Checking In

It feels our days are focused far too much on "To Do Lists" right now.  There is just so much to do!  A lot got accomplished yesterday though, which makes today look that much better. :)  Just a quick update today and some pictures from our trip to Rome last weekend. . .

One of the biggest things that happened yesterday was that I drove our car up to Vicenza, Italy and sold it to an American who paid us in dollars and who we know will love the car as much as we did.  Praise the Lord!!  This is such a huge weight off our shoulders.  Thank you so much for praying for this specifically.  We are now carless until we leave, but that is so much better than still owning a car on August 6.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) is a really big day.  We're throwing a party for all of Hannah's friends to come and say good-bye.  Parties are such a big deal here, besides the fact that it's our last opportunity to speak the gospel to these precious girls.  We have given it much thought and prayer, and Hannah is ecstatic.  She bought a cross necklace for each friend and wrote notes to them about how she hopes they will remember her faith when they wear it and know Jesus offers them the same.  On the How to Pray page, there are specific requests for this event.  We would really love your prayers.

Also in answered prayer, we have landed on a mover.  The Italian mover came last week, and we really liked him.  Though our preference would be an American-based company, these movers seems like the best decision.  Thank you so much for praying for this!  Again, we'd love your prayers for a complication-free move.

So this past weekend, we took one last road trip.  We drove down to Rome to meet some ministry partners who were in town and to say good-bye to some dear friends who are missionaries there.  Rome is an amazing city, but it is exhausting.  Last weekend was pretty warm, and we returned to Bologna completely worn out.  But also thankful for the opportunity to be with friends one more time.  Here are a few photos:

It feels our world is spinning around us, but our God isn't.  In the midst of all our chaos, we are trying most to walk faithfully.  Seeing the ruins in Rome almost 2000 years old was a great reminder of God's continued hand on this country.  The arch in the picture above is in honor of Constatine--the first emperor to make Christianity legal in Rome.  God will not stop fighting for the hearts of these people.

We are so blessed by your encouragement in this transition.  You are a sweet gift God has used to carry us along.  

One Foot In Front of the Other

We won't lie.  This is a stressful time.

The past weeks we have been going non-stop trying to make preparations for our move back.  How do we sell our car?  What about all the European-only appliances we now have?  What moving company are we going to use?  What are we going to drive when we get back to the States?  What are we going to cook on while we're waiting for our things to arrive?

At the same time, we have been wrestling with every relationship we have with Italian friends. Trying to explain a job move in a culture where they don't move is challenging to say the least.  Trying to figure out how to connect them with believers who can help them continue processing the gospel is even more so.

We are choosing to trust the Lord.  It's definitely a choice that doesn't come easily.  Probably not a day goes by that we don't ask, "Are you sure this is the best, Lord?"  Questions tumble around our minds.  Fears flood our hearts.  Our bodies are racked with stress.   Our goal each day is just to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

This is the deal--there is no way to the other side without walking through the process.  We wouldn't be walking in a healthy way if it didn't hurt like heck.  It's hard to leave precisely because of the beautiful things God's done in the past three years.  I am challenged every day to give thanks for those gifts instead of cling onto them too tightly.

We want to leave Italy with no regrets.  We don't want to miss one thing the Lord has for us.  And so we keep our eyes open.  Our hearts weighted with grief but also with incredible thankfulness.  We keep putting one foot in front of the other and believe that His mercies are new every morning.  He will be our strength, our grace, our wisdom to leave well.

One of the most incredible gifts of the past three years has been the family we've been welcomed into at Hannah's school.  Last Friday was her last day.  I cried.  A lot.  But it truly was born out of overwhelming thankfulness.  We prayed so much for her schooling experience.  And God gave us far more than we could ever have thought to ask for.  Here are some pictures from the day:

This is what school looked like every afternoon--parents (and grandparents) gathered by the gate waiting for each class to be walked down the steps for dismissal.

Hannah's class coming out for the last time together.

Maestra Marie Antoinetta making sure each student found his/her parent.

Yes, on Fridays, Hannah came home with TWO backpacks.  Somehow Daddy usually ended up carrying both for the walk home.

We tried to drown our tears with a little gelato on the way home.  I won't lie--it was good.

Our favorite gelaterria--Zanzabar.  It is about halfway between Hannah's school and home. And right next to a park.  I think they're going to miss us. :)

Please check out the Ways to Pray page.  There are so many things we really need God's wisdom and provision for.  We would covet your prayers.

The Hardest Post Yet

Our June prayerletter should be arriving in mailboxes any day.  If you're a blog reader, you're getting some breaking news. . . In one of the hardest decisions we've ever made, we feel confident the Lord is leading us to return to the States permanently.  Though we are thankful for God's clarity, it has not made the decision or the process one bit easier.

I thought the easiest way to explain how we came to this decision was simply to post the text of our prayerletter:

     I think this is the hardest prayerletter I’ve ever had to write.  Two weeks ago, we decided to move back to the States, this August.  It is not something we were anticipating, nor was it something we would have chosen under any circumstances other than God’s clear leading.  Our whole family is grieving deeply.

      To make a long story short, when we arrived back in Bologna this January, we really began to wrestle with our role in the Agape Italia ministry.  What God has most burdened our hearts with, the ways He has gifted us to most effectively send the gospel out, the areas in which we thrive, were becoming increasingly smaller aspects of our day-to-day job.

      After many conversations over the past months with our local and national leadership, it became clear two weeks ago that what we need to be doing to be effective stewards of our lives and gifts would not be possible in our current setting.  We wrestled significantly over how we could remain in Italy to continue in the personal relationships God has given us and yet still find a role in Agape Italia in which to serve.

      Simultaneously, an opportunity opened up for us to participate in a unique internship Campus Crusade offers for senior staff at our headquarters in Orlando.  While we are being intensively developed personally and professionally, we will be exposed to Campus Crusade’s leadership and be able to explore ways we can most powerfully be a part of seeing college students become lifetime laborers for the Gospel.  

      In the midst of wrestling through what the Lord would have us do, still praying He would provide an opportunity for us to remain in this crazy country that has gripped our hearts, the pastor of our church asked us to consider remaining in Bologna to serve at the church full-time.  We were incredibly honored and our hearts were captured by his continued vision.  We prayed.  We asked the Lord.  But He said no.  He was and has continued to be clear that He has plans for us within the context of Campus Crusade’s leadership at our headquarters.

      As I said, we are grieving deeply.  For as much as we know this is the right decision, it is still really hard.  Our Italian friends, our church, have become so dear to us.  We have been trusting God for our friends’ very salvation.  It is the biggest step of faith we have ever taken is to leave the daily interactions of those friendships and trust that God will bring them to faith in some other way.  We are beseeching the Lord for them with all our hearts.  We will always ask God for Italy.

      In the midst of our grief, we are trusting God’s perfect will for our lives.  We are trusting that He knows where He can best use us for the spreading of the gospel.  So we are in the midst of the chaos of figuring out how to get our family moved to Orlando in the next 8 weeks.  There are so many decisions and details we are completely overwhelmed by.  One of which is the cost involved in moving back to the States (around $12,000).  If the Lord so leads, would you consider giving a special gift toward this significant need?  As always, gifts should be made to Campus Crusade for Christ and are completely tax-deductible.  You can give electronically by clicking on the "Be A Part of What's Happening" link at the top of the page.

      As we’ve talked with several of you in the past weeks, we have again been overwhelmed by your support and commitment to the gospel.  We truly praise the Lord for each of you.  Thank you for being in this journey with us.  If you have questions about this new direction the Lord is taking our ministry, please contact us!  We would love to share more of what this process has been.  And as always, we are deeply grateful for your prayers.

All our love,

Cody and Jen

Friends, we'll be honest and say this is one of the most difficult things the Lord has ever asked us to do.  Leaving is even harder than it was to come.  Please check out our "Pray for Us" page.  We need to be covered in prayer!


I will share more of this process in the weeks to come.  There are lots and lots of tears.  Thanks for coming along for the journey.

So Lovely

We had another full weekend, filled with those most dear.

Last week 17 students from the States arrived to spend five weeks engaging students about the gospel.  We love the energy these students bring and rejoice in what God always does through their time here--and in them.  Saturday morning Cody spent some time talking to them about what evangelism looks like in Italy.  He is so good at that.

That night we had dinner with friends and then on Sunday we went over to some others friends' home to celebrate a birthday.  The weather was perfect, and we savored time to just sit and be.

The whole weekend was delightful, but one thing stood out to me, as my kids ran and played and talked and shared.  Hannah is growing up!  She is becoming such a lovely young girl--inside and out.

This morning, I just wanted to celebrate her beauty.  And give thanks that I get to be her mom and watch her grow up.

Evidence #1 that she is growing up is the control she now exerts over her hair.  She is serious about having those bangs and wanting to grow her hair long again!  She also loves that she can put it in a ponytail by herself now.

Beautiful.

And always overflowing with personality!

For some reason, Hannah and Cody got into a fierce tickle torture war this weekend.  Her giggle was so contagious!  Her fun spirit overflows with joy.

Our baby girl isn't exactly a baby anymore.  We're entering a whole new phase of parenthood, but it is deeply good.

Pedibus

Pedibus (ped--ee--boos).

What the heck is a Pedibus?  It does kind of sound like a bad skin rash, doesn't it?  It just so happens to be a very unique new initiative our community is trying with school kids.  It translates roughly into "walking bus."

In an effort to get kids walking more, they've organized a walking route to get kids to school in the morning.  Cody volunteered to help lead the our "line" on Tuesdays.  So last week, the Pedibus started its inaugural route.  

Cody leading the Green Line into the school

We walk to school almost every day, so we thought it was a fun idea to get a group together to walk with each other.  We were both shocked at how organized it was though!  Kids and volunteer parents all got vests to wear and all along the "route" are posted signs with the "stops" the Pedibus makes.  All very official.

Signs for four of the routes' stops.

After the fact, we realized the Pedibus was a much bigger deal than we had thought!  The community (hard to translate to something in America--it almost operates as its own little town) took lots of pictures of the first day of operation and posted them on their official website (that's where these came from. . . ).

Safe at school

The irony of it is that only Cody and one other parent volunteered from our route to lead the Pedibus.  So our line only operates on Tuesdays--and there are only two weeks of school left. :)  But we're doing our part to contribute!  Really, it's all very fun.  Hannah had a great time, and I'm pretty sure Cody did too.

Happy Birthday Cody!

I need to write an abbreviated blog today. :)

Tomorrow is Cody's birthday!!  Doesn't he just get more handsome every year?

To celebrate, this past weekend we took a trip without the kiddos up to the northern region of Italy for a wine-tasting tour.  We had never been up there before, and it was like visiting a different country.  In fact, we heard far more German spoken than Italian.

It was absolutely lovely in every way.  I don't think Cody could have asked for a better weekend or a better way to celebrate his big day.

Happy Birthday to the love of my life!  I am so thankful to be bearing witness to the life God has given you.

An Italian Childhood

Our kids had a great time in America last Fall.  But if you ask Hannah, she will say, "I don't want to go back to America for a long time."  Though she likes the US, Italy is her home.  A totally normal thing for a missionary kid.  But still a little weird for Mom and Dad.

Our family has experienced all the same events during our time in Italy, but our kids are being shaped in an entirely different way than we are.  Their childhood memories will be completely different than ours ever were.  Riding trains are a normal part of life.  They go to school in classrooms where the lights aren't turned on unless it's raining outside.  Just different.

Of course, a big part of an Italian childhood are birthday parties.  We have said it before, but they are just a huge part of childhood for the kids.  We went to yet another party this weekend, and it was a fully typical Italian party.

The family of the birthday girl rented a social community center and invited every kid from class, plus all the extended family.  Birthday parties are such a big deal that there are business who provide the entertainment and activities.  This family hired such a company.  Above, the kids are playing old-fashioned tug of war, facilitated by the entertainment guy.

Sack races, using trash bags

Of course, a group of boys gathered to play soccer.  Gavin played for the entire evening.

In between planned activities, there was lots of dancing.  Here is Hannah with her friends, doing a choreographed dance they often do during recess at school.

Mostly Ben sampled the food and made sure the swing got a workout.

Food is an integral part of every birthday party.  And you usually have to feed a lot of people!  At this party, they served fresh crescentini.  Crescentini are something specific to Emiglia-Romagna (the region of Italy Bologna is in).  In fact, our friends who live in other parts of Italy have never even heard of them.  Very representative of what Italian cuisine is like--vastly different dependent on region.  

Anyway, we LOVE crescentini.  They are one of our very favorite things.  Basically, they are sopapillas that you use as sandwich bread.  You spread something similar to cream cheese on it and then top it with sliced meats.  This meat is cured prosciutto.  Then you fold it in half and enjoy!  On the sweeter side, you can also spread nutella or jams on top.  Yummy, yummy, yummy.

Italian etiquette is that you don't leave until the birthday cake has been cut--usually about two hours into the party.  This cake was tiramisu.  And it was good. :)

After the cake, but before the presents were opened, the entertainment crew did a magic show.  That was a first for us.  

The weather was beautiful, and we enjoyed every minute of being outside.  Gavin was quite upset when we finally left at 7:30 to get the kids to bed.  "But Mom, we only got to stay for three hours!"  And truly, we were the first people to leave. 

This is where we seem to have the best ministry opportunities.  Three hours of partying leaves a lot of time to chat with the other parents.  It's what the kids will remember as their "normal childhood," and it's what we'll remember as the environment God used to teach us a lot about Italian family and culture.

The World's Newest Yellow Belt

Sorry I'm a day late this week.  We just got back from our Agape Italia Staff Conference, and I brought back a little virus with me.  I'm moving slow. . .

Just before we left, there was great excitement in the Phipps household, when we watched Gavin participate in his Taekwondo belt test.  We are proud to say we now have an official yellow belt amongst us, AND an official card-carrying member of the Italian Taekwondo Association.

My kids never cease to crack me up, and this new accomplishment brought with it some great new quotes. "Mom, when I'm a black belt, I'll be able to kill someone without using a weapon."  Ah, boys.  And "Mom, guess what?!  Dad says if I keep doing karate, I'll be able to do the moves they did in Tron!"  It's all about the cool factor!

For the grandparents, and those who are interested, here's a short video of Gavin's testing and certification.  It's about 2 1/2 minutes. We are so proud of our little warrior!