Eric, Andrea, and Pier Francesco
Already September?? cannot. believe. it. Rewind a few weeks ago, we left Taranto early in the am hours with Andrea and Pier Francesco to arrive in the afternoon later that day in Florence for the yearly family retreat. The plane ride to Pisa went smoothly, we boarded the train to florence, and finally the new tram via into scandicci where Kyle and Ryan picked us up from the last stop.
The weather in Scandicci was such a cool relief from the humidity in Taranto! It was a treat to be back in Tuscany.
It was a really great turn out. There were Christians from all over Italy, Roma, Naples, Aprilia, Catania...
I even got to see Andrea who just moved to Ferrara to work with the church there a few months ago!
Eric chatting with the boys :)
The retreat started officially Wednesday evening and concluded with Sunday morning worship at the Florence Church of Christ.
I actually didnt hear alot of the discussions and classes that were being held because most of the time, I stayed upstairs with Ermenita and Angela helping with the kids class. They were so much fun!
Attention Cabot Church of Christ!. . especially Emily and Clay Madar... remember when back during Christmas time when you prepared us a wonderful Christmas package that accidently got sent to Asia?? Well, we want to let you know that the "accident" was very helpful during this years family retreat with the kids class! We used everything that was in the box that was meant for Asia but came to us instead. It was such a blessing! The kids had a blast with all of the little toys especially! Thank you guys so much! :)
Our last day of class...arent they cute?!
Me and Rosanna from Aprilia.
Simona, Giacomo, and Erme
All of the kiddos :)
If memory serves me right, I believe it was Friday that we all went to a near by park and enjoyed the day together! This park was amazing. I was shocked at how big it was and all of the activities we could choose from. Although, lots of the women, including myself, picked a big tree to lie under on a blanket and read or chat with a friend.
Some of the activities included sand volleyball . . .
. . . and soccer.
I was content staying with the girls on the side lines :)
Laura, Alina, Simona, and Daniela
Arent they beautiful?
Also there was a really nice pool that you could go to that was inside the park as well- although it was a little pricey. Eric and I didnt go inside but we went over later in the afternoon for an espresso with Kyle and Angela. Afterwards, Eric and I took a walk around the park, and discovered there were also beaches that you could pay to use as well as water activities such as wind surfing! I believe I can say that we all were very thankful for what a beautiful day God had blessed us with.
This is a family who has been attending the church in Florence for some time now. We were happy that they were able to make it to the retreat as well!
At the very end we had a talent show. There were many talented acts! Alina sang a song on her guitar, and Luca sang, "Country Roads" by John Denver! (By the way, Italians LOVE this song. Makes me proud to be born in WV :) Andrea Ricciardi did a monologue from the movie "La Vita Bella", there was a magic act, a piano performance, karate, and even a Japanese warrior dance. I think it was around midnight when the show was finally finished!
One of the nights, (they are running together now in my mind), I was surprised to see Danielle and Luli with little Arbon walk through the door!! I couldnt believe how big he was! This was our first time to get to see him, because when we were in Florence three months ago Arbon had just been born and was being kept for jaundice in the hospital, no visitors allowed :( Anyways, HE IS PERFECT!
Danielle thinks he looks just like Luli, but I can see a lot of her in this little face too! I kept saying to Arbon, "the last time I saw you, you were just a little bean!" Isnt God amazing??! It was so wonderful to get to see our friends and to meet this new beautiful addition to their family.
The family retreat could not have had a sweeter ending. Just before service began that Sunday morning, we also were overjoyed to witness the baptism of Monica, a friend of Vivianna and Fabio. She came and was a part of the family retreat and decided that she was ready to be baptized! We are all so happy for to have her as our new sister in Christ!
Alfredo, Monica, and Franco
After the retreat was finished, Eric and I still had some unfinished business to attend to before our flight back to Taranto... a vespa adventure! Before we even left for the retreat, we received a text from Kyle inviting us on a vespa ride throught the Tuscan hillside to celebrate his 29th birthday the Monday following the retreat! Eric and I had already planned to stay two days extra to visit our students, so we were waaayyy excited to join. Talk about a great idea. We picked the Vespas up from the top of San Gimignano and set off to ride for a town called Volterra.
This was our fist pit stop after our take off, just to make sure everyone was still alive. haha Actually the night before Kyle met Eric, Angela, Peter, and me infront of the Bible School to do some test runs. I have to admit I was a little shaky nervous at fist, but it was SO much fun! I think the trick is just to relax and lean with the scooter. I definitely can understand why people have them- they are easy to ride, park, and just fun. I dont think I would ever buy one, but I would definitely rent one again for a day.
EMILY! She on the other hand, has already informed everyone that she is in search of one to buy while she is living in Arkansas! She was a natural :)
In total, there were 16 of us who rode with Kyle that day for his birthday. It was such a beautiful ride. We rode only the country roads and so we got to see all of the scenery along the way. The picture above is when we finally reached Volterra.
Locking up the Vespas.
This as Eric's and my first time in Volterra and we were impressed. It reminded me alot of San Gimignano. Small, mid evil, Tuscan, perfect. After lunch we stopped in to see this baptistery and sang a couple of hymns in English and in Italian.
Eric, Kyle, Peter, Ermenita, Laura and Ryan
I didnt know this before, but apparently Volterra is known for its Alabaster. There were several shops packed with alabaster pieces as well as lots of marble pieces as well.
After our lunch break at Volterra, it was time to head back up to San Gimignano.
Rounding the curve...
Eric and Me
Orignially, Eric and I were going to just rent one Vespa and share it because of the money, which is what Ryan and Laura did as well. However, when we showed up to take the vespas out for the day, Angela told me that she wanted to rent one for Laura and I to share in between riding with our husbands! This way Laura and I would have a chance to ride by ourselves as well! Thank you Angela! I took the first half to ride by myself, and then on the second half, I rode on the back of Eric while Laura took her turn on the Vespa by herself. What a sweet friend :)
Debbie and Ermenita choose to rent the convertible for the day! Looking good girls :)
Our last stop before returning to San Gimignano was this old open air abbey in San Galgano. It isnt very well known because it is out in the middle of nowhere, but it was worth the stop if you ask me.
Another view.
What a blessing it was to be able to enjoy a day like this one. Ive said this before, but Im always amazed when I think about what it would have been like to not get this opportunity to serve here in Italy. The people that we have met here have changed our lives forever. And not only the Italians, but also our team members. There are so many challenges that we have had to face as a team and as individuals, and we are stronger because of them. We also have this amazing opportunity to spread Gods light on a daily basis together as foreigners in this country. We have a bond and memories that we will cherish forever. For this we are so truely grateful.
Shoes in the San Lorenzo market downtown Florence
The next day was Tuesday August 30, our last day in Florence before our flight south.
Eric and I took a stroll around the city and enjoyed some time together. Later in the afternoon Eric met up with his student Alessandro for coffee in Scandicci and caught up. Much later that evening Eric also got to meet up with another one of his students, Behzad. They had some really great talks and I know that Eric was so grateful to get to see them and spend some quality time with them while we were in Florence.
Emily saying goodbye to Ciccio! (pronounced chee-cho)
During the retreat, we became aware that it was Emily's last week in Italy before her time was up here in Italy with the Avanti program. Im not really sure what started our wheels turning thinking about this, but all of the sudden we thought to ourselves....should we think about buying her car?!
Emily's car is a blue Fiat Panda 2002 that she had named Ciccio. At this point in Taranto, Eric and I were becoming weary of not having transportation. It was difficult making plans and getting things accomplished, but also, it made it almost impossible to organize things with the youth ( and other visitations) because there was never enough transportation. We were a little hesitant because of the funding it would require, but we decided to go ahead with it!
Thank you so much for your support West Side Church of Christ!!
One of the main reasons we felt comfortable was that we would be purchasing it from our American friends. :)The original plan was for Kyle and Ryan to drive it down to Taranto for us the weekend after we were to leave Florence because Kyle (Kyle is Robbie Shackelford's assisent at HUF) had to do some scouting in southern italy for the new students this fall anyway. However, the paperwork and the insurance wasnt complete by the time they would have to leave, and at first we thought that we would just buy another ticket to return to Florence and finish the job asap. It was the morning we were supposed to take off and it seemed obvious that it would be more simple to just stay in Florence, finish up what we needed to with the car and then just drive the car back down to Taranto. This way we would be saving money that we would have payed for another trip to come back and finish everything. We are so thankful for all of the help David gave us with transferring the title, insurance and lots of other minor details.
Sonia and Emily
Because we were staying a little longer, we found out that Emily would be taking a trip to Ferrarato visit the church and friends there before her departure for the states, and she, Andrea, and Luca invited us to tag along! We left around 3 pm in the afternoon on that Thursday, the 1st of September. We arrived that evening to enjoy pizza with the church members followed by evening service.
Before service started the members wanted to present Emily with a couple of gifts :) The first one was a photo of the city of Ferrara. . .
and the second one was this T-shirt! :)
Also before service started I finally got to meet Daniela's mom!! I dont know if you remember, but Daniela was one of the first people I met and became friends with here in Italy. She and her family are actually from Moldavia- a country in between Romania and the Ukraine. Anyways, I have learned that the family moved here initially for work, and later because Daniela's younger sister has a heart condition that can be better treated here in Italy. Daniela is very special to me. One of those relationships that I was referring to above that have changed me forever. She is only 17 but she is so strong in her faith. Last time we were together, she was telling me about how difficult it was to be a young christian here in Italy because the youth is so few here and the culture is so different. She compared this reality with how strong the church is in her home country. She said that they have churches with 3 and 4 hundred people. She talked about her recent trip home to Moldavia this summer and how wonderful it was to go to church camp there and be surrounded with all of her young christian friends. What really struck me was when she continued on by telling me how all of her friends ask her when she will return home and why she wants to stay in Italy. She told me, I believe that God wants me here in Italy because he can use me here to help with the churches here. They are so small here and I believe that God will use me. She is a light in my life. I wish you could meet her.
Luca's mom, Christian, and Eric
Service that night in Ferrara was a singing service! Emily had translated and helped translate about 12 songs during her stay here in Italy. She had the great idea to type them all up and make booklets of the new songs to pass out to the different churches! They love all of the new songs!
Irene and Alina (Daniela's younger sister)
Daniela, Andrea, and Sara (Luca's sister)
Andrea, Daniela, Emily, Me, and Sonia
I love this picture of all of us together!
Girls just want to have fun!...no matter what country you are in! :)
The next day before we had to leave later in the evening, we got up early and went to explore the city of Ferrara.
Ferrara is called the city of bicycles because there are bicycles EVERYWHERE! What a cute little city it was! Its always really interesting to me how diverse Italy is depending on the region. When you compare Taranto, Florence, Rome, and Ferrara, they are all SO different.
Andrea, Me, Eric, Luca, and Alina
We were taking our stroll through the city when before I realized what was going on Luca had bought me this T-shirt! Now, there isnt a real Hard Rock in Ferrara, instead I love that it reminds me of our friends there:)
This picture just makes me laugh. It was taken while we were visiting the Cathedral of Ferrara.
By the way Dr Keller, I read that the bell tower of this Cathedral is attributed to Alberti...is this right?? Sorry its a bad photo, the bell tower is in the back right.
Daniela and me dancing the afternoon away :)
More bicycles.
Look closely at this door bell. The top bell is for "Cucina" which means the kitchen and the second is written as "Paradiso"..heaven?? We were all itching to ring it, but none of us would, I guess we will never know. . .
After a great visit with Andrea, Luca, Daniela, Alina and all of our friends in Ferrara, it was time to head back to Scandicci. That evening the Bible School had planned a special going away dinner for Emily. It was really great to all be together and to enjoy the evening with Emily.
Of course Zoe was in attendance as well :)
The next day was Saturday. I didnt think I was going to be able to see my student/friend Clizia this trip because just as I was supposed to leave that Wednesday, she would be arriving back to Italy from her trip to the America (strange sequence of events ha.). However, since we got to stay a little longer, we were able to meet! Saturday we scheduled to meet around 11 am and head into Florence to spend the day together. As always, we had a blast and picked up right where we left off the last time! I am so grateful we got to spend the day together.
The next morning was a surprise farewell get together at the church for Emily!
Renata, Clizia, and Roberta were in attendance!
. . . as well as Rosa and her husband Felice!
Mario and Nancy
Roberta was so sweet. She couldnt stop crying! We miss you already Emily!
Kyle with Danielle and Arbon
Look at that smile!!
Later that evening after church and the following the potluck lunch, I was thrilled to be invited to hang out with Clizia again at her house! She was having some girl friends of hers over to her house to do nails and create some pretty cool henna tattoos! I stayed with them the whole evening chatting and really enjoying our time together. Another light in my life. I love this girl! I cant wait to see what God has in store for her. Pray for her and our studies together. She is very special and I can see God working in our friendship.
Marco and Eric
The next day, we persuaded Marco to take a train from Vicenza to come and visit Emily before she had to leave on Thursday the 8th. He could only stay for Monday and had to leave late the next morning. Monday after lunch Emily had some paperwork she had to finish up to take Zoe overseas with her, and so Eric and I got to spend some time in Florence with Marco!
Here we are inside the Cathedral of Florence: Santa Maria del Fiore. We were walking into the piazza of the Duomo when Marco asked us, can you climb to the top of the Duomo? As soon as the words left our mouths that you could, he responded: I want to do that! so we headed over to the entrance, paid our fees, and started our climb!
Finally after about 20 minutes of climbing, we reached the top! How beautiful is this city?!
Absolutely breathtaking.
Eric and Marco.
Kelli and her welcome cake made by Debbie :)
After climbing to the top of the Duomo and back down again, and getting a quick gelato fix from Grom, we had to rush back to Scandicci to meet the others at Gallos for dinner. At Gallos we had a special guest! Kelli Click. Kelli is the new AI worker who arrived that day during the afternoon. She went to Harding and is from Texas. We went into town with her the night before Eric and I left and I got a chance to get to know her a little better. She is a really sweet girl and has a strong desire to serve the Lord. We got along really well and I was sad to have to say goodbye so soon! However, I am excited to see what all God has in store for her and for her work here in Italy.
Emily, Erme, Zoe, and Peter
The next day was Kelli's first day of language school and after a big American breakfast with pancakes and bacon, the rest of us headed into town with Marco.
Zoe is always a crowd pleaser wherever she goes!
After taking another spin around the center of Florence before Marco had to leave on his train,we stopped again at Grom for a gelato.
This little girl was so cute. She is British and when we asked where her dad was she responded like,
"I fink he is in the Q." Q meaning the line for gelato. I wish we could have chatted with her a little longer. She and her accent were adorable!
The picture above was taken I think monday the 5th...this was at the end of a long day of driving in Italian traffic, standing in lines, and not having the right identification cards to proceed. ...etc. Too much to tell, other than to say, paperwork and documentation in Italy is never an easy job. By the end of it all we ended up having to stay an entire extra week in Florence. We departed with the car on Thursday morning the 8th of September. Not that we minded staying, it was definitely a blessing in more ways than one.
We finished up purchasing the insurance, transferring the title, there was only one thing that we are lacking and its a little booklet that goes with your car. However to obtain this booklet, we needed to have what is called an "Identity Card." To get this identity card, we have to be in Taranto because this is where we are residents. All of this to say, we will be returning in October again to Florence to finalize everything with that Idenity Card. :/
It was obvious to Eric and I that God was keeping us there in Florence for several reasons other than just the car. Getting to spend more time to see our friends, students, meeting Kelli, and even gaining a little wisdom from the Woodroofs were all some of the ways God was/is illuminating some things to us. Right now we ask that you would please keep us in your prayers especially during this time. Please pray that we can know and understand God's will for us here and that His plan will be very clear to us. We are always thankful for the opportunities that are in front of us and for your support back home.
We love you and miss you.
