church camp and convegni PART2

. . . picking up where we left off...

right after church camp, a heat wave hit florence.. .  and in the middle of it, we decided to finally patch up our apartment walls and ceilings-- sure, maybe not the best timing, but around here, you have to use the time when you get it!

long story short, i learned that i prefer dry wall to cement walls!

 if you havent ever dealt with stucco walls count yourself fortunate! haha maybe most of you already know, but with concrete walls, when cracks appear, you must fix them by smoothing on stucco. after applying the stucco, you must wait 24 hrs for said stucco to dry. Next in the process, is sanding the stucco down until it is flush with the wall. then you must wipe down the walls with water to clear from the dust that is everywhere, paint on the primer, . . . . . and then you are finally ok to paint! This certainly was a long and physically demanding process when its just the 2 of you, but it was equally worth all of the effort. Our apartment finally feels a little like home. Hopefully all of this work will not be a benefit only to us, but also to whoever comes after us. 

Eric and I always try to consider how what we do, especially relating specifically to the school itself, will benefit whoever come after us. Its important that we remember that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves. 

Poor minnie!

all of this work took about 1 month to complete- we were able to patch up everything except the kitchen and our bedroom.  ( the kitchen needs more than what we can physically do ourselves ) during all of this, the dogs would follow us from room to room, im sure trying to figure out what in the world was going on! and because the whole place was a mess, at the end of every night, the dogs were covered in the white dust from the stucco! poor babies! 

While we were working on our apartment, the 4 workers worked on 2 other bedrooms upstairs. 

Miles patching up and repainting the second girls dorm room.

David and Meredith putting together the new armoir for the boys second bedroom.

After all the painting was complete, we finished up by replacing the old armoirs with new ones from IKEA. where would we be without you IKEA?!

to recap, so far, we have completed 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms (with the exception of new windows that we really need the funding for- it would be especially helpful if we could replace at least the back windows before winter to prevent the mold and moisture of growing and destroying all of our hard work). please email eric about this.

We are projecting to hopefully finish the upstairs with the help of a couple of groups that are coming summer 2016. Mainly the girls and boys large dorm rooms and hallways. please join us in prayer about our efforts to take care of this school that God has blessed us with. 

S T U D E N T S / studies / and friends

our monday night study is going so well! over the summer, we were few in number due to vacations and various obligations of the italians, but we still kept meeting together. Even though the group wasnt complete many of the studies, we still were being strengthened by the Spirit. He has made a beautiful bond between us and we are overjoyed and grateful for this. Monday night is quickly becoming our favorite night of the week! . . . since starting back the semester, we are growing in number. . .  it is a very exciting time :)

Giuseppe, Eric, and Esmeralda

Also during the summer, we began playing the game called "Ticket to Ride." After the Bible study, we would eat something small, and then play the game together.  its a fun game that still allows one to socialize while playing. it may sound a little silly, but this time together has really brought us together as a group! we have continued our dining and playing even into this new semester! 

W H A T   E L S E ? ? ?

A little highlight of our summer memories.

During the summer, we celebrated David's birthday by going to a Florentine soccer match as a team!

We were able to see sandra and her family often.  One of those evening together eric, Jodi, and i went to meet them near their house at the beaches in Pisa. after walking along the shore, they asked if we wanted to see the wild boars! i was obviously confused! but we followed along as they walked us down a boardwalk and we arrived at a restaurant. they said, just wait and watch, they will come. i thought maybe this was a joke seeing as how wild boars are both  W I L D  and dangerous! but on the contrary, there they were! it was night time, but as we waited, we saw them poke in and out of the bushes looking for bread that others had left them! i was stunned as this was all taking place 5 yards from a restaurant!!! (in the collage, the boar is pictured in the second small dark picture drom the left!)

Also pictured are the beautiful Dolomite mountains. To escape the hot temperatures, our sister from Taranto, Anna Maria, travels to this region every summer for the month of august. ( a 12 drive from Taranto ) we havent seen our Taranto family for such a long time, that we decided to go and visit Anna Maria in the mountains! we could only stay one night, but it was a blessing to get to see her and enjoy her company.

Another night, I received a txt from our sister in Pistoia asking if we wanted to come to the baptisim of her friend Vicenzo! Without hesitation Eric, Jodi, and I said YES! please keep our new brother in your prayers as well!

. . . .a few more memories :)

We also spent time with our students, out for dinner, a walk downtown, chit chatting together- it was all precious time enjoyed together. Andrea Masini is pictured in the previous collage with the wild boars, as well as the one above. he is our brother from Florence, and we make regular visits to brighten his day :) recently we are getting to know his wife a little better as well. Please keep them in your prayers. You also see a small red picture of me with two of the teen christian girlies- Beatrice and Laura. They were traveling through florence and Jodi and i were thrilled to be able to spend a day with them! 

The new Library.

Lastly, We want to show you what we worked on in the library. After cleaning it out when we first arrived a year ago, we found a couple of folders and shoe boxes with the most amazing photos. The photos were from when the school first began back in the late 60's as a Bible school for italian christians. we loved going through the photos! we decided that the history of the school should be displayed for all to see and appreciate! we started with this wall in the library and hope to continue in this effort as we take care of and update the rest of the school. 

looking through the pictures and articles, i was greatly encouraged by the efforts of so many others who have came before us to do this same work.. . all for the glory of the Lord. Just as i was saying above, its important to remember that the work we are a part of here at the school is something much bigger than ourselves. something orchestrated by the Holy God whom we serve. we are so so so grateful to be in His service.

can you find Minnie?

believe it or not, there is a Part 3! Part 3 Florence Youth Retreat is coming  S  O  O  N ! i cant wait to tell you about all of the ways we were blessed by these kids.

Love you all! 

xoxo

E and J