While in Assisi. . .

When I was in high school, I spent three weeks one summer traveling around Europe, singing in various churches with a choir.  One of the songs we sang was "The Prayer of St. Francis."

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury,pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

As a young believer, I was captured by the words.  Soon after joining the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ, I was re-introduced to St. Francis and became fascinated with his radical commitment to love as Christ.  Yes, there are some "interesting" aspects to his calling and ministry, but it is clear that his life was changed by the risen Christ.

St. Francis was from Assisi, Italy.  It is about an hour and half east/northeast of Rome.  Assisi is in the hills, and I've heard it's just beautiful.  Thousands and thousands flock to the small little village every year to visit the land where the Catholic Church's most popular saint was born and ministered.  I've wanted to visit since we arrived in Italy, but I've also known it probably wasn't a place my kids would enjoy much, so I hadn't had the chance.

Assisi

A couple of weeks ago, however, we had a conference just for missionary moms.  It was held about 15 minutes from Assisi.  So one afternoon I had the opportunity to spend a few hours exploring the town.  It was just as beautiful and quaint as I had been told.  My heart broke, however, when we visited the cathedral and monastery that stand in honor of St. Francis.

St. Francis Church and Monastery--it is set on the edge of a hill, overlooking a valley.  Beautiful.

As are most churches, it was filled with beautiful frescos.  These did not depict the life of Christ, however.  The central figure in each was St. Francis.  The architecture of the church is very unique, having two entirely separate places of worship under the floor of the main sanctuary.  Under those is yet another small chapel where over the altar is a sarcophagus thought to hold the bones of St. Francis.  Over the altar.  It is a sacred place for many--there was a plaque commemorating the pilgrimage Pope John Paul made during his papacy.  People have left photos of loved ones all over the stones that hold up the sarcophagus.  Obviously many come to this place expecting a spiritual experience of some kind--even a miracle.

I was shocked by the--dare I say this word--idolatry made of this man.  His bones set on an altar!  The frescos illuminate St. Francis, not Christ.  My heart was so burdened for all the people who come to this place looking for spiritual enlightenment and look to a man instead of the Maker of man.  What a huge distraction to seeing the One whom Francis wanted his life to point to in all ways.  I felt like God's glory had been stolen.

Assisi is a hilly town.  Lovely to look at, hard to navigate. :) On the highest hill remains a castle.

Please don't misunderstand my heart.  I was not filled with condescension.  Or judgment.  I was filled with all out compassion--the gut-wrenching, head-spinning, I-want-to-stand-up-and-shout kind of compassion.  I wanted everyone who had pilgrimaged to this little village in nowhere Italy to know that the spiritual experience they were after is available to them at any time, in any place.  The God of the Universe wants to interact with them in the most precious, personal, life-changing, miraculous ways.

God has changed my heart in countless ways in the past two and half years.  The love and compassion I feel for those I pass by every day can knock me off my feet.  My trip to Assisi changed me, and not in the way I was expecting.

And just so you know, I still think St. Francis was an incredible man of God.  He is still one of my heros of the faith.  He was willing to be absolutely radical because of the call God placed on his heart.  I want to be as willing.

*If you want to learn more about the life of St. Francis, G.K Chesterton wrote my favorite biography.  It's aptly titled Saint Francis of Assisi.

A Full Weekend

Let's be honest.  We don't have a "normal" 9-5 job.  We never have.  The weekends are when we do some of the most time-intensive ministry.  This past weekend would have completely worn us out, even a year ago.  But now, though we're a little physically tired, we had a great weekend!

We spent all day Saturday preparing for dinner with Fabio and Alessia.  We have never cooked them an Italian meal before (PRESSURE!), but long story short, she volunteered to bring Octopus salad.  Yes, octopus.  It's served cold with a little olive oil, vinegar and mint.  And in case you're wondering, yes, there are suckers involved.  My planned fried chicken was not going to go with Octopus salad.

So plan B.  I thought, and asked around, and scoured cookbooks.  Finally, I settled on Risotto with Salmon and Spumante.  I also made an appetizer of spinach and artichoke dip (not an italian dish, but I had to have something. . . ).  Long story short, dinner was great!  My one social faux pax was serving the spinach and artichoke dip as an appetizer.  It also has mozzerella and cream cheese in it, which apparently qualifies it as a secondo (the second course, which is usually meat).  Now I know. :)

And for the record, Cody, my seafood-weary husband, ate everything.  He even came close to saying he liked the Octopus salad ("As long as I didn't think about what I was eating, it wasn't bad!").

A snow-covered vineyard

On Sunday morning, we packed up everyone and headed downtown to visit a new evangelical church started by some missionaries from England.  We also woke up to a beautiful snowfall that continued all day long.  Though captivating, it made for a cold, wet walk downtown.  The kids couldn't resist every opportunity to pick some up or jump in a melted puddle.  The church was a great encouragement (it's entirely in Italian).  We are praying about what the Lord would want for our involvement in it.

Part of the drive up into the hills around Bologna

As soon as lunch was over, we hopped back in the car and drove to the hills just outside of Bologna to meet some American friends at this restaurant they have been raving about for a year.  It was a crazy, snowy drive, but the sights were incredible.  And the food was amazing.  They specialize in crescentini, these sopapilla-like things you put cheese and meat and jelly and nuetella on.  They are local to the Emilia-Romagna region and are one of our very favorite culinary discoveries.  Two and half hours later, we left with bellies unable to hold one more bite and hearts full of thankfulness for God's provision of friends we really enjoy hanging out with (this family has kids our kids age, which makes is that much easier).

Hannah savoring every drop of the lemon sorbetta they brought for the kids

The parking lot of the restaraunt--the kids were dying to play in the snow.  Unfortunately, Ben didn't have gloves, so it didn't last for long.  It was incredibly beautiful though!

The kids couldn't hold it any more.  They completely crashed on the way home from the restaurant.  A good time was had by all!

We got home at 5pm, just in time for Hannah to finish her homework and all of us to crash.  Tired, yes.  Exhausted, no.  We were even energized a bit by it.  We have come so far in the past two and half years!  We are so deeply encouraged by the life God is weaving together for us here.  Our friends come from such different places--Americans, Italians, missionaries, Agape Italia staff, non-believers--but they each meet a specific need.  It is good.

What Won't Let Go

There have been times since we've been back that I've looked around at the parents we've met, the neighbors who walk by us every day, the guy who sells me cucumbers and my heart aches.  Never in my life have I been so gripped.  This country, and these people, have become such a part of our lives that I can not possibly imagine not interacting with them on a daily basis.

I was on the bus the other day headed into town.  There was an older couple who got on the bus not long after I did.  And when I say older, I mean OLDER.  They were precious.  Older Italians always dress up.  The woman was wearing a skirt with the signature black heeled comfort shoes every woman over 70 wears.  She had on her long dress coat, hat and scarf.  The husband had on nice trousers with his long dress coat and hat.  The woman stepped on and then reached down to help the man on.  They stood right by the door for the two stops they were on, and she kept her hand on his elbow the whole time, helping him to balance.  When they got off, ever so slowly, they began walking arm in arm down the street.  Never was a word spoken.

Immediately I thought, "I wonder what their lives have been like?"  They definitely lived through the war that occupied their country.  What was it like for them?  How did the husband provide for his family?  How did they fall in love?  What have they done to stay in love?  Do they go to Mass daily?  Do they know how much the God of the Universe wants to speak to their hearts?  Have they ever known the incredible riches of Divine Grace?

We are surrounded by people with the same stories, the same experiences, the same lack of opportunity ever to hear the gospel.  My heart can't hold the compassion I feel and the desire I have to make sure they know how much Jesus wants to know them.

We don't know how long God wants us to stay in Italy.  We are more confident than ever it is for the long-haul.  He has provided so much for us.  He continues to take us deeper and deeper into the people and the culture.  But even without having an anticipated time frame, it feels like my heart will be ripped out when we have to leave.  God has permanently written this country on my heart.

A Bonus Post

Yesterday when I was getting the kids a snack, I was reminded of one of the Italian food things that cracks me up.  I thought I'd share this little glimpse into the culture with you in a bonus post!

This is a bag of cookies (the ones pictured on the right).  I give them to the kids for a snack with a little Nutella on top (Nutella and peanut butter for  a REALLY special treat :) ).  What this is saying is that they make an ideal breakfast. Six cookies, fresh juice, berry yogurt and coffee.  380 calories.  Perfect.

Ah, Italian cuisine.  It's incredible.  Even Italians draw the line at pasta for breakfast though--the problem is they just don't have any good alternatives.  Unless you want cookies for breakfast.  :)

A Little Color

I think it's official to say we have a "tween" now.  First it was demanding bangs at a haircut this summer.    Then it was wanting to get the new Selena Gomez CD.  Now, it is upgrading the room.

Hannah has the privilege of having the official master bedroom in our apartment.  Only because it was the only fully furnished room, and we already had our bedroom furniture.  It has A LOT of built-ins that have been a life saver for us.  But when it came to painting rooms when we moved in, we stuck with white since there were so many tricky places to paint.  Hannah's room also doubles as the guest room whenever we have visitors, so up to this point, it has been a little thrown together.

One of our goals in returning was to make her room a little more "her."  So last week Dad painted a wall purple, and we applied some age-appropriate decor to spice it up a little.  It turned out so cute!

Hannah loves it (LOVES IT), and it has so far inspired her to keep it a little more picked-up.  :)  As far as we know, we're in Bologna for a while.  So we're glad Hannah has a room she loves now.  And one that fits the growing young lady she's becoming.

Lots going on in the coming weeks, as we prepare for the return of students at the beginning of February.  God has provided a long-term team of seven for us to work with, and we are so anxious to see how He is going to work over the next few months.  Thanks for all your continued prayers and words of encouragement!

Casa Dolce Casa

I am sitting at my desk in our apartment on Via Arno, with the hum of traffic in the background and my cappuccino beside me.  Hannah is at school for the first day since our return.  Later today we will get cell phones working and get Gavin enrolled in school.  Ben is going back and forth between obsessions with his tools and his trains.  How thankful I am for this moment!

Since I last posted, we were able to enjoy a last visit to San Antonio and Cody's parents, Christmas with my parents and brother, Hannah's birthday and sleepover, the New Year and a pretty uneventful flight back over the ocean.  We are really thankful for the last three weeks we had in the States.  We got to really relax and enjoy friends and family after five months of crazy work and traveling.  We left feeling rested, refreshed and deeply thankful for God's very good gifts to us.

Here are some pictures from the past few weeks.  Enjoy!  And check out our updated prayer requests in the tab on the right.

Hannah with her friends Adeline and Jill.  The girls came over for a sleepover on Hannah's birthday (December 31) and had the BEST TIME.  We are really thankful for these two little girls and what good friends they were to Hannah over the past four months.

Sparklers to celebrate the New Year

Hannah's only request for birthday plans was an Eiffel Tower birthday cake.  We keep talking about how fun it would be to go to Paris for her birthday some year. . . but it's probably just going to be talk for a while!

At DFW waiting to get on our International flight.  The kids were just beside themselves with excitement over returning home.  Even Ben kept saying, "Back Italy" for the week before we left.  And really, they did great with all the traveling.  Our best trip yet.

Ben was able to conk out for most of the overseas flight.

Ahhh. . . Donna Margherita.  Our favorite pizza place in Bologna.  The perfect way to cap off our return.  Wow, was it good.

A Birthday and A Break

Unbelievable that Gavin turned six on Wednesday!!  What a year it has been for him.  He has grown (physically and socially/emotionally) SO MUCH.  God is shaping him into such a neat little man.  He still has his sweet, tender heart, but he grows more into a warrior every day.  He is loving everything boy!  And Daddy is having a great time introducing him to many new adventures.

For his birthday, his Uncle Scott and Papa got him some model rockets.  At first, he didn't have any idea what they would actually do.  After school on his birthday we went out to launch one, and WOW!  He had a blast!  (Pun intended!)  Here are some pics from his big day.

Prior to Lift-Off

Getting it set up

3-2-1. . . 

There she goes!

I think this was launch number three.  Gavin could have done this all day.

Trying to catch the falling rocket was half the fun!

"Iron Man" blowing out his candles

Tonight we will have a full-on Birthday Party with friends from school.  Gavin's never really had a Birthday Party before, so he can't wait.  He's taking his best little friends to see "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" and then dinner at Pizza Hut.  He really couldn't ask for a more perfect day.

I know this entry is a little late, and it might be the last one until we return to Bologna.  We are busy taking care of all the last minute details we need to get done in order to return.  And trying to rest and enjoy the Holidays at the same time.  We fly back on January 3 and would covet your prayers for our trip and our re-entry.

Merry Christmas to everyone!  Our hearts are filled with thanksgiving over the little baby whose birth we celebrate and who we are so privileged to proclaim.

American Holiday Fun

In the past two years, we've done our best to make the fourth Thursday of November NOT just Thursday but "Thanksgiving in Italy."  We've given it good attempts!  But there really isn't anything like Thanksgiving in America.  The fried turkey, the green bean casserole, the stuffing, the pies. . . Wow, it was good.  Here's a picture of Ben enjoying perhaps his first piece of pie ever.  He went for the chocolate but then followed it up with pumpkin.

Needless to say, he was a fan.

On the day after Thanksgiving (yes, after some early morning Christmas shopping), we set to work decorating every square foot of my parents' house for Christmas.  We had such a great time!  The kids loved unpacking all of Grandma and Grandpa's Christmas ornaments and decorations.  We have a great time decorating our apartment in Bologna for Christmas, but because of the lack of space, it has to be a lot more reserved. 

Daddy and Papa putting together the GINORMOUS Christmas tree.

Gavin taking a self-photo when he was in charge of documenting our decorating.

Yep, this is one of Gavin's pieces of photographic art.

One more from Gav.  This one's pretty avant-guard.  His five-year-old perspective gave him a distinct advantage.

Grandma and Hannah hanging stockings by the chimney with care (with Hannah enjoying the entire day in pajamas).

What would a day decorating be without egg nog for the adults and hot chocolate for the kids?

Ben LOVED hanging ornaments.  They all ended up in the same spot, but he liked it that way.  Our new favorite words to hear him say are "Santa Claus" and "Christmas."  He rocks.

What would Christmas preparations be without mailing letter and lists to Santa?  Let's just say Gavin's list was extensive. . . He has pretty high expectations of what Santa can afford. :)

Sending the letters off to the North Pole!

We return to Bologna in four and half weeks.  It is a special blessing to have our last days in the States be around the holidays.  We are going to soak up every minute of it.