BY: MEGAN DRAKE

One thing we have never fully described in our blog is how we go about writing each post. With two of us and one post each time it can easily get confusing as to who is writing, whose words you are reading.

Well, right now, this is Jordyn. To give you a little behind the scenes insight, every time we have written a post so far it has been collaborative – and I think we've made a pretty good team & complement each other’s writing styles. But bias aside, each post begins with a blank screen and the iPad in one of our hands. We then pass it to the other person, they add, change, and edit the post and it goes back and forth between us a few times, each adding in new thoughts & stories before the publish tab is pressed (sorry to take away the mystery).

But this time, it was different for me. This time, when Megan began writing this post below and handed it to me to continue with, I couldn’t. Because honestly, it was something I needed to hear. Written by my best friend only a few feet away from me at the time, it still hit me & I knew it was perfect as is. So my hope for you is that as you read below, you listen in closely because this lesson is one that resonates deep and calls out the Truth I think we often need to hear. So without further adieu, here’s Megs…

​In preparation for Thanksgiving, I have been doing She Reads Truth devotionals and in their current series they are studying how to be thankful in different situations, such as stress, suffering, certainty, and injustice. This series has brought back light on what has been missing the past couple weeks. My circumstances have not changed, we are continuing to travel, nomads without a home, living out of suitcases and yet something has felt different. Trying to put my finger on what it is that has been different I have been going over things that we have been currently doing:

    – enjoying touring
    – embracing company
    – embarking new places
    – eating copious amounts of Belgium waffles

Not so different from what we have been doing this whole trip (trading one sweet for another), and none of these things in and of themselves are bad, but the thing that has been different is where my eyes have been looking. As fallen people, we are so prone to wandering from The Lord, asking “God where are you?” And waiting on Him to move. When the truth is He has been beside us all along, we have just lost sight.

In She Reads Truth’s devotional on giving thanks in stress they reference Luke 10:38-41 where Jesus comes to have lunch at Mary and Martha’s. A little background on the story: Jesus came to their house while He was in the village teaching, Mary is sitting at Jesus’ feet, soaking in all He has to say, and enjoying His company. While Martha is making sure the house is presentable and the meal is ready to eat. Martha gets upset because Mary is not helping her prepare, and as she is at her whits end she complains to Jesus that Mary is not helping.

Jesus responds in a different way that we might think, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.”

Jesus is telling Martha to stop doing what she thinks she needs to be doing and just sit at His feet. She Reads Truth offered up a suggestion that was convicting to say the least, replace Martha’s name with your own.

Megan, Megan, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing in necessary.

The one thing that is necessary is Jesus. It is time to stop checking things off my lists and start resting at the feet of Jesus. This hits especially close to home as we are nearing the end of our Eurail adventure and moving to Ireland in the next few weeks. There are so many looming loose ends to be tied, and yes, I have a responsibility to be active and hardworking with what The Lord has entrusted to me, but I also get to rest at Jesus’s feet, dreaming big and praying bold, specific prayers because I serve a Big God.
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My prayer for us, and my prayer for you is this:
May we be confident in who God is, recognizing He is bigger than any situation we face.
May we embrace the freedom we have to rest at His feet.
May we go forth in bravery knowing that the fate of the world, and the unfinished todo lists are not the end all be all.
Lord, we recognize we need your abounding, abundant grace. Enlighten our eyes to see you, and your heavenly perspective as we try and be the best representatives of you as we can here. We love you and we trust you. To you be the glory, now, and forever. Amen.

BY: MEGAN DRAKE and JORDYN FERRARO

Three days ago we hit the two month mark, two days ago we had Chipotle (thanks to Noah & Marcus, que the hallelujah chorus), and one day ago we entered into our 12th country of this trip so far. Ferris Bueller said it best to describe this feeling : “life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it”.
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Since we last talked with you we have found ourselves in a paradox. Noah (Megan’s brother) and Marcus (his friend) have joined us and reignited our sense of adventure and our desire to learn things about the cities & cultures we travel to. We have seen more sights and experienced more adventure than we had originally bargained for (you know us, we are the untypical tourists) but they fueled the fire that once burned bright in us. The fire that was fanned into flame by experiencing the places God created, and more importantly the people He created. That fire has been dwindling as we are getting worn thin by the hectic, busy, on the go lifestyle traveling brings and Noah & Marcus helped us remember why we love traveling so much. But with this re-found passion comes responsibity. Responsibility to continue to be faithful with the adventure God has orchestrated, the responsibility to be conscious of how much we consume in comparison with how much we are pouring out. We have let the scale tip in favor of consumption more than we like to admit, leaving us with the tension of touring once again. This is the paradoxical culture we find ourselves in, actually enjoying more typical touring and trying to slow down. Trying to be consistent with the responsibility and deep joy of spreading the stories of God’s goodness and greatness.

While we’ve learned many of the joys and struggles of life on the go, hitting the two month mark really put things into perspective – our time is closer to being over than beginning. Hitting the one month mark felt like an accomplishment, like we just might be able to handle this crazy European adventure and like we were finding our footing with life on the go. But hitting the two month mark felt different. It felt nostalgic, that even though our time is not over, it is closer than ever and the memories and adventure so far have been life-changing in more ways than either of us ever expected. We miss home, we miss the comforts, the food, and most of all the people. Miss being able to give you a hug and share a conversation in ways besides an email or the occasional text. But as these two boys sprinted through the rain to bring us a comfort of home (Chipotle), we were reminded that we can still show up for those near or far. It may look different and may not be the most desirable way of communicating, but it’s something. And with that something, we are blessed. Blessed to have you all not only read about our adventures but encourage us, individually and together, to continue this adventure and documenting all the lessons its brought along the way. And for that, we can both say thank you & more than anything, we love each and every one of you
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Tomorrow we lose our latest travel buddies (they head back home to Colorado) and these two weeks with them have brought about so many unexpected adventures that made this trip all the greater. We’re sorry for the disappearing act we played on our blog during this time – truthfully, life has been moving faster than ever & we did not want to miss a second of it. But ultimately, as these two weeks come to a close, we both cannot thank the Lord enough for bringing us pieces of home during the times we need it most, per usual He knows us better than we know ourselves.

BY: MEGAN DRAKE AND JORDYN FERRARO

In the last week, we have said goodbye to our beloved Alps & Switzerland and said hello to Austria. We were sad to leave our holiday ‘Huli’ but so excited for our next stops to see Salzburg (land of the Sound of Music) and Vienna.

Salzburg was not only filled with a singalong Sound of Music tour (yes, it’s a real thing), some needed & missed Starbucks runs, and days spent wandering the city, but also with emotional and spiritual battles. If we are being brutally honest, the past couple days have been tough. We have both been feeling the overwhelming weight of being told lies & listening to them. Lies that our bodies are not made in the image of God, lies that we aren’t thin enough, lies that we have gained weight (more than just the normal travel lbs), and the worst of them all: that that stuff matters most.

It has been a struggle to release and break free from the pressure of having to be a “certain” size, the guilt of indulging in a sweet treat or saying yes to the occasional, “do you want whipped cream?”. The fact of the matter is, none of those things define us. And they shouldn’t hold as much weight as we let them, or hold as much power as we give them. We will be the first to admit it is difficult to be a woman in this day and age, trying to keep up is exhausting. We are entrusted to live a healthy lifestyle with our bodies and while we are learning the balance of what that looks like throughout these three months traveling – the question remains, why do we let these things get to us? Why do we feel the need to constantly be better, to be smaller?

And since we’re being honest, we can’t deny letting how we see our bodies affect our moods, which then affects our days, and, ultimately, our lives. There have been several days in a row here where we have both felt the gravity of this. Days where it steals our joy and distracts from our purpose, leading us to be mean to other people, and even more so to ourselves. God has made us in His own image (Genesis 1:26), He put work and creativity into us and called us very good. We were not created exactly as we are by accident. Even between the two of us, we have different body types, different ways in which the Lord shows His creativity in our bodies. Who are we to say we aren’t good enough? Why are we not celebrating ourselves and others as being images of the Lord? Who are we to say His work isn’t pretty enough, thin enough, or even to call ourselves ugly? When will we finally stop and see the truth?

Yesterday, in Vienna, we spent the day sulking in our bad moods, led on by how we saw ourselves in the mirror that day (& shopping for a new pair of jeans). We were rapidly caught in the downward spiral of these lies and finally hit our breaking point. We stopped for a moment to pray over the city, when Jordyn posed the question, “what would my life look like if I used all the energy I put into thinking about my body image and put it into my relationship with The Lord?” This is a very convicting question, and led to a lot of prayer & time of sitting before the Lord desperately seeking His truth to resonate in our hearts. We prayed out loud against these strongholds and asked for grace when we hold too tightly to them. We thanked God that His power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9) and for the ways in which He has continually shown us that His creativity extends beyond the places, the landscapes, and the landmarks. His creativity and beauty extends far more, and more importantly, into His people. To those we pass on the street, to those we sit across from on the train. Those are His children, those are the ones Jesus loves so deeply that He went to the cross for. It’s in those moments, the moments of looking outside ourselves and into the eyes of a stranger that brings new perspective and a new set of lenses.

To no surprise, our lives have become very simple since moving out here. We don’t have our usual distractions or idols vying for our attention to turn our eyes from the Lord. As we talked yesterday, we realized how much deeper this struggle goes & how much of a spiritual battle it has become as it seeks to fill our heads and hearts with these lies instead of the truth in Christ.

When it all comes down to it, what really matters? For us, it’s Jesus. It’s people & relationships. It’s loving God and loving others. How can we truly love others if we can’t love ourselves the same? We want to turn away from these lies, to call them out & strip them of the power we’ve given them, and rest in the truth that Jesus has broken these chains. But also, that were not fighting this battle on our own. It’s His strength made perfect in our weakness and while some days may be easier than others, we will boast only in the name of Christ.

The struggle may be real & raging at times, but we refuse to let this struggle steal our joy and turn our eyes away from what’s really important any longer. And our prayer is that whatever struggles may overwhelm you, that you stand in the strength of Christ and strip it of its power from this day forward. Let’s stand together, no matter where we are, and stop comparing ourselves. Stop comparing our bodies and our lives. Let’s celebrate each other, let’s turn comparison into connection, let’s see the creativity God has made, & let’s say yes to whipped cream.