and the walls came tumbling down...

Sunday was my first agape (potluck) in Vicenza! The Italians and Ghanaians had a combined worship service, part in Italian and part in Twi, with some singing also in English. Then we enjoyed a smorgasbord of food and fellowship. The agape happened to fall the day before the 43rd anniversary of a couple from church, so we celebrated with song and tiramisu.

The children wanted to present a skit at the end of the agape, so for the last couple weeks we've been preparing to re-enact the story of the fall of the walls of Jericho (Joshua 6), which the kids selected since they had already constructed the Ark of the Covenant. The "city" consisted of songbooks set up in a circle like dominoes, which effectively contributed to the general clamor at the end of the scene when the warriors shouted to bring down the walls.

They had lots of fun getting into costume!

the priests sounding the trumpets

the procession around Jericho

The children did such a great job! Then the parents wanted them to demonstrate some of the English they have been learning, so we sang "If You're Happy and You Know It" and "Father Abraham." I'm so proud of my kids for both their skit and spontaneous English presentation :)

For the last two Thursday nights, our Bible study has migrated to the apartment of a couple who lives next door to the church building, as the man is in poor health and unable to get out much. This 8:30 study usually finishes around 10 p.m. but is always quite lively, with discussions of the passage of the night, stories of life in Italy in years past, and two or three people speaking simultaneously in a combination of Italian and the Veneto dialect. It's neat to get to visit church members in their homes, especially when they are not able to get out due to chronic or temporary health concerns. Begonia and I have also been to visit a lady from church who recently had foot surgery; her recovery is going well, and hopefully she will be able to walk on it soon!

I just found out that the 18-year-old younger brother of one of my English students in Florence passed away due to a heart attack while playing soccer. Please keep the De Vita family in your prayers!!

Oh, how many feet you meet!

Jesus instructed His followers to spread the Gospel "in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8b). From Jerusalem, to these surrounding regions, to the rest of the world, the message has steadily advanced, resulting in believers in all corners of the globe. Increasingly, these corners no longer seem so distant, as chance encounters among Christians yield incredible stories.

These past two Sundays, our church has been blessed to have a couple visiting from Canada, who previously lived in Houston, are originally from El Salvador, and were on vacation in Italy. When they arrived, they met Begonia, who is from Peru and just so happens to have a cousin in Canada (not one of the smaller countries in the world). She mentioned this, and the man knew who her cousin was before she even told him her name, as they attend the same congregation!

The second Sunday that the El Salvadorian-Canadians were in town, a retired Italian couple from church, who always invites a group over for Sunday lunch, extended their hospitality to these visitors, Begonia, another church member from Colombia, and me. Everyone but the hosts spoke Spanish, everyone but the two out-of-town guests spoke Italian, and almost half of us spoke English. We had a delightful meal, and it was incredible to think of how God had brought us all to the same table from so many different countries, and with such an improbable story of a mutual cousin/friend living far away from her homeland!

Additional highlights from the past two weeks:

-In another episode of "it's-a-small-world-after-all," one Friday afternoon while waiting at an unusual bus stop, I saw three teens from last summer's camp who live in Aprilia (six hours away, near Rome) and were in town on a school field trip!

- I attended the birthday party of a now-seven-year-old boy from church! I have learned that when I leave my house Sunday morning (or even Saturday), I never know at what hour I will return home, nor what delightful fellowship may transpire in the intervening hours. On this particular Sunday, I found out about the birthday celebration after church, went home with the family for lunch, and then helped with party preparations: I was entrusted with the task of making all the finger sandwiches. Eighty-eight of them. Eventually assorted cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and friends arrived to consume the goodies. With such a gathering of amusing little children and extended family, hilarious moments were inevitably numerous. After these festivities, I went to a Chinese restaurant and the theatre with a family from church, their German exchange student, and their daughter's Chinese classmate.

- I have now been inside the Olympic Theatre located right next to my apartment! This Sunday, due to an annual race/walk, all cars were prohibited from entering town. In an effort to encourage people to still get out and about, all museums were free!



- I am delighted to report that Italian children appreciate Dr. Seuss! Or at least the ones in my class listened with rapt attention to the jovial rhymes and tongue-twisters. Hence the title of this post, a quote from The Foot Book. Next up: One fish two fish red fish blue fish! Here are photos from the last two weeks of English class:

The four friends lowering a paralytic through the roof so that Jesus can heal him (Mark 2)

Even the wind and the waves obey Jesus! Jesus calms a storm (Mark 4)

Per un Tempo Come Questo

The women's retreat this weekend was an incredible time of fellowship and study! About sixty ladies from around Italy attended, and I loved reconnecting with friends whom I had not seen in months and meeting new people as well. We delved into the book of Esther, with the theme "Per un Tempo Come Questo," or "For Such a Time as This." Our time together included four keynote speakers; worship times with beautiful singing; various games and activities, including a re-enactment of the whole book of Esther, in which we all participated; and small group sessions to discuss the concepts of beauty, joy, faith, courage, obedience, and patience. We made wonderful memories and all left encouraged and refreshed!

The retreat was held up in the mountains outside Florence, and on Sunday we all journeyed into town for a worship service at the Florence church, followed by a potluck. While I was in town, I was also able to pick up my permesso di soggiorno card!

I cannot believe I have been back in Italy for two months already! Especially since it has been snowing all day, it's hard to believe it's the middle of March. I am really looking forward to the other retreats, camps, and events in upcoming months!

If you would like to see more pictures of the women's retreat, Verona, or Vicenza and the children I'm teaching, I have now uploaded albums on facebook! If you do not have facebook and would like to see the photos, let me know, and I can send you the links where you may view them. Thank you for your continued prayers for the work here!

"But encourage one another daily,

as long as it is called Today..."

Hebrews 3:13