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.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
11 Years
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!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Family Visit pt. 2
For those interested in hearing and seeing more of our time with Cody and Michelle, from their perspective go here.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Friday, August 5, 2011
Family Visit
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.
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.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Home Improvements
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....
Okay...now I'm off to plan and prepare for two hosting engagements this weekend. Happy summer project time to all!
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. |
Friday, July 15, 2011
Zoom Torino
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.
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.
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.
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