the good news email.

Yesterday we all had a strange feeling that we would receive some g o o d  n e w s. . .  and WE DID!

Around 11 am Eric got an email from the Italian consulate that said our visas had been approved by the Italian government!! He added that we needed to go ahead and buy our tickets so that he could complete the processing of our visas and send them our way. You better believe we were on the phone with our friend Sharon, who books our flights, faster than you could blink ;) we have been a little nervous that the tickets would be outrageous, but it was just the opposite! they were significantly cheaper! so the double good news it that, including the cancellation fees of the first flight, we only had to pay $50!

Our visas will arrive via fed-ex sometime tomorrow, and we are now scheduled for take off next Saturday, September 20th! We are overjoyed at the thought of finally serving with our team at the Bible School! Please keep us and the team in your prayers!

In the days to come we will be busy tying up our loose ends again. The dogs must be re-examined and re-certified to fly with us on board, lots of packing to do, and goodbyes to say! During this time in limbo, we also have been helping my parents with a mini house renovation, and will be wrapping it up within the next week. We may have missed the work month at the Bible School, but we have certainly been put to good use here!!;)  

I wont go into detail, but the last 3 weeks of this waiting period certainly haven't been for nothing. God has a way with timing and bringing lives together. We are amazed at His compassion and His will to bring us all to Him! "But YOU O Lord are merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness." Psalm 86:15

Thank you so much for all of your prayers! Our next update will be from across the pond!! Love you all!
xoxoxo

More updates.

Last week David got involved with the visa situation.

After calling and speaking with the consulate here in the USA, it became evident that they would not accept the validity of the Bible School in Scandicci. This is hard to understand bc we sent specific letters from the Italian government that recognize the churches of Christ and their sponsorship of the Bible School in Italy. The consulate further explained that they would no longer issue any more visas for American workers of the Bible School. This obviously impacted Miles and Meredith Thompson, who are the first workers to be declined. After discussing what they should do, we all decided that it would be best for them to keep their flight and travel over to Italy on their passports as tourists. They will need to return within 89 days. However, this time will allow them to go ahead and complete their Italian language school, while we figure out how to better communicate the validity of the Bible School to the Italian consulate here in the states. Prayerfully, by the time the Thompsons return to the states after the 89 days, this will all be ironed out and they will finally be able to apply for and receive their visas!

After calling the consulate, David was also gracious enough to call and speak with the Minister of Internal Affairs in Rome on our behalf. This man was very kind and seemed very concerned with the whole situation. He also seemed shocked that we as American citizens were having trouble obtaining our visas. ( In general, Italians have the same fascination with us as we do with them! :) ) He also confirmed the that the Bible School is in fact on record, and confirmed that has been running in operation for several years. The man seemed very confident that we would receive our visas (YAY!), but that we should expect to wait at least another month. He continued to explain that the office in Italy received our request for our visa on the day before their holidays started, and that under the best circumstances, a work visa should take about 2 months to process.

So, for now, we are still here in the states. We are so grateful for all of your prayers and support during this time! It is such a comfort knowing that you are with us on this journey! We know that God's timing is perfect, so we are thanking Him and praying for His guidance. Please also continue to keep the workers in your prayers! Miles and Meredith arrived at the Bible School yesterday, and the team begins language school today! We will continue to keep you updated as everything unfolds. xoxox

please pray with us!

We are asking for your prayers.

Quick Update:

Our scheduled departure date for Italy was 2 weeks ago today. We were forced to cancel our flights due to not having yet received our visas.

In recent days, we have been in contact with the Italian consulate on the phone regarding the status of our visas. From our conversation we learned:

1) They may not be officially recognizing the Bible School in Scandicci Italy, and therefore will not be issuing anymore student visas.
2) After reviewing our paperwork, the consulate decided to change our request for a "Missionary Religious Visa" to a "Work Visa." They did this without first notifying us.

What does this mean?
If the Bible School is not recognized we cannot send any workers to the school. Also, a work visa, is near to impossible to receive, and is not what we need anyways!

What we are doing:
David, the current director will be contacting the consulate today to try and better communicate the need to process our visas, and to resolve these issues.

PLEASE JOIN US IN PRAYER today that God will move this mountain and we can begin/continue this work in Italy!

We love you all. We are so grateful to be a part of the body in Christ.
xoxox

Recap. 2012-2014.

Here we are almost exactly 4 years to date from when this Italian adventure first began...unbelievable!

*Disclaimer: 2 years is a lot to summarize in 1 blog post. Find a comfy spot and a cup of coffee before you approach this post. ;)

Where can we start??

The work in Italy truly changed us. As probably any other missionary will explain, we went to serve, but ended up ourselves being changed in the process. Likewise, leaving Italy was one of the hardest things we have ever had to do. This is mainly why I didn't make a final blog post about leaving the country and returning back to the states until now. . .  almost 2 years later.

To be completely honest, we were heartbroken. It was a loss and a homesickness that we carried around with us, up until the moment we received the opportunity to return (details further down:)). We of course knew that America was not Italy. Intellectually, we understood that the cultures were different, but in our hearts, we couldn't help but miss our work in Italy. This was a struggle in many ways, bc it was a grieving process that no one else could really relate to or understand.

And so to sum it all up, reverse culture shock is real. We drug our feet through every step of the process. At first we were dedicated to excitedly telling everyone all about the work in Italy- without concern of the response of our audience. We decided that our states-side contribution to the Italian ministry would be awareness. This wasn't so difficult at first, as we were in some ways blinded to our new culture. However, after several months, the success of the communication of the work, was lacking. We were and are beyond grateful to have witnessed what the Lord showed us in Italy, and we thank Him every day for giving us that opportunity. Likewise, in all reality, we couldn't expect others to fully understand our love for Italy . . .  but we couldn't let it go either. We felt responsible to tell about what we had seen and heard!! We were dedicated to this!

{ Eric & me at our first hockey game together! }

2012.

During the winter of 2012, we came into contact with Ben O'Neil. Many of you know Ben and Jane, and are well aware of their family's dedication to the work in Italy. It was certainly a God moment, as we ran into him very nonchalantly one evening at a hockey game. After some small talk, our conversation obviously began to drift towards Italy. To make a long story short, Ben was interested in helping to send a missionary family to the northern region of Italy. . .  Where? when? yes! we will consider it!! 

{ Eric & Fabrizio }

Summer visit 2013.

So, by the summer of 2013, we decided to return to Italy not only to visit our loved ones, especially those in Taranto, but also to scout out the two main cities that Ben had specifically mentioned: Vicenza and Bondeno. <<We are extremely grateful to all of you in Cabot, as well as many of you here in Ohio, that helped make that visit possible!>>

{ Kristofer, Martina, & Marta }

Youth Retreat at the Bible School. Summer 2013.

One of the most encouraging things we witnessed during this visit was the growth of the youth in Italy!

Click on the link below that will direct you to my Google+ profile, and click on the video called "E&J ItaliaSummer2013." The video we made will help to communicate the desires of the youth in Italy- I promise its worth the watch! The video also will give you a glimpse into the rest of our 2013 visit :)

Google+ Profile
* To keep up with all of our updates, please bookmark this Google+ profile, or join to follow!!

This visit really solidified our desire to return to Italy. Seeing the brothers, Laura, and all of the youth was such an encouragement! In our spirit we knew that we would return to Italy, but even after having 2 fantastic visits with the congregations in Vicenza and Bondeno, the details of our return still felt a little fuzzy.

The Email that changed everything.

Throughout the fall and into the winter of 2013, we kept in close contact with Ben and the Cabot church of Christ regarding this idea of returning and serving in northern Italy. We also began to tell friends and family about the possibilities of returning. We still didn't feel 100% about this opportunity, but we were conflicted bc we felt so strongly that the Lord was calling us to return.

It wasn't until the early morning hours one day in January that we heard the Lord loud and clear. David Woodroof, who was the director of the Bible School when we first began as AI workers in the fall of 2010, sent us an email. Thanks to our smart phones, we were promptly notified ;) David was writing to inform us that he and his wife Debbie had decided to return back to America in August, and were wondering if we would consider assuming the role as the new directors! The days that followed, we met with David and Debbie via skype, talked with the AI recruiter Scot Harris, and ultimately, received the official job offer from the AI committee at the College church of Christ in Searcy.


The rest is history in the making! 

While the role of the new directors wasn't one that we would've immediately imagined for ourselves, it encompasses everything that we hoped to be a part of regarding the mission in Italy! We are so so grateful bc we feel that the possibilities for this work are endless!

Not only will we be teaching the Bible to our students in Florence, but we will also be able to help the AI workers understand and ultimately fall in love with the Italians. Our life and work in southern Italy really gave us a greater understanding of the needs of our brothers and sisters around Italy. We hope to utilize everything we learned and will continue to learn, in order to be able to work together to unify the church in Italy. .  . Much more on this to come in the following posts!


So what have we been doing all this time in America? 

Jobs?

Eric went back to his job as a professional surveyor, while I pursued my art career.

{Eric Smith, P.S. }

Almost immediately, Eric was back to work with a the company where he first began several years ago. To become a surveyor in any state, one must be tested depending on schooling and experience. Working for the State of Arkansas was Eric's first job after graduating from the Ohio State Univ. and so he is already licensed in Arkansas. Coming back to Ohio, Eric took the state specific test here and obtained his Ohio license here as well. 

Columbus Ohio has a wonderful arts district. Specifically, there is an area downtown called the Short North that is packed with over 40 art galleries. After visiting the different galleries and investigating a little, I decided to approach the Sharon Weiss Gallery.

{ The Sharon Weiss Gallery }

{ me & Sharon }

Sharon is one of those people with whom you instantly create a connection. From the moment I stepped into her gallery, I knew I would be blessed by her. Not long after our first meeting, she warmly accepted me and my work into her gallery. Sharon remains a dear friend and gracious mentor to me.

Living Quarters?

Admittedly, when we first arrived, we did spend a couple of months looking to buy a home while staying with my family. After a while, this search didn't really set well with us. We were trying really hard to adjust and settle in here, but the Italian mission was still so fresh in our hearts and minds. Our commitment to Italy wouldn't allow us to "go all in" here in Ohio. It also was difficult in general just to digest the word "settle." For the past 2 years, staying on the move had was our lifestyle. Processing buying a home and settling anywhere, was very strange.

Long story short, nothing ever came of our home search (divine intervention!), and we decided to rent a one-bedroom apt in Lancaster. Thankfully, we had saved back just what we needed to furnish the apt, and only had to purchase a couch!

{ Marie & Minnie }

For some reason, I would always find the girls hanging out in the shower! haha.

Keeping in Touch

The Cabot COC

Before leaving the first time to Italy in 2012, we lived in Cabot Arkansas and attended the Cabot Church of Christ right down the road from our home. All of you in Cabot have been such a tremendous support to us in every way. From day one, you have been right beside us, encouraging us and serving with us, even during our time in Italy!

{ Our Cabot Family }

Coming back to the states was no exception. The transition was draining on us emotionally and spiritually, but knowing that all of you were in our corner helped us so much! Thank you for keeping up with us during this period, supporting us, and believing in this mission! We love you all!

Lancaster, OHIO

Living in Lancaster allowed us to be close to our church family here and served as a central location to both of our families as well :)

{ The Kimbler's & The Smith's }

{ Eric & his mom Christi }

{ Angie, Eric, Stephanie, & Nate }

{ Taylor, Kilynn, Grant, & Trenton }

{ me & Ashley }

{ me, mom, & Eric }

This was taken this May at my mom's nursing graduation! So proud of you mom!

{ Hannie & me }

{ Dad, Mom, Hannie, me, & Eric }

Relationships

We have also been blessed to develop many more relationships (Of course, not limited to the ones on this blog post!), and to grow during this period of transition. Here are some highlights!

                    

{ Nate & Eric }

One of the things Eric enjoyed while being back in the states was getting back into some sports. In the winter, he organized a men's basketball league. This was really helpful in Eric's transition. We had gotten used to a community mentality in Italy, so any chance we got to form a group (for a lack of a better term), we embraced it! He also has really enjoyed getting to spend more time with his younger brother Nate. After Eric and I got married, we moved immediately to Arkansas. Following Arkansas was Italy, and so this time together in Ohio was so special for Eric and Nate. Many weekends were booked playing golf together:) 

{ me, Maddie, Eric, Austin, & Austin's girlfriend Autumn }

The Vanatta kids. Maddie is one of the tween girls that became so special to me during our time in Lancaster. She has been such a sweet blessing! We were fortunate to be able to witness her baptisim after our trip to Winterfest together our first winter back in the states. Austin is her older brother. He just graduated high school and is starting his college career to pursue nursing. Austin and Eric always seemed to be on the same page ;) I have enjoyed watching them joke together and grow together in the faith. We are, not so secretly, trying to recruit Austin for AI 2018!!

{Gracie}

We arrived back in the states September of 2012. Almost immediately, I met 12 year old Gracie. What a joy she has been to me! The Lord knew that I needed her in my life here. 

and. . . the tweens! Shortly after we arrived in September, in addition to meeting together throughout the week, Gracie and I began our own little Bible Study on Wednesday nights. A couple of months later, we met Ashlyn and Kayley. Slowly, we started what became a tween girls class. I am always impressed by these girls! They have the world on a string, and I cant wait to see what the Lord has planned for each of them. This part of my time here has been a life savor for me. I don't know what I would've done without these girlies.

 { Gracie, Sydney, Kayley, Maddie, Ashlyn, & me }

Before our scheduled send off, August 14th, we hosted a game night for the tween girlies.

{ me & Ashlyn after her baptism! }

{ Sharon, Charity, Don, & Xander }

This family has been so involved helping us with our transition here. We enjoyed many game and movie nights together.  We are so grateful for your friendship, your compassion, and your willingness to reach out! We're looking forward to your visit in Italy!

{ me & Andrea }

Thank God for sending me my kindred spirit Andrea! A constant friend, encouragement, and support. Love you dear friend.

Wrapping it up.

In short. . .  T H A N K   Y O U!  We are grateful for those of you who have eased the burden of our transition with your compassion and your love. Praise God for knowing our hearts and sending you our way!

Much more to come about The Bible School, Avanti Italia, and our fall 2014 team! stay tuned!

complete unity. . . a piece of heaven

commencing part 2.

arriving in florence.

we immediately got started on helping with the reconstruction of the school. basically, there was  A LOT to be done. after almost two months of working hard we have:

laid new tile in the living room and stripped the walls of the living room and plastered basically the entire room. . . . 

put in a new septic tank

the italian boys mixed cement

while eric and peter made a new side walk that runs all around the school

peter bell

cooking and cleaning 

kelli and me taking out the trash

looking at it as a list like this it doesnt seem to give justice to the work we have been doing! ha. also, in the midst of us working the woodroof daughters came for a visit. on one of their outtings, they decided to take a vespa ride around one of the hill top cities of tuscany; this did not end well. . . debbie (the director david's wife) had a minor accident and has been recovering now for about a month. she broke a small bone close to her ankle and was beaten up pretty badly because of her fall. please keep her in your prayers as she recovers and tries to stay encouraged.

debbie was in charge of cooking ..this obviously left a gap to be filled.... so, Kelli and I decided to take on the kitchen challenge together! we cooked lunch for 15-20 people every day, something i certainly never could have done before life in italy! we made pasta, cooked hamburgers, chicken, vegetables... in many ways, despite myself, i am willing to admit that i am becoming a bit domestic, and am enjoying it. anyways, we all had our jobs to do and we all worked really hard..sometimes even into the late evening hours. we had to put a halt on the job however because the weekend of the 19th of august, the teens of all over italy arrived for the youth retreat at the bible school!

Peter McGraw, Mino, Eric, and Peter Bell

first day of the youth retreat! 

Andrea, Viktor, Joele, Giacomo, Peter Bell, and Mino

the highlight of our time here in florence for this past month and a half, has been spending time with Viktor, Joele, and Giacomo. They have been staying and helping at the Bible school even before Eric and I arrived back in July. They are such great christian boys! the best part is that they are best friends. hearing them laugh and joke between themselves has been such a joy to all of us. Eric and I truly feel as if we have gained 3 new brothers this month! They are also very encouraging to us because of their faith. did you know that in all of italy there are only about 50 churches? here the teens really have to commit to stick together and we have seen this in these boys. their example of love, joy, and commitment to the Lord is contagious. they are the future of italy. we feel so blessed and humbled to have had this opportunity to know them now in the beginnings of their walk. the bond that they share gives us hope and when we see them together, we are encouraged for the future of italy. those of you who are praying, pray for these boys!!! 

Mino 

Peter, Giacomo, and Eric...boys being boys ;)

The theme of the weekend retreat was "Im Second." I know this theme hit the states because there was a book if im remembering right along with bracelets etc... basically the idea is just that- we are second. the retreat was based on service. the first night we helped feed the hungry at the train station and the second day, we went and visited at a nursing home right here in scandicci.

we started our afternoon together by singing some songs to them and they loved it! im pretty certain the teens had a good time as well :)

the folks.

after singing we just sat and visited with the people there. we met some really interesting and sweet people. we also spoke with the nuns who volunteered there and they were very interested in the work here with the avanti program. 

Joele and Giacomo/best friends.

the last day, eric and i took the kids into town while the others helped prep for the all-family-retreat that would be at the harding villa later that evening.

Joele, Giacomo, and Eric

Francesca, Andrea, and me

. . . on the new tram-via

Milena and Mino 

Martina and Milena lost in the market 

francesca, laura, marta, milena, martina, mino, andrea, giacomo , and eric

take a good look, here is the future of italy!!!! 

'

franco verardi teaching

that evening we arrived to the villa to find our brothers and sisters from all over italy! what a wonderful feeling!!! not too much later we started with the evening lesson, before a small break, and supper.

Eric and Joele

Guiliano, Franco, and Tony

(Guiliano is the dad of Giacomo and Franco is Mino's dad)

we got to know Guiliano better at church camp this year, and even more this time at the retreat! he has a great sense of humor, and always has a smile on his face.. at the same time he was a very humble man- which is not common in italy. we cant wait to come back and visit with him and his family! in fact, we had such a hard time saying goodbye that the boys have organized a trip to visit him and his brother and their families one last time this friday.... 

meet the women

Anna, Anna Maria, and Rosana

(((Anna is Giacomo's mother, Anna Maria the mother of Mino, and Rosanna is Joele's mom)))

These women are fantastic. i actually had never met giacomo's mom until this week, but i already feel like i have known her for a long time. just an overall loving and "close knit" family. obviously i have known anna maria from our time together in puglia and let me just say that she is a wonderful mother and wife. Rosana i first got to know when we stayed at her house last year with Mino and Luca. we went to surprise joele for his 18th bday. she is such a strong woman.... it was really really difficult knowing that i wont be seeing these women for awhile. pray that God continues to strengthen and bless them abundantly.

enjoying dinner together:)

night games- when it was finally cool enough to play.

look at all these kids!!!

practicing for the talent show.

Eric, Joele, and Mino

the Romans.

the best- Anna and Giuliano.

Peter Bell, Ryan, and Giacomo

Vivianna and Tonia

sweet girlies- Francesca, me, and Laura

me, Andrea, and Melissa

the girls.

the men from all over italy- sorrento, catania, rome, and brescia.

the american and the italian melissa.

this retreat was such a blessing to every one of us. now that time has passed i am beginning to be able to actually mourn for taranto. looking through all of the pictures and still feeling so close to all of them while knowing we are about to cross over the seas is a heartbreaking reality that leaves me very much torn on the inside.  at first, we were still so much in "go mode" of tying up all of our loose ends in taranto and then transferring to do the work at the bible school, that i didnt have time to really process the events that have unfolded in these past months. now that it is coming to a close, i almost feel a sense of panic.  this emotion however as been competing with another newer and even stronger one ----- joy. i mentioned above about how the boys being here this month has been such a blessing to all of us. again i cant adequately explain the love we have for each other, other than to call it our christian brotherly love. 

the last night of the family retreat, one of the florence members pulled us avanti workers up front and announced our departure and talked about the work that we have been doing during our stay in italia. he closed with the song "Finche ancor ci Rivedremo " which reminds me personally of the song "when we all get to heaven." the song music wise is different (actually i know we have this song in english, but i cant remember the name of it)  but the idea is the same. of course this only encouraged the outflow of tears from all of us italians and americans alike. i have never ever experienced anything like that night. lately ive been reading and re-reading Jesus' prayer in john 17. i find it interesting that all of the things he could have prayed...it is recorded that he prayed for this "complete unity." for some time now i have been reading this chapter-trying to soak it in and really understand what he was saying. that night at the villa surrounded by so many italian brothers and sisters, I got it. this was it. even against the language and the culture, we were one in His Spirit. ive never felt this way before about my christian family, and experiencing that moment of intense unity and love, i understand why Jesus prayed for this. this is what its about! in that moment i felt like i really could just burst from the joy and love that was flowing in and around me. i believe that what we experienced that night really was a small taste of heaven. 

again, i wish i could explain to you better the things that i am describing because i know the way i am explaining it is completely inadequate. all i know is that we have experience the Spirit at work among us and i am addicted to following and proclaiming this message of Jesus Christ. "Its his love that compels us." 

the morning after that amazing night eric and i left on the train to meet with our students from taranto! they had been vacationing in germany and austria and were working their way back down to southern italy. so we decided to meet for a day in a small town just an hour outside of florence called "cortona." eric and i were already on cloud 9 from the night before, and add on getting to see our students again = another fabulous day.

Cortona

Antonella and me

Luca, Antonella, and Eric

Antonella, Luca, me, and Eric

Luca and Eric

we have only been away from taranto for a month and a half and we have already got to see our friends again!! :) please continue to pray for antonella and luca as well. we hope to organize our next visit together stateside:)

returning from this visit, the next day eric and i took another day trip out to a town called Assisi and returned to the Bible school late that same night. the next day, our ears heard nothing but good news! the boys, were originally supposed to leave the school to return back to rome (and andrea to taranto) right after the family retreat. however saying goodbye was so terrible that they decided to stay until we leave for america on the 6th of sept!!! not only this, but the boys who are ages 19, 20, and 21, have decided to search for jobs while staying here at the bible school in florence!!  simone, a member of the church in florence contacted joele and found him a job! now he is searching for one also for andrea from taranto. and....giacomo will be taking an entrance test to the university of florence on sept 5th! this is such a big deal. finding work in italy is very difficult. also, the fact the the boys will all be in florence together is monumental for their faith. the christian teens are few here in italy- so this opportunity to stay and be together could be life changing for them!! PRAISE GOD. we are all on fire here about all of this good news. the spirit is certainly at work and we are so thankful for all of these many blessings! continue to pray for these boys to continue to grow stronger and stronger in their faith! we cannot wait to see what God has in store for these young men!!

tomorrow we will officially have one week left in italy. please pray for us, but even more please continue to pray for italy and for the work that God is doing here. Thank you all for your support, prayers, and love that has protected our hearts during this work. we are forever changed in our hearts and minds and we are grateful to each of you for the ways you have partnered with us in this work. we love you! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo 

"I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." John 17:22-23