We'll Be In Touch....: February 2013

Hello everyone! Sorry it has been a while since writing. Here’s some updates of life here in Italy.

First, some of you may know that I was able to go home for Christmas and New Years, which was a huge blessing. It was so good to be at home with friends and family, and just being in America was refreshing and definitely needed. Being home was good in many ways. I realized how many blessing I have in both Italy and America.

I am now back in Italy and have been back for about a month. Classes have started again and are going well. I’ve decided to read Acts with several students. Right now we are in chapter 2 which has been one of my favorite things to read with them. After being here and trying to learn a language, I am fascinated by Acts 2 and how one of the first things to happen was that the apostles were given the ability to speak other languages, and not just speak but communicate exactly what the Spirit needed them to. My students and I can both relate to this so much because we are all trying to learn and speak different languages, and it is definitely not easy. The power of the Spirit in this moment has just become even more real to me. Especially when you think about the situation in Acts 2, it’s not like these men were really educated and they definitely did not go to a language school. It just happened. The tower of Babel was brought up in this discussion too. I hope this is not stretching too far, but it’s just a thought that I had from the conversations I have had with my students. The idea of what happened at the tower of Babel was meant to confuse the people and bring disunity to the world because what the people were doing displeased God. Also how salvation during those times was meant for only one group of people who spoke the same language and probably could not even communicate with people outside their group. Then Jesus happened and the Holy Spirit came to the apostles and all of a sudden, they were able to speak other languages, to communicate the message of salvation to the entire world, and to unify the world. Obviously, I don’t experience the same thing as the apostles, but I see something similar. The language has been very difficult and I’m nowhere near fluent and I know my grammar is not always right, but the times that I am speaking with students, I am some how able to communicate what I want. The power of the Spirit.

We had a new group of Harding University students at church on Sunday and the communion talk was about how even though we are all from different countries and different languages, we all have that bond. We all have a part of God in us that unifies us. I see it in our house and the people I live with. Our living situation is not always easy and in reality, none of us really even knew each other or necessarily “chose” to be friends. But we are all here, with one mission and goal, and the Spirit works in us all to help us get along and unify us, even when we are all going crazy..haha... we are a family and the students see that in us.

Another thing that I have really come to love since coming back from my time in the States is how Italians say, “don’t worry.” They say “non ti preoccupare,” which is like don’t worry or don’t preoccupy yourself. I like how it literally translates, but I also love the way Italians say it and how it sounds. It sounds so sincere like they genuinely mean “don’t worry.” There is a comfort in the sound of their voice that puts me at ease when I hear it. When they say it, it sounds like they are putting me before themselves and they want me to be ok. They are not worried if they are inconvenienced. They want to take my “burden” on themselves. I imagine that’s how it sounded when Jesus said it. I guess before when I had read that verse I imagined it being said in more of a harsh way. But now I don’t think it was. I think it was said in a genuine, gentle, and comforting way. Don’t preoccupy yourself. Don’t worry. He’s got it. I think if I heard Jesus say it and truly believed He meant it, I would feel the same way when Italians say it to me- a sense of peace, ease, comfort, and confidence. A sense of a burden being lifted.

We have been doing a lot here lately. We have 4 new workers that just arrived here - a couple, Alan and Rachel, and two other girls, Megan and Lindsey. The dynamics are constantly changing in our house, which is a good thing, but definitely something to adjust to, and another reason we sometimes need divine power to not go crazy…haha. They are a great group and have been very involved. This past weekend we had a women’s day for the women in Tuscany, then that night at the church in Florence we had a lock-in for the kids. It’s a new idea for Italians but it turned out very well. We are trying to have more things for the kids of the churches to get them involved and help them to want to come to church. We also had another Karaoke night at the Bible School. February is also the month in which Italy celebrates a holiday called "Carnivale." I'm not totally sure exactly what it is for, but there are parties and such for a period of about 2 weeks. We went to the nursing home close to our house to celebrate.

Karaoke...