Gratitude for Family Visits

As we conclude the Thanksgiving month of November and reflect on God's grace, gifts and goodness extended to us throughout this past year, it is only fitting that I play catch up here on the blog to record some very special memories from 2017. 

Always sacrificing to fly business class so they can bring us extra luggage
filled with gifts and items we need. Thank you!

One huge and special highlight that we are so thankful for (and somehow had no time to write about) was a visit from Munga and Gramma in August. It had been four years since they last came to Italy and it was the first time that they stayed in our house in Caselle. It was fun to show them around our town even though it was mid-August and most shops were closed. But at least there was always one gelato store guaranteed to be open, and Munga made sure they did not lose business with so many locals away on vacation. 

It was hot, but mostly tolerable if my memory serves me correctly. Ok, maybe it was a little uncomfortable coming from "the land of AC". Their first four days involved jet lag recovery, kid sitting while Jonathan and I got away for the day on our anniversary, lunch with friends, house repair projects and most of all just loving on their grandkids. Then they left for five days to visit a good friend in Turkey before coming back to us for a week. 

Sunday lunch with friends

Closed. Closed. Everything is Closed.

The Venaria Palace was even closed, which is a big tourist attraction.

Creating their own fun

With it being August and the mass exodus from the landlocked region of Piedmont to the sea, we too left to enjoy some place more lively. Of course, that meant leaving the country and heading north to Geneva, Switzerland. People are always shocked to realize that from where we live we can get to France and Switzerland in a little over an hour. We crossed over the Alps, rather through the Mont Blanc tunnel pass into France then on to Switzerland and had a fabulous day.

We packed a picnic lunch and enjoyed eating it in the Parc des Bastions while admiring the Reformation Wall. 

A fitting location at the Reformation Wall for Jonathan to receive an email
from the South African Theological Seminary with his acceptance into
the PhD program.

World's Longest Bench (as seen on The Amazing Race)

We toured the Reformation sites associated with John Calvin and others throughout the city. [See this blog post for more Reformation details from our first visit in 2015]. 

Where John Calvin's house once stood.

We climbed up to the top of the St. Pierre Cathedral for a fantastic view of the city. 

St. Pierre Cathedral where Calvin preached.

View from the church bell tower

Taking a rest in the middle room between the two towers

A stop at Starbucks to grab something refreshing to drink along Lake Geneva before heading home made for a enjoyable conclusion to our day before heading back home.

I always love driving through the Mont Blanc pass and seeing the glacier that is it's name sake. Studying geography, as I do with Luca, is so much more fun when you have vivid images you can put in your mind.

At the Italian-French border

During their final few days with us, Munga and Gramma were able to meet more of our friends, spend the morning at our favorite coffee shop that Jonathan frequents almost daily, cool off on a shopping trip to IKEA and of course more gelato and pizza. Our studies and ministries were suspended for the month of August so it was nice to have that down time while they were here before we hit the rush of the start to school. It is always great to have visitors, but even more special when it is family. We treasure these moments together and are so thankful they were able to make the trip to visit us this year. We love you Munga and Gramma!!

Goodbye Sweet Mac

It is with great sadness that we said goodbye to our precious little pet guinea pig, Mac, on Wednesday. He has been a part of our family for the past six and half years, and when that length of time is over half of the lifespan of our youngest child, it is hard to imagine our home without his presence. Since February when he had his first bought with pneumonia, he has been struggling on and off with his health. But he was our fighter and always seemed to pull through and overcome volatile moments. However, when respiratory problems came again over the past couple of weeks the treatment for pneumonia was not successful. He died in my arms as I whispered words of love and affection to him. Truly, there was no guinea pig more loved than him!

MacGyver "Mac" Kleis
April 28, 2011 - November 22, 2017

On the Eve of Thanksgiving as the sun was setting we buried little Mutty in our garden. With hearts full of gratitude for his life we also have been carrying sorrow in our hearts the past few days. Laughter and tears, they don't seem like they should go together, but they do. And both have been healing to us as we reflect on all the fun and joy Mac brought to us. He will be greatly missed!

He was our "hello" on the other side of our "goodbyes". When sadness gripped our hearts in saying goodbye to family in the US, he was the comfort that awaited us upon our return. He was my morning welcome, greeting me with a chatter as I poured myself a cup of coffee. He was our cuddle buddy to study, to craft, to keep warm and provide companionship. He was our garbage disposal for veggie scraps and would always know when I was cutting an apple. I am already noticing the increase in our organic waste bucket without him around. He dined with us at meals always on his carpet by the door and chewed so fast that it never lost fascination with us.

The nicknames he was given over the years have been tallied and they number 31. "Mut-mut" and "piggie" make their way into more phrases and random responses than should be considered normal. Emma and Jonathan even have their own piggie-language and the inside speech is quite absurd, but it has been our comic relief always guaranteed to bring a smile. (And mild annoyance to the boys, but even they have been pulled in to the crazy lingo use).

We will always love Mac and he will forever hold a special place in our hearts as our first family pet. He was beyond cute so it is only fitting that we share loads of pictures. Here are some of our favorites out of the thousands that we must have in our photo stream. Rest in peace, Mac.

Gotcha Day: April 28, 2011

It's amazing he didn't get squeezed to death on his first day home

Emma begged and begged for a pet and we are so glad she persisted!

Oh my, the kids have grown and changed in 6.5 years!

Happy 1st Birthday! 

Thankful to have lived in two homes with a yard. He loved fresh grass and dandelions!

Mamma: groomer, feeder, and nurse provider for for this little guy

Mac loved basil! He could down a whole plant in one sitting.
In fact, his final niblets of food were four basil leaves.

When he was held he had to be on your left shoulder. If you put him
on your right he would squirm over to the other side every time.

The most intelligent pig ever! 

Crafting with Emma

Mac was free to roam the house, hopping in and out of his cage
 mostly to scurry across the kitchen for food.

He had a sweet tooth for apples

Playing under the towel

Seriously, check out those lips

Zoe, the only cousin to meet Mac

Mac's First Christmas - 2011

Mac's Last Christmas - 2016 

Little Miss Teenager

There is no turning back the clock, and as of November 4 we now have TWO teenagers in our home!

Our little Emma when born could be held in the crook of her dad's arm, so tiny and delicate. Now she is a young lady who shares my clothes and shoes and anxiously anticipates the day when she will be taller than me. Not only is she growing in stature but she is also growing in her love for the Lord and others and we couldn't be prouder! Emma is a joy and delight to all and we can't wait to see how the Lord uses her many gifts and talents to bless others for his glory. 

At 13 her interests are: knitting, crocheting, embroidery, reading, drawing, foreign languages, artistic gymnastics, Minecraft, Rubix cubes, eating and singing. 

Just a few of her recent creations

For her online English class project she chose to embroider characters from the book Redwall. Hours upon hours were spent making this masterpiece over the course of 8 weeks.

We had our Western Europe Administrator and his family staying with us for a week and that might have been one of the best gifts Emma received. Hanging out and forming new friendships with two other MKs was so very special that when they departed both she and Luca were left in tears. We are so glad the kids came and for the encouragement they were to each other.

Knowing how busy I was going to be the week leading up to her birthday, I decided to make and freeze her lasagna dinner. I wish I would have done the same for her cake, but in the end it got done and was enjoyed just one day late. 

We began birthday celebrations on Friday night with our Bible study group. Dalida offered to make a dessert which was very much appreciated after a long and intense week for me that was full of team meetings on top of hosting. Emma is crazy for Dalida's cream filling so it was only fitting that she made homemade bignè filled with cream and covered in chocolate! Hmm yum!

I thought taking pictures with older kids was supposed to be easy, but still our boys like to photo bomb. This was the third try and they still thought it was funny. At least Luca shaped up in this one.

On Saturday, we took a trip to Cervinia which is a town at the base of the Matterhorn on the Italian side. It was a cold blustery day as we anticipated our first rain since July to come later that evening. We had two visiting families with our team so it was fun to show them the Alps. We stayed warm over a long lunch and then a round of hot chocolate before heading home. Jonathan and Samuel stayed behind to sermon prep and do school homework.

The Matterhorn with some imagination to see the top

After dinner Emma opened gifts. Our friends live in Portugal and they are famous for their cork. The purse she received is made out of cork. So beautiful!

This face is classic as Emma read a card from Munga and Gramma and was humored by the drawing of "Peter the Onion". An inside joke that I won't even bother to explain.

Emma shares her birthday with Jodi, our Administrator's wife, so it was extra special to celebrate them both. 

Emma requested a "mirror cake" for her birthday. That's what happens when you tell your daughter to go look on Pinterest for cake ideas. I was clueless about this trending cake technique until now. So many steps, but hey it was worth it and tasted amazing!

It's mirror-ry, right?

Humble Church Beginnings

Since the closure of our first church plant "Reset" back in 2012, it has been a long and slow process of (pardon the pun) resetting the ministry in Caselle. Our goal has always remained to see an evangelical church presence in this community of 13,000 people. God in his faithfulness and goodness has allowed us to share in His continuing work here. Rejoice with us...

On October 1, 2017 "Insieme" Evangelical Church of Caselle started Sunday services!

The most recent picture I have of us all, minus one.

The core group of faithful Bible study attendees were ready and asking for this to happen. We feel that by having waited as long as we did that there is a sense of ownership from the very beginning. Our services are very participatory and everyone has a role during the service whether that be reading scripture, leading prayer time, leading in worship, reading liturgy or providing refreshments. It is far from a one-man show and it is beautiful.

One of the most excited groups of people about starting services has been our kids. It has been a joy to witness their enthusiasm. We have a sign up sheet for each weeks responsibilities and Luca is THE very first one to run over and sign up for the following week. His turn around in attitude towards church from "there is nothing to do and I don't understand anything in Italian" to "I want to participate, and Dada's Italian is way easier for me to understand," has been so encouraging. This past Sunday Emma signed up for the refreshments and she made a beautiful amazing apple cake all on her own.

Our beginning is small and humble as we meet in our home. We are learning together as we go and adapting as needed. Now that we have a couple of services under our belts, we are ready to extend the invitation to others who have expressed curiosity and interest in attending a service. Pray that the seats (max. capacity 26) will be filled and that we will outgrow our home setting with lives being transformed and given to Christ.