Wow, it is hard to believe that only 4 days ago I was boarding a plane at 6:30 am from Genova to Munich to Chicago and finally to Kansas City. All of the traveling went smooth. Thankfully the airlines did not have problems early in the morning with the foretold strike, and Janae's ankle was feeling better.
I was yet again reminded that the things I expect to happen usually won't or that I need to be flexible and ready for my plans to change! I planned to sleep during the flight between Munich and Chicago... well, as we were boarding the plane, looking for row 25... I notice a small, very happy girl... she was sitting in the seat next to the number on my ticket... I learned from her mother that she was two and it was her first time to fly since she was a small baby. Let's just say I had a wonderful flight playing with a 2 year-old, but I did not sleep for more than 45 minutes or so. But praise be to God, I got to play with a very sweet little girl, who was amazingly happy and had fun laughing with me.
In Kansas City, Janae and I met with some people at Avant to debrief about our time in Italy. I am still trying to process everything that happened while we were there and all that God has taught me. I am overwhelmed with all that was crammed into those short 6 weeks and saddened that I am no longer there.
I know that one of the lessons and challenges that God taught me is to be happy in the place God has me right now. I cannot worry about the future so much that I do not rejoice where He has me.
Thank you for your prayers through this time. I look forward to sharing more with each of you whenever it is that I see you again! For now I am in Chicago for the next two weeks working for a friend. I will be looking for more work after those two weeks are up, so please pray that something comes up!
I want to come out to Colorado to visit for a few days, but at this point, there is virtually no money in my account because of my Moody school bill that, Praise God, the first payment for the fall semester is completed! If something happens and I am able to make it out to Colorado (maybe the first week in August), I will be sure to let people know! Also, I will be sending out an update letter soon. Please email me if you have questions or anything, I would love to hear from you!
Thank you again for your prayers as God is doing mighty things! I thank Him for you!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Leaving Genova
I was in Rome Monday and Tuesday, for that reason I have not been able to post until now. The last 24 hours have been a whirl. I've spent time packing and tying up some things here before we leave tomorrow morning at 4:30 for the airport! I will be in Kansas City around 7 something pm tomorrow night... hopefully jet lag will not be too bad, not really sure what to expect with that! :)
Pray for safe travel, for Janae, as she hurt her ankle as we were leaving for Rome the other day, and also, pray a lot for our fights to all connect and that we can get on a plane! We found out that tomorrow there is suppose to be an airline strike.... so not sure what this will be like, but we are still planning on leaving on time and all that! I will update you when I arrive in Kansas City about how all the fights went!
Thanks for the prayers, support, encouragement and everything you have done to help with this trip. I have learned so much and I would love to meet with each of you to share what God has done in my life while I've been in Italy. Blessings to you!
Pray for safe travel, for Janae, as she hurt her ankle as we were leaving for Rome the other day, and also, pray a lot for our fights to all connect and that we can get on a plane! We found out that tomorrow there is suppose to be an airline strike.... so not sure what this will be like, but we are still planning on leaving on time and all that! I will update you when I arrive in Kansas City about how all the fights went!
Thanks for the prayers, support, encouragement and everything you have done to help with this trip. I have learned so much and I would love to meet with each of you to share what God has done in my life while I've been in Italy. Blessings to you!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Cultural Observations
Waiting for the bus or in line at the store or at a restaurant for food or even to order may take a long, long, long time. This waiting does not bother Italians, they are quite calm and reserved. They just know that when they go certain places, they will have to wait. There is no hurry in those places. The post office is another one, we waited 2 hours one day, later we found out that is normal.
People are expected to be to work on time and to school on time, but those are about the only places where it matters! About the only fast-moving things here are the cars and scooters when they are going on the streets, the language, and the time I've spent here (it has gone by WAY TOO fast!).
If an Italian has a very dark tan, it probably means they have been at the beach all day everyday, and still they are not dark enough, so they will continue to go to the beach everyday. :) It is not unusual to see topless women at the beach... I have heard though that the beaches here are more modest than Brasil... so take that and think what you like I guess!
The beaches are mostly made of rocks. There are some sandy beaches, but those are far away on a train that one has to pay extra to use. The beach is only crowded when there is no ground empty; with towels and chairs right next to each other over the whole beach.
Italians love to eat. Pasta of course is a staple here. Funny though, I have really not had any pasta with meat sauce or fettuccine alfredo (like we eat in America). Those must be American pastas! They enjoy being creative in their sauces. I have had lots of pesto, vegetables, cheese, cream, tomato sauces. All have been incredible!
Along with the love for food, much time is spent eating. Most shops are closed in the middle of the day til 2:30 or 3 in the afternoon so that everyone can eat lunch. There really doesn't seem to be any sort of schedule for the store hours, it will just be open when it is open.
In the store, when paying, I have to ask for a bag to carry my groceries in. Also, it is very common that the shop keeper/cashier will ask me for a smaller bill or coin so that he does not have to make as much change. There really is not much customer service, to us Americans, they probably come across as pretty lazy!
The overall attitude of the people is relaxed and somewhat cold. They are not accepting people of foreigners. They are relaxed because they are not pressed to be anywhere, but they are not accepting to outsiders of their culture.
There really doesn't seem to be much crime here. I have seen no accidents on the streets since I've been here and I have not heard or seen any crimes. The only thing we are ever warned about is pick-pockets.
I'm sure there is much more, but I thought these observations were fun to share for now! Also, this was a fun post for the 4th of July as I sit by myself in the apartment... Italians do not celebrate United State's Independence Day!! haha So here I am, thinking about what I've learned and maybe, just maybe there will be fireworks out on the water tonight that I can see from the window... hope everyone at home is doing well!
We leave for Rome on Monday, EARLY in the morning. We will be there til Tuesday night. I will try to post again after Rome. Our time is RAPIDLY ending. My heart is being pulled into this city and these people. I might have to leave it here and return with no heart to the states. I have to constantly remember that God's plan is bigger and better than mine and I cannot worry about the future. Right now is the important thing!
Let me know if you have any questions, I'd love to hear from you!
People are expected to be to work on time and to school on time, but those are about the only places where it matters! About the only fast-moving things here are the cars and scooters when they are going on the streets, the language, and the time I've spent here (it has gone by WAY TOO fast!).
If an Italian has a very dark tan, it probably means they have been at the beach all day everyday, and still they are not dark enough, so they will continue to go to the beach everyday. :) It is not unusual to see topless women at the beach... I have heard though that the beaches here are more modest than Brasil... so take that and think what you like I guess!
The beaches are mostly made of rocks. There are some sandy beaches, but those are far away on a train that one has to pay extra to use. The beach is only crowded when there is no ground empty; with towels and chairs right next to each other over the whole beach.
Italians love to eat. Pasta of course is a staple here. Funny though, I have really not had any pasta with meat sauce or fettuccine alfredo (like we eat in America). Those must be American pastas! They enjoy being creative in their sauces. I have had lots of pesto, vegetables, cheese, cream, tomato sauces. All have been incredible!
Along with the love for food, much time is spent eating. Most shops are closed in the middle of the day til 2:30 or 3 in the afternoon so that everyone can eat lunch. There really doesn't seem to be any sort of schedule for the store hours, it will just be open when it is open.
In the store, when paying, I have to ask for a bag to carry my groceries in. Also, it is very common that the shop keeper/cashier will ask me for a smaller bill or coin so that he does not have to make as much change. There really is not much customer service, to us Americans, they probably come across as pretty lazy!
The overall attitude of the people is relaxed and somewhat cold. They are not accepting people of foreigners. They are relaxed because they are not pressed to be anywhere, but they are not accepting to outsiders of their culture.
There really doesn't seem to be much crime here. I have seen no accidents on the streets since I've been here and I have not heard or seen any crimes. The only thing we are ever warned about is pick-pockets.
I'm sure there is much more, but I thought these observations were fun to share for now! Also, this was a fun post for the 4th of July as I sit by myself in the apartment... Italians do not celebrate United State's Independence Day!! haha So here I am, thinking about what I've learned and maybe, just maybe there will be fireworks out on the water tonight that I can see from the window... hope everyone at home is doing well!
We leave for Rome on Monday, EARLY in the morning. We will be there til Tuesday night. I will try to post again after Rome. Our time is RAPIDLY ending. My heart is being pulled into this city and these people. I might have to leave it here and return with no heart to the states. I have to constantly remember that God's plan is bigger and better than mine and I cannot worry about the future. Right now is the important thing!
Let me know if you have any questions, I'd love to hear from you!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Waiting, Dissapointment, Discouragement
This week has been really hard. Many reasons, mostly God is just working on my heart.
My heart is breaking. As I learn more from the team about Christians in Genova and the existing churches here, I am near tears every time.
As Tim told me today, if I were to go out into the historical center of town where many, many people are and asked 500 people if they were born again believers, I would probably not find ONE! Not ONE!
There is such a bitterness here towards church. Any Italian in Genova who hears 'church' thinks of Catholic church and religion.
The existing Evangelical churches in this city are made up of primarily internationals and not lead by Italians. This breaks my heart. There are no Italian churches! Why? And for this reason Avant is in Italy, in Genova. The ministry here is all about people. Plugging into groups of Italians who are influential and have an impact on their social circle. The vision for these groups is to see them come to faith in Jesus and then begin to train others to practice the principles of a church/body of believers. This is a huge challenge, and everything the team does here is based on people and building relationships naturally with people of influence.
As I hear more and my heart breaks more for not only Genova, but Europe in general, I cannot help but desire to be a part of what is happening. As I sat listening to Tim today and Dustin on Monday, I realized how God can use me in this type of ministry because of my love for people. And not only my love for people in a different culture who need Jesus, but my love for working on a team of people. One of the greatest experiences in my life so far has been my job at Moody on the dish crew, that group of people is so diverse with personality, nationality, and backgrounds and yet the 22 of us are able to connect in a way that no other person not a part of our team can understand. We have been called a cult before, maybe we are, but most importantly for me being a part of that group God has taught me what it means to work problems out and be forced to live with the differences of others all striving for one common goal and purpose. The love and the bond that we share is deeper than anything I have ever experienced.
I share this because I see similar qualities in the team members here in Genova. I like the idea of joining a team to be encouraged, challenged, and to work along-side others with the same goal.
Thanks for your prayers. I look forward to sharing more about the trip in general with as many of you as possible when I return. The end is approaching rapidly! Pray for my attitude and to finish strong.
Please email me if you have specific questions or input. I would love to hear from you!
My heart is breaking. As I learn more from the team about Christians in Genova and the existing churches here, I am near tears every time.
As Tim told me today, if I were to go out into the historical center of town where many, many people are and asked 500 people if they were born again believers, I would probably not find ONE! Not ONE!
There is such a bitterness here towards church. Any Italian in Genova who hears 'church' thinks of Catholic church and religion.
The existing Evangelical churches in this city are made up of primarily internationals and not lead by Italians. This breaks my heart. There are no Italian churches! Why? And for this reason Avant is in Italy, in Genova. The ministry here is all about people. Plugging into groups of Italians who are influential and have an impact on their social circle. The vision for these groups is to see them come to faith in Jesus and then begin to train others to practice the principles of a church/body of believers. This is a huge challenge, and everything the team does here is based on people and building relationships naturally with people of influence.
As I hear more and my heart breaks more for not only Genova, but Europe in general, I cannot help but desire to be a part of what is happening. As I sat listening to Tim today and Dustin on Monday, I realized how God can use me in this type of ministry because of my love for people. And not only my love for people in a different culture who need Jesus, but my love for working on a team of people. One of the greatest experiences in my life so far has been my job at Moody on the dish crew, that group of people is so diverse with personality, nationality, and backgrounds and yet the 22 of us are able to connect in a way that no other person not a part of our team can understand. We have been called a cult before, maybe we are, but most importantly for me being a part of that group God has taught me what it means to work problems out and be forced to live with the differences of others all striving for one common goal and purpose. The love and the bond that we share is deeper than anything I have ever experienced.
I share this because I see similar qualities in the team members here in Genova. I like the idea of joining a team to be encouraged, challenged, and to work along-side others with the same goal.
Thanks for your prayers. I look forward to sharing more about the trip in general with as many of you as possible when I return. The end is approaching rapidly! Pray for my attitude and to finish strong.
Please email me if you have specific questions or input. I would love to hear from you!
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