Friday, September 25, 2009

It's the weekend

Wow, so much has happened this week.... it's definitely not been a relaxing one, and I feel my time for relaxing is gone and work is definitely beginning.

This week Mauren Little and I went up to Udine on Tuesday and Wednesday, which is about an 45 minutes-one hour away, to pass out fliers. OH THE WALKING WE DID! Seemed like at the end of the first day I could barely move my feet! Hannah Walti and I went up and down streets putting fliers in mail boxes, getting scared to death by dogs barking and trying to get out from behind the fence. We both said, "Now we know what the mailman goes through..." By the second day I felt like a pro! The strength God gives when you think you can't carry on! Crazy stuff, for sure!

Yesterday and today Mauren and I have been training at her house just a few minutes away. She's teaching me everything I need to know for ESL. Everything from time management to role playing on how to share the gospel. I got so overwhelmed on how to share the gospel because it's not evangelizing as you know it..... or at least how I knew it. Here you have to start from the basics. Whenever you start talking to them they think you're a mormon, and you have to explain that you're not and how evangelicals are different from mormon.... etc. etc. etc. Then most everyone here proclaims to be Catholic, yet they only know the basics of what they believe, because hardly any of them go to church on a regular basis. You never get to the Adam and Eve story. You have to know the basics about what you believe and what catholics believe and what mormons, or testimony as they call mormons, believe. It all was extremely overwhelming, and I did break down in tears after that. Tears of frustration but also tears of just being sad about how truly lost these people are. It's definitely going to be an interesting semester. But I already know God's hand is on everything that is going to be said and done. My prayer is that God speaks through me when talking to the Italians.

Whew! So, it's the weekend and what better way to relieve the business of the week, than by taking a trip all day tomorrow to Venice? I don't think there's anything better. All the students and I are going to take the 8:30 a.m. train. EARLY! But I think that we're going to have a good time. I will take loads of pictures to up on here and facebook.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Okay, well I haven't had a whole lot of time to update... but I have a moment to be able to give y'all a glimps into my life right now.

Today, my evangelism class is ending. I'm pretty excited about that, no lie. I have two papers, my review on Acts and Tulip (Calvinists points) that I had to explain and agree/disagree with it, with Bible verses and logic backing my view, due today. Whew! So, the Acts one I have a minimal work still to do on it... So, after I update that's what I'll be doing. Then I have to study for the final that's today at 3:30 p.m. That's one thing that you could be praying for me about. I don't need a good grade, because this doesn't count for me for anything... what matters is that I have learned many things by being in the class. Even so, I do like getting good grades. So, I'm going to do my best.

Tomorrow, ESL training and handing out flyers begins. I'm excited about this. A different schedule, which I'm happy about. ESL classes officially start on October 5th. Four days a week from 6-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday. I'll be learning more throughout this week what else I'll be doing with it... So, more will be coming.

I will try to be better about updating this week. Since I don't have the class anymore, it should be easier. OH, I also made it where people can comment on my blog without having to have a blog... so if you want to comment, go for it. :)

Thanks for all your prayers and support.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Random Pictures






















And we're off..

Well, today starts a new week.. and a very busy week. I'm glad for something to keep my mind busy. Seems this past week was a good adjusting week... but very slow, a lot of time to think how much I miss everyone back home and wishing I were still back at home. But now the work begins. :)

I'm having to take a class at the Bible college here in Italy... an evangelism class. A little overwhelming, since I didn't know I was actually going to have to be taking this class before I came. I have a 10, 4, and 2 page papers due in ONE week for this ONE class. PLUS, it's six hours a day, for ONE class.... GAH! 9:30-12:30 then 3:30-6:30. Part of me thinks even if I don't get good grades on this stuff, so what?! I didn't come here to do school, I came here to minister. BUT, I don't like getting bad grades... so I'm determined to do well, and "pass". Hopefully by tomorrow morning, I will have a great attitude about having to take this class. God has a plan right?

Okay, so one thing that I was really worried about, but God has been awesome is that I am rooming in ONE room with three other people. I wasn't sure about this, when I learned that I would be with other people... but it's been amazing. Abigale, Bethany, and Ashley. They are fun and great to hang around. And the other students are great as well. But God totally blessed me with great roommates for the next couple weeks that I will be living here at the Bible college.

Well, yesterday we learned how to get train tickets, stamps, etc. It was a good learning experience. I think a group of us will be doing things on the weekend, going to Austria and around Italy. It'll be awesome.

Next week, I will start training for ESL. Then the following week ESL classes will start. So, ministering is coming up, and I'm really getting excited about it. :) The people that I will work with, I have grown to like a lot more than I thought I would. Personalities seem to click pretty well. So, that's a huge answer to prayer.

I think that's about it for now, but I will write soon updating you on my life here in Italy.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Changes

Well, Italy is simply beautiful... amazing... awesome... it's feels so weird to be here though!

So, I got in without a hitch! Was never in an airport longer than an hour or so! That was definitely a God thing. All my luggage was in Italy with me! Which was another God thing, because I had heard that British Airways was one of the worst at losing luggage. I definitely started out on the right foot.

I'm living at the Bible college until the end of this month. My roommate, Becky, is in CA with shingles... and is not able to fly until the 25th at the earliest... so we will see when she actually comes back, hope to know in the next week what the plan is. With Becky's sickness, classes, ESL classes, are getting pushed until probably October. A lot later than normal. I also just had Sam, the head of the SEE Teams, tell me that I will be taking an evangelism class with some of the Bible students for a week+ from 9:30-12:30 every day. I'm honestly, NOT happy about it. But it's not about me right? God has a plan. I'm needing to remind myself of that.. and it's probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

Well, the other day the SEE Teams group had to clean up the college for the students coming tomorrow. Cleaning what seemed like hundreds of windows and dusting off even more desks, wardrobes.. etc! Crazy stuff. After cleaning we had our first staff meeting. Then I left with our dear friends, the Walti's, and have spent the past two nights with them. I've gotten to see Udine, eat some terrific gelato and bruschetta. YYYUUUUMMMMMMMYYY! Tonight I'm going to Bible study at the church that's all in Italian... so that will be interesting.

Prayer requests:
1) For Becky that she heals quickly, and is able to come back to Italy feeling well and ready to start ESL classes.
2) That I am able to understand a little more of the language, or at least enough to get by... it's pretty overwhelming.
3) That the people I encounter would be open to hearing about Christ and His love for them.
4) That I would remember that this whole trip is not about me, it's about serving others.

I know I will have more later, and I will update you on that and my new life here in Italy. Thank you for all your prayers and support! :)

Sunday, September 6, 2009

italy at last!


mint chocolate gelato


the "rest" of our micky d's :) yummy!


the cool table and stools that they had in the mcdonald's



the coolest chairs ever! you eat micky d's in style, over here in italy. :)




menu

mcdonald's menu.

well, i am now in italy. as of 1:05 p.m., or 13:05, today. it's beautiful here. very... italian! just what you see in the movies. :)

quick update before i go to bed, because it's 1:18 a.m. here. all my flights went well, each of them left on time! no more than an hour waiting at any gate! :) when i got in, i headed to the college where i will be staying probably through the end of this week if not longer... that's still up in the air, but i'll update about that on tuesday once i know what's happening. i took got ready for my first italian service, which wasn't too bad! it was interesting hearing the language... two people were trying to translate for me, they were really sweet. after service and meeting several new faces a group of us went to mcdonald's for dinner, it was really cool. two story, very colorful and clean! :) then for my first night we went and got gelato, which is even better than ice cream! so yummy. all and all, it's been a great first day, but i'm pretty jet-lagged. i will update more often now! can't wait to see what God is going to do here in italy!