Provision

Today is a big day. This morning marks the first time I have ever sat alone at church with not a single soul I know. I have been so blessed to have always been surrounded by family and friends at church. Even studying abroad I made some new friends who I went to Spanish mass with. The weird thing is that this morning it was a lot easier than expected to walk into the church alone and sit in a pew by myself. My eyes were filled with tears during the worship songs not because of loneliness or fear but instead because I was completely overwhelmed with God's provision and faithfulness. My last three months have been crazy and hard but God has provided for me every step of the way.
For those of you who know me well you know that I hate change and transition and I also hate being alone. My transition from highschool to college and college to grad school were really tough because I like having a million friends to hangout with and live life with. When I was choosing clinicals I don't know why the heck my family or close friends didn't stop me when I was choosing locations all over the country. They really should have said "umm Anna...do you realize how difficult this is going to be for you?" But thankfully they didn't. Because they also know that I love adventures and I love challenges. I love trying new things, I love meeting new people, and I love going to new places. Therefore, I am loving this time in my life but it is also so hard for me to make all these transitions. To go to 3 different places for 9 wks each is really difficult. This second move was hard because it was a 18+ hour drive away from home and I literally know no one and know nothing about Durham, let alone North Carolina! There's the basic things I like to have under control with a location I'm living like where is it safe to run and bike, where do I get groceries, how do I get to work, etc. but there's also the more important things of who is going to be my friend and who am I going to go on all of my adventures with? Every 5 mins of my drive here and throughout my first week here I've been asking "What the heck am I doing here?" but God has blown me away with His provision.
The two main ways I can see God's provision is by 1) providing people in my life and 2) providing a good internship.
1) People: When my mom and I arrived in Durham after our very long drive we went to a church that was recommended to us and the first person that introduced herself to us was from Iowa and was incredibly welcoming. She told my mom that she would look after me while I was here and then later on that day (perfectly timed so that it was immediately after a tearful goodbye with my mom at the airport) she invited me on a picnic with her family at a beautiful lake.  Also, I have super fun roommates who are Duke PT/grad students and they have welcomed me so well and have invited me to all of their fun PT hangouts and taught me a lot about the area.
2) Internship: I was anxious about my new internship at Duke and about being with a new clinical instructor but both have been great since Day 1. My clinical instructor is the most encouraging person ever and has made my transition so easy. Also, I have had such amazing and inspiring patients that have made me want to go into work everyday. Please stay tuned for future blogs because I will be wriiting in much more detail about them ; )
God is a provider. He is so faithful. I decided that even if I gain nothing else from these 6 months of traveling than seeing God's provision and faithfulness in the most intimate way than that alone makes this time completely worth it.
Today, in a city that I don't know and in a city with no one I know, my heart is overflowing because the one thing I do know is that God is with me and He alone is providing for me in this place.