Hello Everyone. I am wrapping up my last week in Italy. I have had alot of time this week to reflect about my time here. I was thinking about last September when I first arrived here I dont think that I ever knew how special and life changing that this experience would be. Italy has been one of the most challenging but one of the best things that I have ever done. I have learned many things about God, people, and life. I am so thankful to have had the oppourtunity to have served here! Thank you everyone for supporting me and encouraging me through this journey, I am very blessed to have you all in my life! Please pray for Lauren and I as we begin to make the journey home and the transition to life in America. Thank you again!!

Ciao tutti! Hello everyone in Italiano! I thought that for this blog post I would write about something that is very interesting about the Italian culture. Last week end we celebrated Easter. In Italy it is called Pasqua. The word Pasqua in Italian means passover. I thought that this was very interesting. Pasqua is celebrated on Sunday morning and the day is usually spent with family and lots of food! On Monday they also celebrate Pasquetta. Pasquetta means little Easter in Italian. This is a day that the Italians normally spend outside and have a picinic, play soccer and just spend time with friends and family. In Italy this is a national Holiday, schools are closed and most people do not work. On Monday we had a picinic for all of our ESL students in a beautiful park with lots of food and games. We introduced our students to what a scavenger hunt is, they had to find a list of things around the park! The winning team got brownies. Pasquetta in Italy was awesome to experience, a unique tradition of another culture. For me it was a different way to spend my Easter weekend!

A girly Movie Night!

Last Friday Night Lauren and I had the privlidge of having some of our students over at the apartment. These are some of our younger students they are in High School. So we decided to have a girly movie night! We made brownies, Muddy Buddies, Hot choclate with lots of whipped cream and marsh mellows, popcorn, and of course soda! What Girly movie night would not be complete with out watching Twilight! The thing that amazed me the most was watching the girls reaction to everyting , it really made me think that sometimes the little things that we do for people can really make a difference in thier day or maybe even thier life. It was a great night of fellowship with these girls : )

He is like a tree planted by streams of water
that yields fruit in its season,and its leaf does
not wither. In all that he does,he prospers.
Psalm 1:3

I have been thinking about this over the past couple of days. It is winter here in Italy and all of
the trees are bare. After reading and pondering
over this psalm, I began too look at the trees and think.... What does my tree look like? Am I planted by a stream of water receiving my nourishment from Christ and His word or am I planted on some other ground. Do I have fruit on my tree, can my students see this in my life and they way I interact with others? Again I am reminded
of the the constant need I have for Gods grace in my life daily. As I continue to think
about this psalm I pray that my tree will always be planted in Christ and that I will continue to
grow and bare fruit for His glory....keeping my eyes on Him.

In all that he does, he prospers

Hello Everyone!

This week has been very exciting! In our classes this week we taught days of the week! To help

our students learn them better we taught the days of the week to the Adam's family tune! You can imagine how fun this was for them! For the past two weeks in our advanced classes we have been teaching them idioms ... smooth like butter , asap, at the drop of a hat..etc. On Wednesday we put them in groups and they had to make up a story using all the idioms they have learned. I have really enjoyed this week. Aside from classes we have also had the privilege of going to dinner and getting to know many of our students, it is just awesome how God is opening doors for us here in Udine!! This morning while reading my bible I came across a verse that made me think of this week....

Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God 1 Corinthians 10:31

this verse challenges me to give God the glory with whatever I am doing here in Italy!

Please continue to pray for Lauren Becky and I as we teach and for God to present us with opportunities to share his great love !! Above are a few pictures from classes this week!!

Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere
psalm 84:10

This verse has been running in my mind all week. I was in the kitchen when I heard this
song playing on the radio. It really made me think alot. This week in Italy I have had to face many new things and many challenging things. Getting used to the very cold weather and learning how to teach english when my Italian is very little. But I am constantly remined of this verse. Better is one day here in Italy doing what God has called me to do than a thousand days doing anything else other than that. This week these words are my motivation and are stirring me to " keep on keepin on " as Brother Bob would say! I am very thankful for a God
who remains the same everyday even when our lives seem challenging. What a privlidge it
is to serve him here in Italy!

Ciao Everyone!

It has been a great week here in Italy. This week we had registration for our students in Udine and Valvasone. We have about 200 students! This was a great oppourtunity to meet our students and to get to know a little bit about them. They are very excited about the oppourtunity to learn english! On thursday night we had the privlidge of going to dinner with the mayer of Valvasone, he even gave us a tour of the city hall! This week God has been opening doors for us to begin to build relationships with our students. I am very excited to start classes this week. I am constantly amazed at how God is always working and moving in our midst. Thank you for all your prayers and support. Would you take a moment to pray for our team as we prepare for classes this week?

Buona giornata!