Like so many other people traveling, Dietrick Bonhoeffer began by witnessing the wonder of a new place. He would visit places in Rome and admire the vast art and architecture. Eventually Bonhoeffer realized that the greatest treasure he found in Rome was the universality of the church. Being in a different country, my first week, I felt the same way as Bonhoeffer. There was so much to see and the beauty of it all can sometimes be unreal. After about another week and a half, I found more balance and realized the value of the church.

It is amazing to speak with fellow believers who are a part of a completely different culture. The second week I was at the church I served coffee. There was a lady I spoke with who was talking about us all being brothers and sisters in Christ. The conversation was in French so I only understood bits and pieces. It is amazing to hear people here speak about the church because so many of them have a grasp for the universality of the Lord. They are more missionally minded and free. I am realizing that sometimes I put God in a box. As I am integrating more into the church, I am realizing that the Lord is so much bigger than what I have pictured. It is awesome to see the Lord work in different contexts and different ways. The immense greatness of the Lord is hard to understand, but being in the church has opened my eyes to so much. I am expectant for what the Lord is going to do in the future.