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