Girls Bible Study

Lately I've realized how little I trust God for. Even coming back here this year, I really did it out of obedience, not really expecting anything great. But I feel like God has filled me with hope for this year, and well, life in general.

Last year, we developed relationships with so many individual people. One of my big hopes for the year was to bring the people we know together. Now, we've always been told this doesn't work here, because basically people have lifelong friends. They know everyone that they've known since they were 3 years old. It's very different from America in that way. So, we decided to go ahead and start a girls bible study with these odds against us. We just gathered everyone who could meet at that time. It ended up being 4 girls. I was so excited the night before, and was thinking before I fell asleep... "wait a second! Bible studies are awkward in America too for the first month, but then you get to know people and start enjoying it!" haha, I realized maybe it wasn't too crazy.

Before, we just prayed that the girls would connect and that it would be a great time. And... it was! We had it in all Italian, so much of the time I wasn't too sure what was going on. Our team leader Amanda is fluent in Italian, so she was leading the time. Last year all we ever experienced were very difficult conversations in broken English, so it was so incredible to hear the girls being able to really express themselves in Italian! I couldn't believe how well everyone was getting along, and how they were really opening up and sharing their lives with each other. Our friend Ilaria had said a week before, that she didn't know anyone who would come to a bible study. You see, in Italy, faith is an extremely personal thing that really isn't discussed. Afterwards, she said it was great to sit around and discuss God and life with other Italian girls.

The 3 of us girls were in awe of how great it ended up being. Our desire is to start community groups like this that are comfortable places that people can invite their friends to, so that many people will be able to hear the gospel and experience the body of Christ.

Italy... Round 2

I made it to Italy! Funny story... On my way here, I flew out of Ft.Myers to Charlotte, from Charlotte to Munich, from Munich to Italy. The Charlotte to Munich flight was 9 hours long. This flight is always hard on me. I can never sleep on the flight, unless I get a window seat, which practically never happens. But this time, I got a great night of sleep the night before I left, so I was a lot less miserable. So, about 2 or 3 hours after the flight takes off, they fed us dinner and then turn the lights out so people can get some sleep. I had downloaded some Law & Orders because they always help pass the time. So I was almost finished with one, when I start to feel bad... like, woozy and could tell something was not right. I quickly shut my laptop and put it in the case because I didn't know if I was going to need to run to the back. I started getting really hot, and the next thing I know, I'm waking up with my head on the shoulder of the man next to me and my laptop was on the floor. He was saying "are you alright, are you ok?" I blacked out! haha. I think I was severely dehydrated and the plane was very hot where I was and my laptop sitting on my lap didn't help. I couldn't believe it and I started apologizing to the man next to me. He assured me it was fine and that his job was an airport terminal guard and so every time something like that happened in the airport, he was called. I got some water and went to sit in the back where it was cooler. I still can't believe that happened!

Being back in Salerno feels good. It's nice to get settled back in and feel at home. I feel like the Lord has been really trying to teach me about having a thankful heart. This summer, I went to a bible study where they had a praise box, where everyone puts their praises in from things that happened the week. I started thinking about what a great idea that was, and immediately noted the lack of praise in my life. Then later I met with someone about support, explaining how far away I was from my goal. I was super discouraged at the time. He asked me if I had been praising God for what he had brought in... umm, no. He quoted Phillipians 4:6,7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Now, I could recite this from memory. However, my version COMPLETELY left out "with thanksgiving." I was surprised when he said it! Then last week I received a devotional email and here's a quote from it:

"It seems that fear, anxiety, and worries dominate my thinking and thus the way I relate to the Lord. Am I alone in this? When these toxic emotions are allowed to rule my spirit, my prayers are reduced to grocery lists of the things I want the Lord to accomplish, and then I am frustrated when he does not hop to it and get them answered. The Lord has been showing me how to have an ongoing dialogue of thanksgiving in my heart as I walk through each day. It is changing the atmosphere in my soul."

So anyway, the Lord has done so much in my life and I am trying to more consciously think of these things more often than I think of things I am unhappy with and wanting to change. (Because I do thank God for things but it seems much more of my time is spent dwelling on things that are not done that I think should be.)