and so it begins.

ciao mi amici.

i've been in italy for exactly 3 weeks now. it truly feels like so much longer- not in a bad way- in a 'this really is my life' way.

this week, we've spent some time on campus meeting students, and we also started our Bible study, called La Porta... aka The Door. this Bible study is hosted at our apartment. it was quite an experience to have my living room full with 25 people! we visited, ate dinner, and then listened to three women [one american, two italiani] speak of their summer project in malawi. along with a team, these women raised money to go and serve the people of malawi by building a school and a well. the pictures and stories were extremely moving. it was absolutely beautiful to hear two italians speak of serving God to their fellow italians [even though i only caught about every 5th word] :). next time, we will begin our study of the Sermon on the Mount.

today, our team went to careggi [the engineering campus here in florence]. i visited this campus back in march, so it was surreal to enter onto it again knowing i was long-term. my teammate michelle and i spoke with two girls who were very interested in american pop culture. they questioned me mostly about film stars and tv shows. i am rediscovering the life of the lost. it was so easy for these girls to transition into joking about porn, sex, etc. this is something i've just never been confronted with [especially living in oklahoma] but is so understandable.

these precious italians just don't know any better. oh how i pray that their eyes would be opened to the knowledge of their great Savior. please join me.

below is a picture of my team. it is a joy and privilege to serve italians alongside them. clockwise from left: le presento: kelly, abigail, marti, drew, cecilia [italian], sarah, michelle, and me. please continue to pray for each of us- that we would be bonded together as one and love the Lord as we ought.

Day with the Lord.

Greetings.

Our team just came back from a New Beginnings conference near Grossetto- Fattoria Il Santo. It was such a joy to connect with teams headed to different areas of Italy, and discuss what it looks like to really dive into the lives of Italians. We talked about what it will look like to practically launch movements among students.

One of my favorite points of the weekend was hearing what has worked in the past- Italians that had surrendered their lives to Christ shared what made them want to cross over from death to life. These things included: being exposed to Christ centered community, exposure to large sections of Scripture, hearing someone's life changed story, and having a few of their burning questions answered. I cannot wait to join with my team in making sure that every student we invest in sees these 4 aspects.

Currently, I am learning to have a more accurate perspective on the glory of God. At the Fattoria [which is a working farm] we were surrounded by beauty- from the Tuscan hills to the vast skies blanketed in stars- and I found myself feeling small and insignificant. But that is not the right perspective at all. The Lord is great, vast, worthy, and infinite. When I see His beauty and soak it in, my thoughts should be about His glory- these things exist to glorify Him. I want my life to be the same.

ci siamo.

i [along with my two teammates] have officially arrived in firenze!

we were greeted at the airport by the rest of our team- praise the Lord all of our suitcases made it safe and sound. ems, my luggage tag even beat out the airline- he's still as cute as ever.

today was a big day in italia- abigail and i now have cellphones! it's almost like starting life all over. there are so many things that you don't think about have to "re-aquire", and to do them while living in a jet-lagged fog is quite an experience.

and speaking of jet-lag, i had a grand notion of writing a very excited and quite witty post, but let's be honest, the creative juices aren't currently flowing. all this to say, life hasn't changed too much. i'm still avoiding reality [aka unpacked suitcases] by checking email and facebook- same same but different.

ciao!

Meet My Team.

Team Florence: Going Where the Soil is Hard.

Abigail, Melody, and Kelly. I can't wait to walk through a life of ministry with these women!

DIA

I'm currently writing from the Denver International Airport. I think it's pretty fabulous that they have free wireless. The marketing degree [I get to say that now!] in me is very impressed with this airport. The best thus far have been the free wireless [with 30 second verizon commercial] and visually appealing security trays [thanks to zappos.com]. Again, very impressive.

I've spent the last 6 days in Copper Mountain preparing for a year abroad. There is so much to learn about being a missionary overseas... loving the Lord, loving my team, launching movements, and learning a new world. These 4 L's will basically define the next 12 months of my life. There are many things to appreciate about Campus Crusade, one of which is their passion for setting us up well. I love how invested they are in our ministry.

3 1/2 weeks from now, my team will be flying to Florence. If you had 3 1/2 weeks left in America what would you make sure to do? I'm planning on figuring out how to get the airlines to allow me at least 23 bags.

Colorado Bound.

So I feel like I've been a complete maniac lately. I don't know if it's the thought of moving to an entirely new country, finishing up raising support, Olympic fever, or a bevy of other viable reasons. Whatever it is, I am a maniac.

First off, I want to tell you that I am currently $4700 away from attaining my support goal and being fully funded for an entire year of ministry in Florence, Italy. Praise the Lord. There have been many points along the way in which it seemed entirely impossible. So to be in the home stretch is mind-blowing to me. I love the faithfulness of the Lord. Why does it continue to surprise me?

Secondly, I fly out of here tomorrow- I'm Colorado bound. For the next 6 days, I will be at the Worldwide Student Network Global Briefing. I am going to be learning and sharing alongside people heading to spots all across the Globe. That is exciting. In the meantime, I'm unpacking boxes of winter clothes, looking for my fleece, and washing socks... hello 60 degree days. I hope to come back with an even greater vision of what the Lord is doing across the world.

Lastly, if you haven't heard, I completed one of my life goals about two weeks ago. Yes, I, Melody Marie was a flowergirl... at the age of 22. Fabulous.

Life Takes Visa.

This past Sunday, my new STINT buddy, Abigail, and I went in search of a visa to last us through our year in Italy. This adventure included flying to Orlando, acquiring a Florida driver's license, visiting Campus Crusade for Christ International Headquarters, driving to Miami, applying at the Italian Consulate, and flying out of Ft. Lauderdale.

That is the trip in bullet form- or at least what it was supposed to look like. We added in a few crazy details all along the way, and are praying that Fabio [yes, seriously] at the Consulate approves our visa and actually mails us back all those precious legal documents we left in his care.

It was exciting to even be in the Consulate... exciting to hear others speaking Italian... exciting to meet students going to other areas of Italy to spread the Gospel... exciting.

But nothing can peg an excitement meter quite like a trip to the Happiest Place on Earth. Yes, college graduates can still get VERY excited about-the MAGIC KINGDOM.