Less Than 24 Hours.

I've been in Montréal for less than a day. Twenty-three hours. 23. But at the same time I kind of feel like I've already been here for a week - I mean, if it weren't for the fact that I don't understand the metro system yet.

Source: Sidny See; unsplash.com

But MAN, so much has happened in the past twenty-three hours. I only arrived at midnight - the start of today - and spent the night at the lead pastor's house.

After I attempted to sleep as much as possible throughout the night, the morning began with chocolate milk, struggling to buy a transit pass, and a Tim Hortons stop before arriving at the Eglise 21 office space. My morning was spent meeting a few people, drinking free office coffee (🙌🏼), sorting out my schedule for the week, sitting in on a staff meeting, being told I was going to be in charge of the music for a big baptism party in November (seems daunting right now - yikes!), finding out I get to spend one morning a week working out of a café in my neighbourhood (MY DREAM!!!), and realizing that school is coming back to haunt me via the eight book reports that I'm required to complete over the next four months.

I went to a Thai place for lunch with my parents and the two pastors that I will be working under while I'm here (Norton and Joey) and consumed the MOST DELICIOUS chicken lo-mein I've ever had. It was a great time of connecting over a meal - something I know I will experience countless times while I'm here.

I was able to move in to the apartment where I'll be staying in the afternoon, sorting through clothes, accidentally locking the door of a closet which required a butter knife to be opened again, and admiring the beautiful apartment that I'll be staying in!

My parents and I went to a café that one of my pastors from home (Jaye) suggested to us - Café Origine. The cappuccino and brownie that I had were SO SO GOOD.

We picked up some groceries for me after that, which went just fine, except for when we spent upwards of five minutes deciding on which loaf of bread I should buy, something that only annoyed me at the time because of how tired and overwhelmed I was - it's hilarious now.

For supper (a late one, I might add) we went to Santropol, a little eclectic café that my dad went to last year when visiting Montréal and I went to six years ago! It was just as good as I remember, if not better. 😍

I'm now sitting in my bed, really wanting to be asleep but also really wanting to document how my first day in Montréal has been, and also contemplating what tomorrow is going to look like. Right off the bat, I'm really excited because I'm going for breakfast with another intern who is serving at Eglise 21. We connected already a couple months ago by the power of social media, and I'm really pumped to meet her in person tomorrow! I'm also saying goodbye to my parents tomorrow, which I'm the opposite of really pumped about. I feel as though I'm going to feel just as lonely as the single cactus in the photo at the top.

My take-away from today is this: feeling every emotion on the spectrum of emotions at the same time is wild. I'm excited, I'm nervous, I'm sad to say goodbye, I'm looking forward to cafés here, there, and everywhere, I feel ordinary and ill-equipped to take everything on, I'm energized and ready for the challenge. I could go on.

When I arrived in Montréal - less than 24 hours ago - Pastor Norton reminded me that no matter how I'm feeling, and especially when I'm feeling overwhelmed, to always remember that God is always on His throne. He's good. He's in charge and in control of everything. Every. Single. Thing.

Also flexibility. He told me to be prepared for tons and tons of that over the next four months.

But in all seriousness, I'm trusting God. Because I feel like I'm all over the map (literally and emotionally), but I know that He is consistent always.

"I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken." {Psalm 16:8}