Ode on a Grecian Isle

In early June I attended my first ever Italian wedding! Or perhaps I should say wedding in Italy, for it was between a Peruvian and a German. The bride and her sisters decorated the church building, and after the ceremony we had a big meal to which all the ladies of the Vicenza church made a culinary contribution. I enjoyed getting to help out a bit with the wedding preparations and festivities. Two girls who were Avanti workers in Vicenza five years ago came to town for the wedding, so it was neat to meet them and hear about their experiences here.

The following Saturday, Vittorio Vitalone, a doctor from Rome, came to put on a conference about spiritual and physical health, topics requested by the Ghanaians. He also preached Sunday morning, and after the worship service, a Ghanaian lady was baptized!

After my friend Jessica and I were in Milan for the ladies' day, she went up to Germany to visit some relatives, and then we met up to go to Greece for five days! Since she had studied abroad in Athens, she was my tour guide as we visited the Acropolis, other ancient ruins, and the archaeological museum. We of course also enjoyed plenty of gyros and wandering around the plaka (market). Reading Paul's speech in Acts 17 while sitting on Mars Hill and looking out at all the temples, which would've been even more impressive in his day, gave a new perspective to those verses. We then had a couple days on the island of Santorini: picturesque buildings, sunsets, and the Aegean Sea.

on Mars Hill with the Acropolis in the background

Santorini

Jessica then spent a few days with me in Vicenza before heading back to the States. Among the activities of daily life and work and showing her around town, we enjoyed watching several World Cup games in the cafe near my house :) Having her here was such an encouragement, and we made lots more wonderful memories. Her visit reminded me how blessed I am to have so many dear friends all over the world!