In other words, these past few weeks I was living vicariously by binge watching Caleb navigate European travel. And now it's over.
I am not sure when the idea of a short term study abroad experience really took root in Caleb's mind, but he spent months working out this opportunity to study the Italian language in Florence.
The first obstacle was expense. So he found and applied for a scholarship.
When he was notified that he would be receiving this scholarship - for $5,000! - he was extremely disappointed!
That's because the scholarship notification came just hours after his ROTC commander had denied his request to miss a weekend training that would be falling in the middle of the trip to Italy.
Motivated by the scholarship, Caleb persevered. It turned out the training wasn't the military's main consideration. The main problem was they were concerned about Caleb catching Covid in Italy when his next stop was to be a month of advanced camp at Fort Knox.
So the answer remained "No". (When did the military become so risk averse?)
Still, Caleb moved forward. He looked at the calendar. He studied the protocol and timelines for Covid. Then he returned with a compromise: Could he go if he left Italy 4 days early, giving him two full weeks before the start of advanced camp?
Finally, he got the greenlight he had been seeking.
And throughout this whole process, there were deadlines and non-refundable payments to consider. It all came down to the last second. He wasn't able to confidently book a flight until two weeks before his departure date!
But all that stress and effort makes photos like this one all the more joyous:
I don't know how much Italian vocabulary Caleb will retain for the rest of his life. Probably not much.
I suspect the most valuable thing he learned through this experience was perseverance.
It's a character trait that doesn't get a lot of attention or fanfare, but Scripture views it as part of "the divine nature". And a necessary quality for those who wish to be effective and productive in their knowledge of Jesus Christ:
2 Peter 1:3-8
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Where could a bit more perseverance take you and me?
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