Ciao from Venice!

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I just spent one day and one night in cinque Terre. What a BEAUTIFUL place! Thank you so much to my Canadian friends who told me to go there because wow! Cinque Terre is a group of 5 towns on the Italian riviera and it is on the most beautiful coast. You can hike between all 5 towns but when I was there a few of the trails were closed due to landslides and accidents that happened so there was 2 open, one which is 20 mins and is just a straight walk and the other which is 1.5 hrs - 2hrs and you go from the second last town to the last one which is the one I did (except the opposite way). I LOVED IT! I will admit I was a little nervous to do it because I had heard it was the most difficult one and if you know me you will know I'm not the most hikerish person or that fit so I didn't know how I would cope haha but there was no backing out and I was determined to finish it. So I prayed for strength and energy and once again the lord provided! I really enjoyed the hike, it was so fun and I was blessed with the most wonderful views (and photos yay!). It was quite difficult as most of it was uphill but i enjoyed the challenge and felt amazing after. God is so incredible, I loved seeing so much of his spectacular creation!! I  have learnt that although I do enjoy cities and museums, different sites and touristy things I much prefer exploring different places, beautiful views and landscapes and just taking cool photos. I've actually been thinking about tourism a lot lately and talking with other people and we have come to the conclusion that's it's so weird. The way that people just do things because it's the thing to do, or the thing to see just so they can say they have seen it. It's so silly! I think I started out like that, trying to see all the things I 'should' see in the different places I've visited but it's so pointless if I don't enjoy it. Who even makes up these 'must see' lists anyway? 
The highlights of my trip usually include the small town type of places or the places where I've been out of the city. Or even doing the simplest things. Eg: sitting in the park and reading or journalling and taking in my surroundings.
Ive also been blessed with really amazing weather in most of the places I've been.
Obviously it rained in England but actually not that much, I enjoyed lots of picnics and nice days in the sun! Scotland was cold but lovely and sunny 😊
I think I'm up to sharing a highlight of Dublin. Well as soon as I got off the plane in Dublin it was a little cloudy but the sun was still shining and bursting forth from the clouds, I took a cool photo of it. then I got a bus from the airport to the city and as soon as I got off the bus I got lost! Dublin has hardly any street signs, doesnt help a new lone traveller like myself. Actually I have also learnt I'm pretty bad at maps and directions. Man if I had a penny for the amount of times I've gotten lost! Im pretty good at remembering places and then figuring out where to go but if ive never been there I suck. So I asked someone for help but they turned out being a tourist too so they had no clue. I eventually got to my first hostel! Honestly I didn't think Dublin was the nicest city, not sure what it was but didn't get the greatest feel from it. It was fun though, I enjoyed lots of live music and Irish music at a few of the pubs in the city and of course they have AWESOME accents!
My highlight: meeting Anja and Lillie from Germany and doing a day tour with them into the green green hills and seeing amazing mountains and lakes and seeing all the beautiful scenery that Ireland is so famous for! Much preferred that to the city 😊

So today I have arrived in Venice! And W.O.W!!! It's amazing, incredible, just wow! SO BEAUTIFUL! I've always wanted to come here and it's just like all the pictures. It's night time now so I'm going to cook dinner and get an early night so I can see as much as I can in the next few days. My hostel is in an awesome location, you literally walk a few metres and you get to the grand canal and also little water streets. It's so strange! People have boats instead of cars parked outside their front door. It's so cool! I think it's so pretty. Once again I can't wait to explore some more. I'm meeting up with my friend Bianca again tomorrow as she went to Milan when I went to cinque Terre so it will be so nice to reunite! But also sad because it will be my last night with her on my trip. I feel so blessed to have met her (at my work) and to have been able to meet up with her over here it's been so much fun! It's awesome to share the journey with a friend. But I'm also loving travelling by myself. When I first thought about travelling I tried to find a friend to go with but no one really had the time or money to so I thought to myself well it's either go alone or not at all. Im so glad I decided to venture out on my own. I really feel like God is taking me on this journey and it's about me and where he wants to lead me. He has taught me so much and has already formed me into a much more confident and independent person. It's so weird thinking back to the start of the trip and how I was feeling and how I handled things, I was always so stressed or worried or nervous. I knew I would never be alone, it's always been me and Jesus on this journey together but I seemed to be trying to lead and control our footsteps too much rather than just taking his hand and letting him guide me. I am just so grateful for all his has done in me, for me and through me already. I really am praying always for opportunities to share my faith and talk about Jesus and the lord has already given me plenty which has been incredible and really what my aim of this trip is. But I know I must keep persisting with prayer and letting Jesus continue to have his way. He has loads more in store I just know! 
The other night I had one of the BEST nights. It was my first night in Rome and I had to book a rather expensive hostel cause I couldn't find any others, as once again I left it to the last minute. I also wanted one that wasn't too far from where Bianca was staying so we could meet up easily. So I prayed about getting the best hostel I could (as I've learnt to pray about EVERYTHING) and this was the best I could find and the closest to B. So I booked it and as I got there I met the 3 other girls that were staying in my room. As soon as I started speaking to them I could tell there was something different about them and really got a feeling they were Christians so we kept chatting and then I was thinking about ways that I could slip asking if they were Christians into the conversation but nothing really lead into it and I was getting desperate to know so I just blurted out with 'can I just ask, are you guys Christians?' and they were like 'yes!!!!' and I told them I was too and they were like 'I KNEW IT!!' hahaha! Then we just chatted for ages and it was just so cool. They were actually on a church mission trip type of thing and just setting out to share their faith! It was so awesome! Then I had to go meet Bianca but they invited me to go have gelato with them and the rest of their team later that night. So I went and met Bianca which was so exciting and also met her room mates jess and jess from Canberra and Maria from venezuela. we went out for a lovely dinner but then I came back and met the Christian girls in my room and the other guys from their team were there too and I got to hear some of their debrief and prayer and discussion as they were flying back to Alabama the next day. I just felt so emotional, It felt Like so long since I'd been around Christians and we just bonded so much and they felt like family to me! One of the leaders Trey spoke to the group and he was such an amazing speaker. I remember that he was speaking to the team saying that God doesn't love us because about how well we perform (or how well they went on their trip) he is just looking for a servant and willing heart and if things don't go the way you imagine it's because they are going Gods way and it's never about how 'well' we go at reaching for our goal but it's about trusting in what God wants to do and when he wants to do it and just being willing and offering up our lives to serve him. I just felt like God had such perfect timing for me and that group to be there in the same room on the same night and it was so refreshing. They really encouraged me to keep going and to keep reaching for the goals I have for this trip and to not just get caught up in having a good time but remember to be looking out for opportunities and to be confident in taking them and to be always open to sharing my faith and praying for conversations with others. It was such an awesome, incredible night and I am so thankful for that group. 
anyway I should head to bed and thanks for reading this if you got all the way to here. It's funny as I have been sitting here writing the receptionist guy downstairs is playing all these backstreet boys and old Britney spears songs. Hilarious! It makes me miss my girls back home haha!
But GOD IS GOOD!!
I'll write much more when I have some time. I will leave you with a verse I read today.
Luke 8:16
'No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand so that those who come in can see the light.'

I encourage those of you who are Christians and who are lamps that are filled with the light of Jesus to keep shining for all to see, everywhere you go shine and be confident in your maker. Don't cover up your light, let Jesus (the light) shine out of you. Strive to shine in the darkness of this world. Strive to be different, set apart and holy just as Jesus is holy. 

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