Friday, December 30, 2011

Christmas in Rome

Time is flying by! I cannot believe I am two weeks into outreach. We have been in four different cities since I last blogged, my internet connection is extremely limited. But I  would love to share everything that has been happening! On December 24, we left Torino and stopped in Pisa and Florence on the way. I saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa and yes, it is literally leaning. It’s not just fake! It was hysterical to look around at the people all raising their hands to “push the tower over.” In Florence we parked and walked around; it was FREEZING. But we saw some beautiful statues and buildings, so it was worth it. Around 10:00 that night we arrived in Rome and got to the place we were staying. It was christmas eve, and I was really missing my family but I was so blessed to be able to be in Rome for christmas. The next day we got up early and went to the Vatican! It’s one of those things that you know and hear about, but when you get there you’re speechless. The power behind it blows my mind. The next stops included the Coliseum, Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps and a few others. I never thought I would spend my christmas day like that, I am so blessed! That night we had christmas dinner as a team in a tiny restaurant in Rome. Monday morning we left for Naples, and arrived around ten in the morning. Naples was not what I expected, it looked fairly similar to the poor parts in Mexico. They have an abundance of trash, so much so that it piles in the street and pretty much stays there. We worked with a church there doing services and evangelism. The services include testimonies, dramas, sermons, worship and prayer. After the service the church cooked lunch and then took us on a tour around the city. When I say “lunch” what I mean is sit around and talk while eating three courses for two and a half hours. That’s the italian way! Around midnight we arrived at the place we were staying and it was so cold. There is no heating in the buildings! So we pile on all our clothes to sleep. The next day we got picked up by the Pastor and he treated us to “real breakfast,” cappuccinos and pastries. That’s another italian thing, coffee 24/7. But not any coffee-italian coffee, which is just espresso. By the time I leave here my favorite drink will be espresso. Everywhere you go coffee is offered, I love it! We can’t take a trip in the car anywhere without stopping for coffee. After our breakfast we had a time of worship led by the Pastor, he has such a great heart for worship, it was beautiful. We then did ministry on this street, and we really stepped out! Some people went door to door (my group), some handed out flyers to cars, and some talked to passing people. It was the most fun outreach we’ve had! After that they once again treated us to lunch, this crazy huge meal that stuffed us so much that we had to take a nap! That evening we held another service, I gave my testimony and the quote the translator said was “Give me a scottish or an irish and I can translate, but give me a Texan and I can’t.” So his son, Riccardo translated. I don’t even have an accent, just a fast voice! After the service the church went out for pizza, Naples is known for their pizza so they wanted us to experience real pizza. And I did! It was so delicious. I got to know a few of the girls at the church, Martina and Naomi, they’re love for Jesus was contagious! When we had to say bye I was sad, but I had only met them two hours before, that is the power of God’s kingdom. It was such a fun night, once again the meal took us three hours to finish. The next day we got up early and left for Calabria! On the way we stopped for coffee and prayer with the man we will be staying with in a few weeks. He runs a prayer house in Catanzaro and has the IHOP prayer room on a television running 24/7. We then made our way to the place we are currently staying, it is literally in the middle of nowhere in the middle of southern Italy. We are at the top of a mountain and it is freezing! We have those outdoor heating lamps but they can’t stay on all night so we have to turn them off, so once again we sleep in all our clothes. But it is beautiful up here and we are having some wonderful times with God. This week is a preparation week for the youth camp next week! Please be in prayer as we get ready to host the youth, it is our big ministry and we can;t wait for it to actually happen! All in all my time in Italy so far has been amazing, I love talking with the people, there is an openness here that wasn’t present in Germany or Switzerland. The families and churches hosting us have been spoiling us as well. They give up so much to help us, and I just pray that we are just as much of a blessing to them as much as they were to us.

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