Nano Comes To Visit : April 13-27

Another amazing highlight in April and a tremendous gift to our family was the two-week visit from my mom. It was a relatively last minute and unexpected visit with just a few months to anticipate her arrival. We received notice in January that this years annual Leader’s Meeting for our mission was also extending the invitation for wives to attend.  It was a moment of “ooh, that is awesome!” followed by the disappointing reality of how I am supposed to leave the kids for a week? My husband was already two steps ahead of me in thought and proposed that we fly my mom out to watch the kids. (Thanks Capital One miles!) She was more than willing to come and traverse across the ocean all by herself from California to come and spend some quality time with her grandkids while Jonathan and I went to Berlin. Words cannot express our gratitude!

The awesome thing about the timing of her trip was that she got to celebrate Easter with us! Rarely are we with family over holidays, so this was indeed a special treat. She brought food coloring, plastic eggs and jelly beans...the essentials for Easter traditions of which we cannot find here.

Per Italian tradition...the kids got their chocolate Easter eggs

"Aebelskivers" a family holiday tradition from Solvang, California

Easter breakfast

We had our friends from the Bible study group with us on Easter day and Jonathan shared an Easter meditation prior to a BBQ and potluck lunch. It was a great time for mom to see and interact with those that we share life with here in Italy. We spent all day together eating, relaxing, Easter egg hunting and conversing on a beautiful spring day.

Games and Talent Demonstration for the Young and Young at Heart

Our First Easter Egg Hunt in Our Yard

Bright and early the next morning Jonathan and I caught our flight out to Germany.

Being as it was Easter vacation for our kids, they only had 3 days of school that week. In fact, out of Nano’s 14-day trip the kids only had 4 days of school total. That meant lots of quality time together!

She did an amazing job caring for the kids--no surprise there--and preparing all of their favorite meals. Thanks to the suitcase full of authentic tortillas, the kids enjoyed TWO taco nights, bean burritos, carnitas, sopa burritos and much more while we were away. She out cooks me in the kids’ eyes, of which I whole heartily agree! Ooh, and special compliments to her for never once blowing the power breaker.

Emma learned how to knit and crochet from Nano. That was something extra special and meaningful for my mom to be able to teach her granddaughter. Emma is a fourth generation knitter and there is no stopping her most recent obsession! She is now “psycho” like her Nano when it comes to crafting. (That was Emma’s way to describe it, which gave us a great laugh about her use of the word.)

Emma made the bunnies to send back with Nano to give to her Cali cousins

Mom also was able to get me started on a weighted blanket for Luca. The plastic pellets got delayed in the mail, so she was unable to complete the project before she left. However, the prep work and initial sewing was definitely a job for her expertise. She saved me SO much time and stress and left me with the easy part of filling 160 pockets with 11 pounds of beads, then sewing across her guide marks. Luca weighed the pellets for each pocket and helped me complete this project just days after mom's departure. Luca is thrilled and is benefiting from the use of it this past month.

Nano was also able to celebrate some belated birthdays with the boys...

...Have coffee with our friends and observe Bible studies...

...attend a friend's birthday party, watch Emma in her second gymnastics competition...

...walk the kids to school and otherwise get a good taste of day to day life for our family. That last experience is probably the most beneficial to her prayers and understanding of our routines and life having lived them alongside us for two weeks.

Special memories were made and we cherish the time we had together. Thankful for the sacrifices made by both my mom and my dad to be separated for a significant length of time in order to bless, encourage and love on us in Italy. We love you and miss you tons!!

New Wheels

We said goodbye to our faithful 2000 Ford Galaxy in April. The kids were sad to see it go even though we had pretty much run it into the ground over the past 12 years. The sentimental attachment to the only vehicle they ever remember having in Italy was stronger than we expected. I don't think tears were shed but they all in their own way expressed their sadness.

For Jonathan and I on the other hand had no problems saying goodbye considering the air conditioner and heat no longer worked, the roof liner was brushing the top of our heads, and the seats were regularly loosing chunks of cushioning. It got us around, but we no longer were able to count on it in recent years for longer trips. Not only that, but we were regularly being banned from driving in to the city of Torino because our emissions rating was a Euro 3. With our need to drive into the city for doctor appointments, church etc. this was becoming a problem as we either had to cancel or risk heavy traffic fines. We are so thankful for God's provision of a "new to us" vehicle!

We have been saving for quite a few years with the help of so many supporters, churches, family and friends. Thank you so very much for your generosity!!! 

We began our intense search for a used 7 seater mini-van the beginning of March. We sought counsel from our mechanic who was all for Italian or German made cars, since they are of good quality and parts are easy to come by. There are many 7 seaters now on the market here in Europe but the back two seats are for very small children, which would not work for our growing giants. With this must have need of 7 true seats, our options were immediately limited to 4 models. And even those models are not equivalent to full size American minivans. We began prowling the internet on a daily basis for something within our price range, lower kilometers, Euro 5 emissions, and from a dealer. We did not want to have to deal with selling our old vehicle privately or paying 400€ just to transfer the Title, along with other hidden expenses that a dealer would cover in their sale. 

We found several finds and as soon as we called on them they would be sold. It was extremely frustrating and took up a lot of our time in March. Finally, we found a possibility in Milan that was not yet sold. Although it was the crazy busy week of Jonathan's preparation for his debate, we HAD to squeeze in a 2 hour drive to Milan to check out the vehicle or risk losing the deal. We were delighted that it had everything we needed and wanted (preferred color choice for Jonathan and Automatic for me!!) We put a deposit down and took the next few days to make the bank transfer, secure insurance coverage on the new vehicle and cancel the old. We returned to pick up the van the day before my mom flew in for her visit. Couldn't have asked for better timing!

2015 SEAT Alhambra (made by VW)

Jonathan loved the new ride so much he made two round trips to Milan that day. One to retrieve the van. The other to retrieve his iPad left in the old van and deliver the title of our Ford left at home. It was a long day with a total of 8 hours driving!

Just as soon as I mastered manual driving...I get an automatic! Couldn't be happier about that fact!!

Chess Tournament: April 8

The same day I passed my driving exam, Luca also had an afternoon chess tournament in San Mauro Torinese. By then Jonathan and I were both coming down from our adrenaline rushes from the previous 24 hours and wanted nothing more than a good nap. However, it was our great joy as a family to support Luca in his chess endeavours.

His best friend joined the chess club a few months ago and they had fun playing in the tournament together.

Luca was delighted to receive a participation medal upon registration and valiantly played six games of which he won two. He was up against some tough competitors and took nearly each game to the maximum time limit. We are so proud of him! 

With each experience he grows and learns important life lessons. He continues to be perseverant and motivated with the game of Chess and can't wait for his next opportunity to participate in tournament play as he is determined to one day win a trophy.

In Pursuit of My Italian Driver's License, Part 2

The driver’s license saga is finally over as I successfully completed my final exam on Saturday, April 8! Tears of joy...dancing in the street...and a WHOLE lot of praising God for getting me through this!

You might laugh and mock my over exaggeration of elation--after all I have had my American driver’s license since I was 16 years old, giving me 23 years of legal driving experience. HA! That just meant I had to reform habits developed over those years! Let me tell you more...lest you think this was the easiest part of the whole process—for surely it was NOT!

After obtaining my “Foglio Rosa” (driver's permit) in January when I passed my theory exam, I had my first driving lesson in February. I was required to have a minimum of 6 hours of driving lessons before being allowed to take the exam. Each lesson lasted 30 minutes with my instructor. I never claimed to know how to drive a stick shift, as the few experiences I had were very few. Jonathan gave me a quick crash course lesson the morning of my first lesson, and that was the last time I drove under his instruction, because apparently he drives totally wrong!

Each lesson was anticipated with great tension and anxiety, because here in Italy a common method of teaching is to yell at your students. Although I knew this from stories that the kids come home with from school, it didn’t quite hit me until I began to experience it myself. I would always sleep restlessly before my lessons and what joy I once found in driving soon became the greatest stressor in my life. 

I was quickly demoralized and lost all confidence after being repeatedly called a “Pasticcione” (Mess) or “La Pasticcione Massima” (The Greatest Mess) or “una bambina di 2 anni” (a 2 year old girl) or repeatedly hearing the words that I will not receive my license for...turning the steering wheel wrong...parallel parking bad...gripping the wheel...braking too fast...shifting too late, too soon...there was always something he found to knit-pick and complain about. I gave him the initial impression that I was a calm person in life, but not behind the wheel...well, duh! If you yell at me I get agitated and nervous! I might have had a total of 2 lessons that were semi encouraging out of 14 lessons. I might have cried once in frustration when I got home wondering if things would ever click. Jonathan and the kids were my greatest support team, who kept cheering me on week after week!

The day before the exam on my final lesson, my instructor finally succeeded in putting me in tears while driving. He said, “I have told you all the questions the examiner will ask you tomorrow, I’ve taken you on all the possible exam routes...what else can I do—take the exam for you?!” It was probably the build up anxiety for the next day in addition to him yelling at me saying I won’t pass! I just couldn’t hold it in and broke down. Thankfully, he had some heart and felt bad that he made me cry...he said I am a good driver when I am calm, so JUST STAY CALM! I can’t remember all that he said but at least he was making an effort in my distress.

Tears kept flowing all evening prior to Jonathan’s debate. The kids felt awful for me saying they knew exactly how I felt because that happens all the time at school to their classmates. Samuel’s advice: “take the those negative comments, throw them in the trash, AND BURN THEM, RADIATE THEM WITH NUCLEAR WASTE SO THEY NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY AGAIN!” Okay then. I guess he has learned how to cope and let it roll off his back...although mind you he is NEVER the focus of the yelling, because that is only for students who deserve it. Ummmm, thanks?!!

That week we had asked for prayer for my driving exam along with the debate and several people (other than our immediate family) wrote to encourage me specifically about the exam. My ex-college softball coach wrote and gave me a great pep talk as only a coach can. Another friend and driver’s training instructor in the US also had great words of encouragement, reminding me that “it’s not a life-defining moment, it’s not the end of the world and you’re not a ‘bad driver’ if you don’t pass the first time.” Words of truth: I am not defined by what I do, but whose I am.

The Lord began to calm my heart and give me peace as the evening wore on. I still woke up at 4:30am, but that gave me plenty of time to pray and focus my thoughts. I went out driving with Jonathan at 9:30 just to regain confidence lost just hours before. I arrived at 10:00 along with three other teens ready to go, but ended up waiting for nearly 2 hours before we started the exams. We all shared similar stories about our instructor, so that was cathartic and made me feel better that it wasn’t just me.

When the examiner finally arrived, my instructor was all words of encouragement and assurances...after all, our licenses were already printed and ready to hand over.  I kept the words of my friend’s prayer close in thought: “No fear allowed in that car, only the sweet presence of Jesus guiding your eyes, hands and feet and especially each decision you make as you move down the road.”

I was tested second and I drove probably a total of 10 minutes.  The examiner sat in the back seat behind me and the instructor directed me. He too has pedals on his side of the car, so if I wasn’t going fast enough he would give it a little gas and we would both pretend it was all me. I heard others were given more helps than that and still passed. I passed with flying colors and received compliments from the examiner on how well I mastered shifting...and my instructor just had to comment, “this is the first time she has done it all correctly.” And I wanted to respond...it could be because you are NOT yelling at me!

Before exiting the car, I was handed my license and my instructor gave me “kisses” of congratulations with a glisten in his eye. I told him I was going to bake him a big plate of American chocolate chip cookies. Truly, I do love the man, he is a very kind and personable person, but his methods of teaching are perplexing and disturbing for one not having grown up in that learning environment. However, he did his job in putting another driver on the road, so I can’t fault him too much I guess. I am indeed grateful to have surpassed yet another milestone experience in Italian living!

God is faithful!!!!!!

The Reformation Debate: April 7

April was hands down the busiest month so far this year that literally passed in a blink of an eye! I am having a really hard time comprehending that it is already May and that we are barreling down to the end of the school year at a fierce pace. Too many good and exciting things took place in April so I will attempt to bring you up to speed.

First, I would like to update you on the Reformation Debate that Jonathan participated in and wrote about here in a previous post.

On April 7, Jonathan had the wonderful opportunity to clearly proclaim the gospel to a crowd of 50+ people as he answered the question of what Martin Luther’s protesting was all about starting with the nailing of his 95 Theses to the church doors of Wittenberg in 1517, that initiated a schism in the Catholic church and created the Protestant branch of the church.  Jonathan spent much time in prayer and preparation for this event and it was evident in how the Lord provided him peace, direction, courage and wisdom to know where to push back and boldness to proclaim the gospel.

Our colleague wrote the following in evaluating the evening’s debate:

Don Ermis is a professor of theology at the University of Torino, and his commentary on the topic was distinctly academic and largely concerned with historical and cultural considerations. On the one hand, this was positive because many (not all) Italians, especially in the age group that was present on Friday night, are prone to think of their faith as an historical and cultural patrimony. In this sense, Don Ermis spoke in a manner consistent with their worldview, but his professorial approach tended to go "over the head" of the average Roman Catholic practitioner and the tenor of his speech came across as cold and in my estimation less engaging. 

Jonathan, on the other hand, intentionally crafted his responses to be intelligible to the average person on the street. He continually referred to and read from Scripture and expounded specific passages, and spoke with a great deal of passion about the freedom that comes from knowing we are completely secure and wholly redeemed because Christ's humanity leaves nothing wanting for our perfect justification.

The debate lasted 2 hours with Don Ermis departing before its conclusion as he was jetlagged from his previous days return from Asia. Therefore, Jonathan got the last word and was able to then field questions from the audience.

It was a very successful evening--isn’t it always when God’s truth is proclaimed?!

That evening, we had an ex-Bible study student of ours attend and she expressed how she is considering coming back after 2.5 years of being away. Another friend and organizer of the event also approached us asking for a time to meet and discuss what he heard. Still another close friend and ex-Bible study student has had coffee with us since then and she too would like to meet more regularly to discuss spiritual topics, but admitting she is not ready for regular participation in the group studies. She has closed off spiritual conversations with us for a while so we were delighted when she initiated this desire just last week.

We do not know how the Lord will continue to use what was heard that evening, but we rest in his promise that His Word will not return void. We distributed our church brochure to all those willing to accept it and pray that someone will desire to reach out to us even in the day sand months to come.

Keep praying! We see God moving and we believe it is because of prayer!

"Every Day is Manna": A Tribute to My Aunt Angie, Faithful Wife, Mother and Missionary

Jonathan wrote a tribute to his Aunt Angie on Sunday morning. She stepped into the presence of her King Jesus later that evening surrounded by all of her children and most of her grandchildren. Today our thoughts and prayers are with our family and friends who celebrate Aunt Angie's life at her memorial service in Entrican, Michigan.

I can still remember when I heard the news. The world was reeling in shock over the sudden death of famed actress Carrie Fisher, lauded primarily for her iconic role in the Star Wars saga. I was reeling myself as well, but not for the same reason. The news that was weighing on my heart like a gunny sack of rocks was the diagnosis received by my Aunt Angie around the same time, the kind of diagnosis that all of us would tremble to hear: terminal brain cancer. The contrast between the tragic reports of what had befallen these two women could not have been more striking. Carrie Fisher mourned by millions around the world; my Aunt Angie by a circle of people much smaller and more geographically confined. Through the films that she made, Carrie Fisher will continue to live on for generations to come in the hearts and minds of those who never met her; Aunt Angie will also be remembered, but only by those who had the privilege of knowing her personally. The first will forever be enshrined in the annals of cinematic history; the second will perhaps be forgotten, as most of us will be, after a relatively short amount of time.

Time. We act as though it belongs to us by right. But it does not, as we should know this by now. Is it not strange that after millenia of observing human death, that dark specter that eventually comes for us all, we continue to be surprised when it occurs? I can recall the headlines, the blogs, the Facebook status updates when Carrie Fisher passed, people from countries around the world and in multiple languages expressing shock and dismay. It might be comedic if it were not so tragic. From the dawn of time, no human being — none! — has ever been exempted from having to walk through the valley of the shadow of death. And yet we are shocked when one more does so. There is a word for this, the apostle James called it “arrogance”: “What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes…. As it is you boast in your arrogance” (Js. 4:14, 16). None of us is guaranteed tomorrow, nor even today for that matter. Every day is a gift. Every day is grace. Or, as my Aunt Angie put it, “every day is manna”.

This is why she did not use the daily bread that fell to her lot for her own selfish ambition or benefit, but broke it and gave it away with selfless abandon and generosity. You see, Aunt Angie was a life-long missionary in Mexico. For the majority of her days on earth, she worked tirelessly at the side of her husband — my Uncle Dick — to bring the bread of life to the spiritually starving. Countless lives have been strengthened, nourished, and saved from eternal death as the result. Like the Savior whom she loved so dearly, she was a seed that fell into the earth and died so that it could bear much fruit. Her faithful labor in the fields of the Lord is now reaping a harvest that only the storehouses of eternity will be able to contain. When she departs this life to be welcomed into the presence of God, she will not have wowed many eyes with big-screen glim and glamor, but she will have fed many hearts and souls with the food that lead to eternal life. We do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. For Aunt Angie, this was not an abstract notion, but an urgent question of life and death. For her, every day was manna, and she lived to share her portion so that others might live.

The value of a life cannot be measured by the status that it attains. That which looms large in the eyes of the world appears small in the eyes of the God who has chosen the weak and foolish things of the world to shame the strong and the wise. If the cross of Jesus Christ has turned everything on its head — making the first last and the last first, making the great insignificant and the insignificant great, making the famous anonymous and the anonymous famous — then Aunt Angie is a superstar in the kingdom of God. To be sure, her passing, likely at this point to be a matter of only a few more ticks of the clock, will not receive so much as a passing mention in the world’s newspapers and mass-media outlets, but how precious will it be in the sight of the Lord! Her absence from the earth will not be mourned by millions of people around the world, but her entrance into glory will be celebrated by the innumerable hosts of heaven with deafening shouts of joy and raucous songs of victory. Her sacrificial deeds in the service of the gospel may be forgotten a hundred years from now, but they will endure for all eternity in the lives of the people who were saved through her faithful witness, luminous example, and loving care. Few will be those who visit her grave, but many will be those who meet her in the place specially prepared for her by Jesus himself.

Speaking personally, I cannot begin to articulate the impact that Aunt Angie has had on my own life. I regret not having had more time to be around her, moments which were few and far between. Yet through their regular prayer letters from the frontlines in Mexico and the frequent reports of family members, I was both humbled and convicted, encouraged and challenged, to pursue a life and ministry of greater faithfulness and fruitfulness of my own. I will never forget the time when I heard that she and Uncle Dick were moving, at a not so tender age and after having completed a successful ministry of many years in one part of Mexico, to another city in order to begin a new church-planting work. Whereas most people at that stage of life would have been looking to retire to some comfortable spot to fritter away the rest of their years, Uncle Dick and Aunt Angie were resolutely determined to use their remaining time in the continued service of their Lord and Savior who had first called them to missionary work and who had evidently not yet released them from it. My great hope and prayer is that I will live up to their example and carry forward the torch that Aunt Angie is soon to lay down.

I regret that I am not able to take leave of my own missionary work in order to return home and express these thoughts to Aunt Angie and the family in person. I also regret that I will not be present for the funeral and memorial service. Yet I have no doubt that Uncle Dick and Aunt Angie, who themselves have faithfully supported our family’s ministry in Italy for many years, would have it no other way. As much as I would like to be there, I believe that I can honor Aunt Angie’s example best by continuing to do the work to which God has called me. She will soon be taking her place among the great cloud of witnesses that has gone before, and I know that she will be cheering me on. I look forward to the day when all things are made new, and I will see her once again, resurrected and radiant, and finally have the opportunity to thank her for her life of faithful service. I am sure, however, that I will need to wait quite a long time when I get there, since the line of people wanting to do the same will no doubt be very long!

But for now, I can only write this little tribute in her honor. Aunt Angie has fought the good fight. She has finished the race, and she has kept the faith. Now there is laid up for her a crown of righteousness which she will receive as she hears the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your master.”

Update: Aunt Angie passed away this evening, 30 April 2017, around 8:00 pm EST. She is now free of pain and full of joy in the presence of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Please pray for the many family members and friends who will be grieving her loss in the coming days, weeks, months, and years.