Micheal

This morning, I drove to the Jackson airport to say farewell to some great friends who would soon be flying out of the country for three months for a semester in London. While having major flashbacks to being in the same airport, heading to the same destination, and taking the same group photo, I was slightly emotional. The London semeste4 affected me in unmeasurable ways, but seeing this new group of “Londoners” preparing to begin their journey brought gave me three different major emotions today.

The 2013 Group

My awesome group from 2012

Excitement
I can’t tell you how excited I was for my friends to get to experience the excitement of the city of London. They will be able to share in the stories and experiences that only those who have done this semester program before them can relate to. They will also create new memories and have unique experiences that will shape who they are for the rest of their lives.

Sadness
It goes without staying that I am jealous of these guys. Everyone who knows me knows that I miss London terribly and I am itching to return to the city that I love so much. Despite having so many amazing things here, I was very tempted to take up the Parke family’s offer and hide in a suitcase.

Thankfulness
I would not be who am I if I had not gone on the London semester. I grew more academically, emotionally, and spiritually in London than I ever had before. God taught me so many things and lessons by my experiences in London and opened my mind and heart to things and people in ways I probably would have ignored if I would have been at home. Without a doubt, I believed that the London semester matured me and I returned to the States a better person (or at least a more well-rounded and chill one with cooler stories) than when I left. I also got to reflect on the experiences, epiphanies, and people that God has brought into my life since returning home. For all of this, I am thankful.

God has pretty cool ways of reminding us what He has done and how he has blessed us. And today, he reminded me of how He blessed me in so many ways through this little airport trip.