prayer for sarah.

today was a sad day.

my teammate sarah has been sick for months now. she has tried many avenues of healthcare here in italy and cannot find any answers.

today, we put her on a plane, and tomorrow she will be back in america.

please pray for her. that the doctors would be blessed with wisdom. that answers would be found. that her body will heal. that her hope and confidence will be solely in the Lord. that she will not be discouraged. that through it all, the Lord would be glorified.

and pray for us too. it is hard to see her go... to keep going without our oh so valued teammate. pray for encouragement and continued stamina.

pray that tomorrow will be better.

earthquake.

as i'm sure you have heard, yesterday there was an earthquake in central italy. the region of abruzzo, and specifically the town of l'acquila was hit by a 6.3 earthquake.

honestly, i would not have known about this instance except for all the calls and messages i received from family and friends. we are slowly starting to receive information, and the devastation sounds absolutely terrible. please be praying for these people. pray for comfort. for healing. for peace. and ultimately, that it would be found only in Christ.

we have looked into going down and helping out with cleanup. as for now, the city has requested only volunteers that are trained and certified in rescue work. that may change later, but for now we are sending financial help and our prayers. these are two very vital things [as they are the two reasons i am able to be here... financial support and prayer!].

all this to say, thank you for your concern and care for me. we are safe.

please please continue you to pray for those in and around abruzzo.

just a few updates.

i feel like there is so much i want to update you on, and so much to tell you that is upcoming.

but i'd like to pause for a moment and ask for your prayers. pray for spiritual strength for those who are working in italy. pray against the enemy as he fights against all we [and other ministries in italy] are trying to do. we expect and believe that the Lord is about to do something amazing here. pray that Satan would have no foothold.

we are seeing great suffering and attack amongst the believers in italy. it's coming in various forms: sickness, disease, discouragement, and actual physical attack. i humbly ask for your prayers.

wednesday afternoon we are having an informational meeting about this summer's project in malawi. our hope is that students, believers and non-believers, will join us for 2-4 weeks as we continue work in malawi. italian students of all types are drawn to humanitarian aid and so this provides a wonderful opportunity for us to build into their lives. [as an aside, i will not be going to malawi this summer but 3 of my teammates will].

my family was here this last week. it was wonderful to have them in florence- i wish they could have been here longer- but we did a little traveling and of course, it was great to see them after being apart for 6 months.

la bibbia.

my team has spent the last two wednesdays partnered with the gideons. we have passed out hundreds of new testaments [with psalms as well].

i want to write more about the entire experience later, but in the meantime, i want to ask for your prayers.

we know that God's Word does not return void. pray that students would open and read. that hearts and minds would open. that lives would be transformed.

thank you.

adventures on the bus.

i admit it. i am a bus sleeper.

when left alone on a public bus, it's basically inevitable that i will doze off. usually, i am accompanied by roommates, but there is the rare occasion that i find myself alone on a bus.

today was such a day.

i don't know what it is- perhaps a combo of many things. the soothing melodies coming from my ipod, the awkwardness of not knowing what to do with my eyes, the slight nausea that comes from a reckless bus driver, and perhaps a little bit of boredom/exhaustion... all these things [and quite possibly more] lead me to one end. sleep.

i never have a problem with waking up. sometimes i wake up at the end of the line [which luckily has always been where i needed to go] or somewhere in between my initial mount and place of arrival.

not so today my friends.

let's just say, from here on out i will be propping my eyelids open with toothpicks when going solo. the long walks back home just aren't worth it.

new beginnings.

a new semester is upon us. it's funny, sometimes i think about all the people that don't view life in "semesters", but instead by season or year. i'd like to be one of those people someday. but not today.

today i am grateful for a new semester.

-for italian students returning to classes and campus.
-for the new bedtime i am establishing for myself.
-for schedules that are filled out ahead of time.
-for daily prayer calendars.
-for established relationships.
-for relationships yet to come.

for the bend i see in the road and the blank pages in my journal.

here's to you new semester.

greater things are yet to come.

our team officially kicked off the semester yesterday. italian students are slowly returning to florence, and we're trying to connect with them as they do. i must admit that i was not looking forward to returning to a normal schedule. the idea of getting back to campus, throwing myself back into italian language learning, and being intentional with students was far from the top of my list... and this was yesterday. it's weird to come off of a break just as weary as you began it.

but as i sit in my room this morning- spending time with Jesus and thinking through what is before me, i can't help but be excited. i purchased a new cd from itunes this morning- one that's a little old, but new to me- Passion: God of this City. i love how refreshing music can be- in all its varieties.

as for today, the Lord couldn't have been more clear:

You're the God of this city
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You Are

You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
You Are

There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this city
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here.

i can't wait.