Up, Up, & Away!

Israel & Greece 2023

May 05, 2023

Hello friends! Hitting your inboxes to tell you some exciting news— my mom and I are headed overseas for a Church Ladies Study Trip! Whaaaaaat?! How cool is that?! So amazing! Beyond excited in every way!

This trip idea came about when my mom and I were prepping for our new women’s retreat, “Church Ladies.” We teach on three women from the early church and as we were in the depths of studying ancient Mediterranean geography and culture, we thought it would be so fun to go see it ourselves. Mom and I began praying about how it would be possible and asking God to make a way. By the absolute providence of God, He provided the funds and we were able to book a trip!

I plan on using this newsletter to document our days. Lord willing, with WiFi. :) I want to do this while I’m there because I know if I wait and try to do it when I get home, it won’t ever get done. Also, I wanted to give you a warning in case you wanted to mute me as I’m sure the energy and excitement levels will be borderline obnoxious. I doubt I’ll edit out enough so’s and !!’s. #classiccourtney

I plan on using some categories to organize what I’m sure will be an overwhelming amount of information.

This part will be for people I meet— live and in person, and for people we learn about within the pages of the Bible.

For now, I’d love to tell you that God provided a way for this trip through my beloved grandma, Leila Bassett, who passed almost a year ago. She was a dynamite woman who was quirky and funny and didn’t fit all the molds but also beautiful and kind and an amazing cook and caretaker. I was blessed to spend my whole life in relationship with her, especially her last few years. She was wholly supportive of mom and my speaking ministry— praying over us every time we left for a conference, a true part of our Legacy Retreats. When mom and I started praying about this trip, it had been almost seven months since her going to be with Jesus. And out of the blue, some accounts of hers were closed at year end, and a check was sent to my mom in the amount that it would take for our trip. Mom wanted to use that money, to honor grandma, and to provide a way for us to study in Greece & Israel. So, we booked the tickets and will leave on my grandma’s birthday— May 8. She would just love it!