Casa Isonzo

One Thousand Gifts

2012-01-19T10:36:00.001+01:00

For Christmas, I received from Jonathan, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, by Ann Voskamp. It was a book that I have been wanting to read for a year, but was waiting to get it in book form instead of on the Kindle. I had heard it was a book I would want to read over and over again. After reading it, I would agree. One reason being, I felt there was so much to absorb and take in. It is written in a poetic style that requires much concentration and contemplation as to what she is even trying to say at times. For some, that style of writing might be a huge turn off and distraction, but for me I found it beautiful and inspiring.

Ann uses the book to tell her testimony and how the act of thanksgiving and intentional gratitude has transformed her life and her relationship with God, providing a way of seeing ALL as grace and thus allowing her to fully live. She takes you on a journey through her pain, trials, questioning and discovery of the joy that is found in Christ. I appreciate how she didn't just leave the challenge to list our gratitude for His graces, but to then BE grace to those around you. "A life contemplating the blessings of Christ becomes a life acting the love of Christ" (p.184). And "to give the thanks away. That thanks-giving might literally become thanks-living" (p. 192). "

This year I am taking the 2012 Joy Dare Challenge of listing 1,000 gifts and moments of graces in my life. Praying that I may learn to see more of Christ through the messy, mundane and every day moments of life.

FOR ALL IS GRACE!!

Sur.viv.al

2012-01-19T09:43:00.000+01:00

Sur.viv.al: The act or fact of surviving, especially under adverse or unusual circumstances.

Being in "survival mode" is really a place I don't like to find myself. That feeling of sometimes just barely getting by is draining. However, for the past two weeks that is where we have been as a family. I have not had the strength to keep up with more than the bare minimum to keep our home functioning. I have handed off nearly every task as a mother and homemaker to my husband. He has worn so many hats these past couple of weeks, and has done so with joy as he has selflessly served me, our kids and our King. Our love and appreciation for each other has certainly grown through this recent trial! Did I mention that not only has he had to care for me, but two kids who had the flu during this time as well?

I am making progress in my recovery, even if it is frustratingly slow. Sometimes it is two steps forward and one step back. As is the case for me today. I went to the grocery store yesterday and made dinner last night, and today I am feeling the strain and toll those tasks took of my body.

In the forced quiet and rest of these past weeks, I have been learning so much. I have seen and marveled at God's grace over and over again. I have been broken and strengthened in my weakness. Resting in Him I have found joy and peace. I have wrestled with fear and the what if's of my own body's frailty, and have had to cast those constantly before the Lord. I have struggled with feelings of worth, only to have the Spirit reveal to me that I was putting my feeling of worth and value in the things I can accomplish, rather than in my Creator and who I am in Him. I have had lots of reading time and have been challenged and convicted deeply. This has not been wasted time for me, even though it may be tempting to think so when I have spent more time sunk into the cushions of the couch than I wish to acknowledge.

God is working and right now he has chosen to do as I am wholely drained of all physical strength, making me wholely dependant on His strength. I am thankful for this trial and pray that He will be glorified and His name lifted high as a result.

His Protection

2012-01-09T10:51:00.001+01:00

Our Christmas vacation ended with quite an unexpected bang, of sorts. I had three blog posts I was hoping to get written before the weekend, but my delay can be explained by the following happenings in our household...

I woke up Thursday morning around 5am with some extreme itching. I felt like I had gotten bit in several spots, so got up to put some anti-itch cream on. I returned to a light sleep before feeling as though I was getting bit again. I got out of bed at that point, not wanting to continue to be live bait for some happy little creature. The itching subsided and I had no more issues apart from still seeing a couple of red spots on my stomach and arms.

Later that afternoon, for our family fun day we headed to the Egyptian museum in Torino (post to come). I started to feel itchy again after getting in the car but had forgotten to bring the anti-itch cream. I thought, oh well, I am sure I will survive a few hours. The itching kept getting worse and I would rub and scratch only feeling slightly gratified by the relief that would provide. We continued on and I tried to enjoy the museum but was completely distracted by the growing discomfort. Thankfully it was a small museum!

When we got back to the car I lifted up my shirt only to discover welts and redness across my entire torso, front and back, and arms. Something was not right! We stopped at the pharmacy on the way home and got a mega anti-histamine. The pharmasist was convinced my reaction was not from a bug, but rather a food or contact allergy. Nothing changed in my diet, so I knew it was not that. I had to then think back over 24 hours previously when I used a sample liquid talc I received from a store. That was the only thing different and I am convinced the cause of my allergic reaction.

I nearly cried when I got home seeing my body covered in hives, but not much time to dwell on that with dinner that must be gotten out and a family to be cared for. The drugs started to kick in after dinner in which I started to feel pretty groggy, but unable to sleep because of the pain still. A baking soda bath was taken and finally around midnight I was able to doze off and get some good sleep.

The itching did not return and just some slight skin discoloration remained when I woke up. I took my second dose upon waking up in the morning as instructed by the pharmasist and was back in bed two hours later sleeping. After lunch I started to feel some chest pain and pressure, almost like I had a piece of food in my esophogus that I could not swallow. I felt completely lethargic, struggled to put thoughts together and just not all there. I decided I would not take my 3rd dose in the evening but rather when I went to bed that night. After eating dinner I started to get severe chest pain and felt nauseous. The sweating followed and when I got up to go to the bathroom my world started to spin and turn black and it was hard to breathe. Apparently my lips were blue and face ashen. I called Jonathan and told him to call emergency. He was giving them our address when I started to pull out of it. I never completely lost consciousness, thankfully. I started to recover and he decided to bring me in himself.

So pajama adorned and kids in tow, we headed to the "guarda medica" here in town. We figured best to go locally before having to drive the distance to an ER. The doctor on call there is equipped to handlle some basic non-emergency medical care. She checked me out and although my blood pressure was still low, everything else was okay after experiencing anaphylactic shock. She took me off the drug I had and gave me a cortezone shot to continue the treatment for my allergic skin reaction, which had not reappeared since the previous night.

I am so thankful for the Lord's protection over me. For the strength given to Jonathan and the kids when seeing Mamma not feeling well. His grace is always sufficient and all glory is given to Him in the good and hard experiences of life. It is Monday, and I am still experiencing weakness and not 100% yet. The hives are gone, but the body is still recovering internally I guess from these 2 back to back allergic reactions.

I know that was a long post, but I wanted to write it out so I can look back and be reminded of God's protection and watchcare over our family.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-31T12:05:00.000+01:00

...the little ones slept in by our standards, with the last one rolling out of bed at 8:00am. We began our morning by concluding our readings of the Jesse Tree Advent and the Noel Piper Advent Calendars.

Then before digging into stockings and presents we wanted to give some special gifts to those who may not even have food to eat or a warm home on Christmas day. The kids enjoyed chosing gifts of chickens, blankets and Bibles for people in Asia. We chose to give through the Gospel for Asia organization and pray that these seemingly small gifts would be an enormous blessing to those in physical and spiritual need.

Presents were opened with sheer delight and we enjoyed watching the faces and reactions on the kids faces. (Far too many pictures to filter through, as I think there is a photo of each gift they opened. To family: if you want to see any of them, let me know.)

Luca has a crazy face, I know, but it was the clearest picture that I got of them

We enjoyed our traditional Christmas morning cinnamon rolls.

Then began lunch preparations. We had our colleague, Melissa, over for lunch and the remainder of the day. It was a very relaxing and enjoyable afternoon, but this mamma started to hit a wall by late afternoon. We also enjoyed a weekend full of skype chats with family around the world. So thankful for technology and the ability to see our precious family members! It took several days to kind of catch up, but that is what vacation time is for. Nothing major went on this week and nothing major is planned for New Years. We have our fireworks ready and the kids are looking forward to staying up until midnight playing games and watching movies. We'll see if they last.

Happy New Year everyone! Thanks for tracking with our family in 2011!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-27T14:50:00.000+01:00

A very busy week for us leading up to Christmas. Just one of those weeks where you find yourself up on your feet from morning 'til night. But, hey at least I WAS up on my feet with no illness...a huge point of praise! I made 375 cookies in one day during the middle of the week for the outreach and our neighbors. As a family we made a visit on Thursday night to one of Jonathan's close friends, who is struggling financially, to deliver a food basket to him. After that I got my birthday dinner in at a Chinese restaurant.

Saturday we made our annual delivery of cookies and calendars to our neighbors. Such a simple thing that requires a little advance planning, but that really says so much. Our neighbors are always taken a back by the gesture. One elderly woman invited us up for a coffee and we enjoyed our time with her and she more so. She said she would always remember the gift and act of kindness. Praying these traditions will also speak greatly to the hearts of our children as well.

We hosted our home group meeting over Christmas Eve dinner. Then we went out for the first time since living in our fraction of town to visit the live nativity. It is an annual event that takes place just around the corner. We wanted to go out last year, but it got cancelled due to rain and I'm pretty sure the years previous we were sick or something. So glad we made it this year!

It was really a fun walk through Bethlehem with various stalls throughout the street leading up to the parking lot where the kids' school is and local church. Many of Samuel's classmates were participating in the reinactments so there were many greetings to be made along the route.

Getting a slab of freshly curned butter, that was as thick as the bread. Loved the free samples!

Samuel and Emma with a schoolmate at the bakery

Wood cutters at the carpenter shop

The stable and manger. Baby Jesus gets placed in the manger at midnight, followed by Mass.

Our kids and Nathan posing for a photo op

Shepherds were watching over their sheep

They even created a pond with live fish

The desert where the wiseman lived (no camels)

Warming up over the many open fires

I think I forsee a new family Christmas tradition. Three late nights in a row and hoping the excitement for Christmas morning would not awake anyone too early...

Christmas Outreach

2011-12-27T11:38:00.000+01:00

Thank you to everyone who receives our newsletters, and who knew to be praying for our recent outreach event. This was, for us, a late addition to our holiday season of activities. The initiative was taken by those within our group to request the participation from the children's group, reserve the theater and distribute over 500 flyers at local schools and shops for this event. We are so thankful for the willingness of the workers and performers from our mother church in Torino to add this second performance to their schedule. It was afterall the 23rd and the first day of vacation for the children, and yet a full participation was given.

This was a first for us in Caselle, so we really had no idea how this was going to go over or how many to expect. We did discover that that same night was the live nativity followed by Mass in Caselle. We had many say they would like to come but that they were going to Mass that night. Definitely a schedule conflict we want to avoid for next year! The theater holds 140 and to give a rough estimate, we would say it was about 80% full. It was a great facility and a place we will keep in mind for future events, considering it was a free rental to us as an association. Many from the church in Torino were present, however, we were thankful to see a handful of new family faces from the community. Please continue to pray as we try to faithfully make our evangelical presense know to our community through love, service and sharing of the Good News.

A very much before shot of the atrium area where we had two tables of food and one for gifts for all who attended: Scripture calendars, candles, balloons, panetone from Compassion and a Manga booklet of the story of the Messiah. The ladies of our church provided all the food--and there was plenty of it! I failed to get any during the event shots, as my hands were completely occupied pouring drinks and blowing up balloons to give to very anxious recipients.

Waiting for the program to start and the arrival of more people.

"Jesus-the only Savior"

Jonathan was able to give a 5-minute presentation of the gospel at the end of the program. He did a great job tying together the pieces from what was presented in the program and making clear the reason and importance of celebrating Christmas. Again...no picture of him as I got up to catch a new family as they were leaving and then to ready the refreshment tables. Our kids jumped right in to serve along Mamma and hand out balloons. They did a great job! By the end of the night they were shot--we all were. Thankful for the night and most of all for our Savior who gives us His great message of hope, love and peace!

All in a Week

2011-12-18T15:16:00.000+01:00

We started off this past week just a wee bit on the tired side, but with the busy week ahead we couldn't afford to dwell on the fact. Emma was pretty well layed up on the couch all throughout last weekend. We sent her to school on Monday and she seemed to be hold up great for the morning so sent her back for the afternoon. She did, however, get sick two separate nights this week. I had my last class of English for the fall trimester and I am quite looking forward to a little break. All my students are returning for the winter trimester, so I guess that is a good sign.

After Monday, it was party prep for Jonathan's English students who were coming over to our house on Wednesday. Between baking and cleaning it was a full couple of days. All the while I just kept praying no one else would get sick. My tiredness kept playing tricks on me as waves of uckiness would come and go. We made it to Wednesday night and it was a lovely evening with 11 of Jonathan's students. Not all came due to illness. The kids were quite interactive and chatty and it is always fun to see them in "Italian mode" in our home. Samuel and Emma even willingly obliged them to a mini piano concert.

I saw this idea and knew it must be made! My rosemary bush, turning tree, needed a trim anyway.

The students lavishly showered us with an enormous gift basket again this year. They brought cakes, plants, chocolates and warm embraces. After 3 years of teaching most of the same students, you can really see the students' respect and appreciation for Jonathan. I enjoy having my moments of interaction with them as well at least twice a year with these parties in our home.

Loving my gorgeous Bicajoux plant!

Please continue to pray for these friends and that they will come to put their faith in Christ. We gave them each a scripture calendar to take home and pray they will read them.

After Wednesday, it was recooperate time for me. Or at least that is what I was hoping for...

...However, Luca came down with the stomach flu on Thursday night. Unlike Emma he started to get sick at 8:00pm so we had a few hours jump start on the 15 minute rushes to the bathroom. It still warranted another night of sleeping on the couch so that is where I woke up on my birthday morning. Samuel, bless his heart, woke up on his own at 6:30am because he wanted to make me breakfast in bed. He was SO upset I was on the couch when he came down. I told him he could still make me breakfast and that I would be very happy to eat it on the couch--after 7am! He seemed to finally understand that it was not my choice to be sleeping on the couch at that moment in time. When dad woke up, he helped Samuel and Emma fix me my favorite: fresh persimmon, yogurt and granola and a HUGE cup of coffee.

I made the grain free chocolate coconut cake and the kids decorated it.

Obviously, the birthday celebrations have been postponed. I did enjoy some gifts and cake and lots of phone and skype chats with family. It was just one of those years and nothing you can do about it. I still felt special and honored even with the unglamorous job of cleaning up after and caring for a sick child. God has given me so very much and I am so thankful for each breath of life!

So for the third week in a row I have missed church. The kids and I worked through Act 2 of the Christmas story for our church time today.

Shepherd

Angel

Luca is doing much better but still recovering and it is most noticeable in his emotional reactions to his siblings and small intake of food. When he gets energy he exerts it and then he will just crash. He wasn't desirous of dressing up today, but maybe we can convince him to be a shepherd with Samuel come next weekend. He layed down for a nap this afternoon and immediately went to sleep. Here is to praying that no one else gets this stomach flu one week from now over the Christmas weekend.

Vacation Days

2011-12-09T12:32:00.000+01:00

The kids currently have a 4-day weekend due to the celebration of the Emmaculate Conception holiday on December 8th. I've been trying to keep the kids busy with crafts and giving them special projects to work on. The kids really want to help wrap Christmas presents, but that is just not an option considering all the gifts on hand are for them. We found a compromise in which I would wrap the gifts in paper and they could help top them with bows and tags. Luca and Emma enjoyed making pom-poms.

I suggested to them a few days ago that they should work together to put on a Christmas play for us. I told them to read Luke 2 and think of how they could retell the story. After rest time yesterday I heard them still playing upstairs and moving chairs around. I went up to investigae and this is what I found.

I could not help but laugh outloud! They creatively solved the problem of making a manger out of chairs and the Batman-Jesus was just too much. Samuel had his blanket wrapped around his shoulders declaring he was Caesar. I just had to join them in the fun, so I stepped in and helped with costume design and this is what we came up with for Act 1.

Caesar Augustus

Mary

Joseph and Mary

Bed sheet, rosemary, scarfs, mamma's dress, dada's undershirt, scraps of fabric, head bands and paint mixing stick pulled off the convincing cast of characters.

That was yesterday and this is today...

Emma woke up at midnight vomitting. She was running to the bathroom every 15-20 minutes all night. She and I camped out on the couch with small short intervals of dozing. At 5:30 Jonathan came to send me back to bed and continued the shift of insomnia. The 3 of us are completely exhausted today. The fatigue from lack of sleep is making us feel pretty whoosey. The intestinal flu has been running it's course through the schools. I should not be surprised Emma got sick considering two kids threw up in her class on Wednesday and at least one from Samuel's class went home sick too. If we fall off the radar for a few days you can probably conclude we are enduring a cycle of the flu in our home. Prayers for added strength and healing would be appreciated!

Family Pictures

2011-12-08T14:59:00.000+01:00

Merry Christmas (almost)!

Jonathan was gone for a 3-day conference last week, so to provide some distraction I got the kids dressed to take some Christmas pictures. They were very enthusiastic on round 1.

Round 2, came today when we included us parents to the mix. They were way less than enthusiastic with much complaining and tears, but at least there are a few reasonably good shots (all with the self timer). I guess that was not on their list of "fun" activities to do for their day off of school. Family pictures are painful! I keep thinking they will get better as the years progress. Maybe one day!

Book Reading

2011-12-04T16:05:00.000+01:00

What happened to my book of the month postings? Um ya, well that goal obviously was not fulfilled over the past few months. Never fear though, I am still reading just more like at a snails pace. Since my last book of the month posting in June, I have completed 3 books. I just never got around to writing a review about them. So here goes before 2011 comes to an end.

Real Food by Nina Plank

A book that started us on our family food revolution. All thanks to my brother and sister-in-law! I started to read this in the spring and was quickly convinced and challenged to consider what and why we eat the things we do. I was more than thrilled to learn that butter and whole milk are great things to eat, and that whole milk actually helps curb those sugar cravings. All vegetable oils have cleared our shelves, along with any processed treats for the kids. There is a lot of science behind Plank's writings and it was a real eye opener for me in so many ways. Being raised in a family where everything is made from scratch is a super helpful foundation and so most transitions weren't so bizzar to incorporate in to our family routine and diet...

...that is until Jonathan got a hold of the book by Mark Sisson called Primal Blueprint this past June. (sidenote: for both of these books you have to skip over their ideas of the whole evolving human stuff and just consider the logic and science of the eating habits promoted). I have not fully read the Primal Blueprint, but rather some select chapters. Now, transitioning to a primal diet was way more of a leap and struggle for me! Jonathan's 30-day primal challenge (meat, veggies, fruit, nuts, seeds and some dairy) left him feeling the best he has ever felt and there was no turning back. Full of energy with no sluggishness in the mornings, no sicknesses, a better flow of things, weight loss while eating even more than before, food tastes better, more balance with no highs and lows from sugar or lectin spikes etc. He was convinced, and so began my personal challenge to join him. A grain-free diet is now how Jonathan and I prefer to eat. I try in general to provide less grains for the kids too, but not a complete elimination. Not saying we have arrived on this journey or find ourselves thinking we are in someway above those that eat differently. This is just something where we have seen signficant changes for the better in our own lives. You might think we are nuts, but a 30-day challenge to yourself might just convince you as well. :) So we have had a lot of new ideas and things to "chew" on the past six months.

For Women Only: What You Need to Know about the Inner Lives of Men by Shaunti Feldhahn

This was an easy and quick read. Insightful observations about men and their general thought processes and how our reactions as women are interpreted. The book provided some good discussion points between Jonathan and I. I guess you would have to read her other book For Men Only, to see all pieces of how a healthy marriage is encouraged and generated from both sides. For me there was nothing totally shockingly new in this book, but some great reminders about some areas I had forgotten about. I did read this during the summer too, so my memory is a bit foggy of my initial impressions.

The Mission of Motherhood: Touching Your Child's Heart for Eternity by Sally Clarkson

A wonderful encouraging and inspiring book on motherhood. A very practical book on how to serve and minister to your children, always with the intent of directing your children to God. I was challenged by this quote "It's the way I respond to my children in everyday moments that gives me the best chance of winning their hearts. If I have integrity and patience in the small moments of life that are so important to my children, and if I approach them with a servants heart, then I have a far better chance of influencing them in the larger and more critical issues of life." It is the little moments in life, those everyday moments that I often forget the importance of. How taking time out to cut a paper, admire a drawing, fasten a coat, respond in gentleness, tell a story, all mean so much to a little heart. "When we are joyful and see each minute with our children as an opportunity to worship God through our service of him, our children sense our joy and feel secure and happy." I appreciate that she has written discussion questions with scripture references to work through at the end of each chapter. Definitely a good read.

Another First

2011-11-15T14:52:00.001+01:00

Yesterday Luca lost his very first tooth! Kind of makes me sad to see my little baby not so little any more. He eats at least one apple a day, so the past few weeks his apple eating has been done with great caution. As I was watching him eat his apple at lunch his tooth kept flipping forward indicating it was hanging on my a thread. I told him I needed to pull it or else he was going to swallow it. He agreed (probably having no idea what I was about to do). One little tug and it was out. He was delighted but a little surprised by the blood. No worries--he is a tough kid. Now we have to get used to him speaking with a much greater lisp until he adjusts to the new change in his mouth.

Luca - 5 years and 7 months

After lunch he put his tooth in a bag and said he "had to go lay down in bed now, so I can get money from the tooth fairy." His two siblings informed him that she only come at night "like around midnight when you are sleeping." And yea, for the tooth fairy remembering to drop in last night.

Piano Lessons

2011-11-13T15:28:00.000+01:00

Cultivating skills in our children that will serve them the rest of their lives is of great importance to us as parents. Granted we may not necessarily have a plethora of opportunities available to our children in this culture, but there are many things in which are and must be taught from the home. For example, how to be a hospitable host and serve others within our home. How to be a gracious guest and engage in meaningful conversation with adults and peers. Encouraging reading both individually and together as a family. Providing cultural experiences through travel, museums and interactions with different cultures. All those things on top of our greatest emphasis and desire for them to know, love, and serve Christ. The list goes on and will continue to grow as we are contstantly learning as parents, and see the unique talents and interests develop in each of our children.

All that to say, we have enrolled Samuel and Emma in piano lessons to provide them with a basic knowledge and experience in music. With the musical talent given to their father and the continual prescence of music in our home on a daily basis, we hope this will be a launching point for them to develop musically, whether they stick with piano or specialize in another instrument.

We have been talking about this venture for a while now. The big problem being we did not have a piano! We inquired about lessons from the music association here in Leinì and got the kids signed up even before we had the piano. We are so grateful for the Lord's provision to be able to purchase our first digital piano. And the kids (so far, after 2 lessons) are very excited about it all.

The music school is on the upper level of the red building located in the main piazza of town.

The first lesson the kids did together. However, they now are having separate half-hour lessons each. They like their maestro, Mauro.

We had to shuffle around the living room to make room for the piano. Poor Mac was so discombobulated each time we moved his house, but I think we have found the ideal solution--until we need to make room for the Christmas tree. :)

And as a side note, Jonathan too is taking classical guitar lessons from the same school. I find it hard to believe that he NEVER has taken a guitar lesson in his life! What did I say about God given talent?! The lessons are two-fold in wanting to learn a new technique and style (he loves a challenge) and also so he can get his foot in the door with the music community. We pray that through special events for the kids and future opportunities we might make a new circle of contacts in our community.

Here is a video I got away with taking only because it was their first lesson and possibly the only one I will get to. Jonathan takes the kids as I need to have dinner ready to go when they arrive home at 6:15 so Jonathan can be out the door again an hour later for English on Wednesday nights. Not really ideal to add to his marathon Wednesdays, but it was the only opening available. I guess beggers can't be choosers!

The BEST Ever

2011-11-05T15:15:00.001+01:00

Just to give you a recap on Emma's birthday celebrations, I think it was best summarized as "the BEST". It is pretty darn exciting to turn 7 years old and she was tickled about every little thing. I can't tell you how many times we heard her say "this is the BEST ever!" It was definitely fun to celebrate with her.

She took candies with her to school to pass out to her friends, which was a huge deal for her. Last year she didn't want anyone to know it was her birthday as she would rather not attract attention to herself. Glad her friends could join in with her at school. After school we headed out to lunch at Old Wild West.

Don't mind the peanuts sticking out of her mouth

Then it was off to the surprise mystery store to pick out a couple of presents. When she saw it was Decathalon, she let out a squeal of delight--knowing what we were probably there to get. She has been wanting a pair of rollerblades for a long time.

Thank you Munga and Gramma for the new blades and Dada and Mamma for the protective gear.

Roller Derby anyone?

We came home and started to answer calls from the US. She was quite giddy and excited to talk to everyone who called. Thanks so much dear family for making her day extra special!! She opened a couple more gifts and then awaited her birthday dinner.

Emma's menu request was teriyaki chicken, smashed potatoes and peas. Her favorite part is to mix all three of those items together, making her own shephard's pie of sorts. Apparently, that is THE BEST way to eat it.

And finally....cake time!

Guinea Pig Cake

She will tell you that it kind of looks like Mac, except Mac only has one patch around his eye. But she didn't want a "Mac" cake anyway because she is a girl, thus the pink bow to make it a girly cake. She was beyond excited to eat the cake and as you might have guessed, it was THE BEST cake ever!

It has been raining here since Thursday with no sign of it letting up for another week. She really wanted to try her new blades out on the bike path, but that is not going to happen anytime soon. So this morning I did some garage cleaning to create space for her to practice her skating. Yeah, for a garage!

More celebrations to come...

Happy Birthday Emma

2011-11-04T11:11:00.000+01:00

Our precious, Emma Patryce, today you turn 7 years old. It was just a short time ago that you arrived as a teeny tiny bundle, bringing us so much joy.

You are growing up far too quickly, but it is such a delight to see you growing and developing into a gifted and talented little girl using your God given gifts. You have an acute ear, always listening and taking in what you hear around you and holding us to our word because "we said." Your creativity amazes us! You are always taking nothing and making it into something. You have the vision to see beauty and art in the simplest of things.

Your smile lights up a room.

You love animals and especially stories about them. I cannot escape tucking you into bed each night without you asking me to tell you a "PG story" (PG = piccolo genio [little genius] who is a guinea pig). You are most gracious as the stories are often lacking creativity from your tired mamma's mind. You delight in the fact that it is a special story for you and that makes you feel loved.

Our prayer for you is that you will grow in the knowledge and wisdom of God. That you will love, obey and serve Him with all of your heart. That your gifts and talents will be used to bring glory to Him and be a blessing to those around you. We love you so very much Mems...with all our hearts!!

Happy 7th Birthday Sweetheart!

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T23:18:00.001+01:00

We got the last of the "Halloween Pumpkins" at the supermarket on Saturday. The stickers made us laugh. On the backside of the pumpkin there was another sticker with instructions on how to carve the pumpkin using the stickers. Too funny, but what can you expect from a culture that has only recently started to celebrate the holiday. The kids got free cotton candy at the grocery store in anticipation of the holiday. Luca loved it, and Samuel and Emma were not impressed as you can see from their faces.

We liked our silly face better

Happy Halloween from Italy!

Sweet Aroma=Sweet Memories

2011-10-27T17:28:00.000+02:00

While on a morning date with Jonathan we stopped in several stores in Caselle. First of all you know you are on a date, when that includes perusing a yarn store, candle store and florist shop with the hubs! The owners of the florist shop attend Jonathan's English class and as we were walking past we decided to just stop in and say "hi." I have to tell you it has been a long time since the smell of something brought out such deep emotion. The owners gave us a tour of their work area and cooler room and immediately I was taken back to my days of working for my dad on the farm packing flowers. It delighted my heart to be there at that moment. Such familiarity and appreciation for what they do. I told the owner how much it made me think of my dad and grandpa all the while fighting back unexpected emotion and tears. It took me by surprise. It is amazing what a scent can do to congure up memories! As we were walking out of the store Enzio gave me this beautiful rose. A simple thing that made me smile today (apart from spending some great quality time together with my love).

Pumpkins of unusual size

2011-10-27T16:52:00.000+02:00

A friend gave us this pumpkin last night, that he recieved from his neighbor's garden. I am curious as to the variety of this pumpkin. Anyone want to gander a guess? I guess we will be eating roasted pumpkin for a while with absolutely NO complaints from us!

Chestnut Picking

2011-10-16T20:37:00.000+02:00

Truly, fall must be the hardest time of the year to be distanced from living life in the US (apart from Christmas Day of course!) There are so many unique traditional fall activities, that just make things feel like fall. Know what I mean? Thinking back to all the fun fall activities as a child that included: pumpkin farms, apple orchards, hay rides, leaf pile jumping, trick or treating, pumpkin carving, apple cider, bonfires, and concluding with Thanksgiving and in there absense has made us a bit nostalgic this year. To be honest, it really has been Jonathan feeling the nostalgia more heavily. He has taken it upon himself to find our own fall traditions here in Italy. With his driving urge to just "pick" something, we started looking into a good place where we could pick chestnuts, since that seems to be the thing here in northern Italy.

Chestnut trees hold a long tradition of importance in the Italian culture and cuisine. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire (in the US) are most likely largely imported from Italy. They are a delicious nut, but do require some work and effort to get to the point of enjoyment--as we are finding out. The chestnut tree is also referred to as the "bread tree" here in the mountaneous regions of Italy because the grinding of the chestnuts into flour was often substituted in the absense of grain flour. There are many regional dishes using chestnuts that I am anxious to test out.

So back to our Italian fall adventure...we drove out to Giaveno yesterday because a friend of a friend recommended a grove of trees in that area that was not on private property. It was a cool fall day that concluded with some sunshine, making our chestnut picking day picture perfect. We set off on our adventure well equipped with bags and rubber gloves, to protect our hands from the prickly chestnut casings. The kids were troopers and did not complain ONCE in our 2-hour wooded excursion. After getting pricked just once myself, I thought maybe this wasn't going to be enjoyed by the kids. Those spines were like needles--man they hurt and we are still digging out fine splinters as a result! Everyone had a fabulous time nonetheless and all agree this needs to be our family fall tradition. Thank you Lord, for providing something to ease our longing for home and allow us to enjoy your creation together as a family!

Giaveno, everytime we go there we wish we could have lived there. It is such a beautiful town and area right at the base of the mountains.

Walking through some farm fields to reach our destination

Chestnuts were everywhere!

The trick was to find the ones that were already starting to explode open.

The kids would find the ones open and Jonathan would break out the nuts to put in the bag.

A dangerous weapon

Acorns too were everywhere

An impossible job without those gloves

Trekking up the hillside and digging through leaves

A 10 for form

So much fun to be had with just sticks

After our time in the woods we stopped by our colleague's house for some coffee and popcorn. Bea was happy for the company and attention too.

Konked out from all that hard work

15 lbs. of chestnuts! We'll be roasting and experimenting with chestnuts all winter long. And bonus is we saved more than 30 euros!

And we're off

2011-10-12T15:44:00.000+02:00

October is already well under way (before we know it it will be Christmas!) Oh, mamma mia--did I just say that?! Last week was our re:start-up week for ministry activities. We distributed flyers for our English classes and guitar club the week prior, but did not get much of a response for either. I heard back from 4 out of 9 students from last year wanting to continue the children's English course, but that was pretty much it. I didn't know what to expect come Monday afternoon. Sure enough though, they showed up in mass. I had 11 students for my first lesson. Two of them will transfer to the middle school class and those two spots have already been filled by others. This year instead of alternating weeks of teaching, I will teach the elementary students weekly and Catherine will teach the middle school students immediately following my class.

There is a vast difference between elementary and a middle schooler's focus and attention span. If you think of it, pray for much patience and stamina for me as I teach and try to maintain classroom control with 12 jittery students. As of week 2, Catherine is now simultaneously teaching 2 middle schoolers in the back room during my class, so it can be a lot to handle on my own.

Still no calls have come in for the adult beginner level 1 course. Really strange as there is usually a big interest. Maybe the time of the class is too early (7pm)? Who knows. It will however, cut down on Jonathan's marathon Wednesdays. He orginally planned to teach 2 English classes followed by the alternating weeks of guitar club and seeker Bible study. So as it stands he weekly teaches the level 2 beginner course at 8:00pm, followed by the study every other week. The guitar club may or may not get off the ground, I'll let you know.

Our first service of the fall went well on Sunday. We were small in number due to work, travel, sickness and a loss of one family who have decided to stay at the Torino church. We are dissapointed and pray that God will bring others to fill their spot who desire to serve and help in our church plant. The kids now remain in the worship service with us and did quite well with the change of structure. They each were given an activity sheet that was focused on the message. It seemed to hold their attention and teach them a few key points from the sermon. It will be nice now to have the back room reserved just for the toddlers.

Tonight is our first seeker Bible study. We are excited for this and the four individuals partcipating. I've got a light dinner/snack in the works to bring to the study tonight and am hosting another dinner tomorrow, so I best be getting back to the kitchen. Week two of our new norm is coming to a close and now that I am hitting my stride hopefully blogging will become more regular too. Thanks for checking in.

Visit from Munga & Gramma

2011-09-22T16:39:00.000+02:00

The long anticipated visit from Munga and Gramma from Michigan came and went all too quickly. Jonathan's parents came to visit from August 29 - September 15. It was a wonderful way to end our summer by spending some more quality time with family. The kids were non-stop chatter, thrilled to be sharing their antics and random facts with a new audience. There were countless rounds of GoFish that were played and Yahtzee entered our game rotation as well. Gramma brought crafts in tow, much to Emma's delight. We ate gelato, traveled, enjoyed just hanging out and benefited from a long list of Munga house repairs. Let me name the repairs: broken washing machine of 3.5 years was dismantled piece by piece to then get down our spiral staircase and out of the house, chest of drawers assembled to put in it's place, toy box hinges replaced, pictures hung in both kid rooms, cocking doors and windows to seal the drafts, broken clothes lined repaired and I'm sure there was more that I am forgeting. He loves a good project! Thank you Munga!

We took them to Lago Maggiore to visit the islands, which were lovely in the summertime. We also took a 3 day trip to Venice. It was a first for all of us. The city did not disappoint. The getting there...well that was a different story that will no doubt be emblazened in their memories. I have no way of choosing just a few select photos from these trips, so the below slideshow will give you a small glimpse and my attempt to narrow the selection down.

Jonathan and I were able to have a morning date in Venice to visit an art gallery, that most definitely would not have been enjoyed by the kids. Then we were treated to another date night out for dinner. Having family around is so great to be able to do these things that we don't usually get opportunity for. Thank you dad and mom! Oh, and having grandparents around when an ER run is needed is also a huge bonus. Our first ER run of the year was for Luca when he fell on the ground and split his chin open. After he fell, he got up and said he was fine. It was only about 8 minutes later that we noticed after Emma let out a blood curtling scream when she saw blood running down Luca's chest during their water balloon fight. No tears, no fuss from this high pain tolerant boy! Thankfully all he needed was some glue to seal it up.

So now we are back to life as usual. The summer has concluded, school has started, and we are gearing up for fall ministries to begin October 1st. It will be non-stop from now until summer 2012, when we return for our furlough and get to see lots more of our family then. Can't wait!

First Days of School

2011-09-22T15:16:00.000+02:00

With the fall, comes routine again. Which hopefully means, more regular posts from me too. I have a bit to catch you up on that is for sure.

First, comes the school update. We now have a 3rd grader, 2nd grader and "last year of preschooler". We thought school started on Monday, September 12th, but when we arrived at school all set to go there was no one there. Ooops! I guess we were the only ones who did not check the memo (i.e. sign on the school gate) that school was going to start on Tuesday. The reason being there was a festa here in our fraction of Leinì the 2nd-11th and the school grounds were overrun by stands and concert venue setup. Therefore, they needed Monday to clean up, which actually took them until Friday to complete. As a consequence of starting a day late, the kids had to make up for it on Saturday. That totally threw our week off mentally. But at least it was only half days all week.

Anyway, Samuel and Emma are doing great and are loving being back in school with their friends and teachers. Their entrance exams are being passed with flying colors and we are overjoyed by their excitement and desire to learn. Glad it is so easy to send them off to school.

Samuel and Emma come home for lunch each day at 12:30, and we so enjoy eating all 3 meals together as a family. Monday-Wednesday they have to return to school at 2:00 and then finish at 4:30. Thursday and Friday they are done at lunch time. I really like this schedule.

Luca attended his first day on Friday the 16th. With his grandparents still being in town at the time, we figured he could delay his start of the school year. He too is doing well and is more willingly using Italian and with greater ease. Praying for continued progress with that this year. He will again just be attending school half days. In the afternoons I am doing some homeschooling with him.

Samuel - Age 8

First Day of 3rd Grade

Emma - Age 6
First Day of 2nd Grade

Luca - Age 5

First Day of "Final Year of Scuola Materna"

School uniform shirts

Emma giving Maestra Chiara a super long hug. So long, I had time to

fish my camera out of my purse to snap a picture.

The teachers always have a parent meeting the first day of school. I went to Emma's class and Jonathan went to Samuel's. I did not get a chance to take any pictures in Samuel's class as their meeting finished before Emma's.

Website Launch

2011-08-23T12:02:00.000+02:00

This past spring Jonathan began to seriously consider launching a website in Italian. He was challenged and inspired by the writings on a blog called PleaseConvinceMe.com that defends the Christian faith. He didn't want to necessarily write his own material if there was already great material out there. He requested permission from Jim Warner and was granted permission to translate any and all of their materials into Italian. Actually, Jim was quite pleased and so gracious in communications with Jonathan.

This summer Jonathan has been working hard at translating articles. Some subjects are really stretching and growing his Italian vocabulary. So proud of his perseverance and rise to the challenge. We pray this website will encourage the Italian believers and also be beneficial to the skeptic, seeker or anyone who might stumble across the website. He is excited that he can track the amount of hits and see from where people have accessed it (facebook, internet search etc.) This will be an ongoing project for Jonathan and I know he would appreciate your prayers regarding the project.

The website is called Credo Perché (I believe Because). At the bottom of each article is a link back to the original one in English if you are interested in reading some of the material for yourself.

11 Years

2011-08-19T15:09:00.000+02:00

Happy Anniversary to Us!

It seems so long ago, and yet still feels like it was just yesterday that we said "I do". So thankful for these God given years together as husband and wife! It has been one amazing life filled with so much love, joy, blessing, grace, adventure and assurance that we were both hand picked for each other by our creator. Can't imagine walking this life with anyone else!

Family Visit pt. 2

2011-08-14T14:02:00.000+02:00

For those interested in hearing and seeing more of our time with Cody and Michelle, from their perspective go here.

Summer Evening Walks

2011-08-12T11:07:00.000+02:00

Family Visit

2011-08-05T17:12:00.003+02:00

At the start of the summer we had no idea that the Lord would allow and provide for a very special visit from Noella's brother, Cody and his wife Michelle. They too live on this side of the ocean so we were thrilled that they could make the "short" jont on over from Iraq. Although they were only here for 8 nights and 9 days, we made the most of every minute. Not too sure if they will return rested, but hopefully refreshed in spirit and encouraged. I know we were! I think we might just have to find a way to connect on the summers we are both here.

I so don't even know where to begin on this post. The pictures below will give you a glimpse of our time. The day after they arrived we drove down to Tuscany to stay two nights. We visited San Gimignano, Florence and Pisa. We stayed in apartments at Poggio Ubertini, the Evangelical camp where we were also at for a conference earlier in June. We did lots of walking, seeing great sights and eating gelato along the way.

We made and ate lots of amazing food together. Thanks to Michelle I now have homemade chicken broth stocked up in my freezer. Fun times cooking together in the kitchen and learning from each other. We made a great pair and I must say she is definitely the queen of dicing and how to make food stretch.

The kids were thrilled to have their uncle and aunt stay with us. They were introduced to the game Angry Birds, had lots of water fights and long walks together. They were sad to see them go.

We love you so much Cody and Michelle and are SO grateful for our time together! A visit we ALL needed! It's all about the memories....and we made some great ones!

In the rush of packing I forgot to get copies of their pictures, so don't be surprised if you see more pop up on the blog in the future. So without further ado, here is a snapshot of our time together.

Home Improvements

2011-07-21T16:01:00.000+02:00

Don't we all have house projects that get thought about and stared at for months, maybe even years before we actually get around to doing anything about it? I have my list and constant reminders for sure, but somehow more immediate and important things take presidence. However, the past two weeks I have been able to tackle some of those long desired projects.

Jonathan will be the first to admit he does not enjoy handyman work, but he does it when asked, for those tasks that are beyond my strength. I don't mind doing most household repairs. In a strange way it gives me great satisfaction to know I can unclog a sink, change a kitchen faucet, organize, maintain the yard etc. Maybe it is the farmer's daughter coming out in me. The summer months are the perfect time to work on home projects, especially considering we are only here every other summer. Jonathan has his enormous summer projects of translating apologetics articles, editing and mastering over 3 hours worth of original music, vision casting for our church and fall ministries and the list goes on. So with all that is on his plate, I did not bother to ask him for help in repainting the kids' bedrooms. As long as he ran me to the store that was enough for me.

With wall registers for heating and mold issues in the winter, the dingy white walls needed some help and repair in some places after four years. I painted the upstairs bathroom earlier in the summer. Emma wanted the color green, for the color of frogs (of course), and I obliged. The boys just needed a color to match dirt that would hide well any finger and feet smudges on the walls. The painting is done and everyone is pleased. That is all, except for my poor hands that are now quite displeased with me. Oh well, they'll recover. Now to hopefully get some inspiration on decorating the walls. Here are some after pictures...the true colors are a bit more vibrant in person, but you get the idea.

And some shelf making and organizing was done too along the way....

Adding the top shelf allows me to keep all our games in one place instead of in the closet and two containers under the bed.

Before...that upper wasted space was killing me.

After...that top shelf will be empty come cooler weather and return of comforters to the beds.

Okay...now I'm off to plan and prepare for two hosting engagements this weekend. Happy summer project time to all!

Zoom Torino

2011-07-15T15:16:00.000+02:00

Wednesday was a heavy day of thunderstorms in our area. We debated going grocery shopping on a warmer or cooler day, and finally opted for the cooler choice not only for our sakes in our A/C-less van, but for the groceries as well. Little did we think that we would arrive home drenched to the core. Wish I took a picture of us all--we were a soggy lot! We just chalked it up as our morning shower.

Thursday was a gorgeous morning with clear blue skies and clear view of the Alps. Needless to say the day after a heavy rain is a wonderful thing! We thought it was a good day to get out for some exploration. For our family fun day this week we decided to head to the Torino Zoom Park. It is the closest thing to a zoo here, but considered a biopark where the animals are in larger and natural surroundings. So you won't find anything caged. That means there are less animals to see, but you can definitely get closer look at the animals. You can even buy entrance too a beach and pool area where you can swim alongside penguins! Maybe next time we'll splurge for that. The pool was hidden from view so the kids didn't really pick up that there was one. Although maybe they wondered why everyone was walking around in their bathing suits.

Set and ready to see the animals!

Meerkats

Emma's favorite animal of the day, the pony.

Samuel's favorite animal of the day, the owl.

There was a show featuring birds that we saw. It was definitely our highlight of the day! The audience was in an amphitheater and they had a wide variety of birds that swept over the heads of the audience as they were called back and forth from their trainers. We saw several owls, hawks, eagles, crows and vultures. We were instructed to keep our food tucked away and purses close as some of the scavenger birds have stolen bags from the audience before. The show was amazing and very fun to watch birds catching food in the air. Watch the video clip below to see what I am talking about.

This guy landed right behind our heads on the wall. You literally had to duck as he flew over you.

Vulture

Learning about tigers while getting a better view from Dada's shoulders.

He just got out of his bath.

Bridge walk to see cranes, ducks, deer and monkeys.

Monkey island. (Love those clouds)

Luca's favorite animal..."the mammal." I think he got confused from his book "Is a Camel a Mammal?" He fed them leaves and loved to pet them.

I know this is a nature park, but really would this fence hold up to the weight of a camel if he really wanted to get over it?

No fear or intimidation in this boy!

The closest thing to seeing a giraffe.

A wonderful play area with slides, zipline, swings and more...

Luca enjoyed swinging us is this giant hammock type swing.

Peguins from South Africa.

A very fun day to be had by all!

The zipline was quite thrilling for our kids. That is once they got the hang of how to jump and sit on the seat. Luca didn't quite master it, but was quite content to just hang on with sheer upper body strength. He could have cared less to do it right, as long as he was doing it ALL by himself. You'll see him in the video clip below.

Open Air Service

2011-07-14T23:46:00.000+02:00

Last Sunday we decided to hold our church service outside. With the weather being hot, who wants to cram 25-30 people into a 30 square meter room with just one floor fan? Thankfully the Farina's have a huge yard that we enjoy very much during the warmer weather especially for our agape meals. Who doesn't enjoy a summer BBQ? It was a beautiful morning of worship together followed by great food and fellowship under the trees.

Everyone just shifted their chairs with the shade during the service.

The down side was trying to keep little ones in their chairs when the great outdoors was calling their names to play and run. I did a nature walk with them for our lesson.

This is how we roll in the summer for meals together.

Afternoon entertainment always provided by our in house magician--Mago Joseph

Book of the Month: May/June

2011-06-30T14:52:00.000+02:00

I am a little behind on my reading goal, as my most current read took me both May and June to complete. Ah well, I'll make up for it this summer sometime.

Grace Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel was a powerful and convicting read for us as parents (Jonathan read it too). So many parenting books I have come away from just feeling like a total failure and that I have missed the ideal mark of what would be considered good parenting. "Grace-based parenting is not a checklist for parenting; it's a lifestyle. It's a clear attempt to retrofit your minds to respond to your children in the same way God responds to you." (Kimmel) I loved how the gospel remains the foundation and driving focal point of the whole book. Why is it so easy to forget that as a believer? The concept of the book is so basic, but even as believers we are so prone to run from best practices to best practices and search for ways in which WE can produce godly children, instead of living and guiding our children in a way that is grace filled and gospel centered.

"If we have a flawed theology regarding God's attitude toward us, it can automatically create a chain reaction of flawed decisions in how we raise our children. It can also set up our children to miss the joy of God, the heart of God, and the power of God in their personal lives." (Kimmel)

One area in which we were called on was not to make issue over the small things or quirky characteristics in our children. Sometimes it is so easy to respond to their quirks as severely as if they were sin, out of our selfishiness or because we value what other people are thinking about our kids. Kimmel writes, "Kids inside homes where nonmoral issues are elevated to a level of big problems don't get to experience the kind of acceptance that makes a heart feel securely loved. Instead they live with a baggage of nitpicking criticism, receiving put-downs because they are curious, anxious, excited, helpless, carefree, or absent-minded." When we value their unique characteristics the child senses the kind of acceptance that God has for us in our uniqueness.

I would highly recommend this book and am glad to have taken my time working through it. In closing, here is an editorial review of the book:

Kimmel, author and founder of Family Matters ministries, likens many Christian parents' attempts at rearing children to putting together a puzzle without first studying the completed picture located on the box's cover. Kimmel states that families of faith tend toward extremes, either being overly permissive or overly legalistic. This is not a particularly new concept, but Kimmel pulls it off with interesting storytelling and sound biblical parallels. He says Christians frequently believe that the battle for a child's heart and soul is fought on the outside-with rigid rules and boundaries-when in fact just the opposite is true. He underscores the importance of communicating the unconditional love that Christ offers and affirming this timeless message of grace to one's family. Despite the numerous examples the author cites where parents fail, this text is overwhelmingly upbeat with hope and possibility: Parents who strive to live a life of faith characterized by daily trust in God will pass on this message of possibility and potential to their offspring. Kimmel asserts that this "radical" mode of parenting will meet the three essential needs in kids' lives: for security, significance and strength. He assures parents that these needs can be met with grace-laced love, purpose and hope. Kimmel's gentle heart is evident in every chapter, and his obvious passion will spur frustrated parents to keep at the task with new resolve and optimism.

Squirt Guns

2011-06-29T17:04:00.001+02:00

Now that the kids have outgrown their kiddie pool, keeping them outside and cool has been a challenge. When there is no air conditioning and no where to escape the heat, hanging out outside becomes less than desirable because you just go from really, really hot to really hot. Last night it was 30°C (86°F) upstairs in the bedrooms. Soooo not comfortable to sleep when it is that hot even with fans. But my brother in Iraq is enduring 125°F temps, and as I write this a thunder storm is rolling through bringing some cool breezes and rain so I will complain no further!!

Today was grocery shopping day so we made it a point to hit the water toy aisle and get squirt guns for the kids. No complaints from them to get outside and run around today!

New Tricks

2011-06-29T16:16:00.000+02:00

Luca is perfecting the art of bubble blowing. He shampoos his hair, then rubs his hands through his head and then sucks the soap off of his fingers. Totally nasty, but so made me laugh. Usually he can transfer them to his hands to show me how big the bubbles are.

Kitchen Fun

2011-06-29T16:09:00.000+02:00

Baking and cooking with kids is always an adventure...lots of fun...and a whole lot of mess! I don't always have the patience like I should to involve them, for my space is limited and barely allows ME enough room to move around myself. If you have ever been in my kitchen you know what I mean. But when the kids can use the kitchen table for baking projects I let them have it.

Luca might just scare that tortilla into rolling into a perfect circle!

Helping make tortillas per Jonathan's Father Day request. Round or not, he loved them!

The kids helped make lots and lots of sugar cookie stars for the ESL party. Plain sprinkles are much easier than frosting.

Lots of food for the party...just image another pineapple cake and...

...2 trays of pasticcini to the table (brought by some students)

Fruit Pizza that is pretty much my new summer favorite dessert. Green, White and Red for Italy and Red, White and Blue for America (yes, that was intentional)

Splurging on berries. 125g (32 raspberries to be exact...and yes, I counted!) for 1.48 euros. And that is a great price! Usually the same amount costs more than 3 euros! Does anyone want to send me a blueberry bush?? Two of my favorite berries that I only get to indulge in when stateside.

My work space and mess. I have a single basin sink so washing dishes is a pain. It's the cost of having a dishwasher so I shouldn't complain too much.

X Italian Ministries National Conference

2011-06-17T16:38:00.000+02:00

This week we were able to participate in the Italian Ministies national conference held in the heart of Tuscany from June 12-15. We are members of this association and you can read more about it here (in English of course). However, this was our first official presense at a conference.

Italian Ministries exists:
• to facilitate the development of missional vision and action for the church in Italy.
• as a missional network in Italy bringing together like-minded missionaries to form a field-based. fellowship.
• to offer a window of opportunity for Italians to be involved in mission service (in close collaboration with GMI and 9.37).
• work alongside local churches, organisations and individuals (in Italy and elsewhere) to facilitate a vision for mission.

We so enjoyed our time with the 50+ people in attendance. It was a refreshing and encouraging time to network and build relationships with both foreign and national missionaries alike. We were encouraged and challenged by the speaker, Keith Walker, the UK Director for Serving in Mission (SIM). He taught through the book of Philippians. The Director of International Outreach from Desiring God Ministries also made a brief appearance (and give away books!) along with another speaker from Germany.

The ladies break out session

Meeting room and worship time

Our kids had a blast playing freely with their new found friends from morning 'til night. The center was a perfect setting for them and I never had to worry about them running off the compound. They were exhausted the end of each day that was for sure! We are so glad we went as it was a great encouragement to each family member.

Luca had so much fun he asked if we could just bring Mac to camp, because he did not want to say goodbye to his friends.

Singing is always more fun with a friend

Emma, Michaella and Giulia

For every crazy picture...

...there is one nice picture.

Jonathan is excited as well about the efforts and work being done for Acts29 to begin in Italy. The President of IM has been instrumental in getting this off the ground. Jonathan offered to help in any way he could and was taken up on that offer. Not sure how he will be involved but that will unfold more over the course of this year.

I conclude this post with pictures from the picturesque setting of Tuscany. We stayed in the countryside and basically it was equal distance from Pisa, Florence and Siena. We did not stop to sightsee but maybe we will later this summer:

View from the camp

Poggio Ubertini Evangelical Center

Castle on a hill

Catching Up

2011-06-17T15:08:00.000+02:00

A lot has happened since the beginning of June. And now it is time to catch our breath and catch you up on a few things. I will not fill you in on every party for there have been a lot. In fact, in one week of June I made a total of 5 cakes!! We had a missionary from Portugal stay with us for 4 days who has a gluten allergy, so he got a special flourless chocolate cake. Then Jonathan celebrated his 32nd birthday and had a carrot cake. Catherine celebrated her birthday with an angel food cake. I made a pound cake for our ESL end of the year party, that was cancelled 2 hours before the event due to the horrible discovery of lice in Emma's hair. The kids finished school on Friday the 10th and I was asked to bring my chocolate cake for the school dinner. Um, we are sugared out for a while I think!

Samuel had his end of the year spettacolo on June 6th. He was so excited for us to come see him and the other 2nd and 3rd graders. He had several lines and did fabulous in reciting them. We are so proud of his growth this year in the language. His teachers always comment on how many questions he always has. Um, yes. A sure sign he is comforable with his teachers and classmates! Here are a few pictures and brief video clip from the program.

Six Years Ago

2011-06-08T15:34:00.000+02:00

Today marks our sixth anniversary of our arrival on Italian soil. Another year is under our belts. Thank you for your love, support, prayers and encouragements that allow us to serve here! (It is a very busy day and week, so thoughts and reflections will be delayed in coming to you).

To God be the glory, great things he has done, is doing and will do for His name's sake here in Italy!

Car Museum

2011-06-03T16:55:00.000+02:00

For our children who are affectionately called MKs, there is a special relationship that they have with other field workers. In a very real sense our coworkers become a part of our extended family here on the field. Our children therefore, have numerous "aunts, uncles and cousins" that touch their lives in a unique and special way. Although, the kids do not call Catherine, "Aunt Catherine" she is pretty much that to them. Each year for the kids' birthdays she gives them a coupon to redeem for a special date with her. The kids love these outings with her! And we so appreciate her love and desire to invest in our childrens' lives.

With her caotic spring months of moving, Samuel's February birthday was finally celebrated last Friday. They had lunch together at McDonald's and then headed to The National Automobile Museum in Torino. The museum was recently renovated and looks like a good museum to revisit as a family. Samuel took some pictures to share with you, so here goes!

Tortillas

2011-05-31T22:46:00.000+02:00

I used to get so disappointed and frustrated when I could not find food items here in Italy. The first few years of living overseas, I depended so much on having family send us food items. There was the unfamiliarity with products and foods here and the mentality that it could only be found in the states. I have come a long way, thankfully. Now, if there is something I am craving or need to have I search the internet for recipes and/or find substitutions. There are still things I have to request from the states but they mostly fall in the spice category. I laugh at myself now for packing cake and corn bread mixes, coffee creamers, baby food and peanut butter in to our precious pounds of luggage when we first came. All of these things are so easy to make and a million times better homemade!

My latest cooking venture was making homemade tortillas. My grandma always used to make them but she was the grand master that no one else in the family ever even attempted them. I don't know why, they are not that complicated to make (except for rolling them out into a perfect circle). Thanks to the adventuresome spirit and fellow ex-pat of a sister-in-law, who sent me a recipe for easy flour tortillas. We can find tortillas here, but they are rather expensive and not that great. However, knowing that Michelle and Cody succeeded in their attempts at making tortillas in Iraq gave me the courage to try them myself. Oh. my. goodness. They are so easy to make if you have the time and are absolutely delicious! Not being able to find food items here is turning out to be a VERY good thing!

This recipe makes 24 tortillas

Maybe a tortilla press would be a worthy investment

The final product of complete yumminess!

School Spettacolo

2011-05-31T22:15:00.000+02:00

It is the end of another school year - so hard to believe! We are thankful for this year and how our children have grown and excelled in school. Luca has nearly completed his first year of "Scuola Materna". Slowly, slowly he is learning the language, which was the major goal for this year. He has one more year yet before beginning elementary school and hopefully by then he will communicate more coherently and willingly in Italian.

Each year the scuola materna has an end of the year program. Nothing truly spetacular as far as programming goes. This year was particularly disappointing as the kids did not participate much at all. So there really isn't a lot to share in way of pictures or videos. The school chose to bring in a magician to perform a magic show. The children dressed up as bunnies and little magicians. And the graduating children received their diplomas and recited a brief poem. Luca was quickly bored with the magic show and soon after he spotted us in the crowd, inched his way over to us and wanted to play. His "partner in crime", Ricardo, did the same thing. Can't say we really blame them. We left after an hour and a half and the program was still not over. We had our final film discussion night so we had to jet out to get dinner before leaving for that. Anyway, here are some pictures.

The inching away from his seat begins as does his refusal to wear his bunny ears.

The kids were all saying "Luca, move!" as he slowly passed in front of them.

The only two kids who determined they would rather be playing. Luca and Ricardo are two peas in a pod. Alike in so many ways, that one day they are the best of friends and the next they are fighting. Mostly though they love to play together and race each other in to school.

So many people there, but unfortunately we were unable to converse and mingle after the program.

Oh, and right before we left for the spettacolo, Emma lost another tooth. She is very proud!

Book of the Month: April

2011-05-14T15:55:00.000+02:00

I had to laugh at my dear husband the other night when I told him I really need to post about my book of the month for April. He sincerely asked (or maybe he was mocking me) if I was posting on THE best book I read that month? Seriously?! He should know by now what a great feat it is for me to get just one book read a month! Maybe I'll be able to rise to the challenge during the summer months and double up on my reading time, we'll see.

The book I read in April was A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul Miller . It was a wonderful, challenging, honest and insightful book. I actually was reading this book at the same time that I listened to the 2011 Pastor's Conference put on by Desiring God. Paul Miller was one of the featured speakers for the conference and really the book and conference audio together were an amazing blessing to my heart. I would highly recommend both to you!

This editorial review written on the book reflect my thoughts as well of the book:

Prayer, the concept and the practice, exposes our core doubts and desperation for God. Paul Miller captures the promise of prayer as a gift that connects us to the heart of the Father and as a path for transforming the world. Paul Miller's honest struggle with living a life full of prayer and his childlike delight in hearing the heart of God invites us to gratitude and calls us to speak boldly to our God. This book will be like having the breath of God at your back. Let it lift you to new hope.

Or for any even better and more elaborate review of the book go here.

Spring Street Fair

2011-05-02T22:00:00.000+02:00

Our table under the blue tent

Yesterday we as a church participated in our second street fair held in Caselle. (Go here to read about our first experience in December.) This is an all day event and we are again thankful for the participation from many within our church to distribute the gospel of John, information about our church and other evangelistic materials. Jonathan went to help set up at 7:30am and then stayed until around 1:30pm. During that time they passed out about a couple hundred books of John.

Cinzia, Giulia and Pino

The top two reasons given for not accepting our gift was 1. "I don't know how to read" and 2. "I am on my way to church." Maybe we should start to offer literacy courses at the center too. J The second response I can only gather to mean that the priest will tell me what I need to know from the Bible.

Pino "chasing" people down.

We will get a better report of how things went in the afternoon and the exact numbers of literature given out when we reconnect as a group this coming Sunday for church. (Jonathan left for Portugal today and returns on Thursday). We pray that all who received this gospel will in fact take the time to read it, and that the Spirit would open their hearts to receive the truth of God's word and his gift of salvation. Only God knows what seeds will be planted through this.

Lino placing bookmarks at John 3:16

I was unable to attend once again. If Jonathan didn't have to get some much needed rest and prepare for his departure the following day, no doubt we would have gone in the afternoon as a family. Next time... My participation was in preparations as I printed and cut out 300 business cards with our church information and made matching table cloths. It was something that made me feel like a contributor at least to this very meaningful opportunity.

Friends for Life

2011-05-02T20:58:00.000+02:00

So all you Cedarville College gradudates will remember the whole marketing slogan that if you come to the 'ville you will make "Friends for Life". Apart from meeting my husband who is my friend and partner for life, I did make friends who have stood the test of time and whom I consider true friends for life. Granted our paths cross minimally because of our geographic locations, but I am so thankful for the encouragement and support they continue to be in my life. They are the kind of friends that even though we go years without seeing each other, we can still pick up where we left off when those precious times do come. That is the amazing thing about being sisters in Christ who keep Christ the center.

Sarah, Tara, Noella & Jodi - April 2008

Last week I received this gorgeous family tree necklace from Sarah. A gift that brought tears to my eyes.

She sent it to be a reminder as I pray for my family and model Biblical family to those around me. She also did so to support her brother in their pursuit of growing their family by adoption. I love how missionally minded these dear friends are! I am humbled and honored to have such godly friends. It just makes me long for a closer connection and the desire to have the daily connection with those who have the same goals, heart desires and passions as I know it would sharpen and challenge me. We really need to figure out a way to do that on a more regular basis girls!! Love you my dear faithful friends for life!!

Meet "Mac"

2011-04-28T16:41:00.000+02:00

Today we welcomed to our family, "Mac" the guinea pig! That would be short for "MacGyver".

The kids (well, mostly Emma) have been wanting a pet for a really long time. We were always a bit hesitant, as the reality of our lives is that when we leave we have to find someone to take care of the pet. We had a fish acquarium in the past and that was great, but we never replaced the fish when we got home from our first furlough. We all would love a dog, but that is a lot more work and imposing on someone to watch when not everyone has a yard like we do. Recently, we have been giving the idea a lot of thought, mostly because of the insistence of dear Emma who adores animals.

Today we headed to a garden store that also has a zoo garden (i.e. pet shop). We did not make any promises to the kids in case things did not pan out as we wanted. We ruled out the hamsters because of their nocturnal disposition and plus I didn't want to lose something that small in our house. The guinea pigs seemed like the perfect choice. They are cute, small and love to be held. The kids thought they each could pick one out. Umm, no. Thankfully, Mac was a unanimous choice for all!

The kids all know that this is their pet, NOT mom and dad's. They will learn responsibility in feeding, cleaning, holding and looking after something other than themselves. I am excited for them and I have to say my heart is captured too. I grew up surrounded by animals and I am so thankful that now our kids can enjoy this little pet. (And hopefully next summer we can find a 3 month Mac-sitter.)

Easter Camp

2011-04-26T17:34:00.000+02:00

Thank you so much for your prayers for us over these past few days while at the Easter youth camp. We were exhausted going in to the camp, and we are even more so now afterwards. However, the time between was truly used by God and we are so thankful for His daily strength and grace he gave us. Speaking twice daily on Friday, Saturday and Sunday is a lot! Not to mention that sometimes Jonathan didn't even get to start speaking until 9:30 or 10 at night! Jonathan spoke on our new identity in Christ using the gospel of Mark. There were 27 campers in total. One girl put her trust in Jesus on the final night! Many others came forward to rededicate their lives and confess sin in their lives.

We are so grateful to have had this opportunity to minister to teens. We also were able to develop friendships with many of the staff and counselors. They were truly a blessing to us. This camp was run by another evangelical church in Torino, so these brothers and sisters in Christ are new friends to us. How encouraging it was to us to see this national run church serving and growing. 25 years ago they were a handful of families (like us in Caselle), now they are around 150. That seems to be the trend in Italy...25 years to see a church grow to this size and serving on their own initiatives. Yes, we are in this for the long haul and yes, we need to remind ourselves of this often when we get discouraged.

Jonathan began each morning with 7am staff meetings and his day ended around midnight on most nights (the final night was 2am). The kids and I began our day with breakfast at 8:30 followed by some free time before the morning meeting. I brought a storage container of activities, books and games for the kids to do during our free time. They were well occupied with Leapsters during the speaking sessions, so I was able to listen and take in what was being said. We had fairly good weather during our time. Lots and lots of wind and just one day of light rain. But what can you expect from the mountains in the early spring? The kids stayed up late each night, which went over much better than our camp experience 3 years ago. Emma and Luca got naps a couple of days which helped. The food was awesome! Next time, the kids should be big enough that I can work on staff in the kitchen. How great would that be?! The dishes are so simple, but the flavors are absolutely incredible. Our kids scarfed everything down (all except Luca of course).

I took snippets of video and put them together in the following video. Nothing spectacular, but it does put more life in to our time at camp for you to see versus just pictures.

A camping we will go

2011-04-20T19:48:00.000+02:00

Tomorrow we head off to camp in Oulx! I imagine the Alps will be boasting a bit more snow than seen in this picture taken in the summer of 2009, when were last there at the camp. Jonathan is the speaker for the Easter youth camp. Please be in prayer for our few days spent with about 25 youth. Jonathan will be speaking five times on the topic of our new identity in Christ. He also will be facilitating a film discussion night on the movie "Chariots of Fire." The camp runs from Thursday to Monday, so it will be intense and no doubt a lot of fun!

Pray for our stamina, wisdom in our interactions and conversations with the youth, and that many hearts will be forever changed by what they hear from God's Word.

Today has been exhausting. We have 3 very excited kids about today being their first day of Easter vacation. 3 very out of control balls of energy who can't wait to get to camp. One mamma who is trying to pack, clean and get everyone ready for our time away while running sibling interferance every 5 minutes. The day is almost over and the littles will soon be in bed. Glad there will be lots of open space for their energies to be released tomorrow! And I don't have to cook for 5 days! Tired but so thankful for this opportunity ahead of us!

Book of the Month: March

2011-04-08T17:11:00.000+02:00

I was hoping that I would have 2 books to report on for the month of March, however, it was a busier month than anticipated. One big reason was the move of our colleague. Remember the one that I started house hunting with, oh, 6 months ago?! She found a house the end of November and patiently waited for the reconstruction to be completed, finally making the move 6 weeks after the promised move in date. To make a long story short, she painted the walls one week prior to moving in only to discover that it was all done in vain. There was a huge problem with humidity and mold in this place and her walls looked like this.

Not exactly good for one's health!

She made the move with all her things and started to unpack only to decide 4 days later she had to move. Everyone was in complete agreement on the matter. The only issue was that this house took us months to find. Thankfully we serve the God of the impossible! The Tuesday she decided to move, that evening she received a lead from a friend in our church who knew of an available apartment in his complex. She made a call to the landlord the next day and was able to view the apartment on Friday. By Monday she received the official "okay" from him and was given the keys on Wednesday. That was after he fixed several cosmetic things and repainted the apartment for her at his expense! And then move #2 occured on Friday, just two weeks after the first move. Catherine lived with us during those two weeks.

Having just completed my reading of Practicing Hospitality: The Joy of Serving Others by Pat Ennis and Lisa Tatlock, it was a timely application for me.

I would highly recommend this book to every Christian woman. It begins with the Biblical foundation of hospitality and what the character traits of a hospitable person are. Then over the course of the book the authors address the issues of practicing hospitality to strangers and to your own family. How to manage your home and create a home that is a center for evangelism and refuge. How to teach hospitality to your children. How hospitality works to show compassion to others. How different cultures impact hospitality. How hospitality is essential to ministry. These are just a brief recap of the chapters. This book is an excellent read individually or would be great in a group setting as well. In the Index there is listed for each chapter it's theme(s) and a scripture reference for each of the themes. So if you want to do a Bible study on your own or with others, this is a great working base to start from. The book is also filled with many recipies at the end of each chapter. All around a super helpful and practical book for me since hospitality is my major avenue of ministry here.

One of the major things I took away from my reading was how often I fail to bathe each phase of my preparations (cleaning, cooking etc.) and "event" (conversation etc.) in prayer. I so easily get caught up in the prepping and trying to make things perfect that I can easily lose sight of the "why" I am doing what I am doing. The goal is not to have the perfect home or perfect dinner, but to make people feel invited in to our lives and use each opportunity as a way to show the love of Christ to them.

I am so thankful for the generations of women in my own family who have demonstrated to me the joy in serving others. My grandma taught my mom, and my mom taught me. I am continually learning from them BOTH as I observe them practicing hospitality in so many ways. Just this week my mom made 3 meals for families in need. (And she would never want to be recognized for that, but I say that to emphasize the example she is to me and my desire to be more like her in this area). It is a running joke in our family that whenever the Fisher's get together for a meal, there is always enough to serve an army (literally). However, that was just one way of extending their service and love to others as each family was able to take a full meal home with them from the leftovers.

If you read this book, I can guarantee you will be challenged, encouraged and inspired!

More Celebrating

2011-04-05T10:36:00.000+02:00

We love birthdays in our home! We love to see the excitement build months in advance and then to delight in the joy of celebrating another year of life given by God. Luca had a fun week of continual celebration in his honor. The festivities concluded this past Sunday as a few friends were able to come and celebrate with us. I love the little traditions we have for birthdays. So much fun!

Talk about true excitement! He is one stellar dot-to-dot pro!

Thank you Papa and Nano for my swords and shields!

"Luigi"

:: Happy Birthday Luca ::

2011-03-29T23:03:00.001+02:00

FIVE years old today! Our little Italian born son. A surprise you were to us, but not to your Creator. How thankful we are for you and for what you add to our family. You are passionate about life. Full of energy and still struggling to understand the meaning of "walk." You are fearless. You are very expressive and we never have to wonder how you really feel about things. Your facial expressions constantly crack us up! You are tender and still love a good cuddle from Mamma (most of the time). Highly independent and determined in all your undertakings. You love numbers, can tell time and want to learn right along with your siblings. You have yet to embrace food. Drinking yogurt, PBandJ, fruit and pizza are your staples. You have this mamma concerned about your extreme opinions and judgments about food. However, we continue to pray, trust and know that Jesus can help you overcome this in His timing. We love you so very much, our crazy bookey-boy!

Here are some highlights from the first birthday celebration. A party will be held on Sunday with some friends, and will buy me a few more days to create a "Luigi" cake.

Like we said...expressive faces!

Just had to whip up a cake for his actual birthday. This is an ice cream cake, but go figure Luca refused to eat it! I should have known better and just stuck a candle on a bowl of ice cream. You can't mess with appearances. He loves ice cream AND these cake rolls, but don't put them together!

Milano

2011-03-29T15:29:00.000+02:00

The city of Milan is really only about an hour and a half from our home, however, it seems the only time we head there is to catch a flight or visit the US Consulate. Last Friday was no exception to that trend. Noella's and Luca's passports were up for renewal. My photograph from 10 years ago doesn't look like I have changed too much. However, it is nice that Luca's 2 week old baby picture can now be replaced with something more current. The service at the consulate is always on-time, orderly, efficient and for sure a breath of fresh air when dealing with all things bureaucratic. The kids thought it was pretty cool that they were in "America" for a few minutes too.

The weather was gorgeous topping out at 70 degrees, so we decided to make a quick tourist stop and grab some lunch before catching the Metro back to our car and heading home. We of course headed to the famous Duomo and Galleria. The church is immense. We always walk out of these huge cathedrals impressed...not by their sheer beauty, but for the lost souls that believe and embrace the Catholic religion. This time we had a lot of questions and explaining to do to the kids. No, they could not light a candle and no, they could not walk up the steps of the confession booth to get a closer look.

Flat Stanley is visiting us from Cedarville, Ohio so we took him along for the ride.

The famous galleria filled with top fashion stores, like Prada, restaurants and more. We ate at the not so prestigous McDonalds.

The piazza in front of the Duomo

He is indeed everywhere!

On our way home we stopped at a new outlet mall. Jonathan was in the market for some new jeans and from the highway we saw they had several American brandname stores. However, the outlet prices of 60-80 euros for a pair of jeans was out of the question. It was not a wasted trip though as I did get a set of ceramic lined cooking pans that I needed to replace my peeling teflan ones. My new pans are super nice to cook with! Maybe we will venture back to the outlets again when the Gap opens up this May. The atmosphere of the outlets definitely made us think of shopping in the US.

Another Box

2011-03-26T16:02:00.000+01:00

This time a huge thanks goes to Mike, sending his greetings from Gauntanamo Bay, Cuba! As an MK himself he wanted to send a special package to our kids as he remembers how exciting it was to receive gifts from supporters from his own life growing up overseas. He counts it a privilege to be able to do that for others now.

It is our prayer that our kids will continue to embrace their lives as MKs. That they will have a burning passion for all nations and all peoples. That if the Lord does not call them to foreign missions that they like Mike would serve as senders and passionate supporters of God's work around the world. Thank you Mike for your prayers, love, encouragement and support to our family! You definitely made Samuel, Emma and Luca's week!!

Looks like the US Naval Base is well stocked on all things American! :) The postcards with a special note written to each child were very special too. Drawing banana rats and iguanas was what they wanted to do when they got home from school.

Mission Quotes

2011-03-22T09:43:00.000+01:00

I came across this blog post this morning and it is too good not to share. So many of these quotes have served as a challenge, inspiration and encouragement to us in our call to reach the nations. Enjoy!

100 Mission Mottos (& Missionary Quotes)

Big Sister

2011-03-20T15:34:00.000+01:00

Poor Emma has always been surrounded by boys in her life. However, that is no longer the case as she now has a Big Sister in her life. Recently, we met our neighbors who live in the palazzo on the corner. They have attended the past two church services we have held in Caselle and this week we were finally able to get together with them. And not just once, but 3 times: Coffee on Thursday, playdate on Friday, and dinner on Saturday. Aurora is in 3rd grade and all of our kids adore her. The above picture was taken at 10:30 last night as they were watching a movie together. Emma certainly enjoyed the cuddles and I think Aurora was enammered by Emma's curls as she kept stroking them. This family moved to Leinì a year ago and Aurora attends the other elementary school in town. Praying that our new friendship with Enrico, Cristina and Aurora will serve to challenge and encourage them in their walk with Christ.

For this mother, I can't tell you how much joy it brings to my heart to have the doorbell ring spontaneously. There was an immediate connection and trust given to us that makes this possible for one to let their child come over unsupervised and unannounced. I guess I better have a stash of cookies in the freezer to whip out for afternoon playtime, because it looks like we will have a lot of unexpected playdates.

First Day of Spring

2011-03-20T14:57:00.000+01:00

Signs of spring from our corner of the world...

Couldn't resist buying this pot of hydrangeas a couple weeks back. I love love love flowers and the memories they conjure of both my grandfathers and dad. Not to mention flowers are a welcome sign that spring is on it's way!

60s + sunshine = t-shirts and flip flops

(first weekend of spring is behaving properly)

My geranium seedlings potted in February are showing some promise.

And the very much NOT welcome sight of bee holes in our yard. They are everywhere and something must be done if the kids want to play outside in peace! Any ideas?

Book of the Month: February

2011-03-15T12:05:00.001+01:00

Three months in to my reading goal for 2011, and so far so good. I am loving the Kindle and for some reason feel like I read faster using that. No doubt it is just a psychological thing. Also, it totally eliminates the difficult choice of choosing between the books you REALLY want to read and those that would be nice to read at some point, because you don't have to worry about shipping/handling and space on the already packed bookshelf. I still do like the feel of a real book in my hands and I'm sure some of my virtual reads will want to be acquired in their physical form for reference in the future. For those of us with no access to a public libraries, books in English and who can't afford paying double the price of a book to be shipped to you, the Kindle is a must have. So thankful for technology!

In February, I read The Missional Mom: Living with Purpose at Home and in the World by Helen Lee. A really good read and encouragement. God's calling on my life and family automatically would place me in the category of being a missional mom, but even for me it is easy to lose sight of that as my tendancy can be to turn inward and focus on my own family instead of both inward and outward. There are seasons of life and being a mother of young children doesn't give me the liberty to hit the "pause button" on ministry to others and our number one calling given by our heavenly Father. So many great thoughts in the introduction alone by Helen Lee: "Our primary calling is to be with God, to immerse ourselves in his immeasurable love and grace. Everything else flows out of this connection, which is our absolute number one priority...we always need to put our role as mothers in the right context and never prioritize our secondary calling as a mother over our primary calling to know and love God....making motherhood your primary mission could potentially backfire and give your children the wrong message about what our essential life priority is meant to be. But God's mission informs and guides us in all the secondary callings of our lives---motherhood, vocational paths, or our relational roles. As we pursue God's mission in our lives--bearing witness to what Christ has done for us, making disciples here and around the world--we are able to see how He can use our secondary callings as channels through which His primary mission will be accomplished."

I regret that in the past when asked about my calling as a missionary and having children in the home, that my response was "my priority is being a mom." I was taking the obvious for granted, that God is my number one priority. I want my children and others to know and hear often that my relationship with Christ is the most important and then followed by my secondary callings in life. The gifts God has given me need not be withheld or stiffled until a new season of life comes where I have more freedom and time to invest in my world, but I can still use those gifts and be an example for my children in how to reach others for Christ no matter what the season of life.

Just Because...

2011-03-08T12:04:00.001+01:00

Don't you just love those moments in life when someone surprises you with something special...just because?! This past week we have been showered by gifts from various people. Recently, a small group from one of our supporting churches, Rock Point Baptist Church, chose to "adopt" our family. They wrote us and wanted to know more specifically how to pray for our family and then they asked what they could send us to be of encouragement. Prayer requests and ideas were exchanged and then out of the blue last week an Amazon gift card arrived in our inbox for the use of purchasing books for our Kindle. We were totally blown away by their most generous amount and are thrilled to be adding more material to our reading list. I think I might have to change my goal of reading 1 book a month to 2!

Then yesterday our "personal" SDA delivery man came with 2 boxes from the States. One was again from this same small group filled with goodies. The kids were SO excited for the surprise package. There was a pile of books for them, candy, pop tarts, colored pictures and notes from other children, extract flavorings and seasonings for the kitchen and notes from families in the group saying they are praying for us and our ministry. The kids kept saying "Thank You Indiana!" It is really special to have this intimate connection with a supporting church. We do thank you RPBC for your desire to know and encourage your missionaries through this personal extension of love, sacrifice, encouragement and prayer.

The second box came from the Michigan grandparents in anticipation of Luca's birthday. No peaking or early surprises from that box for the kids. However, included was a gift from a dear college friend. In my attempt to support her new home business I placed an order for a few cleaning items, but was outright refused as she wanted to gift them to me. She proceeded to tell me that each month she is choosing to send a portion of her earnings to missions. I love her heart for Jesus, and even though she could use each penny to make ends meet for her own family each month, she is choosing to give her first fruits back to God and trusting that God will provide just what they need. Jodi, you are such an example to me and a friend that extends across the miles and years of separation. Love you, girl! And, if I can make a shameless plug for her business....within minutes of using these Norwex cloths....I am sold on these products! For the first time dusting is not a game of reorganizing dust particles, but actually removing them. And now I can save money and go green on my cleaning methods, which means the kids are going to get schooled in how to do all the bathroom cleaning and dusting!! Check out Jodi's site and catalog here.

Thank you so much to ALL of you who so faithfully communicate your love for us and pray for us regularly. It is such a huge encouragement to us, you really have no idea...and we don't say thank you nearly as often as we should. Thank you dear friends and family!! We love you!!

Dublin

2011-03-04T16:39:00.004+01:00

Most of you reading this post would know that Jonathan was gone for a week in Dublin, Ireland from February 21-25. However, for those who might still be wondering the reason for his trip, basically there is an annual ABWE Leader's Meeting for those serving in Western Europe that he is required to attend. It is a smaller gathering of men in which they use to train and encourage those in attendance. This year's training revolved around how to better teach adults so that they retain material better. Not being present myself, I think I'll leave the description at that and just say that Jonathan did find it helpful and interesting.

While in Dublin, he also had the chance to visit the Irish Bible Institute. He has been asked to pursue his Master's degree by some leaders within our agency. Not that they find him incompetent, but he was also asked this past November to be a part of a theological advisory team for ABWE in Western Europe. For those that know Jonathan, he is passionate about theology. This opportunity to be a part of the advisory team could possibly involve teaching in our region as well in the future. The only issue they had was that Jonathan is the only one chosen to be on the team that does not have his Master's degree. Not that he was unwilling to obtain it prior to this, for he has pursued other options even while we have been on the field.

This opportunity at IBI is a great fit for so many reasons. To have the training in one's cultural context of ministry will be highly beneficial. Not that the Irish and Italians are identical, but they both have a western european mindset. If he received his higher education from the US it would be a struggle to constantly be trying to then place and relate that back into our european ministry context of church planting. This is a 3 year program geared towards a highly motivated self-studier. He would be required to attend a one week modual 2x a year for the first two years. Year three is solely devoted to writing his disertation. Another bonus is the cost. 5,000 euros for 3 years! And a degree that formally comes from the University of Wales. So now we are left to pray and determine the timing in all of this. Picking up the study time required for this program will not be a simple thing but rather something he has to make time for and work in along with maintaining family and ministry. We would appreciate your prayers in this matter for us.

I survived the week with the kids here at home. Nothing major to report from that except to say, so glad the weather was how it was instead of like this week with rain and snow. Walking to and from school 4 times a day would not have been so pleasant. Oh, I did throw my back out on the final day. All is pretty good now with that and Jonathan is once again regaining his strength from getting the influenza upon his return from Ireland. He had to cancel Bible study and ESL this week due to that. We are on the mend and hope to be in full form soon!

Here are some pics of Dublin...

Taken with his iphone while on a morning jog along the beach. Poor quality picture, but still worth sharing.

Samuel Turns Eight

2011-02-19T16:31:00.001+01:00

Eight years old..."and now I am almost 9!" Samuel is racing towards double digits faster than we can handle. We are so blessed by our first born son. He makes us smile ALL the time with his funny and obscure questions, his knowledge of medical terminology and his love for Jesus. Of course, there is obviously no greater joy for us than to see Samuel growing in his love for Jesus and his desire to know more from God's Word. How precious it is to see him on the floor reading his Bible and asking questions. We love the example he is setting for his siblings.

Samuel was really funny this year in anticipation of his birthday. He really wanted EVERYTHING to be a surprise. Well, he did tell me what he wanted for his cake theme but then did not want to see it until it was all done for his party. We decided this year to celebrate with just our family as it is a busy weekend with service, agape and getting Jonathan ready to leave for Dublin on Monday. Samuel was pretty understanding about it. He just kept telling us all the surprises he wanted. For example, he told us repeatedly how Dada would pick him up from school in the van and then when he walked in the door Mamma and Luca would jump out from behind the couch and say "Surprise!" Although we did tell him it would NOT be a surprise if he knew about it, how could we not fulfill his request? He received cards in the mail but did not want to open them until his actual birthday. Hhmm...wonder where he gets this from, because it sounds a lot like his Mamma.

Sonic the Hedgehog and Alien Whisps

(Characters from the Sonic Colors Wii game)

"2nd birthday" yet to come from Papa and Nano

Thank you Munga and Gramma!

Emma's birthday card she made for Samuel about 2 weeks ago.

Thank you Munga and Gramma for my puppet...

...and for my Hero Factory guy!

Sing A New Song

2011-02-16T15:03:00.000+01:00

"I have to create. It is who I am." - Jonathan Kleis

I stand in awe and am completely mystified as to how my husband can compose and write music. It is so beyond my comprehension and truly every time I hear a new piece of his music, I look at him and say "how in the world do you do that?!" God has gifted us so differently and we are both glad we can stand in awe and appreciate the differences in each other.

Jonathan thankfully has over the years has created his home recording studio to allow for such creativity. He is always working on something in his spare time, as it also serves as a stress reliever for him. He is passionate about music and preaching/teaching. Recently, he was inspired to combine both gifts in a way that will be a blessing to the church. In our services in Caselle he has been preaching a series in the Psalms. He has choosen to preach the "Psalms of Jesus" (those Psalms in which Jesus made reference to). His goal is also to preach on a different type of Psalm each week (lament, worship, confession, historical etc.) The idea then came to him to write a song for each Psalm we study as a church to sing corporately. What a great way to memorize Scripture! Thus began the Psalms Project. Jonathan has 3 songs written so far and we sang the first one in church last Sunday. The goal is to then record these songs and maybe one day you will be able to get an official CD of this project. But for now, at the request of our parents, here is a very rough and low quality recording I took in church this past Sunday of Jonathan and Lino teaching us the song. I apologize for the shakiness of the camera, it was hard to record and do kid duty.

Beata La Persona (Salmi 1 & 32)

Beata la persona che non cammina con gli empi

Che non si ferma nella via dei peccatori, degli schernitori

Ma il cui diletto è nella parola del Signore, del Signore

E su quella parola medita giorno e notte, giorno e notte

Rit. Egli sarà come un albero piantato vicino a ruscelli

Il quale dà il suo frutto nella sua stagione, e non appassisce

E tutto quel che fa, prospererà

Gli empi sono come pula che il vento disperde

Non reggeranno davanti al giudizio del Signore

Poiché Lui conosce la via dei giusti, dei giusti

Ma la via degli empi conduce alla rovina, per sempre

(Rit.)

Beata la persona a cui l’iniquità è perdonata

Confesserò i miei peccati, e il Signore mi giustifica

Chi confida nel Signor Gesù è circondato

Dalla grazia, dalla vita, e misericordia

(1° strofa e Rit.)

What gifts has God given you? Are you using them to the fullest for the glory of God? Do you seek to be a blessing to others with them?

Report Cards

2011-02-15T17:09:00.000+01:00

So proud of Samuel and Emma and the report cards they received this past week. Their academic achievements are not what we value the most (and they know that), but rather the way in which they bring glory to God by doing their very best. The grading system is much different here, but they both received 8's, 9's and 10's on a scale of 1-10. The 10's were for English--whew! They both enjoy school and doing homework is never a battle in which we have to fight over. They both diligently study and have to work extra hard to understand and learn Italian in addition to mastering the concepts being taught. I am learning right along with them as I find myself referencing the Italian-English dictionary often. Oh, and that grammar review I've been wanting to do, well I'll just join in with my kids.

One of the first academic comments that Samuel received from his teachers was how good his penmanship is. Here is a copy of his writing. I hear that cursive is out of fashion, but I love it! And it is easy to read when written with such presision.

It delighted our hearts to hear that Samuel and Emma have a good testimony at school. They listen, interact, work hard, get along well with the other kids and are "bravissimi". Keep up the good work my precious children. Mamma and Dadda are so very proud of you and we love you with all our hearts!

Please continue to pray for each of our children and that they will continue to have a positive experience in the classroom setting. We have been truly blessed so far with good and understanding teachers for all of our kids. It is a process to learn and gain confidence in a second language. I admire our kids for their courage and give God praise for the strength He provides for them daily. Luca has been slower in picking up the language, but we pray that he too will have a teachable spirit and desire to communicate in Italian more and more.

Reading

2011-02-06T16:29:00.001+01:00

Having a husband who is an avid reader, not to mention fast reader, I feel that my reading accomplishments always pale in comparision. I am a one-book-at-a-time reader, while he is actively reading anywhere between 4-6 books at a time. My goal for 2011 is to read one book a month, and if I get to more that would just be awesome.

I just finished reading One with a Shepherd: The Tears and Triumphs of a Ministry Marriage by Mary Somerville. A wonderful book full of biblical truths and godly wisdom for wives of men in ministry. It had me reevalutating my crucial role as a pastor's wife and mother in combination with ministry. I suppose I was struck in the face as I took into consideration that I am no longer merely a missionary wife, but a pastor's wife. That new title seems very daunting to me, yet that is where we find ourselves with our church plant. I had a few of those moments while reading the book, thinking I have no idea what I am doing! This book was so timely and really worked through so many issues and responsibilities that are given to women whom God has called to this role of serving alongside a shepherd. It was a huge encouragement to me and I only wish I had read this book 5 years ago! Being so "new" yet to the ministry some of the trials she discussed I could not relate to, but no doubt they will occur in my lifetime as it just comes with church life, growth and ministry to people. I pray I am deeply rooted in God's Word making my chief responsibility in life to know and revere God. And then that I will honor and support my husband in his role to the church, and be a mother who loves and disciples her children. So thankful for God's grace, not only to survive, but to thrive in this role.

"God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed." (2 Corinthians 9:8)

A Life to Remember

2011-02-03T13:06:00.000+01:00

On January 20, 2011, my paternal grandfather, Elmer Fisher, entered the presence of Jesus. We praise the Lord his suffereing is now over and he is walking beside his Savior. However, the pain of separation is still hard and will take some time to work through. It has been difficult to say the least to not physically standby my parents and other family members during this time. We are all leaning heavily on His all sufficient grace and strength to grieve from a distance. A memorial service will be held for him this Saturday, February 5 in Buellton, California. As our family comes to your mind, please pray for us. Thank you so much!

Some of my memories and thoughts....

Not many grandchildren can boast in the fact that they grew up with their grandpa living next door. Most all of my childhood memories have Campa in them. Dinner around the kitchen table was not complete without his presence. He was our on-call babysitter if we needed him when mom and dad were gone. Early feeding times for the animals were always greeted with a cheery “good morning”, if he didn’t already beat dad to the farm before the break of dawn. I spent summers working with him on the farm as he taught me how to pack a flower box and make newspaper pillows for them. The memories are innumerable. However, it was in these daily moments of living life together in which I saw a man that was genuine in character and spirit and who fully embraced life.

Campa’s positive outlook on life and seeking to consider all things with joy, even in the hardest of trials, are what I will remember and miss most about him. He had a way of adding a skip to his step and a smile that was most contagious. In his hardest of times there was always something to be joyful about and something to be thankful for. Determined never to focus on the negative, but always the positive. When things were tough he never lost hope and with a fist pump, smile and laugh would say: “We’re gonna make it!” or “Everything is going to be OK, no need to worry!”

He was also a very generous man. If he wasn’t giving of his finances he was giving of his time to help someone or simply place a phone call to be of encouragement to someone. I am still in awe over his Christmas card list and how many cards he sent out each year. The time he took to lovingly write and hand address each one, on top of getting them out in a timely fashion would put all of us to shame. It is true that he kept card makers in business. If a holiday was celebrated by Hallmark, the grandkids got a card for it. Those cards were so fun to receive throughout college (always with money enclosed with instructions to go buy an ice cream), married life and even enjoyed by his great grandchildren. He never missed a birthday, anniversary or holiday. So to that I must add that he was also a very organized man and loyal friend to so many!

Campa knew to whom all glory and thanks belonged. He never credited anything to himself, but to God and His goodness and faithfulness to him. He was always so grateful for everything God had given him and for the care that others faithfully and lovingly gave him in return.

As I consider each of these qualities and in the manner in which he so lived these out to the fullest, I know that the power to do so did not come from within himself but through his faith and trust in Jesus. I am so thankful that today Campa is walking, leaping and praising God, and that one day I, and those who place their trust in Jesus as their Savior, will be reunited together again. Until that day, you will be greatly missed Campa! We love you!

Five of his great-grandchildren - December 2008

Campa and Emma - May 2005

Day Trip

2011-01-07T10:29:00.000+01:00

Wednesday we took a day trip to the city of Cremona. Although the weather made for a cold excursion, it was still good to get out and explore a new city. It was a 2 1/2 hour drive from our home, so we got an early start to our day to ensure we could see some of the city before things shut down for the afternoon. It was a quite morning throughout the city, maybe because of the cold temps or maybe because people were still in ferie (vacation). January 6, is a holiday (Epiphany) so schools and businesses will be back to their normal schedules come Monday.

Cremona is most famous for its musical history and traditions, and home of some of the earliest and world renowned violin makers such as, Giuseppe Guarneri and Antonio Stradivari. Interesting how Stradivari's Latinized surname, Stradivarius, is better known to us all. After we ate lunch and warmed up in a pizzeria, we headed over to the Museo Stradivariano in the Cremona Civic Museum to spend our afternoon. I am not a musician, but the history and uniqueness of the pieces could still be greatly admired and appreciated. Stradivari made 1200 stringed instruments in his lifetime and only 600 are known to still exist today. Two of them were on display in the musuem. Most of the stringed instruments dated back to the 16th century. You can follow the link above on Cremona to read more of it's unique history and its role in music history. My dear husband could probably tell you more in this area as he studied music in college and was beyond thrilled to be so close to a Stradivarius.

The cobbled stoned streets throughout the city center where unique and beautiful, although a little rough on the feet to walk upon. Of course there are always unique churches and cathedrals to admire, as is typical in Italy. Most of them were closed so we weren't able to peak inside. There were violin maker shops located all around town, although all were closed when we passed by. It was an all around fun time as a family, with only mild complaining about cold hands. Here are some pictures from our outing.

Didn't catch the name of this church. However, you can see the stone

work on the streets that I was talking about.

Palazzo (Palace) where Garabaldi stayed

Pinecones for suveniers and they couldn't have been happier.

Here General Garibaldi was photographed on his horse on April 8, 1862

Clock tower view from inside a courtyard.

The Torrazzo, the second highest brickwork bell tower in Europe.

The Cathedral of Cremona

Surprisingly in a photgraphic mood despite the cold

From the workshop of Stradivari, you can see the process and templates

from which he created his instruments

Tools and notes of Stradivari

Antonio Stadivari

Cremona 1720, "Bavarian"

These precious faces saw seven precious violins on display in the museum:

two Antonio Stradivaris, one Nicolò Amati, two Giuseppe Guarneri,

one Ferdinando Gagliano and one Giovanni Battista Guadagnini.

Home and workshop of Stradivari

Love, love, love these kids!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T15:32:00.002+01:00

Welcome to a new year! An unknown future awaits us all but, we are most grateful that everything both in upcoming trials and joys is KNOWN to our GREAT GOD! He goes before us in 2011 and we humbly and joyfully follow His leading. We are so thankful for this past year and for the countless blessings we have received through His grace, love and mercy. My mom said it well, in a new year prayer..."May our hearts and minds be drawn closer to the Kingdom and our hands be active to make it count for Him." Oh, that we might know and love our Savior with all our heart, mind and strength more and more with each new breath he gives us this coming year! And that He would give us the vision to not miss opportunities He places before us to share and demonstrate His great love with those around us!

We concluded 2010 with a small and intimate party here in our home. Three church families and Catherine were able to join us in ringing in the new year. Everyone came over close to 9pm and we had some food, fellowship, fun and fireworks. The kids were thrilled to be able to stay up until midnight and did quite well in doing so. At 10:30, Emma pointed at the clock and said "Mamma, LOOOOK what time it is!!" She was rather confused come 12:30am when she went to bed and insisted that her clock needed to be reset because it was the wrong time.

We played a game of Taboo and the 3 Americans got their mental work out for the day trying to play the word game in our second language. We had some good laughs at least.

Pierluigi, Cristina & Nathan

Eliana & Tony

We are going to miss the presense of this dear godly couple who have been with us for the past 2 years. They will return to their home in Southern Italy the end of February and will return upon the sale of their home there. We pray for a quick sale! Tony's life was saved by God's miraculous power a year ago when he received a liver transplant. Their daughter's family also attends our church, but their need to be in Torino is also because of Tony's continued need of quality medical care that is not available in the south.

Giulia and Lino

Between these building magnets and dot-to-dot puzzles from Papa & Nano, the kids were entertained

Rudolfo, son of Giulia and Lino

At midnight we headed outside to join the neighborhood in setting off fireworks and sparklers. Ours were definitely less impressive than the ones being shot up into the sky, which are legal here by the way. It was quite loud with great pops and bangs and flashes of light, but all was quite by 1am. The kids enjoyed the firework celebrations for sure.

Lighting of sparklers

Happy New Year!

No bells or whistles, but fun just the same

We instructed and requested of the kids to PLEASE sleep in at least until 9:00am. They did just that only waking about 8:50. Samuel was most surprised when I walked in to the boys' room to tell them they could get up. He said, "but Mamma it is not 9:00 yet, and I was trying to keep Luca quiet." Bless that dear boy! I assured him it was okay to get up since I was ready to get some coffee anyway.

Just chilling today with nothing on the agenda. Lots of left overs to munch on with reading, crocheting and maybe a nap to fill my day. Missing the traditional Rose Parade and bowl games, but life goes on. Happy New Year, dear ones, and God bless you richly in 2011!

Christmas Celebrations

2010-12-28T13:59:00.000+01:00

Our tree including the Jesse Tree Ornaments. The poinsettia was gifted from our 4 family neighbors next door.

The weeks leading up to Christmas we use to prepare our hearts to celebrate the birth of Jesus are always so precious for our family. We have our tradition of the Noel Piper Advent Calendar, nightly Christmas carol singing, and this year we also added the Jesse Tree Advent Devotional . The first advent calendar is practically memorized by everyone come Christmas morning and it is fun to recite together. The second advent calendar took us on a journey from Genesis to the birth of Jesus and really allowed for us all to concentrate on God's love plan for the world shown throughout the Bible. I am sad that these days leading up to Christmas are now past, but delighted beyond measure that we have a Living Hope with whom we need to continue to share not only with our children, but with the world throughout the coming year of 2011.

This past week we enjoyed a dinner out at a pizzeria with our Caselle church family. It may just be a yearly tradition from here on out. We had a great time of fellowship together over some amazing pizza. What else would you expect, this is Italy?! That same evening (the 22nd) Luca spiked a fever while at the restaurant and then Samuel threw up most of that night. Both were perky come the morning. Oh, and that was the day too that I threw out my back until 24 hours later my husband got it to pop back in place with a deep massage. Then Emma spiked a fever on Christmas Eve. All three kids are currently battling some nasty coughs that we pray will soon pass.

Christmas day was spent here at home. Samuel was so excited about Christmas morning he still was struggling to fall asleep at 10:30pm. Emma was so excited she woke up at 3am and had trouble getting back to sleep. With the disrupted sleep patterns the kids did not wake up until 7:15am, which was way better than I expected for a Christmas morning rise. We allowed the kids to open up their stockings, then ate some cinnamon rolls for breakfast before opening presents.

Stocking Stuffer Time

Gramma Kleis' Famous Cinnamon Rolls

Must every smile include raised eyebrows? He's too funny.

Lucky for our kids, the package from Munga and Gramma arrived on time. There are 5 outstanding packages still somewhere in transit. More Christmases to come...

Zhu-Zhu Pets

Thanks for the scooters, Munga and Gramma!

Thank you Great Grandpa and Great Grandma!

Noella's gifts always lean towards house upgrades, like this nightstand and lamp.

For Samuel from our neighbors

For Luca from our neighbors

For Emma from our neighbors

After opening gifts it was time to get the turkey in the oven. Catherine came over for a Christmas lunch and we had a relaxing afternoon watching the kids playing with their new things. For lunch we basically did a belated Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings. Turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green beans, jello, Nano's famous yeast rolls and of course pumpkin pie made from scratch. Yum-yum-yumminess is all we can say!!

Come late afternoon we began our Skype calls with family around the world. We enjoyed seeing and talking with our family in Iraq, Michigan and California before calling it a day.

And one funny to share real quick: One day Luca was singing a Christmas song and this is what he sung: "Ohhh Well, Ohhh Well, Ohh-hh Well..." I almost didn't want to correct him with "Noel" because it was just too cute.

Out on the bike path with their new scooters

Tis the Season

2010-12-18T15:19:00.001+01:00

Cookies Sheets. Mixers. Favorite Holiday Recipes. Cinnamon. Pumpkin. Chocolate. Oven Heat. Delectable Aromas. Sneak Test Tasting. Giving.

I love the holidays and returning to a long list of family holiday traditional favorites. Then combine two diverse family lists of traditional favorites and you are left wondering when you are going to have time to indulge in each classic, heart warming and must have item. For the past week, my oven has been working overtime in anticipation of gift giving. [And as a side note, I must say, that last year's Christmas gift of a deep freezer has never been so appreciated! Now I can bake in advance and freeze everything without all the stress of having a marathon baking day. Love that!]

Each year I have said, I want to put together a gift basket for our neighbors. Our first year in this home we were struck with one illness and flu after the other, then we were in the states for a Christmas, and I guess last year I just never got my ducks in a row to make it happen. With much determination to not let this year slip by me, we have so far successfully make and distributed gift baskets to 6 neighborhood families. Now that I have made more room in the freezer I need to get baking again to finish off 4 more by the week's end.

Pumpkin Bread, Zucchini Bread, Brownie Crackle Top Cookies, Candle & Calendar.

My little elves.

We were all excited about the giving and pray that this simple act of love will be used to open the doors wider in to our neighbors' lives and hearts. We also gave each family a Scripture calendar. Well, the oven is calling my name so I better get going. It's one way to heat up the house in these cold temps!

A Special Day

2010-12-17T15:59:00.000+01:00

I think this will be the first ever post about my own birthday. As the author of this blog, I have conveniently omitted all references to the day in the past for the fear of sounding narcissistic. But this post is more to brag on my family and for family far away to feel a part of the celebrations. So not so self-centered intensions after all. :-)

Some years for me are filled with mostly tears (like last year) and others with complete joy and delight (this year!) For any of you who have a December birthday, particularly the week before Christmas, know that we often get gipped...by Christmas programs, parties or other wise frenetic schedules. However, I always had (still do) have great sympathizers in my life in, my grandma who has a birthday on the 14th and my parents whose anniversary is on the 15th. My birthday follows on the 16th. Often, growing up we would pick one of those 3 days to celebrate all three events. Each year that I am away from home, I still have this whole in my heart that longs to be near my family of sympathizers and wish that we could celebrate together in person.

Happy 37th Anniversary Dad and Mom!!!

So thankful for you and your godly example of marriage, commitment, love and selflessness that you demonstrate! I love you and miss you both so very much!

Happy 85th Birthday Nana!!!

Always full of love, joy, generosity and a kitchen of delectable dishes...even if it was just a quesadilla, it was still the best ever! Wishing we could be knitting together. I love you with all my heart too!

As alluded to, last year's birthday was a teary one. And believe me, my husband made every effort to help make this one more joyous for me. He did a fantastic job and we had a lot of fun celebrating my 33 years of life yesterday.

After taking the kids to school, we stopped at the bar to have a cappuccino together before he had to leave for a meeting. I spent my morning baking Christmas cookies and enjoyed the quiet of the house, apart from blaring Christmas music. Jonathan came home with Luca around noon with a gorgeous bouquet of roses in hand. Nice that one of his ESL students is a florist. I think we should include flowers on our monthly ministry expenses. hehe

A friend and neighbor of mine, Patrizia, sent home with Samuel a teddy bear filled with chocolates. Emma quickly determined that since I was not going to sleep with the bear, that she would take care of it for me. You will see the bear in upcoming pictures.

After lunch, Jonathan and the kids went to work making me a cake. A pumpkin cream cheese roll! Samuel read directions, and Luca and Emma helped some before then running off to play. I just enjoyed taking pictures of them and seeing them work together to make a special cake for me. The end result was super yummy!

After naps, including one for me, we ate cake and opened presents before heading out to a pizzeria for dinner. Not having to cook would have been present enough for me.

Loved all the extra hugs, kisses and drawings from the kids too!

Thank you Munga and Gramma for all my beautiful gifts! I am as soft as that new teddy bear in my new pj's.

The kids gave me a Josh Groban CD

And Jonathan gave me a new clock/CD player for our bedroom.

3 decine + 3 unità = 33

Thanks babe, for all you did to make my day special!

Principessa Emma. Even the cook recognizes one and made this special heart pizza for her.

It was a fantastic day! Not maybe the most exciting in your books, but believe me it was good! I so appreciate all the calls, emails and messages on facebook from everyone. I am truly blessed by all of you!

Budding Artist

2010-12-14T11:31:00.001+01:00

These are the latest free-hand drawings by Miss Emma. I love that she is writing on her own in Italian without any help. For her, she learned to read and write in Italian before English, and I think it comes more naturally to her to do both in Italian. She is getting more and more confident with her reading each week and it is very exciting to see.

These drawings over the past couple of days, however, have really taken the cake. But we are not biased parents or anything, right?! We all agree though that she is now a better drawer than her dad. Samuel might be jealous that Emma's pictures have been posted, so be looking for his with his radioactive warning signs that he knows you all want to see. More to come...

Cicada, by Emma - December 10, 2010
Translation: Cicada sings him a happy little song

Fox, by Emma - December 13, 2010

English Class Party

2010-12-14T10:49:00.000+01:00

This past Sunday we opened up our home to our three adult ESL classes for a Christmas party. Twelve students came and some brought their spouses or other family member to join them. It was a joy for me to meet many for the first time and to extend a warm hand of hospitality to them. No matter how exhausting preparing for a party can be for me, each time is SO worth it! This time also served as a wonderful opportunity for us to get to know the students better on a personal level outside of the classroom setting. And of course for them to relax and communicate in their mother tongue always makes for more lively conversations.

This week Jonathan and Catherine will be giving each of their students a Scripture calendar and we pray that they will take the time to read them and that the doors for spiritual conversations will open up with many. All of these students intend to continue their English studies at Reset until June.

Nearly half of the students were able to come with many who were disappointed that they had other obligations that evening.

I am finding that Italians rarely sit down at a party. Conversing while standing is the norm no matter how convenient a chair might be to them.

Now THAT IS a gift basket!! Jonathan's 7:30 class all chipped in to present him with this gift. They are so sweet!

Christmas Street Fair

2010-12-07T14:35:00.001+01:00

I love Italy! And one reason is because of their unique celebrations of the seasons. Each town celebrates in their own way whether that be an annual or bi-annual "Festa". In Caselle, there is a spring "Fiera" (Street Fair) and a Christmas one. The streets are lined with vendors selling regional specialty foods, merchandise, hand crafted items and much more. Last year we walked the city streets, and enjoyed the cultural experience as observers. This year we were actually participants with our own booth.

We thought it would be an ideal opportunity for us as a church to participate and let our community know who we are and that we desire to be a blessing to them. We had 200 calendars with a daily Scripture verse and meditation to pass out for free. We really had no idea how this would be received but, by 12 noon we were out of calendars! Since this was an all day event ending at dusk, we quickly adapted a plan B. We had 200 Bibles in our center, so decided to start handing out those. By 3pm we were out and Jonathan ran home to grab another box of 100 Bibles we had here. We were thrilled to pass out that supply as well! We had balloons for the children, flyers for a Christmas program being held at our mother church in Torino, simple evangelistic cards and we gave everything away apart from the shirts off our backs.

We were greatly encouraged by the enthusiastic participation of nearly everyone in our church. We had willing hands to set up the tent and table at 7:30 am and to fill three shifts of 3 hours. It was about 35 degrees for the high of the day, but the forecasted rain held off as we had prayed. Jonathan was there the entire day, leaving only twice to run home and pick up supplies (which included a thermos of hot coffee to keep warm).

Our group is already talking about what we can do to improve for the spring Fiera in May. We made a couple new contacts who said they would like to come to our service this Sunday. One family actually lives in a palazzo on the corner of our street here in Leini and profess to be believers. In fact they were first time visitors on Sunday to our church in Torino and heard about us there. The other couple is friends with Antonietta and although unbelievers said they would like to come on Sunday. Please pray they all come!

Many received these gifts with some hesitancy. Some of our national believers were joking about wondering if the people they were talking to even spoke Italian, because when they said "Gift" the people would look at you with an expression of really, and it's free? By definition, that is what a gift is, right? How telling to what they must think of the God's free gift of salvation. Nothing is "free" and everything must be earned and received through works, according to the catholicism. Others would almost baulk and probably thought we were crazy trying to hand them a Bible. Some refused with the excuse that they didn't know how to read or that we needed to talk to their wife as she made all those decisions regarding religious things. Some said they already had a Bible, but when asked if they read it, they either said "sometimes" or "I have one [a Bible]".

Sign Reads: Free 2011 Calendar. "Freely you have received, freely give. -Jesus" Merry Christmas from Reset.

Please be in prayer that the 500 people who took a calendar or Bible would read them. That God's word would penetrate their hearts. That we might continue to be a shining light in this community. That we might see some saved through this effort.

P.S. Sorry there are no more pictures. I was hoping to go myself with the kids but Jonathan was pretty tied up and unable to then make another trip to and from home to bring us. I'll have to get some better pics at the spring event.

Portugal 2010

2010-12-05T14:11:00.002+01:00

Every three years, ABWE holds an All Western European Conference with the purpose of encouragement, refreshment, training and fellowship for the missionaries. We have been blessed to have just attended our second conference, which was held in Tavira, Portugal. We left our house on Sunday afternoon, November 21st, to drive to Milan to then catch our flight out. We made a connection in Lisbon and ran to catch our next flight to Faro. With three extremely excited but exhausted children we arrived at the hotel and finally got them in to bed around 1am.

The conference did not officially begin until Monday night, so we had the day to explore Tavira and then enjoy some fine Portuguese cuisine for lunch. Steak on a stone...let's just say, awe-some! Monday and Thursday were our only rain-free days, so those were our sight-seeing days. Each morning and evening we had some worship time led by the David Loftis family. That is always such a highlight for us to worship together in English and tears inevitably came each time. The mornings were used for training in the essential mission components of church planting, led by staff from the ABWE home office. The afternoons were always free and usually I tried to get the two little ones to nap while Jonathan either had individual meetings with people or we would go out as a family. In the evenings we were blessed by Jacob Reynolds, President of the Irish Bible Institute, who gave us "A Fresh Look at Jesus for our Life and Work."

The children were ministered to by a church from California that came to run a program for the kids. Our kids had a blast singing songs, doing crafts, learning about countries around the world and searching God's word for treasures. There were "diggin' diggin' for nuggets of gold..."

It was truly a week of great blessing for our family. Just what we needed in a busy season of ministry. Some other exciting things came about too that will impact and add to our future ministry and involvement, but I'll save that for another time.

We arrived home last Sunday, November 28. We were exhausted from having had to get up at 3am to catch our flight home. And it has taken basically the entire week to catch up on things that awaited our arrival home.

On Thanksgiving Day we had the whole afternoon and evening free. Therefore, we drove to Huelva, Spain to see the port and the life size replicas of the three ships that Christopher Columbus sailed with when he discovered the new world. The kids definitely enjoyed climbing and exploring the ships.

I have to leave you with a slideshow because I can't narrow pictures down. So enjoy our week in pictures. The captions are not coming up with the slideshow presentation so you might have to click on the slideshow to then view some of the captions I added.

Random

2010-11-18T17:29:00.000+01:00

When the days were sunnier, like in October, the kids enjoyed some playtime outside. It literally has been raining for all of November. I haven't been able to walk and pick up the kids from school hardly at all in the last two weeks. Sunshine tomorrow in the forecast and we can't wait!! Here are some random pictures of the kids from this fall.

Dressing up, but not celebrating Halloween here in Italy.

My handsome Samuel

Luca: "I'm Star Wars Clone Wars"

It really was not tang top weather by my Californian standards. I guess she has a strong streak of Michigan blood in her.

No carved pumpkins this year, just cookies from the bakery.

Luca loves to write these days. He still can't identify all his letters, but he knows how to spell all of our names. Numbers are a different story and he is surprisingly really good with them.

He was just too cute playing Doctor. His glasses make him look so professional.

I love his eyebrows and expressive faces

Celebrating Emma

2010-11-09T21:15:00.001+01:00

The extended celebration for the new six year old in our house has been quite exciting. We celebrated as a family on Thursday with a few gifts and then went out for pizza. She got lots of phone calls and cards in the mail and thoroughly enjoyed those too. She carries her cards all around the house and looks at them often. Here are some birthday moments for you to enjoy.

Getting ready to open presents

A horse calendar from Mamma and Dada.
Horses rank right under her frogs.

A red eye tree frog that was affectionately named "Mr. Reddy"

So blessed by our sweet Emma

Dining out at Bam Bam Ristuaro. Her first choice of Pizzerias was closed for vacation, but she was just as happy to go here again.

And finally....the cake. I did not have to convince Emma to choose something different than a frog cake, she chose the horse idea all on her own. I was happy to oblige her and she was thrilled with the outcome.

The face kept cracking from the weight of the head, but it held up long enough.

Mamma's looking a little tired. But that big smile next to me makes it all worth it!

The horse is all made out of marshmallow fondant.

Trying to blow out her candles while Diego was grabbing for the horse.

We had a few families over on Sunday night to celebrate Emma's birthday. I always forget to take pictures of people and the party. Oh well, usually by that point I am one shot Mamma from the hours of preparation for such an event and that just slips my mind.

English for Everyone

2010-11-09T12:10:00.000+01:00

Finally, here is an update on our English classes. In October we began our second year of teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) at our center, Reset. Jonathan teaches 2 beginner level classes for adults on Wednesday nights. Between the two classes he has over 20 students. Our coworker, Catherine, teaches a class on Tuesday afternoons for upper elementary, in which she has 3-4 students. She also teaches the intermediate level class on Thursday nights for 7-8 adults.

In the middle of October we received a call from a mother who asked if we would offer a class for a group of third graders. She had already recruited 10 children of interest and even had a proposed day and time for us to consider. It just so "happened" to work perfectly in to our schedules for Monday at 5:00. We have our women's Bible study on Mondays from 2:30-4:00 at the center, so it was an obvious solution that Catherine and I co-teach this class. I mean, how could we refuse this great opportunity to expand our contact base and serve our community?

Last night was our first class and we had 10 students. I took the first week teaching and then Catherine and I will alternate each week. All went really well and the kids seemed to have a great time. One little girl was almost giddy even before we began saying how much fun this was. When we asked why she said because I'm with my classmates and you are nice. She seemed to carry with her the same smile when she left.

This year Jonathan has been using a new method of teaching called Total Physical Response (TPR) and it seems to be going over really well. It worked really well with the kids as they have to respond with actions to each thing they are learning. Basically you try to teach them as a baby would learn a language. They are not encouraged to speak in the beginning but just to listen, comprehend and respond to your commands. And the other huge plus is that you don't translate anything for them.

So for example: You imitate the commands for them when you speak like "stand up", "point to the door" "touch the chair" etc. They follow along with you in small groups and then they have to do it alone without any help. They are learning vocabulary and commands with very little stress. I am no TPR expert but hopefully for those who are interested you get the idea of what I am trying to say.

If you calculate the numbers, we have 40+ students we now interact with on a weekly basis. We are truly thrilled for this and pray that as we seek to make ourselves known and serve our community that God might use this to bring others to a saving knowledge of Christ. Pray for us and them.

Emma's Day

2010-11-04T14:30:00.003+01:00

Six years ago today, our precious little Emma Patryce entered our lives and forever captured our hearts. Today we celebrate her life and the blessing that God has so graciously given to us. Below is a slideshow capturing pieces of her first six years of life. Jonathan wrote this song for Emma just a couple of weeks after she was born. It has been a while since I have listened to it and the sound of Emma cooing brings tears to my eyes. It seems just like yesterday... We love you "Mems" with all our hearts!

P.S. Party to be held for Emma on Sunday...so hang in there for more celebration posts.

Young Theologians

2010-10-27T11:54:00.001+02:00

We are always looking for solid Biblical children's material to work through with our little ones. Some of the rich finds we have enjoyed as a family have been The Jesus Storybook Bible and Scripture memory songs by, Seeds Family Worship. Our newest venture is a catechism for boys and girls. By definition catechism means "a manual of instruction in the principles of the Christian religion, usually in question and answer form." However, it is difficult to separate (at least in my mind), the association of catechism and the Catholic church. Right now Samuel's classmates participate in catechism after school once a week. So instead of bringing confusion to the matter, the kids have labeled this learning time as "The Jesus Questions."

Part I of this list of questions is working through the theology of God, Man and Sin. In all there are six parts, consisting of 145 questions and answers. The kids have learned 13 so far and are well on their way to being little theologians. With each question there are scripture references that we read and discuss with them. What an amazing privilege we have as parents to train little hearts with the truth of God's word. Here is a video for you to see and hear for yourselves the great enthusiasm and excitement they have in responding to these questions.

Autumn

2010-10-23T20:36:00.000+02:00

Pumpkin Farms. Hay Rides. Apple Picking. Apple Cider. Glorious Shades of Fall. Bonfires. Football. Jumping in Leaves...

I suppose these would be on the top of our list of reasons why "We miss fall in America." We try not to let out a sigh of jealousy when we see pictures on blogs and Facebook of those enjoying any of the above listed items. Don't get me wrong, we are sold out in our purpose for living in Italy...and no doubt, we too can make you jealous at times.

So what does autumn look like in Italy? Well, it is not so colorful. Mostly yellows and browns on the trees. However, there is one bright spot in which I make a point to admire daily. It is a type of vine that you see climbing on trees and this vine turns a vibrant red and orange in the fall. Fortunately, for us there is such a vine growing on the fence in between us and our neighbors.

Emma lost her second tooth (at school) a couple of weeks ago.

We do not have pumpkin patches or farms here in Italy. If you want a large, orange pumpkin to carve you can usually find one at the supermarket marked as "Halloween Pumpkin." In the past, we have always purchased one to carve and one to cook down for use in pies, breads and other favorite fall recipes. However, my choice of pumpkins to cook down for my puree has decidedly changed to this variety. It is so rich in color, less stringy and tastes amazing in all baked goods consisting of pumpkin.

So as not to be deceived on the size of this pumpkin, it is only about 1kg.
This is my third pumpkin purchase of the season and there will be many more for sure!

I cringe now to think of using canned pumpkin for anything! Instead of picking pumpkins and apples the fall thing to do here is go chestnut picking. We might go tomorrow but we have yet to see if it will work out. Oh, and I do realize that I am in great need of posting pictures of the kids. Hang in there and I'll try to take some over the course of the next few days. Enjoy the beauty of fall and drink some apple cider for us!

Church Life

2010-10-23T16:05:00.000+02:00

It dawned on me the other week, just how transient we are as a family when it comes to church. And I only stopped to think about it when Samuel prayed "...and tomorrow is Sunday. I pray for church, but I don't know which one it is tomorrow."

To me, it seems ordinary and normal because we more or less have been "church hopping" for the past eight years. Think about it. All of the two and a half years we were on pre-field raising support brought us to new churches constantly. Maybe we had a run of 2 or 3 weeks at our home church, but for the most part we were on the road. When we moved to Perugia for language school, we attended one church and were consistent there for nearly two years. Then the move up to Torino kept us stable for a while before we returned to the States for furlough and we were in a new church each week. Then back to Italy, and we soon started up church services in Caselle that are held only twice a month. Then back to the States for three months of church hopping. Now Jonathan is on a preaching rotation between 3 churches in the area, so our poor kids never know where we will be come Sunday morning. Torino, Caselle or Lanzo?

I guess that is life as a missionary and especially when working to establish a church plant. Sometimes our kids struggle as each church provides a diverse experience for them. But overall, they take things in stride and for that we are grateful. It is hard to say when we might be able to give our kids the consistency of church location, but Lord willing, that will be soon. Our current place of meeting is reaching the point of overflow. We NEED a bigger place for sure, but until we can sustain a higher rent as a church we are forced to remain in our tight quarters.

Tomorrow is a Caselle church day...and don't feel bad if your prayers for us often sound like Samuel's for as you can see life is pretty varied from Sunday to Sunday. We appreciate your prayers "even if you don't know which one it is this week."

Staggering...

2010-10-13T17:31:00.000+02:00

...but still standing, by His grace! This week started out rough as I got hit with the flu bug pretty bad Monday night. This time it was not the kids who needed that spare towel in the car, but me. When we arrived home from our shopping outing, I crawled in to bed and there I remained for 36 hours (literally!) It is tough when Mamma is out of commission and everyone in the household agrees. Jonathan did well meeting my needs and yet keep a safe distance, and so far so good for him. When he picked up Samuel and Emma for lunch on Tuesday as soon as Samuel got out of the school gate, he hurled all over the ground. Poor guy! Emma's teacher told us too that she had been complaining about her stomach that morning. Jonathan had the kids return inside for their school bags as it was obvious this flu was going to make it's rounds. Samuel and Emma did get sick, but thankfully not as bad as me. Oh, for a child's resiliency to bounce back. Oh, and I have lost my voice as well, yet again. So that was the start of our week.

The past weekend, however, was great! Friday night we viewed another apartment rental with Catherine and we think this is the one. The moving time is not what she wanted as she will have to wait until January, but the wait will be worth it. Lord willing, all the pieces will fall in to place for this to happen. Saturday, I was in the kitchen all day putting together some meals for a co-worker of ours who had surgery yesterday. Sunday, was the first service in Caselle since our return this fall. It was a full house and everyone in our group, plus visitors were in attendance. Thirty is a full house for us. We are excited to have the services up and started again. Jonathan began a series in Psalms and although I did not hear him, I'm sure it was great. Catherine taught the kids while I took care of an 18 mos. old and tried to keep the other 6 kids quiet and seated. One room for toddlers - 9 years old with just a curtain divider is quite a challenge! After the service we had our Agape meal together at the Farina's. It was a wonderful and much needed time of fellowship for us all. Our kids were thrilled to try on roller blades for the first time and had lots of fun with that. One pair of skates went far being shared with 6 kids.

Monday, we had our field council prayer meeting and then the ladies meeting in the afternoon. Tuesday night Jonathan began teaching a course entitled "How to Study the Bible" and tonight is English classes for him. I will give more of an in depth update on our ministries...soon, I promise.

Well, that is in part the first half of our week. How was yours?

Unusual Sightings

2010-10-07T14:22:00.001+02:00

Last night Jonathan came home from his first night of English classes around 11pm. Which, by the way went extremely well. Two students expressed to him today their extreme delight in the fun and interactive lesson last night. Jonathan is using the TPR (Total Physical Response) method this year, so the structure and method is new to him as well. However, it sounds like a lot of fun and that the students might actually learn and absorb more this year using this method. I will have to write more on English at another time.

So back to my story...when Jonathan arrived home he walked across our lawn and noticed something moving underfoot. He was out there for a while checking the critter out before coming in to get me. He said, "You gotta come out here. There is an animal in the yard, but I don't know what it is. I think maybe it is a porcupine." Since I am the animal expert of the family, I figured this would be an easy identification. However, I too had never seen such a critter in person and in the dark it looked pretty spiny and prickly to me. My best guess for someone who just woke up off the couch was that it might be a baby porcupine. We took a picture just so people wouldn't think were crazy to find this unusual animal in our yard and away from any kind of forest. It was the size of a guinea pig more or less and really, really cute, but no way was I going to touch it with those prickly looking things on it.

Wanting to make sure that my animal identification was correct before making a blunder to all who might read this, I searched the internet for a picture of a baby porcupine. Okay, so what we saw was definitely NOT that! My second guess was a hedgehog. Although my only association was to Sonic the Hedgehog, and he is blue! I was delighted to see from pictures on the internet that it most definitely was a hedgehog in our yard. And then, after reading a few sights about hedgehogs, I just about kicked myself for not knowing that because apparently they make really good pets. The kids would have loved to have this guy around!

So now the kids and I are praying he will come back to our yard so we can keep him for a pet. Apparently, they are considered an exotic pet to have. Maybe he was a lost pet in the neighborhood or maybe wild, I guess I would have to research some more whether or not they are a common in this area.

International House Hunters

2010-09-30T14:50:00.000+02:00

So maybe you have seen the TV show "International House Hunters," or maybe not. The point is, people are usually hunting for a vacation or retirement home in a foreign country. Most places are breathtakingly beautiful on beach front property or reveal the best of housing possibilities in whatever country one is house hunting. This week I, Noella, have been an active participant in house hunting in the less glamourous city of Caselle. So before you get the idea that we are moving, let me clarify that this if for our co-worker, now official Caselle-team member and friend, Catherine. The approval for her to join us in the work in Caselle was granted in just the past two weeks. We are excited to now have a "team" and are looking forward for the ways in which she will be able to contribute and enhance the ministry efforts in Caselle.

Catherine currently lives in Torino and it can take up to 40 mintues (depending on traffic) for her to reach our neck of the woods. Therefore, the first order of business is to get her moved out to Caselle. She and I have inquired at just about every realtors office in Caselle this week. We wonder how they all stay in business as I can count 7 agencies just on the main street, all within a half mile distance. And that is not all of them! Some had no rental properties, others overlapped with what we found at other agencies and one seemed to be the "jackpot" of the agencies listing 5 properties of interest.

The past two days we have been viewing apartments all across the spectrum. One might find it strange to view rentals with no kitchen, no bathroom sinks, no closets or no light fixtures, but that is completely normal here. You have to let your imagination go in trying to visualize how you might design a kitchen or get rid of the awful color paint. There were some plusses and minuses in almost every place, some were just all negative. We were thrilled with the success of our hunt yesterday as she found a place that she fell in love with immediately, even if it is going to be a downsize from what she has now. It has lots of charm with autonomous heating, gas water heater, below ground parking, garage and cantina (storage closet), no condominium monthly fees and all in a newly constructed building in a very tranquil part of town. With each of those items listed you would have to live here to know how important and hard to come by those things can be. She now is proceeding to the next phase which is to write her proposal with the agency to the landlord. He will review her application and then decide to accept her as a renter or not. Until that happens you just have to hold your breath and pray he doesn't reject you because you are a foreigner or for some other reason of his choice. Some properties she could not even view because the landlords will not rent to foreigners. Oh, if only they knew!

It has been a fun and tiring week but very rewarding. I think the kids will wonder around dinner time where Catherine is tonight. No doubt she is enjoying her day at home as well.