Spain. She gave me so much insight into the daily life in Spain. 

She has a daughter attending a university in Belgium studying dance. She talked about how she missed her so much and was so excited to be visiting her that coming weekend. Aurelia told me I reminded her of her daughter at the end. Maybe that's why she was so kind, but either way I cannot say how thankful I am that I met Aurelia. How awesome that a stranger moved her schedule around to help me get something as simple as clothes back. What a loving person!! Her help and kindness touched me in a way that I will never forget. 

The man at the baggage desk told me they could have my bag in Barcelona that day (Tuesday), but that would mean I would miss out on seeing parts of Barcelona. I decided the best option was to have it sent to Sevilla. It was a great decision. While wearing the same two outfits got old real fast (I didn't have pajamas either), it made me realize how much I value my stuff. It was honestly refreshing not to waste time figuring out what I would wear. I was content. Content in knowing that my worth and identity doesn't come from the clothes I wear or how I do my hair--such a great reminder. Thankful for the opportunity to learn so much and have community in Barcelona with some amazing women of God. {Robin, Kendra, and Kyntra--- Thank y'all so much for putting up with me, and encouraging me so much. :) } may not have had my stuff, but I had new places to see, food to try, and memories to make. Speaking of food, they have Lemon Fanta here in Spain. For those of you who don't know, lemon flavored sweets are some of my favorite desserts. I ordered lemon fanta not knowing if I would like, but you never know unless you try it. It was so yummy. If I could, I would bring home lots and lots of it. So, needless to say sometimes life (even little details that aren't super important) doesn't go as planned, but everything works out in the end.

Pre-Departure

Hey friends and family!

For those that haven't heard, 20 days until I leave the great U.S. for the very first time!! It doesn't seem real. I have my plane tickets, I'm enrolled in the courses {World Religions and Music of Spain}; it's just all surreal. I am super pumped to learn in these classes and in the streets of Seville, Spain. Texas Tech has a center in Seville and families that partner with the school to host students like me. I am super excited to meet my host family, share my life with them for five weeks, and hopefully learn some Spanish from them as well! 

I will be keeping a blog as part of the requirements to obtain Honors credit as well as to keep y'all updated. I'm new at this blogging thing, so I'll be learning as I go. You can subscribe to my blog or watch for posts on Facebook while I'm abroad. I am incredibly thankful for this opportunity and cannot wait to see Seville in person. 

Adventure Awaits,

Brittney