Home in Texas

Hey there,

So, I've officially moved to Texas! I landed here in Austin late on the 31st of August. I will be staying with Noah's family until I move into the dorm at His Hill on the 11th of September. Leaving Canada was really hard but being here is also really nice.

It felt like the whole week leading up to leaving was just one great big goodbye. That was really hard honestly. It was so drawn out and I was close to tears a few times. But, I haven't actually cried yet. However, leaving made me once again realise just how lucky and blessed I was to be where I was and have what I had. God gave me a wonderful workplace that gave me some fantastic experience and some wonderful friends. I learned so much there. He also blessed me with an absolutely one of a kind, amazing church. The teaching was challenging, brutally honest and purely Biblical. Every Sunday left me feeling satisfied and fulfilled yet challenged and questioning in the best way possible. The people there included me in everything right away and made me feel so at home and welcomed. Without them, Cambridge would not have felt like home. They supported me and invested in me. I will never forget them and I will hopefully be able to continually go back to visit them. God blessed me with an amazing place to live. I was always included in family events and you have no idea how special and valuable that was to me, especially over holidays. I truly felt loved and included. Leaving was so beautiful and therefore so hard. 

It has been really refreshing to be here though. I've just been able to slow right down while I get ready for school in just under a week. I get to spend some quality time with Noah. In our fifteen months of dating, I believe we have spent a grand total of two months of accumulated time together. So, every moment with him is invaluable. However, he is still working while I'm here which is honestly kind of good even though I miss him. It means that I get to have some alone time to deal with some stuff for school and leaving Canada. It also means that I've gotten to spend some beautiful time with his family which has just been amazing. This time between work in Canada and school at His Hill has just been so valuable and important to me. 

School starts on Wednesday the 11th of September and I am so stoked for it! I cannot wait to move into my dorm room and meet my roommates and meet all the new people. I absolutely loved living in community in Cambodia and I cannot wait to do it again in the dorm. I also cannot wait to get into the classroom. I am so ready to learn again and be stretched. It's just going t be so good for me and such a unique, once in a lifetime opportunity. So much has lead up to this! And it feels so good to be just around the corner. I have worked so hard to get here and I have been so blessed along the way too. I could not have gotten here without so many people in my life. So, thank you! Thank you to each and every person who has helped me get here! Whether that was paying for lunch or a plane ticket. Whether that was praying or encouraging me. Whether that was guiding me or just driving me. Each and every one of you has been priceless. Thank you to each and every person who has helped me get to where I am now! 

Texas is not quite home yet. But I have absolutely no doubt that it will be soon. There is so much to come in this next year and next season of life! I cannot wait for this new adventure. It's going to be a wild ride and I sure hope that you'll stick around to see how it all goes. Please continue praying for me too. I have a long way to go and I'm still not sure how everything is going to work out but I know that it will. 

Until next time,

Darcy-Rea