A doppo Firenze....

I can’t believe we have only been in Taranto for a little over a week.

First, let me say this- if you ever decide to pack up all of your belongings and move to a foreign country to live, please take my advice and pack as least as possible. It certainly was a sight to be seen to watch Eric and I each lug two big roller suitcases and a backpack on our 12-hour train ride from Florence to Taranto! Ha. Thankfully we only had one stop where we had to change trains. You could say we made a few friends who were nice enough to help us go up and down two flights of stairs with our luggage…

Anyways, on our second train we were assigned a couchette to sit in. For those of you who don’t know, a couchette is an enclosed space big enough for 6 people and maybe one bag each (no, our 4 bags and 2 backpacks didn’t fit. they waited outside in the hallway of the train.). We encountered two men. Immediately they began asking us about ourselves, what we are doing in Italy etc. When we explained to them that we are Christians teaching English using the Bible, their second question was, if we weren’t Catholic, what type of Christian?? We began to explain how we believe only in what the Bible says, and that Jesus is the only way to heaven. Immediately they said, "oh so you are Jehovah’s Witnesses." When we said no and re-iterated that we are simply Christians trying to follow what the Bible says, they were obviously confused. We had this discussion for probably an hour. They had never heard of this type of "religion" and kept asking more questions. This experience is an example of the work here in Italy. Most of the people here have never heard the real truth of the Bible, and of Jesus. Also, as the 12 hours ticked by, we met other people who asked about us, why we were here, where we came from (Italians are curious by nature =) ) , and they could not believe that we would leave America and come to Taranto. It was absolutely shocking to them. 

 As soon as we made it to Taranto (it was around 9 at night) we were greeted with two big smiles, Andrea and his dad Franco. Immediately we felt at home seeing them. After getting a quick espresso, Vito and his wife Antonetta pulled up. I was so happy to see Antonetta! She is always so sweet to me. I can tell she tries to take care of me. Right away, although we couldn’t stay there because the gas wasn’t turned on, we went to go and see our new apartment! We were completely blown away.  Eric and I knew nothing about the apartment before we arrived other than it was around the corner from the church- so it was a complete surprise! Even now, I can’t believe how God has blessed us with this place. As I mentioned above, it is literally right around the corner from the church. This is good because the bus systems here are not safe or reliable like they were in Florence. So this allows us to just walk around the corner to where we will be having our classes. Also within walking distance is a grocery store and a vendor that sells fresh fruits and vegetables, which I have already grown accustomed to =). A little back-story on the apartment: the couple that lived here before us were very old and passed away 7 months ago. Now their daughter is renting it to us. This being said, it also is fully furnished! After dropping our luggage off at our apartment, the first night we stayed in Latiana with Vito and Antonetta. Latiana, by the way is about a 45 min drive from Taranto. After this, for the next week,  we were shuffled back and forth from place to place as we waited for the lights and gas to be turned on. 

Vito and Antonetta are the only ones who speak any English, and they live in a different town- so after 6 months of living at the Bible School around English speakers, we all of the sudden found ourselves as foreigners. Ha. A little bit of culture shock- but I will tell you this, that in the 1 week that we have been here, I can already tell how much we have improved- so it is a blessing for us.

While we waited for the gas, we stayed with two brothers Fabrizio and Lucca. They share an apartment about 30 min outside of Taranto. Everyday, they would take us back and forth from their apartment to ours to check for the gas. While all along they also have work and lives of their own! We have been so humbled by their dedication to help us, and just their lives as Christians. I wont go into details other than to say, they are living examples of what it means to put others before yourselves. We are truly blessed by their friendship. 

You could say that we hit the ground running. Our first Sunday just happened to be the Agape (remember its like a Potluck)! So not only did we get to see everyone in Taranto, but also everyone from Latiana and Meziana as well! We were really encouraged to see everyone again. Other than spending time getting to know the brothers, we also have been visiting with Franco (he came to get us at the train station our first night) and his wife Enza. They have three boys: Simone, Francesco, and Andrea (he was also at the train station the first night). Last week we had lunch with them a couple of times and I am excited to get to know all of them better.

After the Agape, I was talking with Laura's mom (Laura is 9 years old and is the only kid at church in Taranto right now) when she asked me if I would be interested in teaching English in Laura's class at school! She said she had already asked the teacher about it and was hoping I could go and meet the class that coming Tuesday! Of course I said YES!

In the midst of all of this, we still were not in our house yet. Monday, the gas was turned on, but it was only working for the stove and oven- not for the hot water. . .

Tuesday after Laura's school the gas technico was supposed to come, but canceled and re scheduled for Wednesday. Anyways, the first lesson with the kids went great! It was so much fun and I m pretty sure the kids loved it as much as I did. After I finished the teacher asked if I could come every Friday at the same time for a lesson with them, and eventually do the same for the class across the hallway! I am so excited about all of this. I feel like it is a perfect way to get to know the people of Taranto and to share God's love =)

 When we left the school, we had lunch with a member of the church in Taranto named Anna Maria. I really really really enjoy her company. She is an older woman who lives alone only a couple streets over from us. Anna Maria was one of the first Christians in Taranto, and remains faithful. She is sweet, funny, so sharp. She even speaks a little bit of English. I want to go and visit with her at least once a week. In fact, when I told her I was coming for a visit this week to look at all of her old photos, she said ok, and then a couple of days later, she said she is going to fix mussels for us for lunch that same day (by the way, mussels is what Taranto is known for)! I’m excited. I hope to get a picture with her so you can "meet" her- except she has already told me she doesn’t like to have her picture taken. Ha. I guess I will have to be sneaky =) 

What else?? Wednesday the gas technico finally came. There were two problems; the first being that we couldn’t get hot water, and the second was a major natural gas leak. The technico turned out to be a 24 yr old named Michelangelo (Dr Choate are you reading this??) and his friend. They did a great job getting everything fixed for us. While they were working, the curiosity began of who we are and why we are here. When he discovered that we were American, Mickey (he prefers this to Michelangelo) immediately asked if Eric could give him English lessons. Isn’t that amazing how God works??? Their first lesson was last night and it went very well. In fact Mickey wants to meet twice a week. Besides Mickey, Eric is also giving lessons to about 4 other members of the church (all men). One man, Giovanni, actually is not a member, but he came last week for the first time with his friend who is a member Giuseppe. Their first class with Eric is this Friday night before church.

I also have one student. When we went to go and meet our landlady for the first time, we also met her daughter, Antonella. She was really sweet, and when she found out we are English teachers, she asked when she could start! Our first lesson is today. I’m excited to make a new friend here. There seems to be more men than women and I’m not entirely sure why. For example, even the teens, there are 5 ranging from age 16- 20, are all boys! Ha. This is going to be another focus for Eric and I, is encouraging these teens. We are aware that a lot of people view Italy as a tourist spot that is beautiful and fun to visit- and it is when you come for yourself for vacation. However, living here is a different story. In the short 6 months that we have been here in Italy and the week in Taranto, our eyes have been opened to many different issues that Italy faces- especially when it comes to the teenagers here. It is difficult for them to choose things that are positive, because when and if they do- they are alone. I wont go into detail, but we ask you to pray specifically for the youth here in Taranto, and in Italy as a whole. Please pray that Eric and I can be of service to them, to encourage them to choose life. 

I know that this is a lot to catch up on (and believe it or not- I left out a lot!), and that there are no photos!!! =( I promise to get some taken ASAP. Love you all and miss you. 

ps. I miss Rosa's cooking. ha. but in the mean time, I'm learning to invent new dishes (poor eric, haha) .....I think this is my favorite so far- Pasta with Zucchini, Pancetta (like diced bacon), Tomatoes, onion, garlic, and of course olive oil and Pepperincino. Yum.

Convegno Delle Donne

Ok Post # 2 of 4.....

Last Monday we cleaned and made preparations for the arrival of the new HUF students. That night at our Monday Night Bible Study at the Bible school, we had another new guest - One of Angela's new students! She specifically told us that not only does she want to learn more of the English Language, but also she is very excited to begin studying the Bible! We are so happy to have her with us. Please pray for her as she beings to learn about the good news and for Angela as they study together.

Tuesday was the dreaded day at the Questura. The Questura is a place where all of the foreigners in Italy go to do the necessary paper work to become a legal resident of Italy. I use the word dreaded because this is an all day event. Last time we went in December we waited for about 6 hours. This time, we packed plenty of things to do to keep us occupied while we waited. We arrived at the Questura a little after 9 am. By half past 1 pm, Eric and the rest of the gang were already finished! However, I was left waiting. It was the strangest thing. When you first arrive, you receive a ticket with a number and letter. This obviously is to organize different people with different needs into separate lines of waiting. The weird thing was, although Eric and I went up together to get our tickets, he was handed a ticket for line H and I was handed one for line B. When we compared with the others, they all had the letter H line as well. Eric waited with me until there were only about 10 other people in the whole place, and finally my number was called. It was 5 pm. Ha! It was quite an experience. Just another piece of culture, and a little more patience to take with us! Anyways, we will be back again to the Questura in March to pick up our ID cards- I'll take a picture next time.

Last Thursday during the day, the boys went and visited a friend named Alessio. His father Alfredo attends the church in Florence. They had a whole day together and enjoyed a traditional 5 course Italian meal at Alfredo's brother's Bed and Breakfast in the country. Later that evening Eric and I had dinner plans with Clizia and her family. They are so much fun! Its strange to think that before coming here only 6 short months ago, we didnt even know each other. I can’t imagine not having the gift of their friendship. We stayed for a long time enjoying dinner and talking and laughing together afterwards. I can’t explain what a blessing this family has been to us- and how much we will miss them. Clizia and I decided to keep our regular class time- Monday at 5pm, but because I will be in Taranto- we will meet on Skype! 

Clizia, Me, Olga, Valentino, and Monica.

All smiles here!

I cant remember what Valentino said here, but it looks like it was something funny.

=)

The next morning, the women set off to a small town right outside of Rome called, Velletri. We were lucky to be able to borrow one of the HUF vans. A little after 11 am, the 8 of us- Debbie, Emily, Angela, Laura, Andrea, Ermenita, Me, and Heather (she and her husband work in Pistoia for the church there) set off for the retreat. It took us a little over 3 hrs to get there. I personally had never heard of this town. It was very far out into the country and up a twisty, steep mountainside. 

This was the "resort" where we stayed. It wasn’t a hotel, but it wasn’t a campsite either... I guess somewhere in between in the two. 

Andrea and I stayed in the first room around the corner on the left side of this building.

Andrea with our sheets and towels=)

This is the bar where we would get our Cafe. 

Here is the main meeting room for all our activities.

Time to decorate!

Can you see all of the decorations (keys) on the walls?? 

This is only a quarter of how big the desert table was. I guess the equation of women + sweets is international. Ha! 

Bellissimo.

Game time on Friday night! Ermenita was in charge of the games for the weekend, and she did a fabulous job! The instructions of this game was to draw your portrait on a balloon, to throw them into the center of the room- mix them all up, and lastly to pick someone else's balloon, and try to find and meet them based on their "portrait." ha! It was a blast.

Can you guess who we are??

I think Debbie's was my favorite!

Mixing up the balloons!

Can you find Josie?

Ok. As you know, the theme for the weekend was "The Beatitudes".  After The first night of getting to know each other and playing a few games, Saturday morning started off with our lessons/group meetings. This is how is worked:  each woman received a set of keys (like the one above). Each key is coordinated with a specific number and a color. The numbers are the order of each group to visit, and the color represents the different groups. Each colored group represents a different Beatitude and is led by 2 women. The leaders stayed in their location (one at the coffee bar, another in the main meeting room, one in the dining room, etc) while all the rest of the women rotate to visit them according to their set of keys. For example: my first key was light blue and had the verse "blessed are the merciful". So I would find where the "Light Blue" group was and it would be my first group study.  When the 30 min is up, I would flip to my second key and find the next group. This sounds really confusing, but it actually worked quite well and smoothly. It was really good because each time I switched groups I met a new group of women. 

Besides being a part of the group discussions, each of us AI girls were responsible for taking a tray of sweets, hot water, and tea to a certain group each time. By the way if you like tea, you should try this Twinings brand. Before I came here I never drank tea, but these are great.

Here is Tonya and Edin's group: Blessed are the Peacemakers.

Tonya and her husband are from Rome, and he is the main "preacher" there. Edin is in the maroon sweater sitting to the left of Tonya. She is American and has been living in Italy for 40 something years. She and her husband work in an area that is close to Assisi (still in the Tuscany region). She was very interesting to get to know, and a strong encouragement. 

This is Heather and Elendrina's group. Elendrina's is in the black next to Heather in the Red. Elendrina is from the Philippines. She speaks Italian and English very well- another interesting new acquaintance. Remember Heather is the woman who drove with us from the Bible School. She, her husband, and two kids have been living and working in Pistoia with the church there.

"Blessed are the Meek".... in the Dining Room.

Time for a coffee break!

Andrea, Josie, Shae, and Elianne.

"Blessed are the Poor in Spirit."

Josie, Osiris, and Shae.

On a side note- look at this bush of Rosemary I found outside of the dining hall! 

The dining hall.

An overlook of the city below.

Another beautiful sunset.

Erme and Me. . . I miss you already.

Osiris, Heather, Andrea, Josie, and Shae.

Andrea and Me.

All of the group leaders! Great job ladies!

Noi Siamo Beati.

What a wonderful time. It was such a blessing to meet and get to know all of the ladies.  Its comforting and amazing to see that no matter where we are in the world, God is there. Every day that we are here, we learn more and more about God's complete authority and power, and His perfect love. So many of the ladies expressed their challenges as women and Christians in His service. However, it is encouraging to me to know that, even though we speak a different language, we still can understand each other, love each other, and have this perfect bond as sisters in Christ. 

Two weeks ago.......

Ciao tutti! There has been so many going ons these past two weeks that I had to split them into 4 different blog posts! Make sure you get caught up, because by Thursday we will be in Taranto and will have many more new wonderful things to tell =)

The Wednesday before last, my student Renata (I went to visit her class a few weeks ago with Andrea) invited Eric, Emily, and me over to her parent’s house for dinner! The menu? Homemade pizza! There were all different sorts- cheese, spinach, and pepperoni-YUM. Pizza was followed by homemade Tiramisu. It was fantastic. I have to say, I normally am not partial to Tiramisu because it tends to be too bitter for my taste. However, this was exceptional. She said the secret is to not leave the biscotti soaking in the coffee more than a few seconds. By the way- did you know in Italian 'Tiramisu' means 'pick me up'? Isnt that funny?? After dinner we sat and visited around the table for some time, when we moved into the living room and Renata's mom decided to play some home videos! As a family, they used to visit southern Italy every summer together. So when they heard that Eric and I were moving south, they wanted to show us some live footage! It was so much fun! It felt like we were a part of their family- laughing at the old home videos and having a great time together. I am really going to miss them! 

The next day was "visitation day" for the guys. We try to meet with someone during the day on Thursdays to get to know them better and build stronger relationships. They met with our friend Andrea, who is an artist living in Scandicci, and went out to eat together at a sandwich place called Bottega. 

That night was our Thursday night church. If you were wondering, the new lesson plans that the boys are putting together have proved to be successful! We plan on taking these down to Taranto with us to use there as well. After the English class, we had our small supper and Bible Study, and to our suprise, we had a new visitor. Moses is currently teaching Art History at a university in Florence and is studying English in the mean time. He said he eventually wants to apply to Harvard University in America! He is from China and attends church in China. He was very excited to be at church and has continued to attend Sunday and Thursday services at the church building, as well as our Monday night studies at the Bible School! 

Next, was Friday night American cooking school at the Bible School. Each Friday night of the month we have delegated a different activity. Each of us had decided which we would be responsible for and so far it is going great! The cooking school had a limit of 10 spaces (due to space and funds) and of course it was full! Debbie and Laura are in charge of this activity - the menu for the first dish was pot roast with carrots and potatoes; followed by a berry cobbler for desert. It was a success! In fact the next month for the cooking school is already full! 

Although the week was very busy, Eric and I were aware that our time in Tuscany was shrinking. We decided to spend our last free Saturday visiting a small mid evil town right outside of Florence called San Gimignano. It was absolutely beautiful. This day was a good rest in between a very busy time for Eric and I and we were very thankful for it.

The countryside.

Eric and me.

On top of the tower over looking the city.

God's beautiful creations..... 

The following Sunday was Danielle's baby shower!! We were so excited to finally bring all of the planning and preparation together to enjoy the fruits of our labor! 

Gifts for Baby Bejtja!

The stroller, car seat, bassinette combo was from Danielle's family in the states! They sent the money from America to Debbie and then we purchased it here for Danielle in Italy! =)

A book/card for Danielle and Luli.

Danielle, Andrea, Me, and Eric.

Ha. This was hilarious. We asked for two volunteers for a game without telling them what they would have to do. The object was to see who could drink the most of the juice out of a baby bottle the fastest. Rosa won! ha!

She is so funny. ...

Luli and Danielle.

This was another one of the games- the "Dirty Diaper Game." We filled about 12 different baby diapers with random things such as: garlic, peppermint oil, Nutella, coffee, etc. Then, we passed around the numbered diapers and the guests had to guess what was inside each of them. This turned out to be really cute and funny as well.

Renata and Antoinella playing the game.

Lisa and her parents also attend the Florence Church of Christ, and many Thursday nights Andrea and I have her in class. She is a doll and of course she wanted to help open the Baby gifts =)

Me and Renata.

Renata, Andrea, Me, Danielle, and Antoinella.

I have to say that I believe the shower to have been a complete success. It was so fun to plan and organize all of this for her. We are truly blessed to have so many wonderful friends here in Italia.  Please continue to keep Danielle and Luli in your prayers for their new adventure as parents and pray for a safe and easy delivery for Danielle.