We needed that. . .

Last weekend we headed to a little Christian Retreat center about 30 minutes outside of Florence for an Italian staff conference. It is always good to be with other Campus Crusade staff--to be encouraged by God's Word and hear about what's happening through the ministry. We had no idea how much we needed it this time though. It was like water on a dry and dusty land!

There are about 70 Americans working with CCC in Italy this year. About 20 of those are long-term staff, and the rest are here interning for a year. There are a few other families, as well, which was SO GOOD for the kids. Gavin was especially homesick last week. He has been on the waiting list to get into an Italian preschool, but we're still waiting. He needed to play with some other kids so badly. So he played and played and played. It was cold and rainy most of the weekend, but it didn't phase him. How good for us, as parents, to see our kids' hearts encouraged! Hannah quickly made friends, as well, and is already talking about the next time we'll get to hang out with them (many of their new friends live in Rome).

For me, personally, it was also really good to be with other moms. There are just some unique challenges to family life in Italy. Especially doing what we do. So to be with other moms who are dealing with the same issues I am (like how to have a good parent/teacher conference with Hannah's teachers who speak no English) was such a boost for me.

Also very encouraging was hearing about what God is doing around the country. Since we are just starting the ministry in Bologna, it's been easy at times to feel discouraged by the lack of "something to show." That coupled with the stories we hear from all over the country about the hardness of the Italian heart can be overwhelming. God IS at work in Italy though! It was such an encouragement to hear stories of how people are beginning to see Italians soften to the gospel. In Rome they have started a children's ministry that has taken off beyond anyone's imagination. In Fiesole, a staff mom began a friendship with a very influential Italian mom that has opened doors to share the gospel with the Italian President's Society (a group of very successful, influential Italians). So exciting!

In the past couple of weeks we have felt a strange sense of discouragement. The kind you can't quite put a finger on. Though we are feeling settled and more comfortable with every day life, we have experienced several days of feeling completely inadequate for what we hope to see God do. More than inadequate but completely discouraged. Being reminded of the vision to reach Italy, being encouraged that our experience is normal, seeing our kids filled with fun. . . it was deeply good.

Anticipation of BIG things

Last night we were given another glimpse into what God is preparing for Bologna. Though we can still only dream about the specifics, it's going to be incredible.

One of the most encouraging aspects of heading to Bologna was hearing about the partnership of evangelicals who were here. It was this group (two churches and Youth for Christ) who first contacted Campus Crusade, asking for some full-time staff to please be sent to Bologna. Since we've arrived, we have been blown away by the unity amongst this group. Especially compared the great divisions that exist among the Protestant churches in Italy (this is another long, sad story for another time).

Last night we had dinner with a couple from England who arrived in Bologna a month before we did. They are about our age with no kids. He was born in Italy but raised in London, where he most recently served as a pastor. About two years ago God began to call them to pastor a church in Bologna and help teach at one of the two Institutes in Italy for evangelical Christians (there are no seminaries). It was great to hear about how God had worked to bring them here. He said at one point, "The best way I can describe it is to say I would have been a Jonah if I hadn't come."

In a couple of hours together, we dreamed some big dreams! It was incredible to hear others talking with the same passion about the same goal of seeing Italians come to a true biblical understanding of Jesus. The more we talked, the more we saw how God is moving some major pieces together to bring the gospel to this city. We are so humbled to think about being a part of it! And filled with so much anticipation of what He has in store. Please join with us in praying for God's will to be accomplished here. Pray for this little body of believers to have great wisdom and discernment in how the Lord would have us proceed.

In closing, I'll share our little "ah, Italy" moment of the day. In looking over Hannah's homework tonight, we saw that in science this week they studied the bottling process of wine. First the grapes are grown, then they are stomped, put into barrels and bottled. In first grade! Hilarious! Only in Italy. . .

We leave tomorrow for a staff conference with all the Campus Crusade staff in Italy. We are so looking forward to being with others in the same place we are in. And the kids are dying to play with other english-speaking kids! Gavin is genuinely starting to get lonely. He needs some friends outside of his siblings. So if nothing else, for him to play with other kids will be worth the trip. Today he finally said, "Mom, I miss Houston. I want to go back there." So, we are looking forward to the refreshment and encouragement.

We'll post another update soon!

Storming a Castle

Again, we have to apologize for the lengthy delay since our last blog. Our stuff arrived from the States! It was one of the happiest days we can remember in recent memory. We can't even begin to describe the morale booster sleeping in our own beds provided. The kids still haven't gotten over having their toys again. Talk about Christmas in October! Being in our own apartment has been another huge step toward feeling settled. It wasn't seemless, however. We just got Internet back last week. We've blown more fuses than we care to count. And we've had to learn new bus routes from our new location. Oh, and did I mention the printer cable I fried accidently?

As this blog serves to witness, our life has been a freight train since March. After we had unpacked the last box and hung most of the pictures, we sat on our couch in the living room and thought, "We made it. Maybe life will return to normal." Of course, as I wrote earlier, it's definitely a new kind of normal. Still, we feel like we're slowing down for the first time in six months. It's a good feeling.

In our last prayer letter, we had asked people to pray for some family fun. Because we have had so much to accomplish in the past months, we feel like we've been painfully short on play time. This past weekend, the other couple we're working with, who have a car, invited us to go with them to a little town about 25 minutes away that has a real life castle. The kids needed to hear no more to be on board! I've included some pictures from our little adventure (that's the kids in the "torture chamber"). We were back by lunch, but it was such a boost of refreshment to get out of the city and explore a little. We're adapting to urban living pretty well, but there's somthing about being in the country that breathes some rest.

Even though there have been some great "pick-me-ups" in the past month, we have also experienced some of our first cultural adjustment challenges. There have been some days of great discouragement. When you hang pictures on your walls, there is a new sense of "Wow, we're really staying here for a long time." But you know, the bottom line is that our hearts still break for Italians to know Jesus. The other day, I was waiting to pick up Hannah from school, and I was just overcome with compassion for all the parents I was surrounded by. They work so hard. They just looked so worn out. I want so much for them to know joy. Still, sometimes when you're completely frustrated that you need yet another plug to make something work, it's hard to remember the bigger picture.

Some happy things we've discovered: grocery delivery to our apartment (a life-saver!), a grocery store that has really good tortilla chips (we haven't found any good salsa yet though), a park pretty close to our new apartment that has a wooded trail--you can almost forget you're in the city, a really yummy and really cheap Chinese restaurant, novella wine (wine made from the harvest's first grapes), and a really cool castle in Dozza.

Oliver Walton Simmons

This is going to be a very personal blog. . . my grandpa died on Sunday. The burial and memorial service will be on Friday in Atlanta. And I won't be able to attend. My grandpa turned 89 this past August. He and my grandmother had been married for 68 years. I will always be so thankful for the incredible heritage of family, faith and responsibility my grandfather leaves.

I have so many great memories with my grandpa that my mind dances amongst them. Their house in Jonesboro, Georgia will always be one of my favorite places, though they haven't lived there for years. It was on lake, nestled among tall trees. It was a beautiful, quiet retreat for me. I have only happy memories there. I can still smell the smell that always greeted you when you walked in the door. Atlanta will always carry with it times I shared with my grandad. Going to Six Flags, eating at the Varsity, seeing the original Chick-Fil-A Dwarf House.

My grandpa helped walk me down the aisle when I got married. He had no daughters, and I am the only granddaughter. It was such a special event for him to share with me. I've posted a picture from the last time I was able to see my grandpa. In July, on our way home from Florida, we stopped to spend time with my grandparents. They got to meet Ben, and I got to just be with them again.

We looked into what it would take for me to be able to attend the funeral, and it just didn't make sense. This is the worst week since we arrived for me to travel--the container with our belongings from the States is arriving. There's no way Cody could do it by himself. If I had tried, I would have been in Atlanta for barely 24 hours. I am so thankful, however, that my brother is able to return from Kazakhstan, where he's serving in the Peace Corp.

We knew when we decided to move overseas that we would miss a lot of life events back in the States. This one came too quickly. I am studying Genesis right now and the life of the Patriarchs. Much is made of honoring their lives. Brothers come together to bury their father. So it's really hard to realize I won't be able to formally participate in this event with the rest of my family. God has been so sweet to me, even in this. He reminded me that when I chose to follow His call, I knew I would be giving up some things that were important to me. Even the things I value most in this world, however, pale in comparison to following Jesus. I could pick no other place to be. He fills my heart with a peace and contentedness that makes all else fall away. So as the thought entered my mind that not being able to attend my grandfather's funeral was one more thing I was giving up to be where God wants me to be, I felt like the Lord said, "It's OK." It's OK that I won't be there. I will honor my grandpa in a hundred other ways by continuing to live what he modeled, by telling my kids about all those great memories I have with him. It's OK. I am where I need to be.

So in a small little way, this entry is a memorial stone for him. A marker of a life well lived and well loved. I would be so blessed to see my little men grow up to inherit some of their great-grandfather's character, strength and joy.

O.W. Simmons 1919-2008.

The Complexities of Italian Pasto

Pasto=meals

Americans have a lot of perceptions about Italy. One is that Italians love food. This, we can confirm. Food is a huge deal here. For instance, at school, Hannah has a snack in the morning, a FULL three-course meal for lunch, and a snack in the afternoon. The quality of food consumed at those three times is also very important. A note came home from school asking for the snack we send in the morning to be "easily digestible and not ruin their appitiete for lunch." Italians believe that good food is essential for kids' learning, so lunch is taken very seriously. We talked with one staff mom who, in taking her child to school one morning, came across a mob of parents in an uproar. What is the angry mob protesting? The school had made the decision to serve premade pasta instead of fresh.

Well, last week Cody had to attend a conference for all the staff or interns new to Italy this year. It was a very encouraging time for him, and he gained a lot of insight into the challenges we're going to face. The Lord met him in some very good ways. He was also able to participate in his very first Italian cooking lesson! The food at the retreat center was amazing. One afternoon in their free time, the cook offered to show anyone who was interested how to cook a few genuine Tuscan dishes (the conference was in Tuscany. . . about 2 hours from here). Below are pictures of Cody helping make a traditional Tuscan lasagna. For those who want to know the difference, the Tuscan lasagna has a red sauce and a cream-like sauce. And not too much cheese.

It's easy to offend Italians in the area of food (or completely demonstrate what a foreigner you are), so as crazy as it sounds, we're really trying to understand some of the basics. For instance, I just learned that there is a definite distinction between tortellini (smaller, filled with ricotta) and tortelloni (slightly larger, filled with a meat). And there is nothing that says you don't understand the rules of caffe (coffee) more than ordering a cappucino (or ca-poo-cho as they call it here) after 11am.

Some basics: A typical antipasti (appitizer) is melon and proschiuto (a thinly sliced Italian ham). Your first course in always a pasta. You eat pasta first to allow your stomach to stretch for the main course of meat. The main course is then followed by salad, which aides in digestion. And, as I said, never drink milk in your caffe after 11, or you'll be too full for lunch. Also, you should enjoy a snack at 10 am and at 4pm. Whew! It's a good thing we walk A LOT here.

Getting "Normal"

I thought I'd throw in some pictures of "life" for us these days. No, we don't eat gelato on a daily basis, but the kids sure are excited that there's at least a possiblity for gelato every day. :) The second picture is a street near the center of town--Il Centro (pronounced "eel chentro"). It doesn't show the porticos that line Bologna, but it does look like a lot of the streets we see. The area we live in is a lot more residential and has a lot of big, beautiful trees. Bolognese call it The Green Area. Then there is our sweet Benjamin growing, growing, growing. He loves to stand up, is dying to actually be moving forward when he tries to crawl and is just about to get the sitting thing down. We can't believe he is already six months old. So much has happened in our lives during those six months!

Finally, there is a picture of something that is a daily part of our life--trips to a park. There are tons of parks located very close by. I guess since no one has a yard, they really value having parks available. We have tried out most we can quickly walk to, and this is our favorite. Every day after school (around 4:30), the parks are flooded. I think they are going to prove to be a great venue to meet people. Definitely a great opportunity for our kids to meet and play with other Italian bamini. The weather has been cool and mild for the most part, and the kids have relished time outside.

This week marks the first time I'm navigating life on my own with the kids since we arrived, as Cody is at a retreat for all the Campus Crusade staff (we call it Agape Italia) who are new to the country. It is going to be an incredibly infomative few days, and I wish we all could have gone. But it didn't seem prudent to take Hannah out of school the second week. So we're hanging back in Bologna.

Before Cody left, we talked about how we've reached a little milestone. . . we feel life we now know a new "normal." Life here takes a lot of work. Everything that is needed for daily living just requires a lot of time and work. It's amazing how many conveniences we enjoyed back in the States that we didn't even realize were conveniences. But we feel like we've made the shift. We're OK that we have to go to the grocery store every day, and that the trip usually takes about 1 1/2 hours. We're OK thinking creatively on how to haul our groceries for a family of five home. You don't get anything done quickly here, and we're adjusting. That's nice.

When it feels like the majority of my day is focused on just accomplishing what needs to be done to survive, I am so thankful that God has made even those things part of His work for me. In everything, I am reminded that it is all for the gospel. During the times I have absolutely not wanted to walk to the store for bread or milk or water, I am reminded that even that is for the gospel. Every morning I wake hungry for the Word of God to fill me. In a culture where I feel so foreign and inept, the power and truth of God's Word has nourished my soul in a way I haven't known for a long time. And during those times, God has so sweetly reminded me that the more Italian I can become (oh so FAR to go!), the more effectively I am going to be able to communicate the incredible hope and life that Jesus wants so desperately for this prodigal country to know. Every time I walk out our door, God opens the floodgates of compassion in my heart. I want to much for Italians to have HOPE. I want so much for them to know JOY. Life is so hard here, in so many ways. I want them to know rest.

And so it is that we are settling into normal and that in the normal, God is preparing us.

Thank you, Cortes (and school starts!)

Over the course of the past few months, multiple people have shared with the me (Cody) the story of Hernando Cortes and how he burned his ships in order to force his crew to embrace that there was no other option but to succeed. For Cortes and his crew, it was Mexico or bust. There was no going back.

In many ways over the past few weeks, I have felt like both Cortes and his surprised crew. While I knew that by selling our house, shipping our remaining possessions overseas, and enrolling our children in school we would be "sealing our fate" I have found myself occassionally fighting off the desire to somehow go back. Reagrdless of how much training one receives or how how ready one feels, immersing yourself in a completely foreign culture is taxing. While I am not sure where Cortes stood spiritually or from where he drew his strength, the Lord has bolstered me each time I've been tempted to look back. He has reminded me of Luke 9:62 where Jesus says, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

It is God's grace and mercy that keep us looking forward each day and today was a big one. Today was the day that I left my daughter in the hands of the Italian school system. Today was the day that I watched her begin interacting with other children that she could not understand. And today was the day that I saw my six year old daughter show more faith and courage than myself. My wife continually reminds me that God made Hannah to do this and she's right. Hannah is by far more coruageous than I was at six. Her teacher called her name and she didn't hesitate to join her new class and begin a new experience. Within seconds she had met another little girl and a few moments after that they we're holding hands communicating as best they could. While Jen and I know that God has called us to Italy to proclaim His glory and His love for the Italian people, He has also called Hannah to be a light for Him.

As we left Hannah this morning, it dawned on me yet again, that I has just witnessed another ship go down in flames, but understood that that was a good thing. This was a huge day for us.
And again God answered prayer so sweetly! When I picked her up this afternoon, she caught my eye and broke into a huge smile. She had had a great day! She sits next to a girl named Emma who speaks some English. This is huge! Emma helped her all day to manuever through her first day in total Italian submersion. She explained the games during recess, she helped her pick out lunch at the Mensa (the cafeteria), she even told her the Italian words for fork and spoon. She pursued Hannah, which was such a big deal.
This day really was the beginning of "life" in Italy for us. It really was us leaping into the culture and saying we wanted to fully be a part of it. We are so proud of Hannah. We hope God enables us to follow her lead.

Are you serious?

So, today was our first day of heading out to get something done and accomplishing absolutely nothing. Very common here. . . we just hadn't had the pleasure yet. Today's adventure involved trying to rent this great apartment we found. Great because it is compartatively large and yet, well within our budget. The staff we're working with here had found it at the end of July, and we had prayed it would still be available when we arrived. It was!

Renting an apartment in Italy is no easy task. And it costs A LOT. First, the agency that is renting the apartment required that we have an Italian bank account before we could even talk about renting. Many banks would not let us open an account with the current paperwork we have (we will literally wait for probably 6 months to get what most banks want). We found one that worked with us though, so we got that taken care of last week. So to actually commit to the apartment we have to provide the agency with this bank document that says we have SIX MONTHS rent set aside in a special fund that our landlord could access if we default on our payments. I can't begin to tell you how much money that is. . . it is the better portion of almost all of what we made on our house. Pretty much the only money we have, outside of daily expenses. The good news is that we heard that if you are required to put down more than three months, by Italian law you have to be paid interest. That sounded somewhat promising actually.

Then we went to the bank to get this document. Of course they couldn't do it right there. . . they needed the official contract from the rental agency. And then we found out that though your account earns a "very little" bit of interest (2.5%), the bank charges you an annual commission on the account that is the same as the interest you earn. Plus you pay taxes. We'll lose money every year. But that's how the system works. Anywhere else would want the same thing. Banking here is a exercise in throwing money out the window. You are allowed one deposit a month for free. Everytime you withdraw money, unless it's with an ATM, you are charged. And there are no guarantees on your ATM card, so it a little risky to just carry it around.

Oh my. We have tried really hard to just go with the flow up to this point. Today was the first day that we thought, "Are you kidding?" And in addition to all of that, we have to pay the agency a full month's rent as a Finder's Fee. Again, just the way things are. We are definitely feeling first-hand why the Italian economy is the worst in the EU. And why it is so much work just to survive. If we hadn't just sold our house, there is no way we could afford to rent an apartment. Praise God He knew exactly what we were going to need. And we feel like even though this "fund" isn't going to even return us what we initially put in it, it does guarantee we'll get our "deposit" back. If you don't set up a fund like this (it's completely up to the landlord as to how they want to handle it), then it can be difficult to get your deposit returned. That's really good with that much money involved. :)

In more encouraging news, I have a friend! Elli is who has been helping us figure the school thing out (and helped translate at the bank today). Her husband is the son of the pastor of the church we're partnering with. It's their apartment (the pastor and his wife's) that we're staying in temporarily, as we wait for our apartment. Anyway, Elli and Luke just had their first baby in May (Emma Violet). She has been a true Godsend in helping us understand many Italian processes. She is so sweet and just a delight. We've already bonded over our babies and other girl things. AND she is going to teach me how to cook some traditional Italian dishes! Yeah! How thankful I am for God's quick provision of a friend here. Earlier in the week, I had also met another Italian mom, whose daughter Anna is also starting school next week. Giovanna is her name, and she is not a believer. They just returned from 2 years in China but had also spent time in Singapore, so she speaks great English. We have a play date set for tomorrow.

At this point, you may be wondering why I put in a picture of Ben. . . just because he is so, so precious. Every day we delight in him. He continues to just go with the flow. And smile and flirt. He loves to just look you in the eye and grin and grin. He is such a sweet gift of rest for us. He makes us slow down and just be with him. That's a very good thing these days.

What a long blog! I'll close now. Ciao!

A Few More Pictures

The bedroom we're staying in. . . notice the sloped ceiling. It is the roof apartment, so the ceilings slant on both sides. That silver box in the middle of the window wall is the only airconditioner in the house. We run it right before we go to bed. Not super effective, but we're thankful for a little relief.

The next picture is the living room, with a balcony off it. It has a great view and a covered awning with an outdoor table.

The last picture is of the kitchen. Not a lot of room, but there is an American dishwasher.

We have been so thankful for the provision of temporary housing. Still, we are so looking forward to having our own bed (we haven't slept in it since May) and being surrounded by our own belongings.

The Missing Pictures

Officially Bolognese

Wow, we're really, really here! After never having been to Bologna, we are now officially residents. Two years of praying, planning and packing have finally come to fruition. It is still a little unbelievable to us. Every day brings with it a little more familiarity and a sense of belonging. I included some pictures so that you can see a little of what we're seeing. This first one is Hannah in Houston with all of our bags. Yes, 9 pieces of checked luggage. Plus a stroller, 2 computer bags, 3 backpacks, a diaper bag, 2 portable DVD players and 3 kids. Miraculous that we all arrived without losing anything (or anyone!). For that we praise God!
This second picture is the view from one side of the apartment we're staying in. It shows the city of Bologna. It is quite distinct with all the red roofs. The city center is beautiful with porticos covering beautiful wide walk ways. The area we're staying in now and hope to find an apartment in, is called "the green area." It has beautiful tree-lined streets.
The third picture is a shot from the other side of the apartment, toward the hills.
This last picture is from the balcony of our temporary housing, toward the building we hope to find an apartment. It's the red building behind the white one. Very close. So even though we won't be moving in until our stuff arrives mid-October (please pray for its safe arrival!), we are glad to be getting to know the area.

Our first week has been filled with getting all the paperwork we need to be legal immigrants (weird to say that!). Nothing is ever easy or straightforward (or consistent for that matter), so it's been a slow process. We finally got our permesso receipts and the equivilant of an Italian Social Security number, so things are opening up. This week we will hopefully open an Italian bank account and sign an lease on an apartment. School will start for Hannah next week.

Before we left, Cody asked several people to pray we would continue to walk in dependence on the Lord as we had in all the preparations leading up to us actually arriving. How quickly God answered that prayer. And it's not in the ways we had anticipated. It has been with our kids. Sending Hannah to school is SUCH A BIG DEAL for us! Obviously we have always tried to trust the Lord with our kids. But in a lot of respects, we've also been able to control their circumstances and do our best to protect them. We are clueless about what her experience is going to be like. We know that as well as we hope it goes, it is still going to be hard. It is an entirely new level of dependence for us to trust the Lord with a situation that could be rough for her socially and emotionally. The Lord is digging deeper and deeper into our hearts. We would love your prayers for both Hannah and us!

Every day seems to bring with us a little more comfort in that fact that we've just moved our family overseas. Our first few days (and nights) were filled with times of thinking that we'd just made a huge mistake. It is amazing how much lack of sleep can affect your emotional well-being. After a few days of rest this weekend, we are filled with thankfulness to be here. Walking down the street, sitting on the bus, we are reminded of how our hearts are heavy for the Italian people. . . they are so sad. It is so rare that we pass an Italian that looks happy. Life is hard for them, and they look it. They all just look so burdened. We want so much to be a light in their darkness. We want to help them to know true JOY.

The Pressure Cooker

My mother-in-law gently rebuked me this weekend for the lengthy delay in updating our little blog, so I wanted to get something posted for anyone waiting for our next installment. :) This one is just for you Julie! Once we arrive in Bologna, I hope to post an update very regularly. This month has been insane in trying to get all our very last minue details in order, in the midst of traveling TONS to visit friends and relatives and accomplish things like final doctor and dentist visits. I have thought about what I would write often, but time hasn't permitted me the luxury yet.

In so many ways, we wish we could be on a plane tomorrow! We feel so ready that the waiting has been the most difficult aspect of this month. We would even say it has been a challenge to stay "ready" with so many days still ahead of us in the States. Some of you may be wondering why we haven't left earlier. . . well, Italy pretty much shuts down in August. That is when everyone goes on Holiday. If we arrived now, we wouldn't be able to accomplish anything in terms of getting settled in. A friend who lived in Europe for years recently told us, "Friends don't let friends move to Europe in August." So, we're waiting for September to arrive. It is getting closer--we will finally arrive in Bologna two weeks from today.

It has been interesting, over the past eight months, how stress has expressed itself so consistently and yet in so many different forms. Whether it's been taking care of details, living in transition, thinking through the challenges of the future, or dealing with emotions of leaving our amazing support system, we have been living in a hightened state of stress for a long time. We can't say we're fans of living in stress. We knew it would be unavoidable, and we've managed it the best we could have, but we are now feeling just really worn out by it. We know that once we arrive in-country there will be a whole new set of stressors, but we are definitely looking forward to the pace of life slowing down. We are looking forward to unpacking (though that won't fully be able to even do that until November) and making a home.

There have been many, many spiritually significant and encouraging things the Lord has shown us and spoken to us over the past months. One of the most awe-inspiring, however, is the realization of God's voice clearly spoken. It was over two years ago that we first began to feel like God was calling us to return to Italy long-term. I clearly remember sitting in our sparce apartment in Florence and feeling like the Lord was speaking to my heart and beginning to burden it for the Italian people. At the time, I remember thinking, "If God's calling, I'll go. But A LOT of things would have to happen." Here we are, two years later, and all those things have happened. He sold our house, He raise the thousands of dollars we needed. He has met every single need we had. It WAS His voice I heard. It has been His voice all along the way. Our God is so real. He is so good. If He could do all that needed to be done to get us to this point, I can't wait to see what He's going to do once we get to Italy.

Training. . .

Yes, that is our little padawon, Gavin, lightsaber-to-lightsaber with Darth Vader. This year Disney's theme at their parks is "Year of a Million Dreams." On Father's Day, we went to DisneyWorld and made two of those dreams come true--it was perhaps an even bigger dream come true for Daddy than for Gavin. Gavin was chosen to participate in the Jedi Training Academy, at the end of which he got to fight Darth Vader himself. Wow! It will probably always be on Daddy's all-time most incredible memories list.

If only we had the time to update our blog as quickly as life is happening! We really felt like once we left for X-Track, things would slow down. On one hand, we are so thankful to be past the chaos of the past several months. We are so thankful (SO thankful!) that our house is sold, our belongings are packed, and for better or worse, we've sorted through what is going with us and what is not. We are glad that phase of this process is over. X-Track has been exhausting in and of itself.

The training we have been receiving has been incredible. We have been challenged so much in thinking through not only how to minister more effectively to Italians but how to thrive in our new culture. We have learned tons that is going to save us learning a lot of lessons the hard way. And we've received some great guidance in coming up with proactive plans for not only surviving but thriving. We're leaving with an Education Plan for the kids. And a Language plan for us. And minds filled with cultural adjustments in what could help Italians better understand the personal relationship Jesus wants to have with them.

Though we feel pushed to the limit in terms of what we can process, we feel like God is being so active in our lives. He is shaping and molding us in so many ways. We are so glad for it though! We feel so incredibly inadequate for what He has called us to. We are trying to soak up as much as we can from this time.

Our last days as Houstonians

It is hard to keep up with all God is doing to get us to Bologna (yes, we finally know what city we're headed to!). He sold our house on the very last day of the week we had been praying it would sell by. Our inspection went awesome--they asked for nothing. We needed to sell our refridgerator, and the buyers needed one. Today is our "Liquidation Garage Sale" and so far things are flying off the shelves! (Little do people know that tomorrow by 10 we're literally going to be giving things away. . .)

So, we'll close on June 5 (Hannah's very last day of Kindergarten), and we'll leave the next day for Florida and X-Track (our international training program). To help the kids remember and say good-bye to Houston (and yes, us too), we've started a "What We Love About Houston" scrapbook. We've gone around and taken pictures of our favorite people and places. Here are a few of them (our local Starbucks, Texadelphia--one of our favorite lunch spots, the Houston skyline, and our church). We have loved living in Houston! And I say that on a day when it was 95 degrees and almost 100 percent humidity. These past four years have been some of the sweetest of our lives.

Even though we are in the midst of it, it is still hard to believe we are actually leaving. I wish I could say it has gotten easier, but every few days a wave of grief washes over us. It has been very emotionally exhausting to say good-bye to a place that has been so good for us, for our kids and for our family. It's been exhausting to purge half of our belongings. It's amazing how much emotion can be attached to something that carries with it a memory.

God was so good to me (Jen) this week. On a day when I was especially having a hard time of letting go, God gave me the picture of His outstretched arms, asking, "Can you give it to Me? Can you give this up for me and for what I'm asking you to do?" In light of that, it is not hard for me to let go. I will willing give it all up to be obedient to Jesus.

A little bit of stress

Well, we have to be honest and say that we're starting to feel the stress of all that is going on in our lives right now. We have tried to be as proactive as possible to get as much done before this "crunch time" as we could, but there are just some things that have to be tackled now. A lot, actually. We definitely feel like we're operating mostly out of the urgent and not so much out of the things we'd rather prioritize.

We also didn't anticipate the emotional stress we'd be feeling, as we prepare to leave Houston. We love Houston! We love our church, our neighborhood, the city. It is so hard to say good-bye! My best friend visited last week from Washington D.C. I have no idea when I'll see her again. Saying good-bye caught me off guard. We're having to actively "grieve" all we're leaving behind. . .not the material things but the relationships. We still see our departure as far away. It's not that far away anymore.

We will leave Houston in about six weeks for X-Track, our International Training program. If our house sells (another source of stress, we hate to admit!), we'll have our entire lives in Houston packed up in that time. We wish we had all of our time to commit to either the details involved in moving to a foreign country or to the emotionally exhausting task of saying good-bye. We're finding it really hard to balance both.

Every day is a chance to walk in faith. Really. We find our dependence upon the Lord to be a necessity to making it through the day. On one hand, we are so incredibly thankful for that. Praise God that He sustains us and keeps us from completely losing it! On the other hand, growth never comes comfortably. There have been so many times we have felt stretched to our capacity. And yet the stretching continues! He IS sustaining us. He IS growing us. He IS providing what we need. He IS meeting intimately with us. He IS allowing us to be completely uncomfortable in the process.

As a dear friend and ministry partner exhorted us recently, we want to send Praise before us. We want faith in God's provision to be what defines this time. And so, exhausted and feeling at the end of ourselves, we say "to God be the Glory!"

Here we go!

Today is the day we listed our house. Obviously, we have to sell our house before we can move. Still, it is so bittersweet. We are so thankful for God's provision of this home. It was our first house, it was such a blessing to our family. We have so many great memories here! It is the only home Gavin has ever known. Weird that Benjamin won't remember it at all. Anyway, today we begin the huge step of faith in trusting God to provide the right buyer in the right time.

Essentially, we need to have a contract within 30 days. Crazy. We had planned to list it earlier, but because of Benjamin's early arrival, today is the day instead. All the more to trust the Lord with. He has provided even before we have asked up to this point, so we trust He will do the same with our house.

We are definitely grieving having to open up our hands and let God take this gift, but we know, also, that it is part of the cost in following where God is leading. So, we willingly do it. We also have anxious anticipation to see how He is going to work in selling it. Seeing how God has chosen to work has definitely been a fun aspect of this journey!