Ciao ciao ciao!!!
What a wonderful couple of weeks it has been here in Taranto Italy!
Since the last time we wrote, besides our normal week schedule, we have also enjoyed two exciting weekends! There were so many pictures to post that I am separating the two weekends into two different posts.
This youth retreat was held in Bologna Italy, which is a short train ride from Scandicci. This being said, it was necessary for us from Taranto to fly. Eric, Fabrizio, Francesco, and I left early in the morning on Saturday and met Mino and his dad Franco Verardi who left Latiano the day before. At the airport we were greeted by three new faces from Bologna- Matteo, and his sisters, Milena and Martina. The retreat started as soon as we arrived at the church building in down town Bologna. Franco was the one to speak and lead the discussions throughout the day on Saturday.
Peter, Marco, Simona, Giacomo, Andrea, Shae, Joele, and Viktor
This time Daniela (4th girl form the left) brought her younger sister to the retreat (the second girl from the left)! We were so happy and excited to meet her as well =)
This was during Franco's talk on Saturday after lunch. He was talking about the importance of staying unified in Christ. The first time he told them to try to build the pyramid, he made sure that the bottom row was too far spaced apart for the second row to be able to climb on top. He used this example of the pyramid of what can happen when we will choose to come together and work as one in the Spirit, versus trying to spread apart and go our own way. The kids really enjoyed the illustration and even more, I feel that they enjoyed being together for the weekend. In Italy, it is different from America in many ways for these teens, but in particular, it is lonely. The pictures you see above and blow of this conveigno is the teens from all across Italy. Also keep in mind that 8 of us were AI workers, and another 4 were the AIM workers from Prato. We would expect this many kids out of one church in one little town; this was for the whole country! My point is that Franco gave an excellent talk about the importance of the teens staying unified and encouraging each other to stay strong in the faith. Please pray for these teens. They are making such an effort to work for the kingdom. It really is incredible. Please pray that they will be encouraged, and that Eric and I, as well as the rest of us here working in Italy, can really be an encouragement and support to them.
Ryan, Peter, Marco, Eric, and Luca
Emily, Me, Angela, Laura, Andrea, Daniela, Daniela's sister, and Luca's sister
I also would like to fill you in on Andrea's decision to move to Ferrara to live and work with the church there! Daniela and Luca are both from Ferrara, and from what I have heard from Andrea, there is a big group of teens there! She is moving this month to begin a new work there. Keep her in your prayers as she steps out in faith=)
Peter, Giacomo, and Eric
It was really good and encouraging to see our friends from the Bible School again
. . . and it was nice to practice some English too! =)
Mino and Eric
After our lessons were finished for the day on Saturday, we took a stroll through the city together. This was Eric and my first time to Bologna and I have to say, it is a very beautiful city.
Gelato break =)
Eric and Alexandru
This was the hostel where we stayed Saturday and Sunday night. I'm assuming because there were so many of us, they decided to host all of us here. Anyway, it was alot more economical this way and it was good to stay all together.
Serenella and Andrea
Sunday morning service in Bologna.
Vivianna and Fabio
This was not my first time to meet Vivianna. I first met her at the ladies retreat in February.
After church and potluck together on Sunday we got together and started talking. I found out that weekend that she had just been baptized on the first Sunday of April, so while we were talking, I had to ask her how she came to faith- and wow what a story.
The story starts when some unfortunate events took place in her life. First her mother died, and shortly after her dog (you animal lovers out there will easily understand- for her was like a child). These two tragic events sent her into a deep depression. She said she felt that she had no reason to get out of bed in the morning. She couldn’t eat, sleep, or function. Eventually she ended up having panic attacks along with all of the usual symptoms- heart racing, feeling like she was dying, afraid something was wrong with her, or that she was crazy. This then led her to see a physiologist. She told me that nothing really significant come out of this, only that he helped her to get out of bed in the morning.
She went on to tell me that she had never prayed before. She didn’t know how she was supposed to pray or what to say, but she said, one day I just did it. And then the next day and the day after that, she continued to pray. Then, one day, she said, it all stopped. All of the sudden she felt "free". She was free from this depression, her anxiety, fear, all of it, gone. She looked at me with eyes wide open and a smile, and looking straight at me she said, it was in that moment, I knew that God, God heard me! It was like I was watching someone be told the best news one can imagine. She threw her hands up, God heard me! I felt so special, so significant. I knew that He had heard me. She told me that she immediately wanted to know who this God was. She added, I didn’t want other people to tell me who they thought He was, I wanted to know for myself. So I bought a Bible, and I opened it up. I started at Genesis and read the entire Bible.
After she finished, she began emailing a friend who is an elder at the Florence Church of Christ and began an online correspondence study with him. It wasn’t too much longer until on April 4 2011, she received Christ as her savior and was baptized for the forgiveness of her sins! Praise God!
I will never forget Vivianna and her beautiful testimony of faith.
Me and Vivianna
After potluck on Sunday, we took another walk around the city.
Alexandru led us through the longest covered walkway in the world!
"between 1674 and 1715 the City built the magnifent portico under which pilgrims can walk from the City's Porta Saragozza gate all the way up to the church. A huge and expensive undertaking, funded by the citizens of Bologna (as you walk along the portico you'll see various plaques which show who paid for particular sections), the portico is 3.2km (1.9 miles) long, composed of a continuous stretch of 666 arches and 15 small chapels, making it apparently the longest continuously covered walkway in the world! "
http://www.threemonkeysonline.com/italy/Bologna/sights/santuario_madonna_san_luca.html
Can you believe we finally made it??
Here is the church of San Luca that is sitting on top of the hill after the 3.2 km long hike!
That night we all met up for dinner and walked to the bowling alley/arcade.
What a great weekend. It was obvious that the retreat was really uplifting and encouraging for the kids. Anytime that they can come together is always a blessing. We are so excited to have met more of the youth who we hadn't met before, and feel blessed to have this opportunity to strengthen them while we are here. It was a blessing to be able to get to know them better and to share these experiences together. As always, we go into these meetings, retreats, and new experiences, thinking about how we want to help and encourage them. Then, somehow, without expecting it, we are the ones changed and encouraged. Please continue to pray for us here and the work in Italy. Psalm 107:1
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