Santa Maria del Fiore
As the title to this post reads, I have been here for three weeks, but it has seemed like so much longer because of all the things we pack into each day. I want to tell you all about each and every little thing, but that would be impossible, so I thought I’d write a little snippet on all the different parts of my life here in Italia.
Making things official:
-If you’ve ever visited a foreign country, you know all the hoops you have to jump through to make it there without upsetting anyone. Well, it has been no different, with the exception of it being worse, getting all my ducks in a row. To live here, we must have a permesso di soggiorno and it can only be obtained by going through many steps. The most recent one was Monday, when Emily and I went to the immigration office to file our papers and have our fingerprints entered into the system. We waited for five hours to do something that might have taken 10 minutes, max. But this is Italy! We have one more appointment a month from now when we can actually pick up the permessi. Hopefully then, we won’t have to worry with it for a while!
Language School:
-Every weekday I have been attending language classes in Florence. Classes last from 9:00 - 12:45 each day but we have to take the bus into the city. And since we like to arrive early and grab a cappuccino and perhaps a pastry at the bar inside the school, we leave our house at around 7:30. In class, we have been learning new things as well as reviewing other things, and it has all been very fun! Right now, we are in the process of reading through a short monologue/novella, Novecento, and it is really stretching us. Reading literature in another language is very challenging, but also very rewarding. At the end of next week, Em and I will move on to the advanced class to study for another month. Can’t wait!
English Lessons:
-On Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays I give free hour-long english lessons here at the Bible School. This week is only my second week of teaching but I already know that I absolutely love it. Each student [I have seven right now and will have about 5 more after I finish language school] is different and it is so fun getting to be creative and tailor-make a lesson for that individual. Based on what each one has studied before, I get to choose which texts we discuss and can control the pace at which we discuss them. Currently, the texts for my lessons span between Noah and the flood and the book of James in the New Testament, and each of my students seems very interested, which is encouraging and energizing.
Working with the Church in Florence:
-I have already fallen in love with all the people with whom I worship here in Florence. Getting to know them has already been a great joy and I can’t wait to see the ways in which I will get to know them and grow closer to them. A couple of weeks ago, we took all of the young kids out for bowling and pizza. Some of them had never even heard of bowling, so it was a real treat for all of us! Also, we are going to be starting an english group conversation activity and offering a small meal at the church building every Thursday before the regular mid-week Bible study at eight. I’m very excited about this being an opportunity to invite some of my current students to visit the church and meet some of the Italians there. In addition to all this, we also host a women’s Bible study here at the Bible School every Monday evening. We are currently studying James (we are just starting it this week) and the conversation is already so meaningful and thought provoking... I can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for us for the rest of the study! Truly, I have been blessed by a warm welcome from the church members here and look forward to seeing all the experiences we will have together over the next couple of years.
HUF relationships:
-As some of you may already know, it is one of my personal goals to form relationships with the HUF [Harding University in Florence] students while I am here in Italy and hopefully influence some of them to return to Italy to serve God through the Avanti Italia program and other missions. Luckily, even though they just arrived Friday morning, we have already been able to be with the students on several occasions and have made plans for various activities with them throughout the semester. In fact, this coming Sunday evening, we will be hosting a dinner for them here at the Bible School and will be able to share information with and entertain any questions from the students. Hopefully we will strike up some interest! Please keep this in your prayers, as it is something I care very much about.
Macchiavelli - Vigna di Fontalle
Tuscany:
-Ummmm... sooooo... have I mentioned yet that I live in one of the most beautiful places on the face of the earth? Well, I do. The grape vines and olive trees are all ready for harvesting at this time of year, so this region is abounding with good things. The picture here is of Machiavelli’s vineyard in the Chianti region. It was my first “up close and personal” experience with a real vineyard and I was absolutely taken aback by how gorgeous it really was. Breathtaking! Soon, we will be harvesting grapes and olives [two separate occasions] with the HUF students. Can’t wait for that adventure!
Another apology: I am sorry I have yet to add pictures to the website. I have taken MANY but I am still waiting to receive the cord that connects my camera to my computer that allows me to upload them here from my parents. [I accidentally left it in the States. Woops!!] But hopefully very soon, I will finally be able to get it all available for your viewing.
I hope everyone is doing well, enjoying the cooler temperatures! Remember wherever you go, God is always with you, holding you in His arms, giving you opportunities to reflect his love and grace to all. Please remember to keep me and the work we do here with Avanti Italia in your hearts and prayers. And please feel free to send any messages of encouragement to Emily and me. We love to hear from everyone back home!
Love all of you! Thanks for checking in on me. Come back for more updates!!
Eph. 4: 15-16
