Praise the Lord!

Although I have been back in the States for quite some time now, I have kept in touch with some of my students and wanted to share with you that Xin orginally from China, and Salvo from Catania have both been baptized and are attending the Catania church of Christ!

Thank you for all your prayers, and please continue to pray for these two. Pray especially for their families, who are still skeptical and can be discouraging.

Please continue to pray for Lindsay, as she is recovers and prepares to return to Italy in January.
www.lindsaywalle.blogspot.com

Also, Chad is finishing his work and returning to the states, so please pray for his safe trip home.

Arrivederci!

These past 2 weeks have been somewhat of a whirlwind! A lot has happened, and I will try to give a brief summary of the outcome. For a lot of different reasons (that I would be happy to discuss on an individual basis) Lindsay and I decided not to continue working in Catania. After a lot of prayer and discussion with some of the committee members, I made the decision to leave the Avanti Italia program. Everyone, including the church, was very supportive of the decision. We were all sad, but feel that we did the right thing. This decision was extremely difficult. I appreciate all the prayers and encouraging words from those of you I have talked to. Making the decision was hard, but I couldn't be happier to be home.

The church in Catania is made up of an amazing group of people and we love them very much. Please keep Chad in your prayers, as he remains as the only Avanti worker in Catania, as was originally planned. He has taken over all of the students there, which is a big job. He is very loved by the congregation and I know they will continue to take good care of him :)

Also keep Lindsay in your prayers. She has returned to the Bible School in Florence where she is helping with the large number of students and contemplating the possibilities of where she will spend her two years working in Italy.

Spring Cleaning!

The Edwards left today for 2 weeks to visit some churches in Scotland (where they will plan to work after leaving Italy), so Lindsay and I have been in FULL cleaning mode! We straightened, scrubbed, and scraped all morning and it was very refreshing! The happiest members of our household were our two goldfish who are too excited to sit still!

Some cool things:
First, a man that I will call Don came into the church building yesterday afternoon, interested in some English lessons. He and Chad talked for quite a while, and he decided to stay for our mid-week Bible study that night! He talked to several of the members and explained that he is "Catholic by tradition" but that he has recently began searching for a personal relationship with Jesus. Brandon's lesson last night was on the differences between denominations and the church of Christ. (Yes, I understood everything-whoo hoo!) Don agreed with everything that was discussed and said that he will definitely be back on Sunday!

Also, when I walked into the coffee bar today, the waitress handed me exactly what I always order without me having to say a word. Ok, so maybe it's not as cool as the first thing, but it is pretty neat...or just means that I need to quit my coffee addiction that I have developed since moving to Italy.

I will be "out of the office" all next week starting tomorrow. Please do not be offended if I am not able to respond to emails! I hope you all have a wonderful week, and don't forget to wear GREEN on Tuesday!!!

Nomenclature

I have been trying to figure out the best way to tell you things about my students in a way that you can keep up with their stories without knowing their real names. They may not mind if I have them on here, but I just want to be sure. I have decided to assign each of them an alias. When you pray for them, God will know who you are talking about :)

The first student shall be named John Johnson. (haha...I have to remember the names I give them!) John is our most involved student. He started coming for lessons in January. He loves to come everyday, even if he can only make it for a few minutes. When he doesn't have time for a lesson, he just loves to talk and listen to us speak English. He is married to Jane, and has a three year old son named Jimmy who is one of the cutest kids I have ever seen. He is also the one that is leasing Chad's new apartment to him. John found out about our English lessons through a church member that he works with. He has had us over for dinner, and even started attending church functions including Sunday morning worship. He is earnestly seeking to know God. He has come to believe that there is a God, but wants to understand more about Him. His wife is a little more skeptical. His English is limited, so our conversations are always interesting! He has also begun having Bible studies in Italian with one of the members.

Today he told us about spending the afternoon with his parents and in-laws last week. Someone asked him about his new tenant (Chad) and how he knew him. He explained that he met him through the church of Christ in Catania, which led to a 2 hour conversation about religion between all of them. He told us about this conversation and how excited it made him. He said that in 36 years, he had never once talked to his mother about religion until that day. I got chills. How amazing and powerful! He also told us that after they left the singing and pizza night, he and Jane went home and read the Bible. He was able to answer her questions from the studies he has been doing with all of us. This is very exciting and I hope that you will pray for their whole family. Not only is John being affected, but his wife, son, parents, and in-laws are all sharing in his new knowledge of Christ.

Later today, John made a joke in English. He was very proud of himself to have made such progress in the language that he can joke with us now! He and his family have become so special to us.

Another student that comes every day and we feel close to will be called Ann. Ann has been coming for lessons for a little over a year but, until recently, has not been interested in studying the Bible at all. She is a foreign student who lives with her parents. Her family has no belief in God. Ann is very studious and works very hard to make good grades. She asked me last week to explain more about the Bible to her. Of course, I was very excited about this opportunity! Thanks to everyone who sent suggestions about sources to help with a biblical outline. Lindsay and I began talking with her about this today, and I think it went really well. Please keep Ann in your prayers as well.

Beth is also a student who has recently started coming for English lessons. Beth is not very interested in studying the Bible at this point. She usually brings her English homework so that I can help her with it. This has been difficult because she speak almost no English, and my Italian is pretty weak. I am excited for Lindsay to begin studying with her because they will be able to communicate so much better, and hopefully be able to start some Bible lessons, since Lindsay will be able to explain them to her in Italian.

Carl and Carla are two students that have come a few times, but always seem to disappear for a while. They are teenagers, but I don't feel like I have gotten to know much else about them. They are very shy :) I hope to be able to encourage them, and spend more time with them.

Chad, Lindsay, and I have decided to put together a new weekly schedule that works well for the program and for us. We will begin this process once the Edwards leave, and we are settled into our new routine. At that time, we plan to distribute fliers about the English lessons and bring in a more steady stream of students that come at specified times during the day. At the moment, some students come at the same time each day, while others come and go randomly. I think this will benefit both us and our students. During the time that we have at the building when not in a lesson, we will be able to develop lesson plans for each individual student. All of these changes will take place in mid-April and we are very excited!

We Saw the Sea Today...kinda...!

(I started typing this post Tuesay, but am finishing it on Wednesday)

Chad, Lindsay, and I decided to walk to the sea since it appeared to be so close (looking at a map) from the other building, where we were today. We set out with high hopes of finally getting to see the water up close! Upon arriving at the end of the road we were disappointed to find a fence, a lot of grass, something that looked like a gross pond, more grass, and then the sea. So close, yet so far away. Someday.

It was such a beautiful day that we ate our Chinese food outside! The weather was absolutely perfect! This afternoon, Lindsay and I started working on the Bible outline for Xin. I think it's coming along pretty well.

Tonight, we had an amazing turn out for singing. Don and Joyce Shackelford and Shawn and Donna Daggett were all in town visiting. We had a special pizza fellowship to welcome them and it was a lot of fun!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JARED!!!
Woot woot!

We are Marcing!

I hope you all remembered to set your clocks forward on Saturday night! We won't be doing that here for a few more weeks. Now, there is only a 6 hour time difference between us. Aww.

Yesterday was a fun and eventful day. Everyone at church was so excited to see Lindsay! A lot of them know her from her time spent here on campaign in the summer. Brandon, Chad, Lindsay and I went with some of the members of the Catania congregation to visit the congregation in Paterno last night and help them eat the food at their fellowship meal (Agape) following services :)
You can see some pictures of the funny kids in my photobucket.

Also, be sure and check out Lindsay's blog! She has a link to a really fun video about the Italian culture and it is SO true!

This morning we met with our landlord and his wife to discuss the new lease that will begin in April. They are so nice, but they talk so fast that I can't understand a word! Luckily, Lindsay's Italian is great! I will try not to "use" her too much ;)

When we were at the building this morning, Chad walked in with an amazing surprise! He shaved his head! He looks like a different person! I know several of the members are going to be very excited!

Yay for Lindsay!

Lindsay got here last night, and I am SO excited! Now, our team is whole. To welcome her, we had dinner at our apartment last night and had Neil, Etta, Burton, and Daniel Guion over. There were 10 Americans around the table, and that's the most I've seen in 2 months! We had all American food, so it was a nice change for a night. I'll add some pictures to the photobucket album soon. After dinner, all the guys and Lindsay went to play soccer with a bunch of the guys from the congregation (like they do every Friday night) They play higher up on the mountain where it's colder and it snowed on them! They were also able to see lava flowing out of Etna!

Last night, one of my students (who has actually been very disinterested in the Bible) said that she would like for me to explain to her more about the Bible and who all the writers are and what each book is about. This is huge! I am going to need your help, though. If anyone has some type of "Bible Outline" or knows where I can find one online, that would be GREAT! I have found a few, but was wondering if anyone has a really good one that they have found helpful. Please keep this effort in your prayers, as well. I think that God is really working in this young woman's life.

As part of this transition period, I have been working on a new schedule to make sure that all of my time is managed in the best way possible. This includes an hour of Italian study each day. I had a breakthrough at the Thursday night Bible study. I understood everything that was being said! It was amazing! I was so excited!

I can't believe that it's March! Where has the time gone? I miss you all so much, and really appreciate your emails, cards, and most importantly your prayers!

Giulia and Elisa

There are two young ladies from the Catania congregation that are really shining examples, and encouraging to me. They are each happily present every time the doors are open. At worship services, they sing at the top of their lungs, and know every word to the songs by heart. They always make a point to come up and say hello with a big smile, and even a high five!
Giulia and Elisa are both six years old.
"...Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 8:3-4

This week is flying by like all of the others! All of the English/Bible lessons are continuing to go very well, and I am encouraged by that. Presently, we are in an interesting transition mode as Brandon and Kristin prepare to leave next month, and we are preparing to step in and take over. Although we have taken all the English lessons, there are other aspects to our lives here (such as working with the congregation, starting new programs, taking the apartment) that we are learning how to manage. It's all a part of learning and growing. You really can't help but grow in all kinds of different ways in an experience like this.

Lindsay will be here in 2 days, and I couldn't be more excited! It will be really great to have her here and have our complete team.
Please keep all of us in your prayers as we transition. It's a very exciting, yet crucial time in our work here.

Snowday

Well, I am super jealous of all the snow that most of you are experiencing. Luckies. It's about 60 degrees here today, so I'm pretty sure it's not going to snow. Too bad it had to be on a Saturday, huh students and teachers? Thanks for all of the beautiful pictures you have sent!

Yesterday, Chad and I participated in our first Saturday Distribution. I was not sure what to expect! A lot of members met at the church building in the afternoon and we all folded fliers that told about Jesus and about the church of Christ. Then, we went out into the streets. At first I was nervous that someone was going to throw a flier back in my face, or at least ask me a bunch of questions that I didn't know how to answer in Italian. To my surprise and relief, it ended up being a wonderful evening! We split up into pairs and I had the pleasure of being partnered with an older member named Stefano. I won't even try to spell his last name now. We went to the busiest street in Catania, faced opposite directions, and handed fliers to people walking toward us. After a few minutes, I really got the hang of it. You don't have to be pushy, people just take the fliers when you hold them out! I felt like I was telling every single person that walked by about Jesus. It was great!

Today, Charlotte wore a lovely little blue dress to church. I am sharing this because it was one of the cutest things I have ever seen. It was blue and cream and she had teeny tights to match.

New things!

I decided to change the background of the blog to something a little happier. I know it's not quite spring in Memphis, but maybe this will help you have some springier thoughts :) I know it sure helped my mood!

I have 3 new students! Roberta is a 17 year old girl that came to the building last night. She needed help with an English report that she has to give in class today. She had a really difficult English text to read. I even had trouble understanding it! I think we got it all sorted out, though! I will find out tonight how her presentation went.

There is also a mother and 6 year old son that I have not met yet. They are planning to come on Friday. They live quite a ways out of town, so they will only be coming once or twice a week and staying for at least 2 hours each time. I am excited to meet them!

Chad moved to his new apartment today! Well, his stuff moved but he is still here. I think he is just using us for our internet access. (Just kidding Chad...I know you love us so much that you can't stand to leave us quite yet ;) He is excited about having his own place with his own space. I am excited about getting everything ready for Lindsay who will be here in just over a week! If you haven't checked out her blog, you can see it at
LindsayWalle.blogspot.com
She has been very busy at the Bible School and is doing great!

Lindsay is in Italy!

What a week! Chad and I had a wonderful week in Florence, and are now safely and happily back in Catania!

David and Debbie had invited some previous Avanti workers, who are still in Italy, to come meet, talk, and pray together. We spent most of the day on Thursday with Julie Giordano, Kelly Masini, Sarah Bailey, Katy Cross (who is now working in Milan) and the Woodroofs (David, Debbie, and Jim) It was a very productive get-together. We talked about all kinds of things from Italian culture to the difficulties we may face as missionaries in Italy.

One of the most interesting things to me was something I had not even really thought much about in the time that I have been here. It had to do with the fact that there are so few members of the church of Christ here in Italy, or any non-Catholic faith, for that matter. In the states (especially in the south) we are surrounded by other Christians. Even those that don't believe in God, respect that we have the right to believe (usually). When we are young we attend worship services 3 times a week, we go on retreats, we have VBS, we go to camps...we have plenty of opportunity to be with our Christian friends, without much effort on our part. We have a support system. The kids in America are taught from the time they are young how to be leaders as they get older, so that the church does not die out with the older generation. Here in Italy, most congregations (only one per major city) meet once a week and then go to their homes all over and outside of the towns alone. Even those who want to be more involved have to work 6 days a week and have families to take care of. It's just not feasible to spend a lot of time fellowshipping with other Christians. The children in each congregation are the only Christians they know. I have come to respect even more the Italian Christians because of the effort they must put into being together, and to live out their faith when there are so few of them here.
As an example, there are about 5 million people in Milan, with one church of Christ of around 60 members (which is a large congregation for Italy). One 10 year old boy asked Katy, "Am I the only 10 year old Christian in this whole city?"

Even the problems that we have within our congregations in America are usually taken care of by our Elders, which do not exist yet in the churches here because of the young Christians who are not yet qualified for different reasons. I also realized how much I appreciate our Elders in the states and all they have to do. Thanks, Elders :)
I think everyone benefited from our time together at the Bible School this week. Please keep the churches in Italy and all over the world in your prayers. I know it's not easy to be a Christian anywhere, but there are different types of obstacles everywhere you go and I think it's important to realize that. We have brothers and sisters all over the world with entirely different struggles. I know I have taken for granted how blessed we are in the States.

After our meeting, we went bowling. For anyone who is wondering...yes, I am just as terrible at bowling in Italy as I am in America. The new HUF group had 2 extra tickets to the opera that night, and Chad and I were lucky enough to get to go. Now, I am not exactly an opera-lovin' kinda girl...but it was pretty cool! We saw Pagliacci. It's the one about the crazy clown that kills his wife. Yeah, weird. But it was really interesting to see an actual Italian opera in Italy...for free!

On Friday night Lindsay flew into Florence!!! We were so excited, but poor Lindsay was so tired! We wanted to talk and spend time with her, and she was such a good sport! She has started a blog, and you can follow it by going to LindsayWalle.blogspot.com.
She will be here in Catania on March 6th, and I CAN'T wait!!

Also, you can view the other new Avanti newsletters here.

Today has been absolutely wonderful! We had an ALL day Agape (fellowship meal) after worship services. It is so good to spend time with the Christians here! They are SO much fun, and I love them more everytime I am around them. You can see pictures from today here. There are also pictures of Chad's new apartment, that he will be moving into tomorrow.

Also, Catania's soccer team won today so everyone is happy. All in all, it's been a good day :)

Bella Firenze

It always feels SO good to be back in Florence. It's like a second home. I absolutely love this city.

It has been quite a day! We got up (what I consider to be) very early to head down to the government office building to turn in more paperwork and get finger printed for our Permessi di Soggiorno. (Permission to stay) Upon entering the building, we were each given a number and herded like cattle with hundreds of other immigrants into a large cold room. A very loud, scary looking man called out groups of numbers, about 20 at a time. When our group was called about 30 minutes after arrival, Chad and I got so excited thinking that all the horror stories we had heard about "wait times" from previous victims had merely been urban legends. Alas, as we were standing in our new line, we quickly realized we were there only to receive...another number. I'm sure these amazingly wonderful Italian people have perfectly logical and reasonable explanations for the "systems" that they have. Someday, I would love to find out what those explanations are. By this point, we had our new numbers and were ushered back into the same room we had just exited. My number was B166. I looked up at the board. A32, F868, D120, C521. Hmm...where are the B's? Nowhere to be seen for quite some time. Then, there is was: B114. Five hours later (not joking) B165 popped up on the board, and I was ecstatic! Finally! I jumped up from my seat to prepare for my turn. B166-window 6. I ran. Someone else was already standing in window 6. "No," I thought, "No." I waited patiently. Eventually, I was waived to another line. I took care of business in window 5, and was given a sheet of paper, explaining that we are due back in Florence in June to go through this whole process again. At least this time we will actually RECEIVE our permessos that make us legal for this year! Then, we have to renew them in September for next year...and you guessed it...do this ALL over again :)

Valentine's Day!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day! Thank you SOO much to EVERYone who sent me a Valentine's card!! You all have no idea how much it meant to me! I was SO excited!! I don't want to embarrass him...but I can't go without saying something about the BEAUTIFUL roses and Valentine's package I got from Jared :) I was completely shocked! I had no idea that sending roses here was even a possibility! Even though I was so far away, I felt the love from each one of you from across the ocean and I am so very thankful to all of you who thought of me!
I love you all! You made my day!

Last night, Chad and I had dinner with one of our students and his family in their home! He is the one with the 3 year old son. I have never seen so much energy in a single child! He is so happy, and so much fun! Their whole family is really wonderful to be around. We talked for hours and ate pizza. It was interesting because they speak very little English, and well...you know about our Italian. The best part was that they were at worship services this morning!

Tomorrow, Chad and I will fly to Florence to take care of some paperwork to keep us legal :) We will be there for one week. I am very excited about being back in Florence and getting to spend time with some of my friends from there. On Friday, Lindsay Walle will be flying in to start her work here! We are all VERY excited about Lindsay's arrival! She will spend two weeks in Florence before flying to Catania. Please pray for ALL of our safe travels (including my Dad and Steve Grinder who are in Costa Rica with the Rojas family. I'm sorry if there is anyone else who is with them that I don't know about!)

New Students!

I have two new students; a teenage boy and girl from China. They are really sweet! The high school students I have met here amaze me! They all know at least 2 languages. These two students are actually from a town near where Xin is from. It's interesting how both Brandon and Chad's experiences teaching in China are helpful here in Catania!
Xin's English has improved so much! She is really excited about it and constantly tells us how much she appreciates what we do. Remember to keep Xin in your prayers. She is very anxious about college and her future.

Our schedule is set up with hours at the church building so that students can stop by anytime we are there, even if they don't have a scheduled lesson. Because of this, many of our students have met each other and are even beginning to form friendships by spending time together. This is really exciting! The more comfortable they feel, the more interested they are in staying for activities with members from the church.

Chad's New Place

One of our students helped get Chad an apartment!! It's a great place for a really good price, not too far from here. When Lindsay arrives in March, Chad will move to his new home. Then, when Brandon and Kristen leave in April, this apartment will be ours. I just met the owner of this apartment a few minutes ago. He seems very nice. He will be coming in March with all of the paperwork work for Lindsay and I to sign. It's hard to believe that it is almost time for the Edwards to leave!

This afternoon's lessons went great! First of all, while I was with Xin, the other Chinese women from the restaurant (that I mentioned before) came in. They will be back for their first lesson tomorrow! Xin was able to speak with them in Chinese and let me know what they were saying! Then, I was having an English lesson with a woman who is a member of the church in Catania. One of our other students, who is not a member stopped by and wanted to study. It was great to have a non Christian Italian student with 2 Christians of 2 different languages. (Does that make sense?) My 2 students were able to help each other. The non Christian knew more English, so he was able to read and explain to her the text in Italian, and the Christian woman was then able to explain to him the spiritual aspect of what they were reading. I was just kinda there. Just kidding. I was able to help them with the words they didn't know and their pronunciation. It was such a great experience! My hope is that more of the Italian Christians could come be a part of our lessons to help our non Christian students really understand what they are reading from the Bible, because so many things get lost in translation.

Questa Mia Candelina

Brandon brought us a wonderful lesson on Sunday morning. At least, I think it was wonderful. It was all in Italian. He told the rest of us English speakers what it was about afterwards. I can usually understand Brandon's Italian better because of his accent, but it's really hard to listen to speakers talk so quickly. We went to Enna again on Sunday night. This time we went with Aldo and Margherita, another couple from the Catania congregation. They are the parents of Deborah and Rachelle (if you remember from the pictures)

Everyone's classes went really well today, and they all lasted right into singing time! I never get tired of hearing the Italians sing at the top of their lungs with their whole hearts!

Now, we are enjoying a "family night" of spaghetti and Indiana Jones. This is Charlotte's favorite movie. She loves Shia Labeouf.

It's Spring!

It is an absolutely beautiful day here in Catania! The sun is shining, the temperature is perfect, and it's SATURDAY! This morning was the first time that it was warm enough to eat breakfast outside on the terrace. It was perfect!

This has been a very busy week! We have had a lot of English/Bible lessons, our Tuesday night singing and prayer meeting, and our mid-week Bible study (that actually got moved to Friday because of the congestion in the streets that the Festival of St. Agatha caused). We were able to see a lot of fireworks from our apartment. After dark, there was a firework show almost every hour ALL night long for 3 days!! There are 2 videos in my photobucket that you can watch. Later today, we are meeting with the rest of the members at the church building to clean it, followed by a downtown distribution of fliers for the English/Bible lessons.

Here at the house, Charlotte has begun eating cereal and she is getting two tiny teeth! She isn't very excited about the tooth part, but she is handling it like a little lady. Xin brought us all some Chinese tea to try, and a movie to watch this weekend. The tiny bonsai tree that I planted named Alan finally sprouted! He is just a teeny tiny little thing now, but his picture will soon be on photobucket, so stay tuned! I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend. Spring is here in Catania, so hang in there and it will be in Memphis before long!

The Great Redeemer

When we got home last night, I made vegan cupcakes to celebrate my 3rd weekiversary of being in Catania! They seemed to be a big hit! You can see their pictures here. Some of them got a little out of hand in the oven. I had forgotten that they grow in there. Thanks for the recipe, Mom!
You can also see pictures from the Sicilian country side and St. Agatha lights there. Sorry for the poor quality. I was in a moving car.

Well, the Festival of St. Agatha has arrived! The whole city looks like a fairground, complete with cotton candy and balloons! It's very crowded and noisy...especially at night. The traffic is crazy. It is important for you to understand that the traffic here is crazy anyway. Most of the intersections don't have traffic lights OR stop signs. People just go. You think I'm kidding. People literally just pull out into the intersection and honk at each other until someone goes. This happens at each intersection all day long. So, you can only imagine how crazy it is now.

Once a week, we bring Chinese take out home for lunch. While we are waiting for our food, Brandon and Chad talk to the ladies at the restaurant about their experiences in China. They are very friendly and have gotten used to us coming in. Today, one of the ladies said that she is going to send some of her friends to us for English lessons!!

The English songbooks and Xin's Bible arrived today! Thank you to EVERYone who was involved in getting those items here! Xin was SO excited, and very appreciative. We used the English songbooks tonight in our singing service. We would sing a song in Italian, followed by the same song in English. It went really well! It is neat to hear the Italians all singing in English. My favorite was "The Great Redeemer." It was really cute :)
The songbooks will be delivered to Paterno on Sunday.

Etta's family has arrived in Catania! She brought them to the singing night. Her two sons are 15 and 8.

By the way, there is a Friday the 13th this month AND next month.
So...get ready.

Artichokes

Yesterday, Chad and I had the wonderful opportunity to accompany Stefano and Rina Spina to the church in the small town of Enna, which consists of one older couple. On the way there, we were able to enjoy the beautiful Sicilian countryside! I have never been to New Zealand, but it looked a lot like the pictures I have seen, complete with an overwhelming number of sheep. When we arrived at the apartment of the Christian couple in Enna, we worshipped and had a meal. It is amazing how well you feel as if you know someone after having worshipped and eaten together in their home...even when they speak a different language!

When we sat down to eat, there were two fresh artichokes on my plate. As I had never seen an artichoke served in this way, I was unsure how to go about eating it. (For those of you who are accustomed to seeing an artichoke with its leaves, please don't judge me) So I cut into it, took a big bite, and started chewing. And chewing. Ten minutes later, when I was still chewing, I decided that I must have done something wrong. As I continued to chew the impossible piece of steel artichoke, I began looking for a way out the dilemma that I had gotten myself into. I didn't want to appear rude, ungrateful, or just plain stupid. I sneakily put a napkin up to my face to "wipe my mouth," quickly spit out the unchewable mass, and slid the entire napkin into my pocket. Yes, my pocket. Classic. What in the world was I supposed to do? And now all I could think about was "How am I going to finish the rest of the food on my plate??" As I began to cut into the artichoke again, I got caught. Thank goodness. "Kensey, no no! We eat this with our hands!" Rina turned over my artichoke and pulled off one leaf and showed me that the only edible part was a tiny bit at the end of each leaf. After all the leaves have been nibbled on, only the center is left. Thus the artichoke heart. It was delicious.
Soon after that, I learned the proper way to eat an orange.
I told them all that I had learned so much, and everyone had a laugh...at my expense. It was a really enjoyable night nonetheless. I have learned to accept being a spectacle here.
If you do something wrong in Italy, the Italians will happily correct you instead of sitting silently, staring, and then laughing. For this, I am thankful.

Chad and I spent this morning with our student who has the 3 year old son. (You may have noticed that I have not put his name...I just think he would prefer that at this time) He is such a joy to be around, and always excited to learn. He teaches us a lot, too. This morning, we learned that it is a tradition in Catania for a baby not to have its nails clipped until it is one month old. At that time, it is given paper money to hold in one hand, while it's other hand is manicured. Babies are traditionally not to have their hair cut until they are one year old...but some mothers cut their babies hair in secret from their mother-in-laws :)
Also, instead of a tooth fairy, a mouse brings the children money in exchange for the teeth they have lost!

St. Agatha

This morning, I woke up to the sound of a lively parade in the streets below. It was just a practice run. One of many practice runs, in fact, that the Catanians (or Catanese, as they call themselves) have been participating in recently in preparation for the Festival of St. Agatha. I have been told that I have "no idea" what I'm in for! Apparently, St. Agatha is the patron saint of Catania, and her festival goes on for several days with music, fireworks, and so many people wearing all white that it is impossible to drive through the streets (usually around 1 million). Good thing we walk everywhere! Men take turns dragging the several ton silver covered carriage that holds her casket through the hilly streets non-stop for three days. There is even a specific time for the mayor to pay homage to the saint. The festival ends on Feb. 5, which is also the Catanian New Year. People decorate their houses, and kiosks fill the streets. The most disturbing part for me is the roasting, selling, and eating of horse meat. This, however, does not only happen during this festival. Eating horse meat is very common in Catania...for some people. No, thank you.
I added a couple of pictures to show one of the practice parades.

From our window we just saw an amazing display of fireworks. It's hard to believe that this is going to continue all week long!

We had been invited to go to dinner at the house of one of our students tonight, but his son is sick. (The same one that came and practiced his colors with puzzles the other night) Please keep him in your prayers. We have a stomach thing going around, as I have heard that you all do as well.
I will be praying for you all, too :)

Making progress

Yesterday was amazing!
One of our newer students started coming for lessons because of one of his co-workers who is a member of the church here. He has become very interested in learning more about the Bible. Yesterday morning, he even brought his wife for a lesson! He talked to Chad and I about the fact that he feels like there is a God, and he began praying to Him about a year ago. He explained that he started coming to us for English lessons, just so that he could learn English...but now is much more interested in getting to know us and what we believe. It was very exciting! He ended up coming back later yesterday afternoon and brought his adorable 3 year old son, who was almost too cute to handle. We put puzzles together and talked about Italian/English colors. He came again today, and told me that his son was repeating the colors that he and I had talked about, in the car on the way home! He is planning on bringing his family to worship services on Sunday morning!

This morning, we made the 30 minute trek over to the other building for lessons. It's quite a walk, but great exercise! It's also nice to be able to see other parts of the city. We ran into Alan, a former Avanti Italia worker who is here running a study abroad program. He is married to Anna Maria, who stayed with us at the Bible School for a couple of months. They just recently had their baby, and he is doing very well! Hopefully, we will get a chance to meet him very soon!

Tonight we attended the mid-week Bible study, which was encouraging as usual.
I hope you are all having a great week! Hang in there, tomorrow is Friday!!!

Charlotte is adorable!

I don't know if I have talked about Brandon and Kristen's daughter, Charlotte. She is 3 months old. She is so cute, that I can't stand it. She is also SO good! When I see her tiny socks on the clothesline, I almost cry.

I have been very impressed with the number of people from the congregation that come to the Tuesday night singing and prayer session, even in inclement weather. It is such an encouragement! Tonight, I think we had the largest number so far. The singing was absolutely beautiful and everyone seems so full of joy.

This morning, I went and bought an inexpensive food processor so I can get back to making hummus, salsa, and pesto. Not at the same time. Gross. I'm really excited about it, though, because I was afraid that this item would be too expensive to purchase. Luckily, though, they make miniature ones for babies! ...Not that I'm a baby, but I only needed one big enough to make food for one person.

This afternoon, Chad's students stayed for twice as long as usual! One of them spent an hour talking with Brandon about the Bible after his English lesson. It's great to see people who are so interested. I had another good lesson with Xin, but Giorgia couldn't make it because her mother is sick. Please pray for Antonella.

Bumper Cars

Good grief! Time flies! We have been super busy and I forgot all about updating!
Thursday and Friday were standard work days: At the building, teaching lessons. Of course, Thursday night was the mid-week Bible study and Friday night, all the guys got together to play soccer. Yesterday, I spent the afternoon with an American woman named Etta who is here teaching at the University for 5 months. We walked around town and ended up going to a really interesting museum. Last night, Chad and I went out with some of the young adults from the church. They took us to eat pizza, ride bumper cars, and to a gelateria! We had a blast! It is so much fun getting to know the people here. They are absolutely wonderful to be around! They are also very sweet and patient in helping us practice our Italian.
Be sure and see the funny pictures from the bumper cars!
This morning we went to worship at the building. Sunday mornings here are great! The building is always packed and the singing is so encouraging.

Beets are the Worst

Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting with Giorgia! She is a 17 year old member of the church here in Catania. Her English is very good, but she would like more practice. It will be great getting to spend time with her, and getting to know her better through our studies of the Bible!

Last night was also the Tuesday night singing/prayer session. It's really fun to be with all of the people of the congregation. They all seem so full of joy!

It has been pretty rainy the last 2 days, but that's ok cause Brandon said it probably won't rain a single time between May and October.

Thanks to Great Oaks for sending a box of song books for the church in Paterno, and a Bible for Xin!!!

Also, Chad is getting some pretty intense questions from some of his students. Although this can be difficult, it is leading to great conversations. Please pray for God to continue help Chad with his studies.

Oh yeah...I found some face wash. Whoo hoo!

First Sunday!

Please keep Xin in your prayers. She is asking a lot of questions about Christianity. We had a great lesson today, and then she and Brandon talked for a quite a while after her lesson about some of her questions.

Yesterday I attended my very first Sunday morning worship at the church here in Catania! My cheeks are still tingling from all the kisses! It was a wonderful day, and I really enjoyed getting to meet the rest of the congregation. The singing was absolutely beautiful, too!

Song Books

I almost forgot!
The church in Paterno is really interested in finding several English hymnals. If anyone knows a way I could get some, please email me at:
klharris12@yahoo.com

Just to let everyone know...I am almost 100% sure that the "face wash" that I thought I was buying is actually hand lotion. It smells like lotion, and it does not lather. Upon further investigation outside of the shower, it also also absorbs nicely, leaving behind silky smooth skin.

Paterno

On Friday nights, some of the young people from the church in Catania go to Paterno, a nearby town, to have a Bible study with some of the young people that go to the church there. Later, a lot of church members get together to play soccer. Last night, I was invited to join the group going to Paterno. It was good to be able to spend time with the Italian Christians here that are my age...even if they are speaking a dialect that I can't understand! In the middle of discussing a scripture, someone looked at me and said, "Kensey, che cosa pensi?" (What do you think?) I just laughed. That was the first thing I had understood anyone say up to that point! The good news is that I am getting a little more comfortable communicating. Hopefully, before too long, I will be able to actually tell them what I think...in Italian.

After the study, we went to eat at a new mall outside the city. There were a lot of different types of restaurants to choose from. They opted to go to the "Old Wild West." It was a lot like a Lonestar or a Logan's. It was funny because even though the menu looked as if it came right out of America, the food that came out was much different. The hamburgers were served on focaccia bread, and the steamed veggies were zucchini, eggplant, and bell peppers. The water was even served in a liter glass bottle. Gelato was the dessert! It was really interesting to see the way that "American food" is Italianized, the same way Italian food is Americanized in the States!

And now, for one of the more frustrating cultural tips from Linda Falcone:

"Non si fa"
We Don't Do That
"There are some things that you cannot do in Italy. Some things that are just not done. Have never been done. Will never be done. Why? Simply because non si fa e basta, they are not done and that is all. No explanation offered, no justification provided. In this country non si fa is reason enough. No walking barefoot ever or anywhere. No showering after meals. No shorts in the city even if it's August. No eating without a tablecloth. At the very least, you can opt for placemats." (These are known as American tablecloths!) "No using toilet paper to blow your nose. No carnations or chrysanthemums unless you are on your way to the cemetary. No parmesean cheese on fish pasta. No mixing sweet and savory. No washing your hair everyday. No cappucchino after a meal. No tulips in a wedding."
You walk into a sandwich shop to order,
"'I'd like a panino with ham, cheese, and artichoke hearts,' you tell the guy behind the counter.
'No, I can't give you that combination.'
'Why not?'
'Non si fa. Two soft ingredients will turn to mush.'
Don't do it. Don't insist. Don't tell him that you like mushy. Don't tell him that you've been craving mushy all day. It doesn't matter. Just let him make the sandwich he thinks you should eat. In taly, once non si fa is out of the bag, there is no way to win."

This is so true. Remember the colors you are "allowed" to paint your indoor rooms? They absolutely will not sell you any color darker than they think your room should be. Last night I ordered a meal with no cheese on top. They don't make that meal without cheese on top. I had to choose something else if I didn't want cheese.

Mt.Etna

Although I have read this verse many times, it really struck me today and I decided to share it:
"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account."
Hebrews 4:12,13
Wow!

I also wanted to share some information about Mt. Etna, the volcano that you might have seen in the pictures from our balcony. It sounds kinda scary...but don't worry, Mom, there has not been a major eruption in a long time!

"Mount Etna is the largest active volcano in Europe, currently standing 3,329 meters (10,922 ft) high, though this varies with summit eruptions. Mount Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and is in an almost constant state of eruption. Due to its history of recent activity and nearby population, Mount Etna has been designated a Decade Volcano."
-Wikipedia

This morning, we went to work at the other building that the church owns. It is a long walk, but in a really pretty part of town. This afternoon, I had my first English/Bible lesson with Xin. She is very curious and asks a lot of really good, sometimes difficult questions. She has been coming for English lessons with Brandon for about a year, and they have built a good friendship. I am very excited, and also nervous, about taking over this role as he gets ready to leave. Please pray for Xin. She is such a sweet and beautiful person.

I ventured back into the grocery store today. This time, I only needed one thing: Face wash. Sounds easy enough, right? Wrong. As I stood there longer and longer, I began to feel really hot and started sweating as I searched frantically for face wash. I don't know why I was so nervous. I guess I felt like people were watching me looking dumb as I stared at each bottle for five minutes looking for the word faccia (face) somewhere, anywhere. Finally, I couldn't stand there any longer and I grabbed a random bottle. I still don't know what it is.

Tonight we had our mid-week Bible study at the church building with most of the congregation in attendance. It was great! I understood so much more than I have been, and everyone was just so friendly! I can't get over how nice and welcoming they all are! They are very patient with my slow Italian, and are always smiling.

Ok, you know what it's time for. Courtesy of Linda Falcone, one of my personal favorites...

"Dipende"
It Depends
"I am fascinated by the Italian dependence on the word dipende. In Italy, no simple question has a simple answer. Most things must be qualified, and virtually everything depends. Italians...have learned never to commit too strongly to any one idea. It's best to keep one's options open. Italians have non-negotiable loyalty to football (soccer) teams and their mothers. Everything else depends. 'What is your favorite color?' 'It depends. For what? A room? A jacket? For eyes?'"

No pictures yet :(

Today has been beautiful! I'm not sure what the high was, but tomorrow it is 63 :)
I got to walk around, and see the city. It's nothing at all like Florence, but it is beautiful in a completely different way. I didn't see any other Americans at all! I went to the grocery store all alone and only got yelled at once! Apparently, you aren't supposed to take the shopping cart through the check-out line with you. I'm really not sure what you are supposed to do with it. There has to be a system for getting the items out of your cart, and onto the counter, and leaving the cart behind. (Haha, I said "there has to be a system." How silly of me. I forgot where I live for a second.) There were no other carts in sight. Maybe next time, I will observe for a while before I participate. Oh, and all of the shopping carts look different. Maybe I didn't even have the right kind to begin with.

Tonight, I had the pleasure of talking to Xin (pronounced Sheen) at the building. She is a young Chinese girl that has lived in Catania for the past 5 years. She comes each day to learn English from Brandon. She knows 5 languages! I felt completely inadequate. Shouldn't she be teaching me? She was so sweet, and we had a good conversation. Her parents are Buddhists, and she says she is "confused" about what her beliefs are.

I am very sad because I can't get my pictures to upload onto the blog. I am not sure what the problem is, but I refuse to give up. In the mean time, you can see them here:
Catania pictures!
and then click on Catania.

And now, for today's cultural segment from Linda Falcone:

"Un Colpo d'Aria"
An Air Attack
"...you might be unaware that air is a dangerous element. Think soft spring breezes. Think wind rippling through amber waves of grain. Think open car windows on a summer drive through the country. Now forget about it. Italians will have none of it. According to popular belief, un colpo d'aria (an attack of air) is the number one bearer of bad health in Italy and should be avoided at all costs. Mention an ache at the back of your neck or a sudden pain in your lower abdomen, and the culprit will always be found in the end. During my first Florentine winter, I came down with the flu...Ida, our third floor neighbor, having seen no undershirts on my clothesline had known I would catch something sooner or later. Be sick in this country and you will discover the secrets of wellness. Black licorice is good for your blood pressure. Honey heals all ailments. If you put a raw potato in your mouth it will heal your toothache...and most importantly, an undershirt can save your life because air is a risk.

Ciao Firenze, Ciao Catania...

...That just doesn't make as much sense as it would in English.

I got down to Catania last night! Brandon and Kristen's apartment is great, and they have been wonderful hosts! I was hoping to get some good pictures of the view to post today, but it rained all day long. The sky was yellow because of sand brought on the North African winds from the Sahara desert. Weird, huh? I didn't make that up.

We spent the afternoon at the church building where Chad and Brandon had some English lessons. On Tuesday nights the congregation gets together for singing and prayer, so I got to meet a lot of people from the church. They were SO friendly and welcoming! I am really excited about working with them.

Tomorrow, if the weather is nice, I am going to get a tour of the area in the morning before going back to the church building in the afternoon for Chad and Brandon's lessons.

Now for today's cultural tip from Linda Falcone:

"La Vergogna"
The Shame
"'There are two types of cultures in the world,' my university professor Gustavo Forscarini told me one fateful day, 'shame cultures and guilt cultures. Latin, Asian, and Arab societies are shame cultures; Anglo-Saxon, Germanic, and Scandinavian countries are guilt cultures.' Guilt culture citizens...torture themselves about trivial matters like not achieving their full potential, forgetting a birthday, or thinking about taking out the garbage but not actually doing it. Guilt is pervasive in a society where closed doors and perfectionism run rampant. Guilt, you might say, is a private phenomenon that a person suffers in the solitude of one's own mind-labyrinth. As natural strangers to solitude, Italians are seldome slaves to guilt....shame is common in Italy and cultures where family obligation and community pressure make saving face the primary goal of all citizens. Italians feel shame because everyone is always looking. The bread lady, the neighbor, the neighbor's dog, everyone. (In Italy) it's not committing the crime that's the issue, it's getting caught red-handed that really irks the Italian psyche."

I'm back!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I made it safely back to Italy! The flights were great!
After carefully and strategically selecting my seat online, prior to arriving at the airport, someone else had sat in it, and asked me to take their seat instead. I reluctantly agreed...but it's funny how things work out. I ended up sitting next to an airplane pilot from Paragould, Arkansas who is a member of the church of Christ! We felt like family immediately! He was very friendly, and made me feel a lot better about flying. After all, he has been operating flights for over 20 years! He even went to Harding University for a couple of years back in the 80's. Someone reading this must know him. His name is Kevin Hardcastle. Let me know if you do!

I also have a recommendation for anyone who might ever plan a trip to Europe. Northwest has a flight straight from Memphis to Amsterdam and it is 2 hours shorter than most flights from Chicago or Atlanta to a European country. Sometimes the layovers into Amsterdam are longer, but the airport is amazing! There is SO much to do there, that you could actually spend a whole weekend in the airport alone!

Great news! This morning, Luli was baptized! He is a man from Albania and the fiance of former Avanti worker, Danielle, who is here visiting. Everyone was very excited about welcoming our new brother!

Danielle and Luli

After services David, Mona, and I had a wonderful lunch at the home of Kelly and Marco. My Italish is really good.

I have spent most of this weekend catching up on sleep and packing. I will fly to Catania tomorrow to begin my work there. I am very excited about the opportunity to go live and work in Sicily!

I started reading a book called, "Italians Dance and I'm a Wallflower: Adventures in Italian Expression" by Linda Falcone. It's a really good book, and I thought it would be fun to share some of her thoughts to give you more insight into the Italian culture. The first one is called:

"In bocca al lupo"
(Into the Mouth of the Wolf)
"It may be useful to know that in Italy it is considered extremely bad luck to wish someone good luck in the literal way by saying 'buona fortuna.' The lucky way to wish good fortune is to say 'in bocca al lupo,' which can be translated as 'into the wolf's mouth'...which compares any challenge to being caught between the hungry jaws of a wild beast...it could simply symbolize having to overcome any excruciatingly difficult enterprise. And yes, buying a stamp and a light bulb in the same morning can be classified as an excruciatingly difficult enterprise in Italy. Thanking someone for wishing you good luck is the surest way to earn yourself really bad luck. The appropriate response to 'in bocca al lupo' is 'crepi' or 'may the wolf die.' What if you forget to issue the death threat? 'Ora ti sei messa in un vero pasticcio!' 'You've gotten yourself into a real pasticcio now! 'Pasticcio' is a giant lasagna that women traditionally make with fresh pasta for Sunday dinner."

So, be careful. You could end up with a lot of bad luck, or even stuck between a bunch of noodles!