Monday - A Step in the Right Direction

Ciao again! (I promise, by the end of this trip, I'm positive you will all remember this word...It's a good one)

So, Sunday was the worst. Or at least it pretty much was. But Monday was still rough. When I went to bed on Sunday, I felt really encouraged because I had finally broken the fever. I was like, "yes! I'm not sick anymore!" But...I woke up in the middle of the night still feeling really bad stomach pains. I was able to get up and go through my day, but my time with the Lord in the morning before our first meeting suffered. Mainly because I just DIDN'T FEEL LIKE GETTING UP. I guess it was still from the jet lag or something. Or from my stomach attacking me. 

Either way...it stunk. But it was better than the previous day.

Every day of the week we as a group (following alone time with the Lord and breakfast), our group got together for a time of worship and teaching from one of the staff members here in Turin. This morning we spent some time talking about the idea of fear, and how love for others and for the Lord drives it out (1 John 4:18). Anthony spoke on his experiences living among a people group that is particularly known for being really passionate. He asked us this question:

"What does it mean to be a PASSIONATE person?"

Coming from a partly Italian yet very blunt and forward New Yorker family, I have seen many sides to passion, in both good and bad ways. Passion to me has always been the idea of things that remind me of the color red: the idea of drive, focus, and even a bit of anger from time to time (I mean...I'm only human after all). Throughout our talk, Anthony summed up passion well: single-mindedness, with focus on a vision that one wants to cast. And for me, I never really thought of it that way. But it makes perfect sense.

After a while, I started to see why this was the first topic of our week in Torino. Throughout the talk, we tried to make some parallels between not only those attributes, but also how they translate into our walks with the Lord. So, if passion is single-mindedness on a vision, then that's our mission. We have a calling to move and shake on behalf of the Lord and His will in our lives, and only from Him can we receive such passionate drive. 

We are passionate because he passionately seeks us. And through his passionate love and sacrifice for our sake on the cross, we have no reason not to pursue people in the same way, no matter where we are or who we may be. We're all children of God bearing His image.

Needless to say, that was an excellent opening to the week. And going into our first day of planning for English clubs, what could be better to focus on than passionate pursuit of people? So, that's what we did.

So, a little more of detail about how this week looked. Each day after morning worship, sharing, and teaching, our English club groups would break up to plan what we would do each evening. I worked with the intermediate English level, so students that can sustain a conversation but may not be completely fluent in wording. So, I felt like there could be some opportunity for us.

And there was. In fact, God made it clear that that was the case.

When teaching English, our groups focused on four things: vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, topical activity, and bible discussion. And each day our five members would lead out different things. Each day we had a topic to focus on, and this time it was family. So the hope is that we could talk about who our students are by getting to get to know their families, etc. I led the idioms section, and that was a blast. Being able to explain familial phrases, such as a chip off the old block and "taking after" someone was fun. And the students like that section a lot.

But the real work comes from the last part of each night. After we have a half hour break for snacks and simply to talk with our students, which is nice because they like making conversation and hearing about our lives (and speaking contextual English of course). And what blows my mind is people there really take knowing English seriously. So, for a language educator in the states, this excited me. If only people in the United States could see that...

This is what our classes typically looked like: we worked with topical vocabulary, idioms, and practiced them with various activities. Discussion about a story in the Bible related to the topic of the day followed a snack break.

But after the break ends, the groups come back together for a discussion about a particular story of the bible related to the topic being focused on that day. So, for example, the topic this evening was over family. And so to match that we talked about the birth of Jesus. We talked about what christmas means to us as Christians, how they celebrate that holiday here in Italy, and simply breaking the ice with them. Less people usually stay for the bible stuff, but we always have a good group. And the ball was officially got rolling!

We ended the night by trying out a local place our leader Paul suggested to us. We went as a group of Americans, because since our relationships had barely begun with our students we didn't really get the chance to meet up with them, but we knew that would happen. So, we dined as tourists. But what was really encouraging, and I will end with this, was the interactions we had with the waiters while there. When we got there, we all thought we would be labeled as "those annoying Americans" (because, let's face it, we sometimes are), but from the time we sat down to the time we got up, the employees there were nothing but pleasant. They made us laugh and we made them laugh, they always asked how we were doing, and the most surprising part was this: they spoke really good English! And the reason I say that is because English is not common in Italy.

"People that speak three languages are trilingual. People that speak two are bilingual. And people that speak one? Italian."

And this positive interaction carried on throughout the week. So, for me, I found that to be a major blessing and even a great reinforcement for what Anthony told us from the very beginning. We're people. They're people. If we act in love and enthusiasm, they are going to respond the same way. And that's where mission starts to take form.

Until the next post, ciao for now!

Uneasy Beginnings...

Ciao di nuovo, ragazzi! (Hello once again folks!)

So, I definitely want to apologize for the lapse in time since the last post. A lot has happened since last time, but the transition has been rougher than expected. So much, in fact, that the first day was not really that easy to muscle down. And I'm sorry if this post is a bit long, but I promise: afterwards you will understand why.

So, based on the title of this post, you would think that I meant something along the lines of "the jet lag was really hard to get over" (which it was), or "the culture was really shocking to me" (which, it kind of was [I have Spain to thank for that one really...], or "I don't know what I'm doing" (which, that is also true). But, my motive behind the title was really none of those. It was actually for a very different reason...

I was sick like a dog.

And it was more than just a slight cough and the sniffles. From the time I woke up Sunday morning till the time I went to bed, everything just got worse and worse. The only time I actually felt fine was before I went down to breakfast. We stayed at a hotel in Milan after getting into the country. It was a Holiday Inn, and I was definitely looking forward to having a good meal before we started off to Turin. I gorged, but because I was running late I ate a bit fast.

The bus ride to Turin was okay, and we had some really good conversation with our driver (he spoke Spanish as well as Italian, so we could communicate pretty well). 

Things seem fine right?

The highlight of the day was definitely when we got to Turin. We had the opportunity to go to church with the people that we would be working with teaching English for the week. And, at that time, it was an incredible blessing just to see the incredible enthusiasm and heart for the Lord these people have. They may be a small church (protestant Christianity is not common here in Italy, and most of Europe really), but they really care about the Lord and the rest of the world around them. And on top of that, we had two languages bouncing around during the entire message. See, our pastor Carl spoke on what it means to be passive, showing us where it came from and how it affects our personal walk with the Lord. He also challenged us with this question:

What is a step of faith God is asking you to take this week?

This got me thinking. My first thought was obviously, "Coming to Italy was my leap of faith!". But, after a while, I realized that that wasn't really what was on my mind. See...for most people, Italy is all new. The culture and the language are both really shocking, and truthfully quite different from the United States. And I definitely don't speak Italian, but the truth is...I feel comfortable here. Knowing Spanish helps a lot with not only understanding, but also sometimes communicating. So, I believe God was pushing me to something more. And at the time I wasn't really seeing it. 

We worshipped in Italian AND English. So cool!

This is the church that we are working with. They are called "Il Rifugio", or the Refuge.

We had lunch at the church, but this is where the tables started to turn. I started getting a stomachache during the service, and it only got worse when food was present. I started to have thoughts about what it could have been, but because we been through so much traveling I couldn't pinpoint it. So, I just dealt with it. We ended the service at 12:30 or so, and the lunch went until about 2.

Things got worse.

After eating (or, in my case, not), one of the staff at the church here in Turin, Anthony (no, he's not Italian...he's actually from Colorado) took us on a brief tour of the city center. At first it seemed like a lot of fun, because I love exploring new places! However...as the trip went on, I just got more and more uncomfortable and borderline angry.

My body was rebelling, and I was trying not to listen. Every time we would stop to talk about the next place on the list, I would crouch down and hold my stomach, breathing slowly. I lost focus on almost every detail of the tour, didn't try the famous gelato everyone had told me about, and was glad to hear when we were returning to check into our hotel. Needless to say, none of those things are normal for me.

But it didn't stop there. In fact, this is the best part.

Before checking into the hotel, Paul wanted to have an orientation meeting for the English club stuff. And at this point, this was the LAST thing I wanted to do. But I knew it was necessary, so I endured. Or at least tried to.

But I was unsuccessful.

Of the hour and a half total we had the meeting, I was present for maybe a third of it. The rest of the time I spent in the bathroom. And for the first time since I turned 15, I threw up. And I threw up hard. And it didn't stop there. After I ended that mess, I instantly started feeling really cold.

And then when we left for the hotel, I started getting really hot. When we got to the hotel, I couldn't even handle going up the stairs. I had to take the elevator, because if I tried to push myself I was sure I would once again hurl. The only time I felt okay was when I laid on my back and was completely covered up. And I stayed that way THE REST OF THE DAY. I didn't move. And I slept. And I sweat. And I slept some more. While everyone else took their first shots at exploring the city and trying out the local delicacies and hotspots. Then I realized what my true leap of faith was that Carl had been asking about.

"TRUST in the Lord with ALL your heart, and lean not on your OWN understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6

See, it's been about trust the whole time. It always has been. Clearly, I haven't understood what was going on with my body. In fact, it's been three days since that experience and I still don't. But, that's just it. God calls us to lean not on our own understanding AND acknowledge him in everything. And since I left Chicago, I had been acting and walking with so much confidence that I forgot to do both of those things. And not that God made me feel this way (I flat out didn't take care of myself, drinking little water and indulging in all kinds of gluttony on different foods), God revealed his truths amidst my brokenness and distress.

"For my grace is sufficient for you, and my power is made PERFECT in weakness." - 2 Corinthians 12:9

At the end of the night, my fever did end up breaking. I still had stomach pains, but at least I wasn't on fire with a virus. The next morning Carl told me that it might have been a brief stomach flu bug. Because I was the only one that experienced this. Eating is still a challenge, but at least I can take in a little more than nothing. And I also learned that because of me not drinking water and also throwing some of my fluids up, I was also dehydrated for the first time ever in my life. Great timing eh?

Surprisingly, after the fact, I actually think so.

This is the view from my room balcony. I couldn't have asked for a better sight after a hard day. :)

Alright, now you all know as to why my posts are late. Next post I will update you on what went down monday and hopefully tuesday as well. I feel bad that I fell behind, but my stomach issues and freak storms of sickness took my mind off of everything. But I'm back in action, and the Lord is still good! Praise him for this amazing day! After all, today and yesterday and the day before (despite being really hard) were STILL days the Lord has made (Psalm 118:24).

Until next time, ciao ragazzi!

Touchdown, Italy!

So, the title of this post is probably not what you're thinking it means. I do not in fact mean that some random football team in Italy just scored a touchdown. In fact, in Italy there are no touchdowns in their form of football, only goals. They kind of do things a little differently here. And by a little, I actually mean a lot.

What I mean to say is that our group has finally made contact with Italian soil, and all in one piece! After a long, exhausting and slightly confusing set of trips we are now chilling in Milan for the night. And, as my friend Lance put it, we are actually getting to sleep HORIZONTALLY again for the first time in three days. And I've gotta say, I'm quite excited about it.

Note excited face. ;)

So, for those of you that prayed for safe travels, we greatly appreciate it! International travel is no joke, and for about 75% of our crew this experience was a brand new beast that they have never encountered. So, there was a lot of anxiety that arose at different times, from one person getting food poisoning right before leaving for the airport to people almost panicking as planes took off. Needless to say, even though we have only been out of the states for a little less than 24 hours total, it feels like it's been a lot longer. But through it our group has started to grow closer and form deeper friendships, something that will really enable us to begin working towards God's heart for our mission this week. Community, after all, is a foundation for everything that we do as Christians. So, again, thanks for the prayers! God led us through two international flights relatively unscathed with beautiful weather all across the globe, no delays or cancellations, no battles with customs officials, and no lost luggage! It's been a great time so far! Ok, maybe sitting in a coach seat for 10.5 hours wasn't my fave, but it still had brought some good things. And good food. :)

First friend photo of the trip! More to come I'm sure. Gotta love flight layovers.

Turkish Airlines really knew how to serve great food! So many noms.

As we walked through the airports today (seeing as we had a lot of free time between flights), I began to do a lot of thinking. Being in three major international airports in two days, you see a lot of people moving from various point As and point Bs, with so many international flights it's impossible to count them all (well, I guess you could stand and count each one listed on the screen...but let's be real, that would be ridiculous). So, naturally, when exploring shops and waiting around for the next time to board, you start to see an incredible variety of people. So many languages...so many interesting styles...so many cultures packed into one building. It's really a sight to see. And in ways I like to think that it was the Lord preparing me for what our group is going to encounter this week as we head to Turin.

See, though the United States has a "melting pot" of cultures, growing up in Northwestern Indiana I didn't really see any other major cultural groups apart from the typical German, Irish, or Italian influences. But we all still kind of looked the same and spoke the same language. So, for a Hoosier boy like me, the world has a lot to offer in regards to cultural expansion. So last year when I went to Spain, I experienced this also, but I didn't go there with a heart of mission necessarily...I went there with a purpose to engage with Spanish culture and language. This time, things are different. I'm here to be on mission for God.

And I think that's what God was trying to show me as I sat and watched people from all over the world converge and diverge to different parts of Creation. Each person on earth has an image, an image that resembles the very attributes of the Lord himself. So, for me, God inspired perspective in me today: to see each person as a man or woman that bears God's image. And my hope and prayer is that we as a body can foster that same perspective as we enter in to the Italian frontier. I want to embrace all that Italy has to offer, and that includes embracing each person I meet with the same enthusiasm and love they deserve as humans beings. And maybe...just maybe, through that we will get the chance to see the Lord impact someone in a really powerful way through our stories.

The sea outside of Istanbul. Beautiful isn't it?

It's finally here, and tomorrow begins a new adventure...one that will not only educate us on a new culture, but also one that will hopefully reveal something profound about God's true heart for the world he has made. Please pray for our team as we embark on our last leg of travel, that we can gain perspective, wisdom, and ultimately courage...to share the faith that many of us (myself included) are often way too intimidated to share.

Turin, tomorrow we're coming for you! Get ready!

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may OVERFLOW WITH HOPE by the power of the Holy Spirit." -Romans 15:13

So Close I Can Taste the Gelato!

Hello there friends! I hope everyone has been having a fantastic week! The weekend is quickly approaching! I would like to say that my week has been peachy keen, but...alas, car troubles and last minute logistical things have certainly made me do a lot of thinking, and NOT about what is going to be happening this coming week.

Until now.

Like any other post I have made, I have to include this very cliched (yet very true) statement: it's hard to believe that this day has finally arrived. I feel like I JUST decided to embark on this journey yesterday, but I made the mental decision to do it three months ago! I started support raising two months ago. I finished raising full support just three weeks ago, and now the day has finally arrived: I am almost bound for Italy! Time really likes to fly. And of course, things sneak up when we least expect them.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't stoked, psyched, pumped, or overjoyed. I have been thinking about this day a lot, despite the stresses of everyday life (car problems, daily commutes for subbing, figuring out future things, etc.). But no matter how much I think about it, I still can't ever feel totally mentally prepared. I guess that's just the way it works. Because it's unknown, we have no idea what to expect, even though we try and visualize everything. Or, maybe I'm the only one that does this. But in any case, that's what makes the experience all the more memorable. At least, that's what I keep trying to tell myself anyway.

So, tomorrow afternoon my fellow world travelers and I will be hopping in cars and heading to Chicago O'Hare, where we will lift off and split from the States later in the evening. When once again we touch ground, we will be in Istanbul for a "brief" 4-hour layover before once again hopping over to Milan, where we will stay for the night. It sounds nice and simple, but I already know that it's going to be quite a doozy of a travel day. After last year, I know all too well that I should NEVER underestimate logistics. It all sounds nice on paper, but reality has a funny way of making things complex. But, this time (unlike before), I'm traveling with a caravan of 17 other people. I'm not alone. I won't be alone almost the whole time I'm abroad. But, despite the long trek ahead, I'm excited for every second of it. :)

But what am I REALLY thinking about? Well...I'm thinking about a lot of things. I'm pondering what kind of food I will try when I get to Turin. I'm thinking about how long the flights are going to be. I'm thinking about how much my dabbling with Italian before the trip is going to pay off. I'm thinking about the people I'm going to meet when I arrive. I'm thinking about the friendships I'm going to make with those I'm traveling with. I'm thinking about what the Lord is going to do in each of us from the time we set foot on the plane in Chicago to when we set foot back on the ground in Chicago a week and 2 days later. Frankly, my mind is running at full speed.

But with all that running, I have to challenge myself over the next few days to do the exact opposite: to slow down and soak in everything that the Lord has in store. Like I said before, time goes by way too fast. This week is going to scream by without my help. I just need to take in every last experience, and simply give praise to God for allowing me to have the chance to go abroad for the sake of His kingdom. My prayer is that each one of us can allow our hearts to be filled with not only his peace as we travel, but also with his love and compassion so it can be shared with the world around us. Besides, we love because he FIRST loved us (1 John 4:19).

I'm simply going to end this post with a request for prayer. I believe that God does incredible things through prayer. It is our primary source of communication and connection to Him. So, I say, why not? Please pray for:

1) Our team as we make our way from the US to Turkey and then to Italy, that we may be safe and efficient in travel (and that no one experiences lost luggage...that'd be the pits)

2) The church that we will be working with in Turin, and that they may reveal something special about God's heart for the Italian people they minister to as we engage with them this next week

3) The people we encounter while we're there...that we can show Christ's love and also our own story of God's redemptive power in our individual lives (1 Peter 3:15)

4) The other spring break groups that our church is sponsoring, that they may also have fruitful labors in their own respective trips (Muncie, Los Angeles, and Miami)

Alright, I think that's enough for now. Another post will be coming soon! Love you all!

Benvenuto! E Grazie! (Welcome and Thank You!)

Buongiorno, benvenuto a tutti!

Or, for all you English speakers, welcome!

This is the first of a few blog posts that I am going to be making to highlight the experiences that will be arising in the coming week when I leave the United States for the SECOND time in my life and land in the land of my ancestors (well, some of them anyways): ITALY! And no, I'm not kidding. Though I'm predominantly Polish in descent, I'm also a fifth Italian. :)

So, to get the ball rolling, I simply want to give a HUGE shoutout to all of the people that supported me through this preparation process, both financially and emotionally. As anyone of you could probably guess, the preparations for the trip (primarily, support raising) has not been all gumdrops and rainbows. Over the last couple of months, I have been dealing with a lot of anxiety and quite the emotional roller coaster. When I decided to go to Italy, I took a real leap of faith. But in that time, I also have seen God do some amazing things. 

Despite my greatest fears (and the constant anticipation of future events), I was able to raise full support, and I have ALL OF YOU to thank! I can't tell you how incredibly exciting it was to reach that final total and make that final payment to the staff. Once again, the Lord provided. And once again, I was floored by just how faithful the Lord is in his promises to His children! And apart from financial support (which I can't express enough thanks for), I have also received a lot of emotional encouragement through the whole process. Really, I am surrounded by blessings that I can't even count or fathom. It's been an amazing ride despite the difficulty. And this is only the beginning!

Last spring I had the opportunity to go to Spain to study Spanish language and experience Spanish culture head on. While there, I got to experience a bit of Italy. And by "a bit", I mean I had a layover in Rome's airport. I never even saw the outside of the city. But THIS time however, I'm ACTUALLY GOING TO ITALY. WHAT?! Is this real life? Though it's close, it hasn't really sunk in quite yet.

But this trip is not a vacation necessarily (though there will be some sightseeing and down time). For those of you that don't know, this trip is a mission with my church at Ball State. Along with 17 other college-aged individuals, they and I are heading across the Atlantic to partner with one of our church's sister congregations in Turin, Italy. Turin is located in the northwestern corner of the country near the Alps bordering France.

While we are there (SO PRETTY ISN'T IT?!), we will be collaborating with this church (Il Refugio: the Refuge) to work with various Italians in small group English clubs. So, we will not only be conversing with them and teaching them about various aspects of English grammar, but we will be connecting those ideas to activities related to the Bible. Apart from teaching, we will also be spending time simply interacting with the culture and the people, forming relationships and sharing not only our faith in Jesus but also our experiences as Americans (people in Europe surprisingly find us to be very interesting in ways). And yes, we are also going to be doing some sightseeing. And we're going to Venice for a day at the end, just for fun. I mean...we're only human after all.

But the main reason we are traveling there is not just for kicks. We're going there to challenge ourselves and be more understanding of not only another culture, but also be more understanding of who we are and what we are called to do as followers of Jesus: "Go and make disciples of ALL nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." (Matt. 28:18-20)

Alright, I think that's where I will make take my leave. I want to end with this: I am really looking forward to everything that the Lord has in store for this time we will have in Italy. And I also can't wait to share all of it with you. I will be sure to keep everyone up-to-date with all that happens. And yes, there will be photos!

Until the next post, arrivederci! (See ya!)