Spring!!

Happy Spring everyone!!! I cannot believe April is almost over! Time has been going so fast. Easter was quite interesting here. There are a lot of traditions during this time of year. On "Good Friday" here all the Catholic Churches cover up all their crosses and statues. I was told it was done because Friday was the day when Jesus was in the grave and communication with God was cut off. They also have a sort of parade throughout the city where they carry a cross, to represent the walk of Jesus to the cross. Then on Saturday night at midnight all the churches ring their bells to honor the day of Christ's resurrection. In Florence on Easter Sunday, there were a ton of people gathered around the Duomo (one of the biggest churches in Florence and a huge tourist attraction.) They had 2 oxen pulling a cart with, what looked to me, like an altar.  It had fireworks and other things like that that were set off. Easter is a big family holiday here. The schools are off, some for almost a week. Several of our students went to the beach or to the mountains for the weekend. For the kid’s class I taught about the resurrection of Christ and then we did an Easter egg hunt.The kids loved it and kept wanting to do it over and over. Here the eggs that they give to people as gifts or to kids are huge chocolate eggs with some kind of toy or prize inside.

Kids Class Easter Egg Hunt

We have been crazy busy here with our students and several different events. We have had a Karaoke night, which was hilarious, but turned out really well. We sang mostly American songs, but also some Italian songs that our students wanted to sing. We also had a ping pong tournament at the church which also went really well. We had several people come who were not our students so it was good to meet them. We are trying to have some more events that involve the church members and our students.

Karaoke Night

A few weeks ago we went to a women’s retreat in a city near Rome. It was encouraging to see the people there. This has been one thing that has been new for me, is having retreats for the entire country. Because of the smaller number of members, the retreats are really important to the Italians and all the members all over the country seem to know each other. We also went to a retreat this past Saturday that was for the young people. From what I've seen and heard, the teens seem to crave this time together. Most of them do not have huge youth groups and support like that, things that were so normal to me.

Time with my students and other people has been really good lately. There seems to be something stirring with several of them. Recently a few of my students have begun to open up a lot more than they have in the past.  It has been something for me to get used to as they are not used to sharing their thoughts or talking about what they believe and why they believe it. It catches some of them "off guard" when I ask them certain questions. I think it is an adjustment for them and for me. But I am very excited about what has been going on with them. I see so many good things in all my students. They are all such good people and want to good things that matter. They are an encouragement to me. They teach me a lot about different things, especially Italian cooking...

Learning to make real pizza

I was reading last week with a student about David and telling her about some of his story. She had not heard some of it before so it was so cool to see her reaction. To see someone my age hear it for the first time. It's an awesome feeling when you read a story in the Bible and the reality of it hits you and it is no longer just a story you heard when you were little. When you truly understand the significance of it and all the feelings and emotions involved with all the people in the story. It blows my mind.

In the Spring and Summer we have a lot of people in and out of our building so things are constantly happening here. It is all good things, but definitely some adjustments to get used to and also learning a lot of patience and such. Living in this kind of community where we all live and work together causes you to learn a lot about yourself and a lot of self-control. All of which are good things to learn.

We went to an international art show in Florence a few days ago with some students. There were things from all over the world. I love seeing all the different cultures. It makes me realize how big and powerful and creative God is. There is something comforting about the complexity and mystery of God and what He has created.

International Art Show



Official classes with our students will end soon.  It is harder to meet with students every week during the summer since many of them travel and such. We have several different things planned for the summer. Even though we will not have official classes in the summer, we are going to try to have as many activities with them as possible. I will also try to continue meeting with students as much as I can and as much as they can.

I hope all is well with everyone! I want to thank you for your prayers and support. It is a true comfort to know that y'all are there.