Wow. I’d like to take a moment and just think about
everything that has happened lately, but since you don’t know I’ll first have
to tell you!
So what has happened? The day after I wrote my last post, we
had our first English Class in the park with Paola (YWAMer here). The kids were
so eager and excited to learn any new words we taught them, and even the way
they played spoke of the influence Paola has had in teaching them through
games. Throughout all the games, when it was someone’s turn then they got the
ball. No question. After watching normal kids play and the bickering and arguing
that usually occurs, we were amazed with how well these kids preferred each
other! “And he said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like
little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven.’”...
Last week, we spent every morning prepping and every evening
working a kids’ program in a local park similar to a Vacation Bible School. We
did puppets, face painting, balloons, songs, crafts- all the good stuff. It was
so amazing to hear the parents asking why we were there, why everything was
free, and if we would be there tomorrow! I was doing face painting and the kids
would line from the moment we got there to the minute we left to get
butterflies, Spiderman, flowers, and Batman all over their faces and even arms.
A few would keep coming back again and again for just one more and they always
left with huge dreamy smiles on their faces. Here in Italy, not many parents
play with their children. When you walk past a playground, you’ll see all the kids
playing and all the parents waiting for them to finish. But with our crafts,
the kids needed help and it was great to see the parents get done and help
their children create the various toys we had for them. And you could tell the parents
were actually enjoying it! To bring those parents and children closer was well
worth the sweat, hours practicing, and mosquito bites.
Sunday we had the morning off to give our moms a call and
wish them happy mother’s day, which was much appreciated. We’ve now been on DTS
exactly 4 months and sometimes homesickness hits hard. Monday we set off for a
local town called Casorate, where there is a church that the two local YWAMers
are a part of. A previous DTS also worked closely with the Casorate church. We
will be going back to stay for about a week but this was just a two-day trip to
clean up the landscape around the church before a gospel concert is held there
on Monday. The first morning was a brutal awakening, after so much of children’s
programs and prayers, the manual labor was definitely different. It was a nice
cool day though, not too hot, and with so many hands we got a lot done. In the
afternoon we walked all over town and passed out flyers for the gospel concert
and stuck them in hundreds of mailboxes (which isn’t illegal over here). The
next morning it was yard work again and with an even cooler day and a resolve
to finish well, we got the entire thing done with surprising speed! I’m so
proud of team, many of whom aren’t used to working outside, and I’d be willing
to subject them to hell week (aka a work team in hot Jamaica building houses!).
In the afternoon we cleaned up the church and headed back “home” to the YWAM
base in Milan.
Which brings me up to date; today is our off day and it has
been mostly catching up with the outside world. Two of my teammates and I also
volunteered to clean the church we were working with last week, which allowed
me to go out and see this gorgeous day for a few hours. After all the freezing
cold spring we felt in Acquaviva (that we were completely unprepared for), it
makes us all so grateful for the warm days and sunshine we have here! Some
prayer requests I have is for the strength and endurance of my team. With just
one month left in Italy and only 2 weeks after that in DTS, people are starting
to talk about going home and what their plans are after and everything they
want to do at home. I’m excited as well but I hope that my excitement to get
home doesn’t take away from my present ministry. Going frequently from one
country to another and in between “homes”, I know only too well how much joy it
can take from one place by wishing you were in the other... So in that, I just
want to ask that yall be praying that we’re able to stay focused and energized
for our remaining time! :)
Speaking of going back, it’s hard to believe that time has
flown so quickly and I’m even thinking of going back to Texas already! My plans
are definitely not set in stone but I’ve been praying very hard about a couple
options. Some in Texas and some in other countries; we’ll see which one God
sheds more light on. At the moment, I’m not telling too many details to too
many people because I really don’t like being fickle and changing plans
constantly. At the moment, I will say that my two biggest options are staying
in Weatherford or doing a secondary school with YWAM. So I could use prayer for
that as well.
Back to our time here, we have two more weeks in Milan and
then two weeks in Rome and back to San Francisco for me!
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