The Parent Meeting at School

I wish I had some pictures of this event! But alas, that would have been obnoxious.

Last week was a parent meeting at Hannah's school. All of the parents came for a meeting led by her teachers (she has three), where they discuss the curriculum for the year, field trips they have planned and any issues they have concern about. Oh, and we elect a parent representative, who is then the go-between, between the parents and teachers.

So though we all know each other (Hannah stays with the same students and teachers throughout all five years of elementary school), the election of our parent representative had to follow strict protocol. Even though there was only one person who wanted the job, we each had to fill out a ballot, put all our identification information on it (i.e. our passport information) and put it in the voting box. Very official.

Last year I attended this meeting, but since we'd only been in the country one month, I quite frankly didn't understand a word that was said. This year, I understood a lot more. We did talk about the changes to their teaching style this year, but the majority of our time we talked about. . . you guessed it, food! Were the kids eating all their lunch? Were they eating their veggies too? Are they picky? Do they eat too fast? Can my child bring a toothbrush to use after lunch?

You know, sometimes it's been easy to look at the centrality of food in this culture and roll my eyes a bit (OK, a lot). But I confess that perhaps I'm becoming converted. Food is the venue for relationships. It is a great example of how Italians love to give their opinion. Food is common ground.

I knew this was changing in our lives when I suddenly became picky about the type of pasta I bought (only sun-dried--it allows sauce to cling better), when I began to discern what type of sauce goes on what shape of pasta (for instance, meat sauce is better on long pastas like spaghetti or linguine and pesto is great on farfalle but not penne), and when Cody suddenly decided we could no longer use Grana Padana to top our pastas with, only Reggiano Parmigiano. Yep, we're Italian foodies now.

So getting back to the parent meeting, we again have to thank God for just how incredibly He answered so many prayers for Hannah and her school situation. We think her teachers are great. They think Hannah is great. Hannah, in less than one year, is fully fluent in the language. Italians can not tell she is not a native speaker. Praise God! School has also proven to be our best venue for developing relationships in which to share the gospel. The parents are a pretty close group, since we're all together for the next five years. We're so thankful for the in-roads God's provided.

As I left this meeting, I thought, "Wow, what a normal thing to do." Granted, we probably wouldn't spend near the amount of time we did talking about food at a meeting in America, but we wouldn't have had a meeting like this in America. I love the community-based culture of Italy. And we're fully participating in it. God shows me daily just how much He has done in the past 13 months.

A Mommy/Ben trip

Last week Ben and I took a trip to Leiden, Holland ( just south of Amersterdam) to be with some friends from Houston who moved to the Netherlands last April as missionaries and had their third baby a couple of weeks ago. They obviously don't have family around, so we felt like it was a great chance to go serve them during this really precious time in their family's life.

It was a great trip all around! It was quite the adventure. We flew Ryan Air, since that was really the only way we could afford to make the trip happen. What a deal though! We both flew round trip for 50 Euro total. It did make it a bit more exciting though. We had to fly into Brussels, take a shuttle from the airport to the train station and then take a train from there into Leiden, with a train change at The Haag.

Ben did such a great job traveling. It was so fun for me to have five days to hang out with just him! As the youngest, he hasn't had that opportunity much. And the friends we went to visit have a little boy that is only a month older than Ben. It was a new experience for him to play with someone his own age. Mostly it was a ton of fun. Of course, they definitely had their moments. . . :)

(Ben with Whit and Annabelle--baby Elijah was snuggled in his stroller)

Here are a couple of pictures around Leiden. The Netherlands were just beautiful. I loved the water everywhere. When we were there trees were just hinting at starting to change color. Right in the middle of Leiden is this windmill, which I thought was awesome. One day, I was walking with the boys down a bike trail/sidewalk (the bike culture in the Netherlands is a story worthy of a whole other blog entry in and of itself!), when we passed a man in his 30's, dressed for the office, walking in wooden clogs. Our friends have assured us in the six months they've lived there they have never seen anyone wearing clogs. . . it was a priceless moment I wish I could have gotten a picture of!

This other picture is from one of the many bridges in the city showing the canals that run all over the country. The city is full of them. They add such a lovely backdrop to daily life. Though I hear a lot of cars end up in them by having to park right next to the water.

One of my questions about the Netherlands was "what exactly is Dutch food?" The answer is that there isn't much. Mostly they eat every other ethnicities' food. I came back with a ton of great asian spices! But one night we went to an authentic Dutch restaurant that I think has been around for something like 100 years. What do they serve? Pancakes. It was awesome! I had a pancake that was probably 18 inches in diameter that had bacon, mushroom, onion and cheese in it. It was very thin, but slightly different than a crepe. Ben had an apple, sugar and cinnamon pancake. Yummy, yummy, yummy!

It was a great week. Great to hang out with Ben alone for such an extended period of time. Great to get to love on our friends at such a sweet time in their lives. Great to just be with such like-minded friends on such a similar adventure as ours. It was a deeply refreshing trip.

A Guest Writer

Last week Jim and Linda Allen flew in from the States to join our team for a week of prayerwalking around the city, in preparation for the launching of our ministry this week. It was an incredible, if challenged, time. I asked them if they would write about their impressions of Bologna and Italy for the Blog, so that you could read about an "outsider's" perspective. This is what they shared:

The last week of September we had the privilege of joining Cody and Jen in Bologna to pray for Italy in general, and for the university students in particular. It was a daunting task to “stand in the gap” for so many people – what can a few people say to an Almighty God that would actually make a difference for a whole country? Yet He tells us to call to Him, and He will answer us, and tell us great and mighty things we do not know. (Jeremiah 33:3)

We got to see that God is at work in Italy. He has burdened the hearts of two small evangelical churches in Bologna to pray for an outreach to the university students. In answer to that, He is clearly calling workers to go there to share the gospel – the Phipps family being one example of that.

Being in Italy helped us to understand the context in which Cody and Jen are working. It is a different culture to which they must adapt in order to build the social networks necessary for communicating spiritual truths. It’s a culture with a tradition of religion that doesn’t promote the gospel of grace. And, like in much of the world, there is a focus on materialism and humanism that ignores the need for a deeper life. These are the obvious obstacles that Cody and Jen face daily in their ministry. However, the greatest and often less obvious obstacle is spiritual attack from Satan. We experienced it in the short time we were there. Of a team of 8 people, 5 were unable to join the prayer walks for most of the week because of health problems they encountered. What an affirmation that prayer for Italy is vital – it’s threatening the enemy’s territory! Our discussions with Cody and Jen reaffirmed this fact. Missionaries on foreign soil deeply need prayer and encouragement from the body of Christ.

On another note, our trip to Italy had personal significance for me, Linda. My father was in Italy during World War II. He participated in the campaign that brought liberation to the Italians. Understandably, it was a grievous experience for him – one that affected him emotionally and spiritually for life. Over the years I heard so many of his war stories and descriptions of Italy that I suppose I adopted some of his grief. As a result, I never had a desire to visit Italy. So what does the Lord do? He sends us to Italy! Even though we didn’t visit the specific sites Daddy did, I sensed a significance in just being in the same country. Part of it was that my bias against Italy was dispelled. But also, the Lord has been showing me a bigger picture: He is at work to complete what the Allied army began over 60 years ago. They brought military and political liberation to Italy; now God is working to bring true, lasting spiritual freedom. Daddy’s grief is rendered powerless and I am allowed the privilege of being, through my prayers, part of God’s redemptive plan for Italy!

Often we can feel so overwhelmed not only by the task at hand but by the opposition we encounter relentlessly. During our week of prayer, I was reminded often of the verse in Matthew where Jesus talks about the Kingdom of God "forcefully advancing." I pictured that happening tangibly that week. It brought countless blessing and encouragement to our whole team.

The Sloppy Joe Experiment

Last night we had Fabio and Alyssia over, our Italian friends I have written about several times. God continues to bring our families closer together, and we are so thankful! Even through horribly butchered Italian (we tried to explain that phrase to them last night--"butchering a language"), we just have a great time hanging out together. They are so incredibly gracious to us. And I think they like hanging out with us too!

The first time we had dinner with them was at their home, and it was the full five-course Italian feast (incredible seafood--I blogged about it). When they first came to our home we fixed Fajitas and apple pie. Fajitas were a completely new experience, and they weren't quite sure what to make of them, though Fabio ate five of them. Apple pie they loved. Our dinner last night was kind of spur of the moment, so I went with what I was going to make before they were coming--Sloppy Joes. I felt like it was a pretty authentic "American" classic. Though we committed a major taboo by not serving any wine (red or white with Sloppy Joes?), they LOVED them.

I also served cut up veggies with Ranch dressing (dipping is also a completely new idea. . . one I think they enjoyed once they got into it) and chips. I took of a picture of the chips I got. Though you can find Kettle chips in America, you definitely can't find Sea Salt and Balsamic Vinegar flavor! An Italian spin on an American icon.


We have had several opportunities to talk about issues of faith with Fabio and Alyssia, but we haven't had that chance recently. Fabio usually seems pretty indifferent, and Alyssia comes across as slightly abrassive. We really hoped to talk more last night about what it means to have a relationship with Jesus. We were blown away when Cody's simply asked, "So what's new?" and Alyssia shared that Alice was getting ready to start Catechism classes. Their family does not attened Mass regularly, so we were pretty shocked! It opened up such great conversation! They asked us so many questions about the differences between Catholicism and Evangelical Christianity. . . we really got to share a lot of our heart and why we want to get to know a God who desires a personal relationship with us.

Please pray for these precious friends of ours! We know it is a long process for Italians to come to faith. We delight we get to share our lives with this family and love that we are already able to share so openly about the Lord. We are beginning to pray that as Alice starts learning about the tenets of Catholicism, God would start working in Fabio and Alyssia's hearts to getting them questioning their beliefs too. We're praying they would frequently initiate conversation about the spiritual issues they're thinking about. We would covet your prayers for these things too.

We do not take the occurance of this friendship lightly. God knows our greatest need in the past year has been organic friendships. He has provided so graciously. It is such a privilege to be able to care so much for these friends and offer to them the incredible love of the Savior.

Sweet Rest

Since returning from our vacation to Scotland over a month ago, it seems we have had one thing after another that has kept us unable to update our blog. The kids started school this week, which we feel like has finally given us opportunity to catch up on a lot of things. Returning to regular blogging is one of them.

It feels impossible to communicate what a sweet time we had in Scotland. It was everything we needed. We knew going into it that we needed some serious family downtime. The heat had gotten oppresive in Bologna and we were feeling overall worn down. We flew out of Bologna with great expectations, but also with a bit of guardedness. It didn't take but drive from the airport in Edinburgh to Troon to realize how good this time was going to be. There was a very physical sense of relief and relaxation. From the green rolling hills of southern Scotland to the familiar "American" products at the grocery store, we were met at every turn with surprise and joy. Most of our time was split between touring old castles and simply resting. It was such a good thing for us as a family to be able to spend the days focused on spending time as a family and having fun. Many games of Uno were played while there. And while the kids are essentially fluent in Italian, it was a nice rest for us to be able to converse in English for awhile. It was amazing how quickly we got simple daily activities done when we could completely understand what someone was saying!

Our return to Bologna at the beginning of August was like returning to a ghost town. It was so weird! We felt like we were literally the only people in our entire apartment building. Everyone was at the beach. . . a serious pasttime for Italians, who believe you need two weeks of sun every year to get enough vitamin D. And August is the best time to do it.

Life finally feels like it is returning to normal, and we think the heat has finally broken. We are looking forward to so many things this Fall. We are so thankful for the genuine rest the Lord provided for us, at just the right time. Because of it, we feel like we're ready to tackle all that is in store. We can't wait to share more.

Stinky, the Gospel and a Car

We are leaving for vacation on Thursday, so we thought we'd post an extra blog this week since we won't be able to post one again until August. We'd love your prayers for our time away. . .

BIG week this week! In the middle of the summer, when students are blissfully away enjoying their summer vacation, we saw God remind us almost daily of the incredible ministry He has built for us here through some other means. We lived some great stories this week of the awesome and sometimes maddening Italian culture, the incredible generosity of Italians friends, the realities of the snares of a broken world and God's constant provision for every one of our needs. The ministry we are living is incredible!

For a couple of months now, we have felt the Lord leading us to finally buy a car. As we looked at it logically, we just didn't think the summer was the best time, since many places close down for weeks at a time in the summer, and the ever-constant issue of the exchange rate has been on the higher side since May. We pursued a couple of options to buy cars from American servicemen returning to the States, but none worked out. We didn't feel in a big rush, but we also felt like the Lord was continuing to say, "It's OK, I'll provide for you now." So we asked more questions and looked at a few websites that were recommended to us. We saw a few possibilities, but all required driving at least an hour outside of Bologna.

Some of our best Italian friends are a couple named Fabio and Alyssia. They are the parents of one of the girls in Hannah's class. We have gotten to know them well over the past months and enjoy them so much. Fabio speaks a little English, which makes our time together a perfect setting for language development. More than anything though, they have just become quite dear to us.

So last Thursday, Fabio offered to take Cody out to look at cars. The car we felt like was the best deal all around was also the closest. They drove the hour up to Modena and saw the car. Car buying is totally different here than in the States. All dealerships must offer a one-year warrenty on the used cars they sell since the practice of turning back odometers is almost universal. Since you have some assurance as to the reliability of the car, you don't really "check it out" like you do in the States. He didn't even test drive it. But it really was everything we've been looking for (and an automatic, as a cherry on top). Cody felt like we should get it. Mission accomplished, so he and Fabio went to get some lunch.

As they went in to a trattoria, Fabio said, "Have you ever had stincho (stink-oh)?" To which Cody said, "No, no I haven't." "Oh, you must try it. It is the ankle of a pig." Always the meat lover, Cody thought he'd give it a try. Fabio ordered for both of them, and in Italian, he ordered "due stinchi (pronounced stinky)." Cody could not help busting out laughing, as he explained to Fabio what it sounded like in English. When the stinchi arrived, it was much like a turkey drumstick--see the picture below. Cody is now a new stinchi fan. :)

Over their lunch, the Lord led their conversation to really significant things. Cody has been very intentional about going deeper with Fabio, taking many opportunities to share about his relationship with Christ. On this day, he was able to clearly share the entire gospel. Coming to faith is usually a very long process for an Italian. This was a great entry into what we pray are many more conversations about what it means to be a follower of Christ. We hope so much that the Lord would open the eyes of this entire family. We pray earnestly that He would allow us to see them all eventually put their faith in Christ. Again, they have become so dear to us, we want nothing more than to share with them the joy of trusting God as they manuever life as a growing family. We would really value your prayers for them. Pray we would continue to have bountiful opportunities to talk about what having a relationship with Jesus has meant in our lives.

So after lunch, they headed back to Bologna, and we gathered ALL the necessary paperwork needed to buy a car here. On Friday we made the trek back to Modena, filled out all the forms to transfer the car into our name and personally went to the auto agency to make it all official. With keys in hand, we then discovered our method of payment wasn't going to work. We had asked about it before we made the trip, and they gave us the OK. But to make a long story short, we ended back in Bologna that night without a car. We have to admit, we're beginning to get used to having to attempt something several times before it's accomplished. . . sometimes still maddening, but the blows are becoming less and less traumatic.

We are thrilled to report that our third trip to Modena proved to be a charm, and we are now, once again, car owners. It's perfect for us. We are still a little in shock, but we are so, so thankful. Again, we rejoice in God's provision for us and hope it enables us to be an even further blessing to those around us.

As we have seen God so evidently at work around us in these fun stories, we also have seen Him at work in the life of a friend who is in great struggle. We have been called to meet him in a very different place than our other friends here. With him, we have been called to walk through the darkness--to offer some light in territory surrounded by the enemy. It has been a privilege, though one not without cost and not without much grieving of our spirits. We know God has him securely, and we are praying for a prodigal to return home soon and receive great healing. Though we can't offer many details, we ask you again to intercede on his behalf. A mighty war is being fought for this soul.

The next six weeks are going to fly by, and then September 1 will arrive, and we will celebrate with great thanksgiving our first year in Italy. What a time it has been! The past week has been a great confirmation of God's continued plans for us here. It is good.

A Life Lesson

This morning I sat down for a quiet time feeling that even though I had been spending regular time with the Lord, I have been distracted for the past several weeks. It was one of those times when I just had to say, "What should I read this morning? I'm not really feeling led to anything. . ." I picked up where I left off in my study of Matthew. I was at Matthew 7:24-29 and the story of the man who builds his house on the rock.

As I read it, I began to see it was the very picture of the life lesson we've been experiencing over the past few months. Jesus says, "Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, and the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock." Over the past eleven months, God has been allowing us to live in almost constant view of the spiritual world. He has shown us the realities of what He is doing--how He is ushering in His Kingdom and how worthy His name is for all glory and honor. I have been craving praise and worship music because of my overwhelming need to ascribe glory and honor to our God.

As I read this passage in Matthew, I think that it does mean we need to obey God's commands for us. But the deeper underlying issue, as it is throughout Scripture, is faith. We need to take God at His Word. We need to believe Him. Belief goes so much farther beyond just doing as God has commanded. It involves trusting that God is also going to do as He said He would. He does protect us. He does provide for us. He does guard my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus. He calms my anxious heart, strengthens my weary soul. He is JOY. The security of the truth of who God is and the peace He offers believers is truly one that reaches beyond the understanding of anyone who has not personally experienced it.

And as the rain has come, as the streams have risen, as we have felt the power of the wind blowing and beating against us, our house has not fallen. Our foundation has not moved. We have felt so beat up in the past two months. Discouragement beyond anything we have ever experienced. But we are continuing to stand. The words of God proved themselves true in us. We survive the storm because of the Rock that is our foundation.

I also see the reality of the foolish man too. Our hearts have been so burdened for so many friends we have seen building their houses on foundations of self-reliance--even believing friends. As the sand begins to sink, the pressure on the house only grows stronger. The house can stand for awhile, but eventually, the strain becomes too much, and the house crumbles. How much we want to be encouraging others in belief! How much we want to shout from the rooftops "Worthy is the One whose hands made it all!"

The Lord sent deep encouragement this morning. Encouragement, again, that His Word is true. If you believe Him at His Word, it always works out as He has said. Encouragement, as well, that as trying as life in Italy can feel sometimes, we will come out standing. We will make it. And of even greater encouragement, the gospel will go forth. The name of Jesus will be honored in this land.

Sweet Tree Hugger

These pictures were just so funny I had to blog them. There is a sitting park just behind our house that has a small "hill" Ben was bound and determined to climb. The slope kept getting the best of him, but he'd just get right back up and keep trying. Finally, he made it to the top, and in exuberance, hugged the nearest thing to him--a tree. :) Oh, our sweet little guy.

Benjamin definitely keeps us on our toes. There is no end to what he will get into. I'll spare you the list of all the things we've caught in his mouth, because it's. . . well, downright embarrassing. He is such an explorer. Mom's guess at fifteen months of future occupation is engineer, just like the Papa he's named after. He LOVES to take things apart and then put them back together. Taking the lid off a pen and putting it back on could entertain him for hours. Of course, that also includes taking lids off of shampoo bottles (sometimes with them upside down) and unplugging/re-plugging electrical devices too.

A couple of weeks ago, Cody aptly called him "A tornado filled with the joy of the Lord." Though he is learning to protest quite effectively when he doesn't get his way, Benjamin is the happiest, bubbliest little guy. He loves to laugh (especially when prompted by his sister) and try to make you laugh. His smile, and that darn perfect dimple, light up a room.

In other news, we feel like we've officially entered the "dog days of summer." We're not sure what that expression actually means, but we feel like it has to do with being so hot that all you can do is lie around. We've been really blessed by several cool spells to provide some relief in between those days when you can't leave your house it's so hot. We feel like those respites are probably over now. This week it will be in the mid to upper 90s all week. Again, we are so thankful for our jerry-rigged air conditioner.

We will leave a week from Thursday for our two week vacation in Scotland. My uncle has a home there he is so graciously allowing us to stay in. It will be our first flying experience with Ryan Air, the uber-cheap airline that is now debating selling "standing-room only" tickets. We can't express how much we're looking forward to vacation though. We need a break from the oppressive spiritual environment here desperately. We need to refill our tanks that are now bone dry.

Until then, we press on with summer school supplementing. Hannah is really enjoying the history but abhors having to work on English. She's looking forward to a vacation too. :)