I arrived in Creteil, France on August 29th and the first French person I met was Pastor Ivan of MLK Church. Pastor Ivan was full of energy and very welcoming. He showed me around MLK Church and introduced me to some people including Jeff, the excursion leader for the trip. Everyone at the church was very kind and hospitable. They did a fantastic job at making me feel welcomed and have been very gracious about the language barrier.

My first day, I was quite tired from my travels. However, by the third day in France I had adapted to the time change quite well. My first impression of France was how beautiful everything is. I found myself stopping to take a picture of a house and a beautiful door in the neighborhood where I live. Gaelle, the "dorm mom", found this to be quite funny. My first time riding the metro was a little nerve-wrecking but after a few times, directions and stations started to become familiar. I'm now confident I could find my way by myself if I needed to.

The most overwhelming experience I have had so far was trying to go to the grocery store. Lauren and I went to the local mall, which is huge, and decided to pick up a few things at the market located inside. Unfortunately, we were separated from each other with no cell service so we were left to figure out the market alone. It wasn't until this point that the lack of English was an issue. Being unfamiliar with all of the brands, not knowing the language, and being alone in a crowded market made for a very overwhelming experience. Once we made it back home we decided not to go back again until someone from the church could go with us.

Saturday, the church had a welcome orientation for the ORU students. Jeff, Gaelle, Nicolas, and Beatrice were the ones leading it. They walked us down to a meeting where the leaders of each service group within the church was and introduced all of us. Again, everyone was so kind and seemed very excited to have us and so willing to help us get plugged in. After, we were taken to a room they had set up with snacks, drinks, and a little decoration for us. It was so thoughtful! They were able to share with us about what God is doing in MLK Church and France. It was amazing and the presence of God was so tangible. This was the moment that I felt a true peace and excitement about being here. The team also took the time to pray over each of us individually. It was such a sweet time with Holy Spirit and I'm confident it will be a moment I will always remember and look back on. I wrote down all of the words spoken over each of the girls and I absolutely cannot wait to see how the Lord will be faithful to each one of them by the end of this experience. I truly cannot put into words how special this time was. Out of everything happening on the study abroad trip, I am most looking forward to being a part of MLK Church this semester.

Later that day, we went into Paris as a group and saw the Eiffel Tower for the first time. It was absolutely incredible and so surreal. The first few days have been a dream and it hasn't taken long for this place to feel like home.