Where has the past three weeks gone? It feels like yesterday I arrived in Switzerland to meet my sister before we both flew to Norway to spend Christmas with our brother and sister-law. What an amazing Christmas holiday it has been in Europe. Europe just knows how to do Christmas right with deep traditions and coziness of the season. It has truly been magical and refreshing…. just what my soul needed.
Norway was good to me with late sunrises and early sunsets creating lots of opportunities to catch up on sleep. I almost think I got more sleep in my time in Norway then I have over the past semester. It has been a struggle staying asleep in Korea waking up each morning with no choice at 4am. Anyways, Norway was relaxing and cozy. Christmas was so special spending it with my sibling celebrating in a new culture. Norway’s biggest Christmas day is Christmas Eve. We went to a beautiful Christmas Eve service then had the yummiest Christmas meal with ribs, sausages, potatoes, and more. Of course dessert and coffee. Oh, my goodness Norway has there coffee after every meal. So good! Then we sang around their Christmas tree that was placed in the middle of the room. We held hands and circled the Christmas tree singing songs in Norwegian. Of course my siblings and I just hummed along! :) Then Santa knocked at the door and delivered a gift to each of the children. We then watched the cute little children open their gifts. There is just something so special about children at Christmas time. After a few hours of gift opening we had another round of dessert. Oh, dear! It was good for the sweet tooth, but not good for the pants. Christmas was fun in Norway. It also made me realize how much I love having my whole family together for Christmas. My parents were missed dearly.
This past week in Switzerland has been so good. I have gone down memory lane remembering my childhood here…. the sledding hill, walking in the forest, seeing the donkeys, grocery shopping at Migros, Ikea, shopping in Lausanne with my mama, walking along Lake Geneva in Ouchy, eating raclette, and seeing my school, ect.
And now I leave Europe tomorrow to head back to Korea. I don’t exactly feel ready, but I am praying that I will be brave. This past year has been hard, but I have read over and over agin in the Bible that God is so faithful in the hard. He carries us. My deep desire is to finish this year off well. I want to be able to forgive and move forward from this past semester. I don’t want to carry the rubbish from the past with me, but just the things that God has taught me. I am still very weak physically; easily getting tired, but it is allowing me to slow down and simplify my life. God has placed some specific people in my life to speak wisdom to me about my situation this past week; really challenging me to cover this semester in prayer and not let the strongholds of the country or school to overcome me personally, but to set my eyes on the freedom in Jesus. Would you pray with me that I would finish this semester off well? That I would end my time in Korea on a positive note and that I would transition to what God is calling to me next well? Here’s to a fresh start of a new year!
With love, Daniella
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