Peace to you!
Okay, so... I'm not going to go day by day for every day because I don't remember. But I remember the first three days so I'm going to day-by-day those days.
Day 1
First, just a personal observation: I gained a deeper appreciation for those people who come to this end of the world (Canada, US, etc), but who don't speak English. Especially knowing that most people here (including at the airport) won't speak their language. Because getting off the plane in another country/continent, without knowing the language of that country? A bit unsettling, lol. I had just a moment of that feeling (and that was even knowing that the airport would have people who spoke English, and most places in the world have at least some knowledge of English). I was not worried, but that feeling was enough for me to be able to get a sense of the feeling others must have, traveling when most people won't know your language. Made me a bit more aware and empathetic, and much less shy about offering help to the older woman sitting next to me on the way back to Canada. She was traveling alone, spoke no English (I think she was from Poland), and the airline stewards didn't speak her language either. So we had a lot of miming sign language going on, lol.
The biggest thing about day one of course was "meeting" everyone. I put "meeting" in quotations because it didn't feel at all like I was meeting everyone for the first time or that I was meeting people I did not know. Because we already knew one another. So this felt more like a reunion (in person) of brothers and sisters. Loved everyone... but then, I loved everyone before meeting them in person. Even those I had not ever spoken to (in person or online), simply because they are the loved ones of those I love.
And what I just realized, that part of knowing everyone, part of that feeling of being home and completely comfortable, came from that love. Our shared love for Christ of course. And Christ is the one who loves us first... so loving Him would also mean loving HIS loved ones.
(I also learned never to bring checked baggage... since mine didn't show up until late on day 5, lol. So I'm just bringing carry-on from now on; thankfully, everyone loaned me clothes to get me through. And I felt really silly seeing how very little a person needs to pack to travel with. Live and learn, lol.)
So we made it back to our place... fantastic place with a big round dining table that we could all sit around, I loved that... and got the rooms sorted. Then some of us went to find a place for dinner, and some of us waited for Loz (she got in a little later than the rest of us and at a different airport). And when she came up to our flat, it was the same thing. A reunion, in love, of a sister we already knew.
We met the others at the restaurant for our first dinner together in Rome (that was pretty great as well). Then we were home (in the flat) and sharing with one another, in our Lord Jaheshua. We did learn something pretty amazing (I think it was that night), about the tree of knowing good (life) and bad (death). If no one else wants to share that, I might share that in another post.
And I think that was it for day one. I'm going to submit this, and then I'll post next about day two.
Peace and love to you all, and to your loved ones, your sister and servant and a fellow slave of Christ, tammy
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