Final Days

     Hey, everyone...this time, from America.  The last month has been a blur, between sleepless nights in Rome maximizing time with friends, coming back to Georgia, physically recovering at my parents' house, slowly seeing a few friends who encouraged me while abroad, organizing for the second Italian-American exchange, moving to Athens again, and preparing for law school.  Until now I haven't been able to even think about updating, though not from the craziness of the reasons listed previously.  I've been trying to wrap my mind around being in the States for the indefinite, immediate future, readjust my thinking to life here, and it's been extremely difficult.  Glory to God for taking the hardest, most taxing and frustrating year of my life and turning it into the most beautiful, fulfilling, challenging, and wonderful year I have experienced yet, with relationships far deeper than I could have imagined possible.

     One day I'll sit and try to articulate for you a glimpse of all the Lord taught me and did during my time in Rome, but for now I'll just share a few updates from my last week and the happenings since.  One might think in the last week prior to an international move life would slow down for those who are timely in preparing to return, or for others on the opposite end speed up to such an extent you can't see God, but praise the Lord His Spirit moved in marvelous ways despite the chaos.  As the last post showed, Manuela was brought to our family in my last week!  She is still so excited to be a child of God, and before I left our team had a "welcome to the family" breakfast for her.  Her decision for Jesus alone blew me away, yet God was not finished working.

     Three days before I left, several of us returned to our favorite beach in a city called Sperlonga.  My English friend Pippa was in town, and came with us.  (Funny how the Lord has a way of bringing things full circle, she was in Rome my first and last weekend there, none between).  Pippa had just come from an American road trip with Cristina, where things she saw or heard in conversation revolved around Jesus.  God provided a few hours for us to talk alone at the beach, and her questions to me showed the evidence of the Spirit tugging at her heart.  While she is not yet my sister, I am thankful to see His pursuit of her, and to have been a person she felt comfortable talking to about issues so serious that she typically keeps to herself.

    Two days before I left, Wayne and Matteo accompanied me to revisit my favorite city near Rome, Bracciano.  We had planned this trip for a month, and I was worried we'd be too busy to make it happen.  However, with those sweet boys that wasn't a problem- Matteo refused to let anything come between our time together.  Sharon joined us for the morning, then had to return to Rome for work.  It turned out to be a mixed blessing though, because over lunch our conversation turned to Jesus.  Crazy to think now how I felt so strongly the need to be available to the two boys before I left, and even more, to tell Matteo "Gesù ti ama," or, "Jesus loves you."  I was wondering how to bring it up, when Wayne started asking me questions on my faith.  I think, as I saw with several friends my last week, they wanted to really explore and hear from me all I believed before I left...it almost gave a sense of urgency, which was pretty cool.  While Wayne was asking me questions from an intellectual, curious standpoint (in English), Matteo would be really quiet and listen.  If he didn't understand something and Wayne translated too infrequently, Matteo would start hitting him and demanding an immediate translation.  As I was watching Matteo, I saw the intensity of emotion in his eyes and knew that the Lord was working.  Prior to our trip to Bracciano, Matteo had spoken with Taylor on some of his concerns with things his mother or priest had (falsely) told him of God, like how God could never love him.  Wayne had also shared a long conversation about faith with Jason.  We talked for over three hours- after lunch, Matteo did not want to stop.  The whole thing was surreal, and God more than made up for my elementary Italian.  Wayne translated the bulk of what I would say, which caused him to really have to listen, process, and repeat it to Matteo.  When he would leave at sporadic intervals, I got to speak to Matteo in very simple Italian and present the love, acceptance, and doorway to relationship with Jesus.  Though I was worried of not communicating well, it was actually better because I couldn't use 'churchy' language-only short, simple truths that I know the Lord wanted him to hear.  Now, these two boys are on my heart stronger than ever before, and I pray the Spirit will continue drawing them to Himself and His freedom.

Wayne and Matteo, such dear friends

      Saying goodbye to the exchange girls, Claudia, Silvia, and Manuela, started the long steps of actually leaving.  They met me for gelato, and surprised me with two gifts for departure.  One is a book in Italian, called (translated) "Jesus, Buddha, and Socrates."  That made me laugh, though also glad that when they thought of what I might like, it had something to do with Jesus!  Claudia picked out a picture frame of a ladybug, (not) coincidentally the same symbol the Lord gave me a year and a half ago when I was praying about going to Rome.  The picture they selected has all five of us, Sara too, and now sits in my room to remind me to pray for them often.  Another fun thing, is Silvia created a facebook group for the five of us to share updates, pictures, and other random things.  So far, it's been a fun way to stay in touch!

full circle: our last photo in a gelateria in Italy
after our first was in a frozen yogurt shop in Athens

     My last day in Rome felt like one of the longest in my life, though it might have been replaced by the day I had to leave.  People dropped by my apartment throughout the day to say goodbye, so pretty much I cried on and off the whole time I was trying to pack.  A few friends wrote me letters for the plane, and Sharon's specifically will always be so special to me because what she saw the most in me was truly the Lord, though she doesn't know it yet-love.  While the series of goodbyes over those final days were absolutely miserable, in a weird way, I'm glad they were among the hardest I have ever had to do- that reflects all that Christ did to grow and deepen relationships over short periods of time in a supernatural way.
    Kyra cooked one of my favorite meals for dinner, and the team members still in Rome for the summer all came over- Dudley and Janet, Taylor and Cristina, Jason and Caleb.  After sharing about our weeks, typical house church style, and eating delicious food together, Cristina led us in worship.  To finish our team night off, my family surrounded me and covered me in prayer for this next season in my life.  Those moments struck me as strongly as my commissioning one year ago, and I hope I will always remember them.
    The singles on the team, those who I was with the most and share many of my friends, stayed with me most the night.  We walked through San Paolo together, just kind of passing time until the next morning when they would all take me to the airport.  Taylor, Caleb, Cristina, and Jason are now the ones carrying Christ to our group, and they are in the process of starting a bilingual Bible study for Manuela that several of our friends have also expressed interest in trying (including Matteo and Marco).  Please join me in prayer for them as they begin this venture of creating a relevant time of worship and discussion; today was the second meeting.  I am so thankful I know the Lord has placed each of them specifically in Rome for a purpose, and that I had the blessing of serving with them to advance His kingdom in Europe.

my last night with my teammates and family,
in front of our zone's trademark welcome sign

    Now....now what? That's the question!  Literally, now I am getting ready to go meet our four Italian students arriving in Athens in an hour.  Marco, Veronica, Marta, and Silvia- these are friends and former conversational students of mine, here for the second year of our exchange program.  After seeing all the Lord did last year, we are excited to see what He has in store for these four! Please be in prayer for them, their host students, and host families...pray that they may see Jesus in a new way, so one day they too will know Him.  They will be in Athens for 10 days, so check back later for a recap :)

Brooke's sweet gift to me upon returning,
 with a heart for Rome...always.