I am here

After 23 hours of flying time, I have made it safetly to Italy, and by God's grace. Yesterday was a day to see God's provision, as each of my flights arrived late and each following flight departed late. I am amazed at how gracious God is.

I am renting a room from an Italian woman who does not know Jesus Christ. Last night, we were looking at her artwork (She is a modern artist) and I saw a lot of hurt and hopelessness. Each piece has the same representation of man (if you can visualize it, its like a steel bar cut on a diagonal, looking king of like a T and a face) and while each man is an individual, each one is lost as well. Even last night, we had some great talks, and I am thankful for the chance to be staying at her house and representing Christ.

Being back in Italy, I am reminded of the pervasive feeling of lostness and hopelessness inherent in Europe. Particularly in Italy, there is the sense of mistrust among many people I meet, that nothing is ever sound outside of the normal, that nothing is safe beyond familiar. I see this countered by the missionaries on this team. In their interactions with people, they carry a light that I have not seen among many missionaries in Italy. They bring a message of hope, whether it is at the cafè or the loading dock, and they shine the light of Christ wherever they go. I have so much to learn here, and I am excited to get going. Today has already started, and we've been moving boxes full of evangelical calendars around. It's a good day, and I'm thankful. Keep praying for hope and victory, that I would rest in Christ and that we would be a light to the people around us. Also, I am the youngest one on the team, but I am told there is a (youth) group, individuals between 20 and 35. Pray that I will make strong contacts there and that I will step out of my comfort zone and be a light. In Christ, we are more than conquerors; I'm holding to that.

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