I promise I havent forgotten about all of you back home!! And I am alive and well ;) We have lived the past few weeks in seclusion from the internet :) I will try and be as detailed as I can about the past few weeks here in Italy...yet also very precise...because I could probably fill an hours about the awesome things that God is doing here in Italy....but I will share some of the highlights about what we have been doing :)
We finished in Switzerland and took a 12 hour bus ride to Rome, Italy...I have learned to love traveling because it gives our whole team an excuse to sit and do nothing! and I have really come to appriciate being confined to a bus seat with absolutly nothing to do but rest and process all the things that we have learned...and also prepare for all of the things that we are going to learn in Italy! It is truly amazing how different Italy is compared to Switzerland.....there is trash on the ground..and they dont have the same emphasis on cleanliness like their fellow neighbor...but the biggest shock to me was the people....The Swiss are more quiet and reserved...and the Italian are everything but....!!!It has been so cool to see the diversity in not only the geography but a difference in perspective showcased through out the people!
Moving onto Roma! we spent the first three days doing some sight seeing through out the ancient city! The first day We toured all the major tourist-y places like the Colosseum, The Trevi Fountain, many ancient ruins!!, The Roman Opera House and the Spainish Steps (one of the most romantic places in Italy ;)......And this was only in the first day!!!
The second day was our biblical history touring day which God used so powerfully in my life.....
The whole day our main focus was of Paul's travels through Rome and eventually where he was beheaded....Our first stop was the Water channel that was masterfully engineered to allow fresh water to run all the way through out the city....and in many parts of the huge aquaduct would still be able to function, because of how intrecatly they were designed! They said that the area surrounding the aquaduct was a market place where they said the Paul preached shortly after he arrived in Rome.....
Our next stop was the oldest road in Rome.....It stretched hundreds and hundreds of miles and was the road that Paul walked on and preached....it was also one of the main reasons for Rome historical success as a empire...because it allowed many merchants and travelers access to the empire....while increasing Romes power through out the surround in lands....We walked for about an hour along this road in silence to allow God to speak to each of us individually...and He really did.....The biggest revelation I got was that while walking on the road I felt so close to God....His precence was overflowing onto each stone that formed the road.....And he said that this is how He is all over the world....His presence is overflowing on this earth....many just arent receptive to it......He wants to poor out His love and presence over all of us....but it is our human nature that always seems to find ways to distract us from feeling Him in every breath we take.....it was so beautiful and I feel so blessed to have the operitunity to walk in the footsteps of and apostle of Jesus.......
Our next stop was the Roman Catacombe where hundreds of Christians took refuge underground for 300 years while they were being pursecuted!! I was so humbled by their sacrifice for their faith....to give you an idea of how big the Catacombe is there was a japanese couple that was touring and they wandered off and got lost...and they have never found their bodies......it was insane, and a little scary how huge it was....
After that we went to Saint Peters Vasilica! I was in absolute shock......I have never seen somany roman staues in my life.....We were able to see all of the Popes memorials underneath the Vasilica...and where able to witness and appriciate ALOT of Catholic history :)
Those were only some of the awesome things that we were able to see while we were touring Rome...God is dramatically transforming my world view each and every day that I am on outreach...and I know that He will continue too for the remaining days on outreach :) Please keep me in your prayers for I feel all of your love and support each and every day :) I love you all and I will write another blog to inform you of our outreach in Sicily!!! :)
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