Febbraio!

Ciao tutti,

As I read back over my last blog entry I feel as if I haven't written in SO long.  Things in Roma are going pretty well!  It is hard to believe I only have 3 months left.  Although October seems so long ago, I feel that it is so weird that it is already February.  January was just a great month for me personally.  I really got to experience community like nothing before.  I have just loved spending time with my team members old and new these past few weeks.  So let's see... what's been going on... Haha.  Our partnership with Agape Campus Crusade Roma is continuing to grow stronger and stronger, which is just awesome to be a part of. We are meeting weekly to discuss what God is doing here, what we would like our vision as a partnership to be, and what the next steps are!  It is awesome sharing our hearts for the different ministries and seeing them unite for God's glory!  There is so much good stuff going on the next few months; it is going to be tough to keep up.  But of course nothing is impossible with Jesus, and I am SO stoked for everything going on.

Next week, refugee team leaders from all over Europe will be coming to Rome for a week long conference.  We will be discussing refugee situations throughout the area, what God is doing, and get to hear from every team in attendance!  Please be praying for this upcoming week!  That everything will go smoothly and with little problem!  But even more so, be praying for God's guidance in all the discussions.  Even if it means complete chaos, we want God's will to be done!  Shortly after that my team leaders, Tim & Rachel, will be heading back to the United States, to raise support for the Refugee Reading Room.  We are praying for God's provision and blessing through this!  We KNOW He will provide!  I have seen Him provide for my trip here in such incredible ways, and I know He doesn't ever stop giving to us in accordance with His will!  So please be praying for a safe and successful trip for them, whatever that may look like in the Lord's eyes.

Also this next month, there will be two Spring Break teams coming to serve with Agape Italia.  They are two college groups from Miami and Ole Miss.  The schedules are chock-full of activities!  We are currently planning the time spent here with the two teams and are looking forward to what God will do.  Not only will the two groups be spending time on campus, but they will also have the opportunity to participate in outreach with refugees!  Please pray for the Lord's provision before and during these two groups stays!  So. After all that awesome stuff, I will actually be heading on a trip to Athens, Greece.  International Teams has another group there that works with refugees.  Athens is one of the first places that many refugees arrive at after escaping their "home land".  The conditions for refugees are even worse there than they are here.  There is a video at the bottom of the page if you would like to see what is going on there.  I have the privilege of staying with a couple of team members during the last week in March.  While there I will be able to participate in their team activities and observe how their team works, etc.  I am really quite excited about that trip, and to see how the Lord is working there.

So, as you can see these next couple of months are quite full of crazy, yet awesome stuff!  I am so excited to see God move in all the events going on!  God has been teaching me so much, and quite honestly it is just awesome to be a part of it all.  He is blessing me with so many lessons (although they don't always seem like blessings at the time, ha.), stronger friendships with the refugees, and fellowship with His people.  It is incredible seeing God move, and I want to thank YOU individually for being a part of it.  I am so thankful for your support, whether it be prayerfully or financially.  God has truly blessed me with you!

Moving forward for His glory,

Lindsey

Greece Refugee Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPl9PW7ONIQ

Happy New Year!

I forgot how you say it in italian, i think it is "buona anno" or something like that.  I hope your holiday celebrations went well!  In Italy there is one last celebration, where a witch comes who brings presents to children, and that happens tonight.  My holidays were quite wonderful.  The cookie party was success!  We had about 8 refugee friends in attendance.  Although we had an overflow of cookies, it was a great time of sharing and building relationships.  Plus lots of cookies of course :)  The other festivities of holiday cheer, such as the feedings on Christmas Eve with a refugee center in Rome went great too!  We were able to serve lots of lasagna and cake to over 100+ refugees!  We also were able to participate in the handing out of gift bags for the guys.  Not only did it contain toiletries but fun gifts for the guys as well.  That night our team got together to just spend time rejoicing in the Reason for the Season.  Our team also did our weekly feeding with the refugees on the following Saturday (Christmas morning).  We prepared the soup the day before.  Everyone was able to come out to serve and eat!  It was a great time for fellowship.  One of the agape team members had friends in town who were able to serve along side of us, on this wonderful day!

The following day Tim, Rachel, Robbie, Goioa, a refugee friend, and myself all headed out to Bagni di Lucca for the week.  In case you are wondering it is right next to Lucca.  I don't think I have slept that much in my life!  Haha.  This trip for me was a difficult one.  I had been feeling homesick over the holiday season and it just seemed to increase.  But more so than that, God decided he had a few lessons to teach me.  I am not going to lie, they were really hard lessons to learn.  I could really feel some stuff going on.  But God is bigger.  I learned that week a lot about prayer and clinging to God.  I also was able to learn a lot about myself through it.  It was one of the toughest's weeks I've had here.  I didn't know what to do a lot of the times.  But God was constantly there, and I really was able to search my heart, and with all my heart for Him.  It was a good deal of learning.  But I am now having much peace about everything I learned.  I also can say I'm glad to be back in Rome.

We got back from Bagni di Lucca this past Sunday, and the following Tuesday got to meet with a great group from Illinois!  It was a group of high schoolers who were taking a small tour of Italy.  They are going from Rome to Florence and Bologna.  Along the way, the group will be working with a different nonprofit organization.  Last night (Tuesday), we met the group and got to eat dinner with them.  I got to spend time with the older girls, which was just a blast.  Later we went back to their hotel.  Tim and Rachel shared about the situation of refugees in Rome.  What a refugee is, how they get here, etc.  Robbie also was able to share some of his experiences and relationships he has built with the guys here.  This morning (Wednesday), we got up bright and early... or what I consider bright and early, to meet the group again.  Robbie took half of the group shopping for groceries to make sack lunches for about 50 refugees, while I stayed back with the other half to prepare bags full of toiletries.  From the hotel, with 100 bags in hand of toiletries and lunches, we headed to the train station.  It was a cold and rainy day today so we didnt find many refugees at first.  It is hard to know where to find them when the refugee centers are still closed for the holidays, and it is raining outside.  Robbie ended up staying by the Colosseum with a few students while the rest of us went to Termini, the main train station.  From Termini, we divided up into 3 groups and "went looking" for refugees.  My group was able to talk to refugees from Romania and northern Italians.  None of them spoke English, so I got to be an interpreter for the first time.  Haha.  It was definitely an experience, we'll just say I need more studying in that field. But it was a great time hanging out with the kids, and being able to share what we do here with them!  I'm hoping they had a great time, and their hearts and eyes were opened to God's love for the refugees and how to share it!

As for everything coming up, I'm not really sure!  Haha.  Next week the centers will re-open and different things like that.  So we will come back full force!  Robbie, the other intern, will sadly be leaving us next Wednesday.  So that will be a major bummer, but he is going on to do great things in the northern U.S.!  So be praying for that.  Also, Tim and Rachel will be going home for a short time to raise money for the Refugee Reading Center that we hope to open in April!  Please be praying for these things!  God is definitely moving here.  I am learning so much, some of them things I didn't even expect to learn.  But it is all God's provision, not mine!  So I am trusting Him in that!  I hope all is well with each of you!

In HIS Love.

Buon Natale!

Ciao tutti!

I feel like I am writing too soon... if that is possible?  There are also people who write every day, and to be honest I don't even do that in my journal, haha.  I brought I think 14 journals with me, and have barely used half of one.  I have been so tired at night and I felt obligated to do so.  And if you know me at all, sometimes if I am obligated to do something, I just don't do it.  It makes me feel free to NOT do something. Lame I know, haha.  But anywho!  God is doing some AWESOME stuff I wanted to tell you about it.

First off, Buon Natale (Merry Christmas)!  I hope the season is treating you all well.  It is insane to think it is so close.  I did try to venture out to the mall here, and it was CRAZY.  If you think Wolfchase is bad (for you people in Memphis), you haven't seen anything. Haha.  It was incredibly stressful to even be in the mall, not even in the stores. Haha.  Christmas festivities have begun over on our side of the world.  Lauren, one of the girls from my apartment, went to IKEA and picked up a REAL Christmas tree, which I have never had before. haha.  The girls laughed at me when I was surprised you had to water it!  It has been beautifully decorated and also named Albert :) Last Friday (12/10), all the missional teams got together in our apartment and celebrated the holiday season.  The event was called "Soup and Sweaters".  So of course there were ugly Christmas sweaters.  Some of our team members printed out pictures of football teams they didn't like, making the sweaters "ugly" haha.  Others of us just made stuff out of cotton balls or found random decorations and pinned them to our clothing.  We also had a white elephant party; we shared non-funny gifts this year.  I got coffee :) We also sang Christmas carols, thanks to Robbie and his mad guitar playing skills. Haha.  We also had a rewrite of the "Twas the Night Before Christmas" read aloud to us.  Phillip, a guy from the agape team, rewrote the story and filled it with all of our names.  It was hilarious!  Haha.  We also had a time of sharing about what Christ is doing in our lives and how we have seen God's presence this year.  Also the reading of the true Christmas story, for the children.  Oh, and we had TONS of great food!  We had several soups, breads, salads, and desserts.  I decided to try and make red velvet cupcakes from scratch.  I of course made quite a mess, but they were sooo good.  It was great being able just to fellowship with our teammates in our home :)

God's presence has definitely been seen in my life recently.  Well, His presence is always with me, but just some really cool stuff has happened these past couple of weeks.  I have been able to form some greater relationships with the refugees I have met.  I usually have casual conversations with a few of the guys, but nothing very deep.  I have met a couple guys that I feel like Christ is really investing in.  I have also been able to share my testimony with one of the refugees who inquired how I got here.  I was able to relate my stresses of the Italian government into getting over here.  Of course they are nothing like what he has been through; but it was great to be able to tell of God's faithfulness.  I have also met another refugee from Romania, which I just think is really cool.  Most of the guys we work with are from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, or Somalia.  So when he told me he was from there it really sparked my interest.  I also learned that I know NOTHING about Romania, haha.  I think he may believe that I have lived under a rock for a good portion of my life.  So when I hear his story and get like really excited about stuff he says, he just laughs like "How do you not know this?".  Oh, and for all the people who have also been told that Latin is a dead language.  People are wrong, they speak it in Transylvania, Romania. Haha.  I have seen this refugee on a regular basis now.  He is usually at the tea serving on Sunday nights. And instead of me going and just hanging back and serving tea, I got to sit and talk with him and his friend.  It was a huge barrier being broken for me.  He also asked as to how I got here, finance-wise.  So I got to share my story about my supporters, my church, how God has provided and what I believe.  It was awesome!  We have several other things set up in these next couple of weeks.  So please be praying for strength and diligence in our team.  Tonight we are having a dinner with some of our Afghani refugees friends.  We will be able to share a hot meal with a few of the refugees we have met here.  So please be praying for that time; that it will be beneficial and relationships will continue to grow, that they may see why we are here and what we are about, the Love of Christ.  We have another refugee dinner next week with some of our Somali friends, and a nun who works with Somali refugees on a daily basis.  Also, we are attending outreach Christmas parties held by some of the churches we work with.  Our final event for this holiday season will be a Christmas Cookie party.  I am "in charge" of this one, so please be praying! Haha.  Our goal is to bake about 300-ish Christmas cookies.  We will have some decorated and some undecorated so that friends (whether they be English, Italian, refugee, etc.) will be able to decorate the cookies themselves.  We are praying it will be a time of great fellowship!

I always feel the need to share what my heart is learning through these times.  In my bible study life, I have finished the study on forgiveness, I highly recommend it. It is a great study on Christ's forgiveness of our sins, why we should forgive, and how to know if we have truly forgiven others. I am studying the book of Daniel.  I am going by Kay Arthur's "What the Future Holds"; 40-Minute Study.  I must say it is not what I expected.  I read the title and thought it was talking about the immediate future.  But it being focused on Daniel, it is speaking of the end times.  I must say I was a bit disappointed.  I have never studied the end times.  I just have always thought, "Well yes, the end times are coming and we must prepare for it; but God has control so there is no need to worry about it."  But then you must realize, the time we are in now, is but a tiny breathe in the means of eternity.  So we best start preparing now!  I would also add that I am really enjoying the study now that I have gotten into it.  It has truly sparked my interest, and I enjoying learning about it.  I am trying to make it last until my roommate comes back from holiday.  I am sending her out to find another Kay Arthur study while she is home in the States for a few weeks.  Another aspect of my heart has been discouraged with thoughts of the immediate future.  I find myself wondering what it will be like to be home.  Not to sound negative at all, I miss you all very much! But I wonder what I will do when I get home.  Because honestly coming home and going back to school seems very boring and not something I want to do.  Of course, I didn't want to go to school when I was home anyways. Haha. But I reminded of Matthew 6:34;  there is no reason to worry about tomorrow.  I honestly have enough going on today.  I am where I am supposed to be now, and God will place me where I am supposed to be in the future.  I have no doubt of that.  My heart is learning so much and hope it never ceases to hunger for that.  I know there is always so much to learn, because our brains cannot even fathom all that Christ is and has for us.

Anyways, that is what is going on on my side of the world!  I pray that your holiday season is filled with Joy from the Spirit and His presence.  I hope you are able to rejoice with friends and family.  I am praying for each one of you.  Thank you for all your support.


In His Love.

P.S. Please be praying for the city of Rome!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11992034

You know you are from the south (of the U.S.) when...

Someone mentions seeing a beautiful rock formation in Corinth, and the first thing you think of is Mississippi.  Haha, just a funny thing that happened to me this week that I thought I would share; btw they were talking about Greece, not Mississippi :)

I hope everyone's thanksgiving holiday has treated them well!  We had several celebrations here in Rome, even though it is an American holiday.  Part of our missional team went out to the country for Thanksgiving, while the other group stayed in Rome.  I decided not to venture out to the country because of everything going on, I figured the rest at home would help.  On Thursday Robbie and I started out our day by handing out sack lunches to refugees, we only handed out about 7 because the usual center we go to was closed for the holiday (it is an American institution). Then we went over to one of our missional team family's house to begin festivities.  I watched the Macy's Parade on the computer with a few friends.  I haven't watched all of the parade in several years, I always get bored with them.  But this year it just reminded me of home, so I stuck through it.  I never realized how many stinkin high school bands played; it finally just became fighting to the end to see Santa, haha.  But we had a great time just in fellowship with each other with great food (as always in Italy) and sharing what we are thankful for.  It was a long day, but very fun.  The following Friday and Saturday the agape campus team was hard at work for their big celebration on Sunday.  The refugee team was able to serve an "American" meal with the refugees on Saturday and had yet another Thanksgiving with friends and people serving with us, along with a couple of refugee friends.  I was unable to attend because I was feeling under the weather but I heard it was a great time!  The following Sunday was a huge success with the agape team!  I got the privilege of being able to serve along side them in their work.  They set up a Thanksgiving dinner and had about 90 Italians attend the party!  It was many of theirs first time to celebrate the holiday.  I heard from one Italian friend that it was very impressive and delicious.  It was just a great time all around!  So we definitely had a great time.  This past Monday, Christmas threw up in our apartment! It is my first time having a real tree, I had no idea you had to water them!  Haha.  But it is very festive and beautiful.

In all honestly this time of year is harder than I would have expected.  I love Christmas, it is just hard being away from family.  But God definitely has a presence here.  I am hungering for Him more and more everyday.  Getting in His Word just isn't enough.  My heart is truly desiring my Father, and nothing is enough but Him.  Other things going on over here!  I was able to meet with the women's refugee group leader, and they sadly do not need help right now.  But I know God is opening all the doors I need to be in.  I have been able to start going to the university to participate with Agape Campus Crusade, and build great friendships there as well.  The partnership between Agape and the refugee team is growing and it is great to see and be a part of.  We are currently looking for places to begin physically working on the Reading Room.  We have started fund raising as well so please be praying for that!  There is so much going on and I feel like I just cannot type it all!  God is giving me strength and I know it is solely from Him.  He is stretching me, which is hard but great at the same time.  I feel like I am leaving out so much.  Just know that God is moving in what seem like small but just GREAT ways.  I am blessed to be able to speak with the refugees more openly and build friendships that way.  I hope that this blog makes sense because I have a small feeling it is all over the place.  I hope to post pictures on here soon, but have not been able to do so unless they are huge.  So I will try and work on that.  I hope everything is well at home, wherever your home may be.  Never forget who Christ is, what He has done, and what we are called to do.

In His Love.

1 John 4:19

Happy One Month!

Ciao tutti!

I have officially been in Roma for one month now!  It is insane to think I left ya'll a month ago, it seems so much longer.  But at the same time it seem as if this time has flown by!  God is doing mighty things here!  I have continued working with the refugees of different surrounding nations.  The hope these men have could be a lesson to us all.  It is incredible hearing their stories.  I met a young man the other day who had arrived 5 days earlier from Afghanistan.  He travelled from Afghanistan to Iran, then through Greece onto one of the terrible boat rides making it to Rome.  He attempted going to France (I believe it was) but they sent him back, because this is where he has been finger printed by the police.  He told me his hopes of traveling to Norway or Sweden but was having problems with paperwork.  He and his friend also told me terrible stories of what happened to men, women and children who were sent home to their home country and how they were punished.  I've heard stories of slavery and/or the cutting off of body parts, to serve as punishment for the people who fled for a  better life.  THESE PEOPLE ARE SEARCHING FOR HOPE.  It is terrible hearing these stories, but it is awesome seeing how God is planting seeds, and we are the ones who get to help do that!  So awesome!

Our team finally met with Marianna, the nun who worked with the women's center.  She is very well-known in the Somali community, which is a huge step.  She is nothing like I expected.  I have seen so many nuns in Rome, that are dressed in the classic black and white outfit.  But she is not like this at all.  She has a great personality and heart for Jesus.  It is awesome to see her and her four sisters working for the Kingdom.  We got to interact with her ministry this past weekend by gathering together with refugees, Italians, and everything in between; and watching the movie Patch Adams.  Now I saw this movie a long time ago, but watching it in Italian was definitely different.  But it was a great chance to meet refugees and spend time there in fellowship.  I met another student in college who is from Chile who is working with the women's center as well.  I am supposed to start working with her this week and traveling out to that area to spend time with the women.  Also, starting tomorrow I will be working with a couple of my roommates from Agape campus crusade.  I have a couple of free days, and I will be spending some time up there with them.  They (agape) has been able to build great relationships and be witnesses for Christ on campus.  I'm really excited to get involved in that as well!

Now that I've got you up on the stuff going on around me.  I would love to share a piece of my heart and mind with you.  There are some days that just seem insanely busy, and some that are not like that at all.  Praise God for that, and Him knowing that we need the rest!  I love finding my rest and strength in Him, and knowing it comes from Him.  I am currently reading the book, Journey of Desire, by John Etheridge.  I am just now beginning on it, but it speaks about how we all have desire within our hearts, and how we try and fill it.  How so many times, we are afraid to follow our desires because of the fear of getting hurt from past pursuits.  Etheridge claims that without desire our heart is dead.  I am realizing how true that is, not only in the world but in our walk with Christ.  God desires us whole-heartedly, always.  We as believers, should and hope to do the same.  I want above all else to have that desire fulfilled, and to know God wholly, and I cannot wait for that day.  It is coming sooner than we know :)  I am so excited.  And I love the fact that I am desired but God.  God has chosen us, not only to love, but He also chosen us to be vessels for Him.  We don't have to be a part of God's plan, but He knows our desires and desires us to serve Him.  YOU ARE THE DESIRE OF CHRIST.  Don't you ever forget that :)

I got to see the Colosseum and Pantheon this week.  Talk about breath-taking.  Standing in the Pantheon entry, Rachel tells me, "Can't you just imagine Paul standing here".  It is an absolutely awe-struckening experience.  A part of the body of Christ from thousands of years ago, one whose stories are written in the Bible, stood where I did.  On this same floor, next to this same pillar.  It was just like "dang God, you are so awesome".  And the Colosseum was a bit the same way.  The audio guide I had told me to look over the edge, saying "This is were Christians were killed for their faith".  It is insane to stand there, a large sense of grievance came over me.  Knowing how blessed I am, to stand firm in my faith today, and know that God is the Protector, we are not alone.  Both of those sites were just breath-taking to me.  God just spoke to me there; I just can't even think of more adjectives to describe it.

I hope all is well with each one of you reading this.  I have a prayer meeting in about an hour with my team.  I am excited to hear more news about what the next steps are.  We did receive word that Kyros, an italian non-profit organization, is backing us in our reading center plans; which is such an answer from God!  It is so awesome to hear that!  The next steps are fund-raising.  If you would like to give I will provide the information below!  Either way please be praying for that!  I cannot wait to continue to see God move!  I love and miss you all, and am praying for you and your hearts.  Seek Christ above all else, do not forget how much He desires you.

Information on giving to the building fund:

Go to the website: http://iteams.org/give/

And follow the same procedure for giving; here is information you will need!

Designate for: Rome Refugee Center

Account #: 80US2248

You may enter the account number, along with Rome Refugee Center, in the designation box.

Please enter this in correctly, if you decide to give financially!

Isaiah 43: 1-4

"But now, this is what the LORD says— 

   he who created you, Jacob, 

   he who formed you, Israel: 

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; 

   I have summoned you by name; you are mine. 

 When you pass through the waters, 

   I will be with you; 

and when you pass through the rivers, 

   they will not sweep over you. 

When you walk through the fire, 

   you will not be burned; 

   the flames will not set you ablaze. 

For I am the LORD your God, 

   the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; 

I give Egypt for your ransom, 

   Cush and Seba in your stead. 

Since you are precious and honored in my sight, 

   and because I love you, 

I will give people in exchange for you, 

   nations in exchange for your life."

Greater things are yet to come!

Hello!

I have been here almost a month now!  It is insane to think that!  I am so blessed to be a part of this ministry.  Just some notes from my last posting.  Joy (Gioia) is doing well!  She got out of the hospital about 4 days after she went in.  It was a very hectic time for the family, but they are doing well!  They (the doctors in Rome), do not think it is anything too pressing, but they are continuing to monitor her.  Thank you SO much for the prayers!  These past couple of weeks have been good!  The potential long-term couple has returned home and we have had one other visitor these past couple of weeks, all good company!  Our team is also now meeting once every two weeks for fellowship and prayer with each other.  During this time a couple people are sharing their testimony and we are praying specifically for them, as well as breaking off for each other personally.  It is great getting to know our team on a larger scale!  Our team has continued serving with the refugees.  Passing out lunches on Fridays, cooking and serving on Saturdays, as well as serving tea on Sundays to the refugees!  This past week, the other intern and myself went to an Italian church that our team members attend.  The message was awesome!  We also spent our Halloween observing it as the 500th year anniversary that Martin Luther came to Rome and left angered by how this holy city, was not following God's way at all.  It was and is a great reminder to me how we are to follow Christ in EVERYTHING, even if the city isn't.  I am called to be Christ-like despite everyone and everything else.  And not only that but I should want to, because of the love for my Savior.  He is so gracious to us, and sometimes it seems so easy to forget.  Yet looking at it, we don't even know when it happened.  But God forgives us, even when we stray.  HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD!  It is just so cool to think about, and just His love for us.  So overwhelming, we can't even imagine.  So many times we think we get it, and then it is still like a zillion times more than that.  God is good :)

I am quite excited for everything that is happening this week!  I am working on some school stuff for my internship (which isn't technically fun, but very beneficial!)  Our team is also meeting with the nun who runs the center for women and children refugees.  We will be seeing her center as well as just spending some time in fellowship with her.  All things to be very excited about!  Also, we have begun looking at the logistical side of having a refugee center.  I know this can sound boring, but it is very cool to be a part of.  We did have an informational meeting about refugees and serving with them.  We had many representatives of different churches and organizations that night, probably around 40-50 people!  How awesome is that?!  I have also decided to start working with a different tutor named Enzo.  I am hoping working with him will help  a lot.  I did struggle in the other class, and I kind of felt like I was holding others behind.  But I am learning, some days it seems that I am quickly learning other days I feel like I know nothing.  Haha, but that hasn't been too much of a barrier!  I love how God breaks barriers!

On a more personal side, I am seeing God move here.  I can see Him teaching me so much, and it is just overwhelmingly amazing.  I have been able to hang out with the refugees more, by playing (or watching rather) the refugees play soccer, and just spending some time with the "folks" here.  I am praying for continued health in our team, and for open hearts for everyone, team members and refugees alike.  Please pray alongside of me in this.   Thank you again for being a part of furthering God's Kingdom, not only here in Rome but also where you are.  I am praying and thanking God for you daily!

In His Love.

Due Settimane (2 weeks)

Ciao!  I have officially been here almost two weeks.  Things are continuing to go well!  The new intern got settled in quickly, and already knows where more places are than I do!  But it's a blessing, haha.  I am slowly starting to learn my way around, and am picking up on the language a little more.   Yes, I'm just as shocked as you are!  Haha.  It is SO much easier through immersion.

This past Thursday, potential long-term teammates arrived in Roma, to check out what all was going on here.  They have been through a lot and have been on the mission field for about 9 years now.  But God has moved them out of their mission location and they are looking to see where God would like them next! So please be praying for them!  It is great to see them interacting with the refugees.  They can speak their language and are able to hold serious conversations with them for hours.  Such a blessing they are!  This past week has still be a lot of settling in and different things like that.  I have started taking a second level Italian "course".  It isn't really a course, but Agape has hired an Italian tutor to teach us; there are 3 students total.  I"m still unsure about whether I should be in beginner class or the "advanced" it was review but still I haven't done it since March, and it made me want to bang my head against a wall.  Something cool though, I believe my tutor works with the women's center I am hoping to work with.  It is ran by a nun, so I'm not sure of the religious standings in that area.  But they work with women and children refugees.

This week has been very tiring for me, but so beneficial!  We have spent a lot of time speaking with other team members and just being able to "share life" with each other.  It has been great hearing the testimony of our visitors!  We attended to feeding again on Friday, and it went rather quickly, but relationships and familiarity is being built!  On Saturday God was definitely among us!  We went to help at an Italian church, in preparing for a feeding at lunch time.  The women in charge of this ministry cook a hot meal and disperse it in a specific area.  After fixing about 80 lunches we were off!  It was great being able to serve all the refugees!  This is also the first time I really had conversations with the refugees.  I met several people from Afghanistan and Pakistan.   I would say a huge prayer request would be friendships being set up.  As I learned from a missionary friend, many men from these countries do not speak to women in a casual setting such as this.  So it is very different, somewhat making things difficult.  But God is breaking barriers!  I saw it with my own eyes that day!  Also, that day, we went with Tim to look at another potential spot for the Reading Center.  The area was very close to where refugees could walk and was very spacious and cheaper!  It would be a great fit for what we are trying to set up!  God provides!  Please continue to pray!

Sunday, was a very hectic day.  Joy (Tim and Rachel's daughter) hit her head severely, she is currently in the hospital having tests done.  PLEASE BE PRAYING.  They say she is making everyone in the place laugh, which sounds totally like her!  We had a dinner on Sunday for the entire agape team we are apart of (about 15 people).  We had delicious soup, dip, and meatballs.  Not to mention incredible pumpkin tiramisu!  sooo good!  After the dinner we went to served to the refugees.  I was able to talk to a woman who works with church planting in Roma, and who will be attending the seminar on refugees we are having on Sunday.  It was a hectic day, but good bonding time as a team.

Prayer Requests

Joy's tests would come back normal

Comfort for Tim, Rachel, & Joy

Openness in the hearts and minds of the refugees

Continued learning progress with the italian language

The Reading Center building

Praise to God for the work HE is doing here

If you have any prayer requests, please let me know!

EVERY tribe, EVERY tongue, EVERY nation.