I’m moving to Italy?!

I’m sure many of you are wondering what events led to me leaving my job, my friends, my boyfriend, my church, and my beloved city of Atlanta. First of all, I think you need to know some things about me:

My life is not my own. I serve my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. All of my life is His and I try to glorify Him in everything I do. He brought me to Atlanta with no place to live, almost no contacts, and a temporary internship. I trusted in Him, and He proved faithful. He blessed me SO richly with a job, a wonderful place to live, and the most amazing and beautiful friends I could have ever imagined. I learned to trust Him when He leads.

Some more back story- I minored in art history in college, taking a special interest in Italian Renaissance art history. I fell in love with the language, the art, the culture, and the history of Italy. So when I got a chance to study abroad with my advertising department in the summer of 2006, I jumped at the chance to experience my love first hand. It was an incredible time and I vowed to return.

So here’s my (long) story: I decided to move to Florence in January 2009, when I was having a “what are your life plans” conversation with my best friend. She had just moved to Hawaii, and another one of my best friends had just picked up and moved to Beijing. I was inspired by their courage and thought to myself- “what am I passionate about?” Immediately, living in Italy came to mind, as well as the Italian art I had studied and loved in college. I had always wondered why God would place such a strong desire in my heart and never see it to fruition. I had casual talks with friends about moving after college; and nothing ever came of it because they either got jobs or married. So I thought to myself- what’s holding me back? I am so passionate about the people, the language, the art, the food, the culture, everything- so why hadn’t I done anything about it? Then I realized it was fear. Fear of moving to a new place, fear of not speaking the language, fear of leaving my friends- fear of going to Italy alone. I began to pray about moving to Italy in the summer of 2010, and that God would keep help me be courageous. I adopted Joshua 1:9 as my theme verse:

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

God immediately began His affirmation. My parents were so happy when I told them; my mom even said, “This is perfect for you. I can’t imagine you not doing this.” They offered to help me purchase Rosetta Stone software, and have been holding me accountable and supporting me ever since. God has placed certain people in my life who have either lived in Florence or have contacts in Florence. When I was worried about saving money, God came thorough to support me financially as well. (Plus some big time saving up!)

So, I looked up visas and figured out a way to get to Italy. I found a school in Florence that offered 24 weeks of Italian language courses. I signed up. I made contacts. I flew to Miami to apply for my visa at the Italian consulate. I sold my furniture, moved out of my apartment. I told my coworkers at BBDO I was leaving. I bought a plane ticket for June 8th.

And here I am. Strategically packing for my adventure in Italy. Totally trusting in God and His faithfulness. May He be glorified.