Last Week in Salerno :-(

Ciao regazzi! Aspeta tutto bene.
(Hey friends! I hope everything is well.)

Well...I haven't written a blog in FOREVER. I have been having computer problems and it is difficult to bother people here to borrow theirs, haha. Alot has happened though! Our team is still bonding and growing in Christ, and it is so beautiful to see. I have made friends that I will definetly keep for the rest of my life and it's insane that none of us knew each other before this trip. I have learned alot about the Gospel and about what it means to devote every aspect of your life to God. We are reading this book by Tim Keller called, "The Prodigal God" as a team and it has been really powerful. It discusses the parable of the lost son in depth, and I find that the Gospel is SO new to me now. I always read this parable with the mindset that Jesus was trying to show through this story the love of the father towards his younger son and the element of forgiveness. But it's so much deeper than that. This parable shows how the older brother is so self-righteous and while he did love his father, he obeyed him out of "duty", rather than love. Now if that doesn't open a can of worms, I don't know what does. I go to church and even lead worship, but why? I admit it- sometimes it is to make myself look good and bring glory to myself, but it's not about that! It's about bringing glory to God. And that is something that I have thought alot about this summer- bringing glory to God EVERYDAY. I have also come to terms that nothing within me is good. Nothing. Anything remotely good in me is 100% Christ. And that is pretty humbling. I have a deeper appreciation for God's creation and especially for the Gospel. I think all too often we neglect the power and real-life application of the Gospel and as a team this summer, we have been focusing everyday on the Gospel. I know that all of that was pretty scatterbrained, but when I return to the States perhaps I will be able to explain it better.
I am dreading leaving Salerno. I know that my work here is not done, and I hate that I have to leave. So many great things are happening here and I want to be a part of it. I don't pretend to know what God has in store for me in the future but being here has really revealed to me that I have a heart for missions in some aspect.
This is the last week in Salerno. I have made some amazing Italian friends and it's been surreal to share the Gospel with them. Please continue to pray as we all finish up some work here and please pray that our friends will be able to plug into evangelical Christians here. It's so sad to see this much progress and have to walk away, so please also pray for us as we are all emotionally torn.
We will be leaving Salerno on Sunday morning to catch a 7 HOUR BUS RIDE to Florence. Here we will do our debriefing and officially ending the project (here come the tears, haha). Monday we will sightsee in Florence and Tuesday we have the options of Venice, Tuscany, Pisa, or Cinquatera. And no, I have NO IDEA which place I will chose to go. On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday we will go to Rome to sightsee too! Then on Saturday we will catch a plane to Germany followed by a plane to Atlanta. So next week will be VERY busy but a great way to celebrate an amazing summer. Please pray for safe travels.
I love and miss you all and cannot wait to see you soon!

I have attached a website concerning the state of Italy...go to the site and click on either of the "VIDEO: The Condition of Italy" options to see why I chose to came here!
http://www.goucf.com/videos/

Week 3 in Salerno

Ciao Ciao!
I cannot believe that I have been here for three weeks. And I only have 18 more days here, which honestly breaks my heart already. Last Saturday we hiked up into the mountains of Salerno and rode horses and had a picnic all afternoon, and it was just as amazing as it sounds! Saturdays are always our travel days where we explore more of Italy and it's fun to spend time with our team and continue the amazing bonds that we have. Sunday was exciting too; we went to an evangelical church about 40minutes away. It was, of course, all in Italian. But despite the language barrier, it was BEAUTIFUL to see these Italian people worship Jesus Christ. They have the passion and energy of an African American church and I could not believe how on fire they all were for the Lord. I did alot of translating to the Americans around me but we mainly talked about Jesus' ministry and how the only way to get to Heaven is through Him, which goes against the mentality here in Italy. Italians believe that Heaven is reached through good works- as Catholisism persists. Italians who are not avid or practicing Catholics believe that either there is no God, or that they are not good enough to go to Heaven. It is so heartbreaking. It's even harder because now all of us have seen how beautiful and amazing it can be when Italians fully love Jesus on last Sunday, and I want so badly to see that love carry over to the younger generation. I feel burdened for Italians. They are such an amazing group of people and I just want them to know what real love is and what it really means to have a hope. Jesus said that he would provide the words when we go to tell others of Him, and believe me- He has! I don't know where the Italian that I am speaking is coming from, and I don't know why I haven't had a problem with the language barrier at all. But I know that it is no accident and I thank God for blessing me with it. All of my friends on our team keep saying that they can definetly see me living here in Italy, and it has really been on my heart lately. Could I ever live here and work each day trying to make a difference in the lives of Italians? The thought of that blows my mind. But I wake up each morning excited about the day and excited about seeing what God will teach me and who He will bring into my path for me to tell about Him. Our team is concentrating intensely on the Gospel while we are here. We firmly believe that in order to share Jesus, we need to know the Gospel, believe the Gospel, and love what the Gospel promises and teaches. I find myself waking up in the mornings and sitting on the beach outside and reading my Bible, which before this trip, I did not see as important. God is really changing my heart, friends. He also says "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news". I firmly believe this, but my feet are looking pretty rough, haha! We walk miles and miles each day- definetly the most I have ever walked. I know this is a little gross, but I have blisters on the BOTTOM of my feet that hurt so, so bad. I guess that's part of the package! It's just amazing here. This is the happiest that I have been in a long time. And it's not just because I'm in Italy, it's because God has opened my eyes! It's like when Paul finally saw the glory of God and the scales were wiped from his eyes...I feel like God has been SO clear to me and I absolutely LOVE life. Wow! It is still hard at times here, though. I do miss home every now and then, but God has really protected my heart and I'm so happy and excited to be in His will here that I haven't been too sad or anything. It is also hard to be SO bold on campus to approach Italian students and openly share the Gospel. That is something that I NEVER saw myself doing. But here I am! And like Esther said, "If I persish, I perish." So I guess if they laugh at me, they laugh at me. None of that is eternal and I know that God is never going to leave me and I trust Him whole-heartedly. So basically, everything is going REALLY well. We are going to the Island of Capri on Saturday to do some swimming, boating, shopping, and exploring- so that will be a lot of fun! Please continue to pray for our team as we only have 18 more days in Salerno before we travel up north for a week. We all are still enjoying Salerno but we would love prayers for the Italian students and for our time sharing with them. Thank you all so much for your support and love as I step out on faith this summer. I LOVE YOU ALL!

First Week in Salerno

Ciao Tutti! (hey everyone)

I hope that everything in America is going well. Here in Italy, I am the happiest that I have been in a long time! When I landed in Germany last Monday we took another short flight to Rome and landed in Italy around noon last Tuesday. After a 5 hour long bus ride in an un-air conditioned bus, we finally made it to Salerno! Our group of 18 college students and 5 adults comes from very different locations in the States: Florida State University, Mississippi State University, University of Miami, University of Colorado, and -you guessed it- NORTH GREENVILLE UNIVERSITY! All 23 of us are already building strong relationships, though. I can honestly say that after a week, I know that I can go to any member of our team for any issue and that we will all be friends even after this summer is over. These fellow believers are now my family. Last week after settling into the hotel (which is SO cute), we took time each day to get to know the city and spend time growing as a group. Salerno is such an amazing city. From my room in the hotel (which is really just a large house kept up by a precious Italian family), I can see the crystal clear waters in the ocean. It is in the mid 80's here but there is always a steady breeze, which we Americans can appreciate. And while I'm wearing sunscreen (don't worry!) my skin is turning brown and I am looking more Italian every day, haha. I have learned to eat vegetables and lots, LOTS, of cheese. Everything here is SO fresh and so much healthier than America. But it'd be hard to be here if you didn't like carbs because bread and pasta are essential to the Italian diet. On Saturday we went to Positano, which is about an hour north of here by boat on the Amalfi Coast. I had no idea what to expect, but every Saturday our group gets to have a travel day where we see more of Italy, so it is very special to have this outting! When our boat docked onto the shores of Positano, I cried a little. Seriously. It is hands down the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my life, whether in person or in pictures. It was like a dream! The city is perched on the side of the mountain overlooking the sea and it is literally indescribable. Here, I sat in on an Italian Wedding, which I know that I shouldn't have done...and I also cried there. My new friend Katie and I climbed to the top of the village and had a picnic, which was amazing. Did I mention the food here?! AH! After some afternoon shopping, Katie and I rented kayaks and paddled along the coast and into some caves filled with staircases leading to castles, etc. It was like being on a movie set! I loved Positano. Then on Sunday our team had a worship service at the hotel and talked alot about why Christ had to die. We talked about the fact that because God is just, there had to be an atonement for sin. And because Christ paid the price of our sin in full, and because God cannot inflict punishment for the sins of the world because it's already been done, we do not have to carry the burdens of sin anymore. Pretty amazing, right? The past three days our team has spent the afternoons on campus in Salerno. We go to campus and literally approach Italians and try to make friends. Through these meetings we strive to bring up their beliefs, tell them what we believe and challenge them to be open to the Gospel. Which is not at ALL easy. It's hard to go up to a stranger and talk about such heavy things! And ironically, I am the girl on the team that knows the most Italian so I have been translating like crazy. And I now speak about as much Italian each day as I speak English. Which has been a shock. I have just let go of myself and surrendered everything to God. And here I am, speaking Italian! I have been asked from Italians about God and I have been approached by 3 girls who want to know God more. We will be hosting a BBQ tomorrow night and all 3 of those girls will be there, so I pray that God will open their hearts to hear the Gospel and use me as He wants to speak to them. Everyone, God is doing amazing things here and we have only been here for 8 days! Please continue to pray as things will inevitably become harder. I love you all and feel free to keep in touch!

PICTURES:

#1. Me Translating Italian.

#2. Some of our group on campus (I am in the back in a white shirt and jeans)

#3. Positano, Italy.

#4. The View from my hotel room.

My New Home in Italy

Dear Everyone,
ITALY IS AMAZING! I was in love with this country before I got here and I can't believe how amazing it is. I have the complete joy of waking up each morning to the sounds of the beach and the occasional moped honking, haha. I can also see a castle overlooking beautiful Salerno from the front of my hotel. Last night we went downtown and divided into teams for a scavenger hunt throughout the entire town. How fun! We saw the city and had a blast. I even ran into two older Italian ladies and when we told them why we were there they were so appreciative of "what we are doing for the Lord". How refreshing! All of the students with me from other universities are wonderful-truely inspiring brothers and sisters in the Lord. We all bonded immediately, before we even arrived in Italy. Although we have had a couple of setbacks (especially in the Roma airport), things have gone fairly smoothly. I have two Italian friends already and both seem eager to learn more about Americans. What's amazing about Italians is that they are so loving and passionate about life. If they had half the passion about Christ that they did about life, Italy would be continually drunk off of Christ's word. I know that this will be a life changing summer, and just being here for a few days has really given me a heart for Italia. I am so happy, I don't even have words! I miss all of you in the States but thank you for your prayers and support and know that I am praying for you all as well. I can't wait to tell you what happens over the next few weeks! We will be on campus approaching students about Christ and being more bold about faith than I ever have so please keep our team in your prayers. Love you all! Ciao!

Last Few Days in America!

Well, I have just a few days left in America before I spend the next six weeks in Italy. I cannot believe how fast time has flown by! I have been counting down the days from 90something, and it has been so surreal counting the days on one hand. Everyone that has talked to me in the past few weeks knows how much of an emotional rollercoaster I have been on lately. It's been really hard especially having exams earlier this month. Trust me, it's hard to focus on school work when I have had Italy on the mind 24/7. But sometimes perseverence pays off, and I did alot better this semester than I thought I would. Part of me thinks that it never really "hit" me that I would be in Italy this summer until the day I packed up and left North Greenville for summer break. I think that I had to close that chapter in my life before I was ready to start my Italian Chapter. Anyway, here I am just a few days away from being in Italy and I could not be more excited! It has been my dream to go to Italy and here I am packing the last of my shoes. By the way, packing was about a three day long event. Who knew that 50lbs in clothes and shoes can pass by so quickly?! I know that this is where I am supposed to be this summer and what I'm supposed to be doing because EVERYTHING has fallen into place more beautifully than I could have imagined. The financial obstacle has been such a heavy burden, and I find myself actually over the required cost! God is so good! I would like to thank everyone that has been praying for me and who have donated financially, because I could have never done this on my own. I look forward to seeing how God will use me as I serve Him in Italy. I know that I will face difficult times but I also know that I'll never be alone and I find great comfort in that. All of the worries that I have had have dissolved right before my eyes, and that is no accident. I was worried about the cost, and that obstacle was no match for what God can do. I was worried about the language barrier and I am continuing to learn Italian with much more ease than I anticipated. I was worried about being alone and not knowing anyone, and several of the members of my team and I have already talked and we seem to connect very well!! I was worried about where we will be staying and I just saw the website for my home for the next six weeks!! I have included a link at the bottom of this post if you would like to see it. Pencione 14 Leoni is literally a dream come true, and I cannot wait to call it my home. I would like to thank everyone for your continued prayers and support as I prepare for this adventure. I can't wait to tell you all about it!

http://www.14leoni.it/index2.html

Summer Adventure 2009

I have grown up in church, but I am not the little girl that I once was. I am changing each day, and I finally feel that at twenty years old, I am becoming the woman of God that I have always wanted to be. I have learned a lot about myself lately, and it is my desire to share my heart with you. When I was little, I dreamed that Prince Charming would ride in on a white horse and save me. Now that I am older, I see all too clearly that the most wonderful and perfect Prince has already come and already saved me from every evil that I will ever have to face. When I was little, I did not like to do school work. Now that I am older, I find that Colossians 3 directs me to do all work (even homework) as though I am doing it for the King. When I was little, I read the Bible to impress my Sunday School teachers. Now that I am older, for the first time, I wake up in the morning and I am yearning for The Word of God. All this time up until recently, I have been waiting for my life to start. But I finally realize that this is it…this is my life, right now. It started the day I asked Christ into my heart. I know that I’m here for a reason. I know that God has put me in this decade, in this country, in this state, in this church, for a purpose. The hope that Christ brings is the best news in the world. It is my desire to share this news with everyone that I am fortunate to come across. I tell you this to explain the actions that I have been taking for the past 6 months. I began to research missions opportunities last fall and after many late nights and many desperate prayers, I applied to three organizations. I received a call last Thursday from a group called Campus Crusade for Christ. I leave for Salerno, Italy May 16th. I will be gone for 6 weeks, during which I will be preaching the truth to a nation that believes that Jesus Christ lived, but not that He was the Messiah. I will be speaking of a religion that goes against what their traditions tell them, and offering a lifestyle that is not at all what they are used to. This mission trip is unlike anything I have ever done, and I will be completely out of my comfort zone. I will have to be strong enough in my faith to speak about Christ, show Christ in my actions, and respectfully preach the truth of Jesus Christ to the people of Salerno. I am not going with a group from my college, but this organization will pair me with several other college students from the southeast. This will not be a glamorous vacation in the most romantic city in the world, this will be a very difficult journey that I will take in a surprisingly fallen region of the world. To tell you that I am scared would be an understatement. I am afraid of the things that I will face, and I am afraid of how I will handle the people in Salerno, Italy. I find comfort however, in the fact that I serve a God who is so much bigger than my fears. I am excited to see how God will use me and I am anticipating leaps and bounds of spiritual growth. I will admit that I am slightly worried about the financial aspect of this trip, as well. I am facing a giant in the form of $5,000. I am a college student, and because I travel every weekend, it is impossible for me to have a job during the school year. I know that God is good, and that He can’t plan the end and not plan the means. I trust that God will provide, and I am so excited to see how He does this in the months to come. I have a huge financial obstacle ahead of me, I am preparing to face spiritual trails, I will need prayer for safety in a foreign country where I do not know anyone, and on top of all of that, I know that Satan will try to bring me down and prevent me from serving God in the way that I want to. These are difficult problems to carry on the shoulders of anyone, especially a college student. Thank God that He sent His son to carry a heavier burden on His shoulders in the form of a wooden cross.