O Fiorentinaaa...

Last week I journeyed to Florence to participate in a youth weekend, welcome the new Avanti workers, and get together with friends and former students...

First was the youth weekend! We had times of singing and Bible study, an excursion to Florence and a picnic overlooking the town, high-spirited rounds of Italian pictionary and charades, a barbecue, and a pancake breakfast. We also divided into four groups and translated In Christ Alone from English into Italian, with each group translating one verse. We then presented the new song to the Florence church on Sunday and hope to spread it to other congregations as well.

Three different cities were represented among the young Italians; I brought along one from Vicenza. One of the girls in attendance was baptized a month ago and excitedly showed us a video she had compiled with photos and footage of the event. At the summer camp she had been seriously contemplating this decision, and we are so happy for her! I also found out that another girl from camp who had also been thinking about taking this step was recently baptized!

some of the girls at the youth weekend

Six new Avanti Italia workers have recently arrived in Florence (a seventh is coming in October), so it was fun to get to know and spend time with them. They are all so eager to learn Italian and build relationships, and I can't wait to see how God will use them to impact countless lives. On the right of this page, I've added links to their blogs, which exude their enthusiasm for this new journey and chronicle how God has called them to and equipped them for this mission. Monday night we had an orientation where several former and current workers shared advice.

The next morning I went shopping with Ermenita, who joined the Avanti program in April and is about to graduate from the University of Florence. Ermenita was looking for a dress and shoes for when she defends her thesis and thereby graduates a couple weeks from now, and I am glad I got to take part in this special moment. She has worked so hard on her thesis, and we are all so proud of her!

shopping with Ermenita

While in town, I got together with several of my former English students and enjoyed catching up on what's been going on in their lives. I was especially delighted to get to see a student who last fall had moved to Arezzo, an hour outside of Florence. We have kept in touch during the last year but were never able to get together on any of my trips to Florence last winter... so I went to Arezzo! She invited me to have lunch in her apartment, and then she showed me around town (where Life is Beautiful was filmed). A few months ago, she had written me, "I always remember our lessons with the reading of the Bible and it was very nice! You took part in my spiritual progress, so... thank you!" Probably I'll never see most of the growth from the seeds I'm planting in these two years, but I know God can use all our efforts to advance His kingdom and make eternal differences!

reunion in Arezzo!

forever young

Since my last post, I have spent a majority of my days supervising children and teens... The last week in August, I went to the mountains to babysit three kids from church since their mother, a young widow, had to stay in Vicenza and work. The kids, ages 9, 10, and 13, were wonderful, and we had fun taking walks, playing in the park, going on a day trip to Asiago, playing card games, and cooking together. I also helped them with their summer English homework. I thoroughly enjoyed being surrounded by God's beautiful creation and getting to spend time with these precious children!

on a walk with the kids

picnic in Asiago

This weekend, several teens from Rome/Aprilia came to visit their friends in Vicenza. The first two days we were in town, and the next two days we spent at a mountain house belonging to a family from church. Not an official youth retreat, this was a time the kids had organized to hang out together before the end of their summer break. Each night we had a devotional centered on the theme of "Why Believe?" Being responsible for a group of teenagers, outside the church camp setting, was kind of a different experience, and thankfully the Padova missionaries helped out as well.

youth at the mountain house

In between these excursions, I added a new English student, a twelve-year-old girl from Moldova whose mother is a friend of one of my students. My other students are continuing to progress, and I enjoy hearing their insights and witnessing their dedication to learn.

I am delighted to report that I have quite comfortably survived a summer without air conditioning. I had to turn on a fan a total of about ten days in July and one night in August, and the rest of the time, weekly rains kept the temperatures between the 60s and 80s, and it was quite lovely. One advantage of growing up near Houston is that nowhere else I go feels humid, even if everybody else thinks it is (here it's 72-82% year-round).

I have now spent several winters, springs, and summers in Italy, but I have never been here during September-December, so I am looking forward to experiencing autumn here, as well as having everybody back in town after the mass exodus that was August, the month when all Italians flee to the mountains or the sea.

"Come with me... to a quiet place and get some rest"

Last week I attended InterMission Italy, a retreat for American missionaries working in Europe. Three former missionary couples, who had served a number of years in Australia, South Africa, and Taiwan, came to put on the retreat and share their wisdom and experiences with us. Kent and Nancy Hartman are part of this ministry group, and it was so wonderful to see them. The participants came from Italy, Austria, Albania, and France. I enjoyed getting to better know Memorial Road's Vienna team, as well as the other inspiring missionary families. We were up in the hills outside of Bologna and had a refreshing and encouraging several days together.

We had times of worship, rest, prayer, play, study, and discussion. Topics included re-entry to America, prioritizing, spiritual disciplines, dealing with stress, marriage and parenting in another culture, and handling finances. We also examined II Corinthians, a letter from the heart of a missionary. The organizing committee showered us with gifts each day: tastes of America, tools for spiritual growth, and other fun items. We are all so grateful for the thought and preparation put into this week, and I am so glad I had the opportunity to participate and learn so much!

Memorial Road ladies

After the retreat, I spent the weekend in Bologna with the family who had hosted me for the youth retreat there during Easter. We went to a couple parks and to an overlook point to see the city all lit up at night. Pictured below are Rosa and I with some of the figs we picked from her brother-in-law's tree. I also enjoyed getting to worship with the Bologna church Sunday before returning home.

Every now and then, it's nice to take a step back and rest, as Jesus invited the apostles to do in Mark 6:30-32 upon their return from being sent out two by two: "The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, 'Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.' So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place."

¡Hasta Luego, Inseguridad!

The summer session of the ladies' Bible study on the army base began last week. I'm in a group reading Beth Moore's So Long, Insecurity.. in Spanish (the title of this post)! Having this opportunity to practice with native speakers will hopefully prevent my Spanish from being entirely corrupted by Italian :) I've read the book in English and can highly recommend it. I'm hoping this study will not only benefit me personally but also equip me to help the girls at church (and around the country) be more secure with themselves.


The Thursday night Bible study reached a milestone this week: we finished I Corinthians! When I arrived in January, we were in chapter 6... six months later, we made it through chapter 16 and are now on to II Corinthians. Another exciting development at the Bible study is that the couple who leads it has been bringing fresh produce from their orchard to share with the rest of us. This week I got zucchini, tomatoes, and a leek!


My English students are one by one finishing Mark and beginning to read Acts! I had a particularly good discussion with one of them last week as he was asking me why there are so many different churches, and as we studied Acts 2, we had more conversation than usual; typically he answers each question briefly and keeps on going. I'm glad to have growing relationships with my students as they are also having a growing understanding of God's Word.


A girl from France is doing a five-month business internship in Vicenza, so it's nice to have another person my age at church! We get together occasionally during the week as well, and this week she came over for dinner.

A Moldavian couple from church, who celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary last month, on the first of this month gave birth to an adorable and tiny baby girl!

In other neighborhood news... the entire length of the street the church building is on is under construction. With first one side shut down, then another part, this has made my commute a little more exciting, as well as complicated traffic patterns and bus routes, as the street and bridge have become one-way. Around here, there's never a dull moment!

CAMP!!!

The Italian Christian summer camp was once again an incredible experience!! I returned home so full of joy and wish I could adequately communicate all that transpired... God was powerfully at work in our little nook up in the Apennine mountains.

The first week we had 71 little ones (ages 6-13), and our theme was the Fruit of the Spirit. I co-taught the youngest Bible class (twenty vivacious six-to-nine-year-olds, pictured below) and helped with the art class and sports. Last year there were forty-five campers each week, so this substantial increase of precious children also made everything even crazier than usual :)




The second week we had 23 teenagers, all but one of whom I already knew. It was a much more tranquil and intimate week as we focused on "Facing Your Giants," using the story of David and Goliath and Max Lucado's book of that name. I was in the Bible class with the 14-and-15-year-olds (pictured below) and co-taught the English class, which consisted of pictionary, charades, the "take a hike" game, and listening to English music to decipher the lyrics. For the Friday night end-of-camp showcase, our English class sang "The Battle Belongs to the Lord."

As we focused on identifying and combating our personal giants, we had a tangible reference point, a life-size replica of Goliath that some of the men had constructed! We wrote our giants on slips of paper and put them in a box, which, along with Goliath, was burned on the last night. Below is the English class with Goliath.

We had such a great staff of counselors and cooks for both sessions! Emily, an Avanti worker at the Florence Bible School (pictured with me below) was a counselor with me for both weeks, and working with her was so much fun! To read more about camp (as well as her work in Florence), I suggest you visit her blog: http://dafavola.blogspot.com/

The absolute highlight of camp was that two boys, from Taranto and Vicenza, decided to be baptized on Friday!! They both have amazing stories, which I will share in part. The one from Taranto (down south in the arch of the boot) comes from a Christian family but had fallen in with the wrong crowd, so to speak; due to past behavior problems, he was almost not allowed to come to camp this year. Before his baptism, he admitted (it sounds better in Italian), "I came to camp intending to wreak havoc, but instead God wrought havoc on me." The guy from Vicenza is from a non-Christian family but had been to camp a few times with a friend; last year he was selected as the Best Camper. Before his baptism, he prayed, "You know I've never had a father; now I'm choosing You to be my Father." In the absence of a typical baptistery, a giant freezer was filled with water, and we all gathered around to witness these two new births. Please pray for both of these new brothers in Christ, especially as they have now returned from camp to the regular world and do not want to revert back to their old lives. Pray also that I and others will know how to encourage and support them.

rejoicing with our two new brothers in Christ!!

(on the left in the bright blue and orange shirts)

On facebook I have uploaded lots more pictures of camp, as well as a ten-minute film created by a group of teens re-enacting the story of David and Goliath. "Tu ci credi ai giganti???" is particularly hilarious if you understand Italian, but I would recommend it to all who would like a glimpse of the campers and the camp's location. It was truly a special group of people in a special place, and we are grateful for all the unforgettable moments! God is good.

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!

From Venice to Milan!

My dear college friend Jessica has come to visit me! Yesterday we went to Milan to help out with their annual ladies' day, held on the Festa della Repubblica holiday (today). We spent the night with the wonderful missionary family there, and en route from the train station to the church building to their apartment got a quick tour of the magnificent city center. Jessica and I made visual aids, helped come up with the game and crafts, and got to make double recipes of sausage balls and apple cobbler for the potluck :) Our fellow travelers were quite curious when we broke out brown paper bags, aluminum foil, construction paper, scissors, twine, and metallic pens to make the posters during the train ride.

Though in years past this has been a regional event, due to the reconstruction work being done on the church building, this year it was held just for the ladies of the Milan congregation, in a member's home. At least seven countries were represented among the thirteen of us! Jessica and I had fun speaking Spanish with the two Latin Americans. The missionary lady spoke about the juxtaposition of reality and truth, the difference between the way we often see ourselves and the way God sees us, and how it is important to adjust our perspective and take hold of all God's promises to us. It was a lovely day of study and fellowship, and I'm so glad I got to participate!

truth vs. reality


paper bag garment = the old life, or how we view our reality from a worldly perspective
silver = garment of salvation (Isaiah 61:10) and how God sees us

At the end of May was Vicenza's sixth annual Bible Festival, organized by the Catholic church. The Vicenza Church of Christ has participated in years past by bringing in various choral groups, and this year they gave us a room for a speaker. With the theme of Hospitality in Scripture, these four days included conferences, displays, concerts, and lots of visitors (and nuns!). Dr. Earl Lavender from Lipscomb University spoke about Hospitality in the Early Church one evening as part of the festival, and he also had a conference on I Corinthians at our church building while he was in town. Two of my English students came to this conference, and another one came to the Bible Festival, where Dr. Lavender spoke to a packed house. His inspiring message challenged us to view hospitality not as an action but a way of life. We were grateful for the opportunity to take part in the festival, preach a good message to a wider audience, and let them know about the presence of our congregation.

publicity for the Bible Festival was all over town

Dr. Lavender speaking on Hospitality in the Early Church

I have another new English student who comes twice a week, the nine-year-old son of my Sri Lankan students. He attends an international school where half the courses are taught in English, so he already speaks quite well. In addition to the language learning, his parents feel they have a responsibility to instill values in him and so are glad for him to be studying the Bible as well.

Other highlights since my last post: I have...
-seen a play featuring a lady from church and two other mothers of my English class kids; it was an end-of-course performance for their acting class.
-met several former northeastern Italy missionaries and their friends and family, who were passing through town.
-dined at a pizzeria with one of my English students.
-taken my children's English class on an outing to the park.
-brought five loaves and two fish (literally) to English class.
-helped my kids practice their colors and numbers with woman-at-the-well bingo, the game card being a "well" they built of colored/numbered "stones."
-beautified the bulletin board in my classroom.
-sent my Sunday School class on an Easter egg hunt to find the phrases to the beginning of one of David's psalms, as we studied how he was hiding from Saul.
-become a familiar face to the girls at the bread store next to my house, as we now greet each other even when I pass by and don't make a purchase.
-when picking up Jessica in Venice, met up with another Harding friend and his friend, who were traveling around Italy. Thus I was in Venice one day and Milan the next; despite living relatively close to these two cities, it was my first time in over three years to go to either of them!

the result of the Psalm 18 Easter egg hunt:

"The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge."

Jessica and I in Venice

Jessica and I in front of Milan's Duomo