Out of Italy into Uganda

Before you read, you must know that I have been wrestling with about 100 other people for bandwidth since I have been in Africa. If that weren't enough, you cant stay connected for more than about 15 minutes at a time. I may have one more post in me, but when I go north to Lira in another week, I may not have access to internet until I stay in a Hotel in Italy.

 

Friday 6/15

-somewhere in the air between Italy and Ethiopia

 

I have been silent for some weeks now. Though I have been doing many things, I seem to have had no motivation to type. I finished my time in Florence and moved on to Naples. It seems to me that I don't ever want to leave when I start to spend time with people. Its almost like my heart just clings on, and the idea of leaving makes it want to be bitter, but then it soon latches on somewhere else. We had a few days in Naples together before the Quicks split off to stay with missionaries Justin and Jenn Powell in Barcelona for a few days

 

Pastor Marco and his wife Maria allowed us to stay in their spare apartment, which is a huge blessing. After the Quicks started their journey to Barcelona I was left to myself in the apartment. I don't really take pleasure in being alone but if I have to I can. Fortunately for me, I found a friend. I met Gabriella Martucci a few days prior at church and was surprised to hear an American accent. She was actually staying in the apartment that was adjacent to mine, so she and I were able to go and see Naples and entertain each other since we are the only ones that had nothing to do during the day. I think, however, our little two person team was largely one sided, because she is the one that spoke italian so I depended on her greatly. She came to Naples not knowing anyone; just wanting to be used by God to strengthen and encourage the worship teams of the church in Italy. She is quite talented and I know that God will use her in a great way. My prayer for her is that she will be encouraged herself and that she would be allowed to impact the worship teams of the Casoria and Arzano Church. If you would like to pray for her in that way too, I'm sure that she would appreciate it.

 

Right now I am flying from Rome to Ethiopia with on a plane full of Italian people. It is so funny, because when the lights go out, a plane full of Americans gets really quiet and sleepy, but it only seems to get louder on this plane. There is an Italian lady in front of me that has been standing, talking for nearly two hours taking breaks only to sip on her little bottle of airplane wine. There is also a man sitting next to me that has been waving his hands around vigorously in conversation since he got on the plane. Out of the side of my eye it looks as though he is trying to get my attention, and after the 3rd or 4th time of looking and taking my headphones out, I decided to try and ignore it.

 

The pilot says that we are about 15 minutes behind schedule, but they will do everything they can to make up the time. My watch says 8:00pm and I should be hopping flights onto another plane in another hour or so.

 

Saturday June 16

 

I made it to Uganda... Without my luggage; it is somewhere between Addis Ababa and Entebbe. The flight from Rome to Ethiopia, being late, resulted in my bags not making it onto the plane headed for Uganda. I packed only a few items in my backpack either to make the travel easier, or to ensure that they were handled with care. As I stood in front of the conveyor after nearly 30 minutes, it occurred to me that I might not be getting my bag. The frenzied scurry to wrestle bags off the conveyor had ended and I was left standing there with another couple that had come from Rome. I thought through the flights and figured there was no way that my bag would have had time to get onto the new plane due to the delayed flight. I went to report a missing bag and walked out the door of the airport only to be barraged with 12 taxi drivers all interested in getting me somewhere. I asked them, "Are any of you from the Ridar Hotel?"

"Ridar Hotel, yes I know it."

"No, no, did you come from the Ridar Hotel to pick me up?"

"Yes, I know where it is"

I thought to myself, "you have got to be kidding me"..

One of the other taxi drivers understood what I meant and asked me if I had the number for the Ridar Hotel. He called them and handed me the phone. I spoke with a woman named Margret who said that she was expecting me. Then out of nowhere, an arm reached around my neck from behind and put me in a choke hold... Andrew Millikan, that dirty dog. My driver and Andrew had been sitting in the car out in the parking lot waiting for me. We made the fastest trip to the hotel I have ever done and finally arrived at the hotel at 3:40am. The decision to figure out what I was going to put on in the morning wasn't real hard because the only clothes that I had were the clothes that I was wearing... That makes for an aroma, but what can I do? I will just have to go shopping.

 

Morning came, and I slept till about 9. Then I got to reconnect with the team here and there around the hotel until we all hopped on the bus and headed for the orphanage. As usual, the children put on a welcoming party that was wonderful and exciting. The road was lined with children waving palm branches displaying enormous smiles that periodically burst into laughter and shouting. A cluster of children regulated the speed of the bus by proudly and beautifully displaying their tribal dance down the middle of the road. We turned the corner into the village and encountered an eruption; cheering and clapping for the bus as we passed by the Mums. The children shouted even louder as we opened the doors and Mark Gosvener stepped off the bus. He was engulfed in a sea of little smiling faces. One by one we all got off the bus. I will never forget the feeling of having 40 children all trying to hug me at the same time. I felt someone run into me and latch onto my side. It was my girl Florence. There is nowhere else on earth I would rather be.

 

The day was filled with joy. I spent time eating with my house of girls during lunch, arm wrestling and tickling the boys in the afternoon, and walked back to the hotel on the dirt roads that wind through marketplaces and fruit stands. I finished off the day connecting with a friend from Festival Arzano 2011 in Italy, who called out my name as I walked past her down at the hotel restaurant. This world really is a tiny one...

 

Monday 6/18

 

I have a bag!! I received a call from Ethiopian airlines today and they told me that my bag has been found. They transported it to their Kampala office where they do much of their booking.... The team went to the orphanage this morning for their first day of work and bible school. We had a wonderful morning working on the 2nd floor of the school in the sun while the children in the classrooms periodically recited various things aloud. I think my favorite was when they all sang "Father Abraham". It is one of those moments when you hear what is happening and all you can do is just smile. They are singing their hearts out... and you know that God is smiling too.

 

We passed quite a bit of brick for the workers; getting it to the places that would be the most helpful for the masons. We had multiple lines tossing brick from the ground up a few levels of scaffolding to the second level. It is a good work out; lots of sweat and brick dust. I love it. I had to bail just about lunch time to go into Kampala with Robert, our bus driver, and get my bag back. Oh, how I long for a clean pair of underwear. The Ethiopian Airlines office was quite full and I feared that I would be waiting for some time. We mentioned to someone that we were here to pick up a bag and were ushered into a back room where bags were being stored and I handed them my baggage claim ticket. I noticed my bag as soon as I walked through the doorway. The lady went to the bag and checked to see if the numbers matched, and wouldn't you know it; they didn't. "Oh my gosh, I swear this is my bag! I can tell you exactly what is in it!" the lady looked at me and smiled, she said "I believe you." she tore the tag off and gave me the bag.

 

On our way back to the orphanage I was looking out the front window and noticed a taxi cab. They decorate the taxis quite a bit here. On the front and back of the taxis you will see these huge words and they will say things like "GOD IS GOOD", or "KING OF GLORY". This taxi had written on the back "NO ONE IS PERFECT", however, the government had required a registration sticker that was right on top of the "NO". One is perfect.

 

I finished the day getting to talk to some of the construction workers, and teachers. I saw Florence standing off to the side looking at me and held out my arms to her, and she came running.. I gave her a giant hug and a note that I had written for her. I told her teachers that she was my sponsored child, and my daughter. She told me that tomorrow if i would come to her house she would show me her reports from school to see how well she was doing in school. I cant it to see her tomorrow. It was late in the day at the orphanage. I looked for my team members and noticed the bus backing up and getting ready to pull away. I looked at my watch and it said 5:34pm, so I said my goodbye to Florence for the day and sprinted to the bus. Mark later told me that he had said on the bus, "Adam is going to be our first example of what happens when you are late for the bus." He said that of all the people on the team, I was the one person that he would be comfortable leaving in that situation because he knew that i could take care of myself here. I brought a smile to my face. I love every moment I spend at the orphanage. I always will. it is one of the places on earth that I truly feel at home.

 

Tuesday, 6/19

 

I laughed at Andrew yesterday because he burned in the sun with his tank top.. Well today I wore a cutoff and God is showed me that I too can be burned. The team was amazing today; everyone worked so hard moving bricks. Yesterday we had two truckloads of brick dropped at the work site and our team was able to get the whole pile moved up to the second floor. At some point in the morning I sent half our team up to the third floor and had them help move some tiles that are used to lighten the weight of the slab when they pour the concrete. We got the whole floor covered. My arms felt like rubber and my face was coated in brick dust, and so was my hair. I sat in on the bible school for the kids and got to help out with the small groups when they split up. It reminds me of back home helping at the church on Wednesday nights with the youth.

 

Afterwards I saw a large gathering of kids on the soccer field, and I heard the children singing. Every day after school the children gather for prayer and worship. There are several children among the village that act as pastors and provide a short message. The singing is beautiful and the prayers are amazing. Today one of the mums came out and told the children that they need to go to one of these people who come from far away and pray for them. "Thank the Lord for your parents that God has provided for you. Thank Him and Praise Him for them aloud with your lips and with your words so that His name might be praised!" and just like that I had 20 children grabbing my hands, touching me, and praying for me. It is truly amazing. we left the village just overwhelmed with love. These kids earn a place in your heart more quickly than you would expect. Just watch them pray and you will be changed.

 

Perspective

        In the heart of the Czech Republic, just outside the busy city of Prague, there is a place called Lidice. In this town lies a history that leaves you with wonder and sadness. The area has changed from what it once was long ago. It is a place that was wiped off the face of the earth by Hitler during WW2; men shot, women sent to concentration camps, children gassed, buildings destroyed, graves uncovered, and trees removed; all to the innocent. In the place where there was complete destruction, now lies a place that is more peaceful than most that I have been to. There is a reverent silence that flows through the grounds of the memorial. You can hear the chirping of birds and the wind moving through the trees as the sunlight streams past their branches. The light through the trees speckle the nicely kept grass that holds the remains of this place and a memorial to the children of Lidice; frozen in time as they gaze on the land that they once used to run and play. They are people remembered not by the way they lived their lives, but the means by which they came to an end.

        I had some time to walk alone on the grounds. The sun was going down. There was a stone that marked the foundation of where the first building stood. This is when I looked up and thought about the stillness and peace of this place. After I had walked through the grounds, I turned back and began to walk along the same path back to where we were staying. I was blinded with the setting sun breaking through the trees. I stopped and moved a little to the side of the path so that the trees would block the light, and there God decided to give me a beauty shot of his creation. The trees were breathtaking, the light was glorious, and I didn't really want to move. I did not notice this place coming from the other direction because it was just a couple of trees that I had to walk by to get to where I was going.

        As I stood there I thought about how different this place looked from these two perspectives. Isn't that true about so many things in life? There are always multiple perspectives. Sometimes when we are in mourning it isn't desirable to think positively of losing a loved one, or when we are depressed to think positively about anything at all. My dad was alive 17 years ago, and now he isn't. Its been a long time, but I know that he is in heaven meeting amazing people that we can only read and dream about. If I were up there, I would be so completely overwhelmed with the Glory of God's kingdom that I would only be able to think about God alone. I know that Dad is just working his way through a line of people who are cheering for him and excited to see him, in fact, they were waiting for him to get there. It is a celebration bigger than I could possibly imagine. I doubt that he has looked back yet, and when he does I will be moving right behind him meeting the people that he met before me. We will approach the throne of God and see Him standing there with open arms inviting us to His throne. Who cares about the worries of this life! I really don't care if I must endure a little suffering while I am just some man on this earth. I will be so overwhelmed by what I am experiencing that I will care in no way about the troubles I had while I was alive. Some of us will suffer greatly, and some not as much. To me, Dad's death was a tragedy, but in God's eyes it is a welcoming home that is beyond our comprehension. I can choose to be sad, or I can choose to be happy. I can try to see things in my life through God's eyes, or I can just sit in my discomfort and welcome sympathy. God can make good out of anything. Am I willing to see it?

Colle Val d'Elsa

Main Gate to the Castle

On Monday we decided to take a small day trip to one of the nearby cities. We had to do a little planning as there was no direct route to where we were going. Dennis had talked to our landlady about areas that we could go that we're away from the Tourist hot spots. This place is called "Colle Val d'Elsa." I did a small bit of Wikipedia before we went so that I would know a little bit about what was going on. The city, after repeated assaults from neighboring cities, built a wall around themselves. Located on top of a hill, it became a castle. We walked the narrow road that led up the hill to the city and over a small bridge that led us to the main gate of the castle. I was surprised, the entrance to the castle was more attractive than a normal castle. We started to discover that it was more of a community than what we usually think of when castles come to mind. I always think of a king in his castle, but I am unsure that this castle had a king.

 There were really no tourists there with us, and the locals that had shops and restaurants were vastly different than those who operate within popular touristic areas. We found a nice restaurant in the castle that was very beautiful. We enjoyed a glass of wine, and just admired the beauty in the history of the area. There were numerous small doors that led into private residences which from the street seemed only to go straight up. It looked to me that the average width of a home must have been about 10-15 feet, but looking up you could see the differing roof lines indicating different buildings. Thinking about them made me want to go inside, light a bunch of candles, and enjoying some wonderful stew cooked over the fireplace. Why do I love small places?

 We went back down the narrow road to the city, we ducked into a small cafe. The server was very happy to have us and seemed to enjoy attending to us. We had some lasagna for a late lunch and afterwards moved in the direction of the bus stop that would take us back to a town called "Poggibonsi" where we would get on a train that headed back towards Florence. While on the train we all ended up napping while waiting for the train to pull in.

 Last night we had our first gathering of our students and friends in the area. Dennis prepared a little piece about forgetfulness and how the bible tells us that forgetfulness is okay when it comes to remembering things of this world. Hebrews 12 says "let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Forget about the things that cause us to stumble; the things that take our eyes away from our creator, Unwholesome TV shows, video games, gossip... The things that ensnare us into focusing on things that are not pleasing to God. Speaking of forgetfulness, we tend to remember the things that we ought to forget, and forget the things we ought to remember. If you are familiar with Finding Nemo, we must appear to be like Dori to God. We hear things and forget them almost as fast as we heard them. We can listen to something in church, and have this desire to change the way we live. We desire to change, but when we walk out of the church, we completely forget that desire we had and slip right back into the things that apply only to this world. How sad that must be in God's eyes. It's like if I were to be in love with a certain girl and desire that she would simply look in my direction. One of her friends describes me to her, and she wants to look and see me, yet when she leaves her friend, she completely forgets about me, and instead looks at someone else leaving me there to watch her pursue someone else. The pain and jealousy that I would feel doesn't even scratch the surface of what God feels when we look the other direction. He is a jealous God, abounding in love. This is even in his 10 commandments! He says have no other God before me, but that is exactly what we do when we put something in our lives before him; when we forget his love and look in the other direction. How do I look in God's direction, and ignore the things that i love to pay attention to?

Wednesday May 9

Since we reconnect with the youth on Sunday, we have this week to relax and just live in Florence. One of my favorite things is to go into our main room and throw open the shutters. You can hear the birds in the courtyards and the spaces between buildings. During the day the temperature is warm, but not unbearable like it is in August. The sun pours into the main room, and lights up everything it touches.

There are high ceilings, and all the surfaces are hard and smooth which causes the sound of birds chirping to echo throughout the apartment. When I glance up and out the window, I see the giant dome of the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore that dominates the frame of the window. Birds are seen flying between the massive circular windows that adorn the sides.

I sit here gazing at the immense structure. Some of the marble tiles that once covered the brick structure have been removed or fallen off, exposing the core of its beauty. Something that is so beautiful is actually boring and ugly beneath the skin. Isn't that something true about all of us? We try so hard to be beautiful on the outside, and all the while we don't consider what is happening on the inside. Our soul is where true beauty is... despite what Jim Carrey said in Liar liar. If we are boring and ugly beneath our skin, but beautiful on the outside, then we might as well be an empty shell. We strut around putting ourselves on display in hope that other people might look at us think that we amount to something based on what we look like, but what do we amount to? Is what we look like really where we get our sense of self worth?

Lets go back to what God said. "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." May we all get a better sense of where our real value lies. Think a little less about the way the world sees at us and a little more about the way God sees us.

I read a story online a while ago about a boy that had taken lessons playing the violin all his life. He became so good, that he became famous. People had heard of his talent all over the world. His concerts always sold out and were difficult to find tickets for. During one of his concerts he began to play and after each song he performed, the crowd stood, clapped, and cheered. Despite the cheering and clapping the boy began to become annoyed and almost disgusted by the cheers. The concert went on. When he had finished his last song, crowd going crazy, he turned to them and looked up in highest balcony where an old man sat in the dark. The old man showed no emotion, but then stood to his feet and looked down to the boy. He smiled and applauded the boy's performance. They boys frustration turned to joy and he bowed to the old man and to the crowd that adored him. The old man in the crowd was the boy's teacher. Throughout the whole concert the boy knew that his performance, though applauded by those who did not now what it took to be a master violinist, was a failure if it was not approved by the master. If we are not approved by the God in heaven because of our outward appearance, then why are we so determined to be defined by it? We seek the approval of those who don't know what it takes to be a master. We seek the approval of those who don't know what it is to lead a significant life.

Back to Florence

With little struggle, we have arrived in Florence. I always have a hard time putting an exact time on how long it took for us to get to this place from Portland, but it is easy compared to some places in the world. We had some pretty funny moments along the way. One of them was in the New York airport. We had a few directional signs that were proving to be a little difficult to follow. Having a Delta flight that was operated by Alitalia didn't help, in fact it is probably where the confusion came from. We started by looking at our tickets and since it was a Delta flight number, headed in the direction of what our ticket said, which was a shuttle ride to Terminal Building 4, and could not find our flight to Rome on any of the reader boards, so we started asking around, and we eventually went to the Alitalia desk, which was in the main terminal, and they told us that we needed to get new tickets. Originally, our seats were arranged somewhat close in proximity, but after we got the new tickets, they were all over the place. Then they told us that we actually needed to go to Terminal 1, not 4. so off we went to Terminal 1, It felt like we got off a boat at Ellis Island for the next 45 minutes as we stood in a rather long line that reminded me of a cattle stockade. When we got through security, we went to our gate, and it was just in time for boarding. Then we flew... through the air... like a bird, and partook in the miracle of human flight. I did not sleep on any of the flights, but I was blessed to be able to watch some movies; The new Sherlock Holmes and The Great Escape... a classic in my book. Steve McQueen displays great perseverance. We went and got our bags from the baggage claim at the Rome airport, and then over to the train station in the airport that takes us into the main train station in Rome. There was an Italian that decided to pick me out of the line to search my bags as a sort of customs inspection. He was standing in between a few other people who had their luggage spread out on the floor. I was carrying Dennis' and my bag, so when I went over to him I put my bag close to where he wanted it. Dennis, Karen, and Micah came up behind me to watch and wait as he did his thing. The guy looked at them and realized that they were with me and by taking me out of the line, he was going to have 3 additional spectators as he rifled through my things. He just decided to see if I was who my passport said I was, and then sent me on my way. We ended up taking a shuttle to the train station, which was right by the coliseum, so we had a nice little sight seeing tour on the way there. We bought our tickets for the slow train, and jumped on. We got into Florence around 4pm. Dennis had been trying to call the lady that we are renting the apartment from all day, and his phone had not yet been re-activated by the Phone company. So we hung out for a little while, until we could get a call to her. We stashed our things somewhere safe, and decided to walk around for a bit till she could meet us. We eventually got in, and for the rest of the day we got settled, and fought the desire to fall asleep. It felt like I had giant curtains as eyelids that just wanted to roll shut. But I held out till 9pm, and fell asleep within the hour.. if I remember correctly.

This Morning, I woke up to Dennis strolling into my room with Skype open on his computer. Doug Valenzuela got to say good morning to me which was just a real nice surprise.. Today was one more day tiredness while we put the finishing touches on jet-lag. I didn't have a problem, as I slept till 10:00, but Micah was having trouble. We went to get some groceries we needed, walked around the open air market, and just spent some time together. Tomorrow I am excited to see what is in store for me.  

Tutto è compiuto.

By some miracle, I have been allowed a window of opportunity to post my last blog update. I have been home for 6 days now, and have been more busy than anticipated. As I thought would happen, my return has been sweet yet sad. I have been back to work two days now, and so much has changed there. I didn't realize how long three months was until I reflected on what has happened at home while I was gone; people have been married, babies have been born, and friends have gone home to be with Jesus. I am sad, but in many ways jealous because they now see the face of God. I also want to see the face of God. I know that someday I will, but for now, I am here to do the work that he has for me. 

Wednesday 9/21/11

I really cant believe that my trip is drawing to an end. I am in a Plane bound for London trying to remember all of the things that have happened to me in the last 15 days or so. We finished the festival strong. We had battled the Napoli Soccer team for attention. I think there were three games that were happening while we were having the festival making a noticeable drop in attendance, I don't think it lessened the effectiveness of what we did because I know that everyone God intended for us to reach during this trip heard what God wanted them to hear. We had a wonderful last night. I was able to visit all of the tents, take some pictures, participate in some amazing worship, and then it was time to clean up the grounds and start packing all of our things. We stayed at the festival grounds until 11:00 or so. The team did a great job stacking chairs, moving tables, picking up garbage. Julie Neidert and I even went so far as to sweep the entry area outside the park. She and I talked about how cool it was to be able to come and not only serve the people of Casoria and Arzano, but to serve the city as well. I think just being there for people to see that you care and will do something like picking up their garbage says a lot about who we are and about God who sent us. I heard Brian Heerwagon say that there was a mention of what a great job we did for the community in the local newspapers. Naples seems to really be looked down on by most of the people that live in central and northern Italy. Just this morning I was talking to a lady that works for British Airways.. she asked me how long I stayed in Italy. When I told her 60 days, she looked shocked. She asked me where I have been and what I have seen, and when I told her Naples, she said, “and what did you think of Naples?” in a sarcastic and almost disgusted way. I told her that “Naples has a lot of Garbage, but when you get beneath all of that it is beautiful, and the people are wonderful.” She just smiled and went back to getting me my tickets.

After our final Festival day, I chose to stay in Naples with the team and do some of the excursions that they had planned. I wanted to see the places, but they also needed another driver so it worked out just fine. I took a group to see the Naples underground downtown on Monday, and then Tuesday to see the Amalfi coast. The underground was really amazing. I didn't pack my camera with me, but I saw a lot of really cool things. As we drove up the Amalfi coast we stopped at a few coastal towns that are built on the cliffs, they looked very much like the pictures I have seen of Cinque Terre. I don't know that so many people have those southern coastal cities on their radar when they go to see Italy. I had a great time winding back and forth on the narrow road dodging tour buses and rock shear walls. There were several moments when we had to fold the mirrors back and squeeze through spaces that allowed probably a solid half-inch of room. There were a few moments when Bruce Neidert would barely put his hand out the window and pick a flower off the rock wall.. I got to eat some wonderful seafood, put my feet into the Mediterranean, and spend time with new friends. The sun started to go down and it was time to head back to the Hotel, so we started our trip back to the hotels and away from the cliffs.

I had to get up around 4:50 this morning in order to make an early train to Rome for my flight. I made it with plenty of time, it was so nice to not be rushed through an airport. Last night I told Brian and Monte that it was time to head back to reality. Then I paused for a moment; what I have been doing for the last three months is reality. What I do when I am at home is more of an illusion than any mission trip I have ever been on. I am so distracted by the things of this world when I am home. I struggle at home to see beneath the surface of the veneer of lies. Our world has become so believable that everyone sees what is on the surface and can't see the truth that waits beneath. I know when I get home that I will want to save my money for things that I do not need. Things that may serve no purpose other than to steal me away from time that I could spend on becoming closer to my God. We become slaves to our own desires. I am not coming back to reality, I am coming back to an Illusion. Serving God removes the veneer and reveals what the devil does not want us to know; The Truth. I was asked to write one word that could describe what serving in ministry in Naples did to my perspective. I thought about it for a while and what I ended up with was a word that I got mixed responses for. My word was “revealing”. Working in Ministry opened my eyes to the struggles that the People in southern Italy are faced with on a day to day basis. I saw kids not older than 13 years old lighting cigarettes or working very diligently at becoming extremely intimate with other children in public. I could see that Evangelism is viewed as a cult by the Catholic church rather than something that teaches people more about Jesus Christ. I could see how desperate people are to add meaning to their lives. I could see the crust that was over peoples hearts preventing them from hearing what we had to say.

Thursday 9/22/11

I made it back to Seattle. Now I am on the train from Seattle to Portland. I don't have anyone in Portland to pick me up, so I will probably have to find my way, or call people until I find someone that can pick me up. I cant help but think about my new Italian family. I swear I have never connected better with anyone than I have when on a mission trip. There is something about serving God that fills me up. There is an unconditional love that can not be broken. I wish that everyone could know the depth of that love, Unfortunately, it is deeper than we can comprehend... At the same time it's not unfortunate at all, but amazing, breathtaking, unbelievable, and undeserved.

I have gotten so familiar with trains. It is actually quite nice to ride the train back from Seattle to

P-town. It gives me nice time to reflect on my last three months. There is more comfort than an airplane; more leg room, the seats are bigger, and you can look out the huge windows.. I also have an outlet at my feet and WiFi. This train isn't crowded, so I can put a bag on the seat net to me. There are not as many tunnels that the train goes through, so you don't get the pressure in your ears like in Italy. I think that our trains appear to be a little better maintained so maybe the seals between cars are better. The trains here don't go as fast and I'm sure that that has something to do with it as well. I am going to need to check out the bathrooms. I have a feeling that our toilets don't open to the tracks like they do in Italy. I cant say I prefer one way over the other, but I can say that the wind on your backside is mildly thrilling... I loved looking out the window in Italy at the landscapes. I would always think of how beautiful it is. Now that I am home, I look out the window and see what I have seen my whole life. It doesn't seem as beautiful to me because it is what I know. I'm sure that Italians would come here and say that it is so beautiful here because it would be different from what they know.

My return is definitely bitter sweet. There is always sadness mixed with joy when mission trips come to an end. I have never felt like mission trips were a job or a duty to me... Even though you could look at them as a job and a duty. It is me working for the Lord and through that comes amazing joy and satisfaction. I must thank everyone who has been keeping up with me the last three months, and I pray that following my journey and sharing in some of my moments with God have not only kept you interested, but given you some spiritual food at the same time; food that will help you grow. That is my prayer. 

Festival is moving fast!

Tuesday 9/6/11

Shawn and Greg Strannigan arrived in Rome today. We kept them walking. Shawn said that she didn't sleep on the plane at all, and Greg said that he slept for 4 hours... Plane sleeping is ¼^th as effective as any other kind of sleeping, so you could say that they had been up for at least 24 hours and now they were working on their last 12... I have to say though they weren't zombies, they were actually communicating with us in words.. We showed them what Dennis and I had seen the other day.. Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Novella.. (or something like that)

When we rode the metro back to the hotel, we went down to the platform, and there were a million people standing there all waiting for the same train. Greg, Shawn, Dennis, Karen, and Micah snuck onto the train near the middle of the crowd in door #1, and I barely got on in door #2. I swear the door shut and pushed me into the crowd... Compressing everyone so that they would fit. We only had 1 stop that we needed to go. I was so crammed that when I would look down I couldn't see my feet. I looked to my left and I could see everyone else tucked into the train huddled around the middle post. I looked to the right past a few armpits and there were about 4 faces staring back at me. I just tilted my head back and imagined the doors opening and all the pressure being released as I backed out of the train. We came to the stop, the door opened; but it was the door on the opposite side of the train. I swear not a single person moved. I saw Dennis and everyone sneak off the train, so I had a little giggle a little smile then started to squeeze through the sardine can to the other side. I swear people did not move. It was as if they wanted me to miss the stop. I made it to the middle of the train where there were a few arms stretched out clinching the middle pole.. they would not let go, so I had to duck and sneak under them. I ended up taking the shape of a diver with my hands together and my head down as I then popped out the other side in a spiraling motion.. Finally, I was out!

Tuesday 9/6/11

Made it to Napoli, had a wonderful lunch with the Delta Ministries team, and checked into the Hotel. The room is probably big enough for a family of 10, so Micah and I should be very comfortable. Tonight we meet up with a few of the pastors from here for an anniversary celebration. Should be a rockin' time Italian Style. :) Be praying for the safe arrival of the rest of our team!

Tuesday 9/13/11

I cant even believe that a week has gone by already I think I have had a total of five hours of down time, not including the time that I have been sleeping in my bed. Driving has been fun and exciting.. there are plenty of moments each day in the car that remind me how close close can be. When there is a knob on the inside of the door that will not only adjust the mirrors, but also fold them back against the van for those tight moments; you know that you are in for a ride. I have actually become quite comfortable driving here, which maybe is a good thing, maybe not.. When I am at home, and I get nervous about how close I come to a car.. It just doesn't really compare. Take those moments and add 15 miles per hour into it, and remove a few inches, and you get Italian driving. If you look at a map of Naples, it looks like a dish of spaghetti.. There are so many tight spots, and a ridiculous amount of signs that make you tilt your head to the side in wonder of what you are supposed to do. My favorite is when you have a stop sign right next to a green light.. All stop signs are treated as yield, and if you are a nice guy and let people go ahead of you, you will either never get a chance go, or someone behind you will drive around you in the oncoming lane and force their way into the traffic. It really is a crazy thing; driving in Napoli.

The festival has just finished its third day. I have been running security and driving people back and forth from the Festival grounds, the hotels, the church, train station, airport, and from people's homes for Pranzo (Lunch). I have worked a night shift at the grounds, and spent so little time awake at the hotel room that I eventually ran out of clean underwear and today sported a pair of swim trunks in their place.. Not the most comfortable thing when you are walking most of the day.

I think I should fill you in on some of what God has decided to use me for. I have been invited to share my testimony to the churches here, and I even was asked by Doug Valenzuela (Lead Pastor/Missionary and founder of both the Arzano and Casoria churches) to share it during the festival on the main stage. I don't know if he was serious, but I know that God wants to use me in ways that may not be my first choice, but really, my testimony is not my own.. It is His testimony, and He gets to use it in whatever way he chooses. I am just a vessel; a servant who wants only to serve Him and carry out his desires that he places into my heart. I have shared my testimony for the Arzano church, and Greg Strannigan shared his testimony at the Casoria church. Again, I am amazed at what he does with my testimony and how it affects the people that hear it. I start to feel like I just repeat, repeat, repeat, yet people continue to come up to me and tell me how God used it to speak to them in different ways.

The festival has been amazing so far, the music, the booths, the people that have been coming. As far as security has gone, I have had to wrestle about 14 people to the ground, and spray 2 people in the face with mace...

but seriously, that was a joke, and what trouble we have seen has been minimal.. Plus, those are the people that we would love to have around so that they can hear the message of Jesus Christ. Just as a doctor does not come for the healthy but for the sick, so Jesus came for the lost. the Festival wouldn't be very effective as an out reach tool if it were only Christians that attended. 

A typical day starts early and ends late. I have to drive a load of people to the church in the morning, and then we usually carpool to another destination. Since the festival doesn't start until around 6pm every day, we have the morning for outings.. and then Pranzo... but someone has to drive them. When Festival finishes up, it is somewhere around 10:00PM, and we start taking everyone back to the hotels. I take a load to my hotel, and then if needed another load to another hotel that is a little farther away. Seems like every night there is a little something different that goes down. For instance tonight, Dennis and Karen went to have dinner at an Italian's house.. I had to pick them up around 11:00pm at the festival grounds, then take Alessia, a friend and interpreter, back to her house which was some other city that I cant remember the name of.. if you think directions are hard in the US... try taking them in an Italian city.. first of all.. none of the road's names matter, because they are not labeled... or at least I don't know where to look. Second. there is no structure as to the direction a road goes. Just as I said before, a road map looks like spaghetti. At least in the US you could go to 4^th street.. or 5^th street.. its one block over from 4^th street.. yea, doesn't work that way in this place. I finally got back to the hotel around midnight.. last night was largely the same time wise, if you exclude the 3:30am to 8am security shift that I got to work at the festival grounds... What I have remaining on my agenda for today is to shower and go to sleep. My day starts at 7 tomorrow for more driving!! In case you have gotten an impression from what I have said that I am not really excited about what is going on here, I just want to let you know that it is not what I am intending to show you... I love it here. The people are so wonderful. Their hospitality is remarkable, and their love is sometimes overwhelming and driving around is better at waking you up in the morning than caffeine. I'm sorry that it has been a week since I have updated, but this is really one of the first opportunities that have gotten to type... I don't really have that many pictures either...