so it has come to my attention that people do actually read this. wow. i stopped blogging for a bit because some friends of mine decided to start a little community blog together. so i've been posting on that. after checking on it everyday for the last few weeks though, i've realized that kate and i are the only ones writing anything, and also, it's apparently supposed to be private. so here i am again. i want to post something i put on there because it's pretty funny and provides some lovely insight into the inner workings of the savens family.
i call this one thanksgiving savens style.
thanksgiving with the savens this year was tradition at its finest. our thanksgiving routine has changed a bit in the last few years due to house sizes and sibling arguments, but this year was great. the final count this year was 30…we must be crazy i guess. all 30 of us were packed in my grandparents’ house…and when i say packed, i really mean it. some of you have been to my grandparents house, and it is not that big…and definitely not 30 people big. but like i said, it was great. we had a few family members drive in from st. louis, which was great because it had been about eight years since we had seen them. everyone arrived around 4 or so, at which time the champagne was popped and the appetizers were rolled out. this year we had chips and salsa (it is texas after all), a ginormous cheese ball with an assortment of crackers, and deviled eggs (a traditional dish for us that i have yet to partake from . everyone hangs out for a few hours, chatting and watching football, eating appetizers, and drinking…a lot. that’s one thing that the savens do quite well. as everyone is catching up, making jokes, teasing everyone (especially leah and i…the only aggies of the family), and having a good time, my grandma and my aunt are in the kitchen putting the last minute finishing touches on all the food. we have a lot of food. i mean, it’s a bit ridiculous. this year we had 2 fifteen pound turkeys and a turduckin (this was a first for us). we had a honey ham, 3 crockpots full of mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes covered in pecans, broccoli and cauliflower casserole, homemade gravy (my personal favorite), collared greens, broccoli and cauliflower “sunny” salad (bryan’s favorite), and a couple more casseroles that i was too full to eat. and of course, the dessert, we had our famous pumpkin gooey butter cake, two pumpkin pies, and two cheese pies. needless to say, we had far too much food. before we all sat down to eat, all 30 of us gathered in the living room and stood in a circle holding hands. we do this circle prayer every time we get together, especially at thanksgiving. we go around the circle, starting with my grandma and say a prayer or what we are thankful for. this time is typically filled with jokes and tears, sincerity and silliness, and it’s wonderful. we end with my grandpa, who blesses the food…then it’s time to eat! we started eating around 7, which of course, was kickoff for the a&m-texas game, so some people sat at the tables we had set up, but we all migrated to the living room soon enough. the rest of the night consisted mostly of watching football and rubbing every a&m touchdown in everyone’s faces. we had a lovely time. thanksgiving with the savens is always an event. this year was one of the first times in about ten years that we had little ones running around again. bryan used to be the youngest, but we had new little ones this year, and i couldn’t have been happier. there is definitely something different about the atmosphere when babies are there i guess that is really it for the savens thanksgiving. it was a great time and now we just have to wait for christmas eve…believe it or not, we do it up bigger and better then! i hope everyone had a lovely time with family and i wish you all a happy thanksgiving!
so obviously that was a bit late, but i wanted to share it with you anyway. i hope you are all doing positively fabulous. and now i need to get back to the last bits of my school work for the semester. aww...procrastination.
buona notte...e ora, devo studiare!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
looking back a bit
since this is no longer primarily a blog about italy, i've decided to remove my support goals from the layout of this page. however, i think seeing the progression of how they were achieved is an amazing picture of the faithfulness and provision of our God...so i'll put them in this post!
Goal #1: $200 by February 19, 2008
Achieved February 7, 2008!
Goal #2: $1000 by March 23, 2008
(Total $1200)
Achieved March 22, 2008!
Goal #3: $1000 by April 11, 2008
(Total $2200)
Achieved March 31, 2008!
Goal #4: $1000 by May 1, 2008
(Total $3200)
Achieved April 11, 2008!
Goal #5: $2970 by May 18, 2008
(Total $617o)
Achieved May 17, 2008
isn't that amazing? it's just so great to see how perfectly God provided for me in a situation that required so much provision! sorry for a short post, but i'm sleepy! i have another big week ahead of me. prayer is much appreciated!
buona notte!
Goal #1: $200 by February 19, 2008
Achieved February 7, 2008!
Goal #2: $1000 by March 23, 2008
(Total $1200)
Achieved March 22, 2008!
Goal #3: $1000 by April 11, 2008
(Total $2200)
Achieved March 31, 2008!
Goal #4: $1000 by May 1, 2008
(Total $3200)
Achieved April 11, 2008!
Goal #5: $2970 by May 18, 2008
(Total $617o)
Achieved May 17, 2008
isn't that amazing? it's just so great to see how perfectly God provided for me in a situation that required so much provision! sorry for a short post, but i'm sleepy! i have another big week ahead of me. prayer is much appreciated!
buona notte!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
a different place
today is november 14th. it has been almost a year and a half since i last posted anything on this blog. i thought when i came home from italy, i would continue my blog, but as it always does, life happened. i decided though, that i would like to start blogging again. i think it will be therapeutic for me to get my thoughts out there. i don't know if anyone will be reading anything that i write, but that's okay. this isn't for you anyway. :) just in case i do have some faithful followers, i guess i should bring everyone up to speed on where i am in life now. so many things have happened in the last year and a half that i don't really know where to begin or what is even important to share.
i guess the most overwhelming part of my life right now would have to be school. i am currently in my second year of graduate school, studying school psychology. right now i have three classes, i work at a middle school three days a week for practicum, and i work in the autism clinic that we have at school as part of my graduate assistant duties. and that's just the school part. it has definitely been challenging trying to juggle everything on my plate...especially when the plate is completely filled up by school...where does the rest of my life fit in? this has been something i have really struggled with in the last couple of months. don't get me wrong, i absolutely love my program and everything i get to do with it. i feel so honored that i get to make a real difference in the lives of children with disabilities. it makes me feel alive when i work with those kids. if i had my choice, i would probably be with kids in some capacity 24/7...who needs adult interaction anyway? well i guess that might be important.
as far as adult interaction goes, i'm happy to share that i have finally found a church home and an amazing community within it. i am a proud partner at the austin stone. i began attending this church in may of this year and joined as a partner at the end of the summer. i cannot tell you how blessed i feel to be a part of this body of believers. there are some really great things happening in the church right now and i'm so excited to be a part of it. i am blessed to get to hear the teachings of some wise and gifted men of God every week, and always feel so challenged and loved when i leave service. i've also been so blessed to be able to take a theology class through the stone. this semester we studied the truth of scripture, attributes of God, the trinity, the person of Jesus Christ and the work of Jesus Christ...we studied these in a way i never have before, and my eyes have been opened to just how much i don't know about my God. this is comforting in a way because i know he is so much bigger than i could ever imagine. i could (and will) search my entire life to know more about him...his love, his grace, his power, his wisdom, his perfection, his nature, his will, his provision...and i will never cease to learn something new about him. i'm so thankful that i serve the one true God...the God of creation, of the universe...the Savior of my heart and lover of my soul. how truly blessed i am! i've been able to see glimpses of the attributes that God has allowed his people to share with him through my new community group at the stone. i am involved in a group of about 15 or so single coeds that desire to live in community and on mission for God. i have just been amazed at how beautifully God orchestrated the group. i have been looking for this kind of genuine community for quite some time and think i have finally found it. praise God. i will keep you posted about our weekly gatherings, as i'm sure there will be much to share. i'll say this though, every week renews me. thank goodness.
i guess this post is long enough already, so i'll cut it off now. look for more posts, as i'm hoping to be pretty regular about this. now i'm off to clean my apartment and write some reports! a lovely saturday indeed. talk to you all soon.
ciao amici...yes, i will be continuing the use of my italian in this blog...i just love it too much :)
vi voglio bene.
i guess the most overwhelming part of my life right now would have to be school. i am currently in my second year of graduate school, studying school psychology. right now i have three classes, i work at a middle school three days a week for practicum, and i work in the autism clinic that we have at school as part of my graduate assistant duties. and that's just the school part. it has definitely been challenging trying to juggle everything on my plate...especially when the plate is completely filled up by school...where does the rest of my life fit in? this has been something i have really struggled with in the last couple of months. don't get me wrong, i absolutely love my program and everything i get to do with it. i feel so honored that i get to make a real difference in the lives of children with disabilities. it makes me feel alive when i work with those kids. if i had my choice, i would probably be with kids in some capacity 24/7...who needs adult interaction anyway? well i guess that might be important.
as far as adult interaction goes, i'm happy to share that i have finally found a church home and an amazing community within it. i am a proud partner at the austin stone. i began attending this church in may of this year and joined as a partner at the end of the summer. i cannot tell you how blessed i feel to be a part of this body of believers. there are some really great things happening in the church right now and i'm so excited to be a part of it. i am blessed to get to hear the teachings of some wise and gifted men of God every week, and always feel so challenged and loved when i leave service. i've also been so blessed to be able to take a theology class through the stone. this semester we studied the truth of scripture, attributes of God, the trinity, the person of Jesus Christ and the work of Jesus Christ...we studied these in a way i never have before, and my eyes have been opened to just how much i don't know about my God. this is comforting in a way because i know he is so much bigger than i could ever imagine. i could (and will) search my entire life to know more about him...his love, his grace, his power, his wisdom, his perfection, his nature, his will, his provision...and i will never cease to learn something new about him. i'm so thankful that i serve the one true God...the God of creation, of the universe...the Savior of my heart and lover of my soul. how truly blessed i am! i've been able to see glimpses of the attributes that God has allowed his people to share with him through my new community group at the stone. i am involved in a group of about 15 or so single coeds that desire to live in community and on mission for God. i have just been amazed at how beautifully God orchestrated the group. i have been looking for this kind of genuine community for quite some time and think i have finally found it. praise God. i will keep you posted about our weekly gatherings, as i'm sure there will be much to share. i'll say this though, every week renews me. thank goodness.
i guess this post is long enough already, so i'll cut it off now. look for more posts, as i'm hoping to be pretty regular about this. now i'm off to clean my apartment and write some reports! a lovely saturday indeed. talk to you all soon.
ciao amici...yes, i will be continuing the use of my italian in this blog...i just love it too much :)
vi voglio bene.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
a week at home
hello friends! i apologize for my lateness in posting...i know mom has been eager for me to post pictures, so i guess you all are ready too. well i have been home a week and it honestly feels like a lot longer. it is really weird to transition to another way of life so abruptly. i will admit though, it is nice to be writing this blog from my own laptop and not from the stinky internet cafe. so i know you are all excited to see pictures, so here goes...i'll just start from the beginning and go from there!
this is the santa maria novella...we lived only a few meters down the road from this piazza and spent a lot of our time hanging out here...we did praise and worship on the steps of this church every sunday night.
this is a close up of the front of the duomo (the famous cathedral in florence)...it is so big that i never could get the whole thing in a picture! 
this is the ponte vecchio...that means 'old bridge' in italian...it was built 1354. we learned that during ww2 when the nazis invaded germany, hitler gave a specific decree to keep this bridge intact. almost every night there were musicians performing on the ponte vecchio...during the day, it is filled with people shopping in the many jewelry shops that line the bridge.
these are some of the girls from my team...thecla and ally...so beautiful! 
this is just a picture down by the river at night...i love florence at night!
this the view in fiesole, a little town right outside of florence (and one of my favorite places!)
some more girls on my team...jessica (in the middle) was my roommate!
we got to go to a soccer game too...italy vs. belgium....forze italia!
theresa and i in front of the duomo!
another amazing view of florence from fiesole...yep, i lived here!
a view of florence from the top of the duomo....all 460 steps later!
this is eduardo and paola...you'll remember them from a previous post...please continue to pray for them!
my roommate, jessica, and i at the leaning tower of pisa!
ally and i at the piazza del campo in siena!
some of the girls decided to hike from one town in cinque terre to the next! this is my roommate, jessica, and i mid-hike!
this is the santa maria novella...we lived only a few meters down the road from this piazza and spent a lot of our time hanging out here...we did praise and worship on the steps of this church every sunday night. this is a close up of the front of the duomo (the famous cathedral in florence)...it is so big that i never could get the whole thing in a picture! this is the ponte vecchio...that means 'old bridge' in italian...it was built 1354. we learned that during ww2 when the nazis invaded germany, hitler gave a specific decree to keep this bridge intact. almost every night there were musicians performing on the ponte vecchio...during the day, it is filled with people shopping in the many jewelry shops that line the bridge.
this is the amazing view from the piazza di michelangelo...this is where i summer!
these are some of the girls from my team...thecla and ally...so beautiful! this is just a picture down by the river at night...i love florence at night!this the view in fiesole, a little town right outside of florence (and one of my favorite places!)
some more girls on my team...jessica (in the middle) was my roommate!we got to go to a soccer game too...italy vs. belgium....forze italia!theresa and i in front of the duomo!another amazing view of florence from fiesole...yep, i lived here!there i am! i just love florence!
a view of florence from the top of the duomo....all 460 steps later!this is eduardo and paola...you'll remember them from a previous post...please continue to pray for them!my roommate, jessica, and i at the leaning tower of pisa!ally and i at the piazza del campo in siena!
the duomo in siena!
another spectacular view of florence!
jonathan and i with our italian friends gisella and sara! i have talked a lot about gisella in previous posts!
this is where we debriefed...cinque terre!!
some of the girls decided to hike from one town in cinque terre to the next! this is my roommate, jessica, and i mid-hike!
the city we hiked to...vernazza!
adam and i with our favorite italian...cosimo!!! ive also talked about him a lot in previous posts.
this is the group that went to novoli every day! (half of our team)
these were our team leaders...toby and jessica vaughn!
and this is stephanie and i on the plane ride home...we are obviously sad to be leaving!
well there you go! those are just some of the pictures i took this summer...i ended up taking over 1000! i wasn't about to put all of those up, but if you want to see more, i put them all up on facebook! thank you all again for being so supportive of my trip this summer, and for praying the whole time. you cannot even imagine how crucial those prayers were. please continue to pray for my italian friends and the italian people in general. pray for their salvation! and don't stop!!
grazie mille i miei amici! ti voglio bene!
Friday, June 20, 2008
one more week
ciao tutti! i am sorry to tell you that i have but one week left here in italy. i actually only have 3 days left in florence because we are going to cinque terre next week for our debriefing. i absolutely cannot believe that my time here (for now...) is almost finished. i guess time flies when you're having fun (or when you are telling people the most important message they'll ever hear...either one).
well yesterday officially marked the end of my ministry here. i am going to get to hang out with one of my italian friends one more time before i leave, but we aren't going to campus anymore and there will be no more initiations. i really am in awe of how much the Lord has done in and through our team this summer. the agape staff told us at the beginning of the summer that the Lord would do more in us individually than he would do through us, but i didn't believe them initially. i thought that there was no way i would be changed as much as people hearing the gospel for the first time would be...i was definitely wrong. i was talking to one of the stint girls last night about how i think the Lord has done so much in my heart this summer that i don't think i am even consciously aware of all of it. i cannot wait to come home and just process everything that the Lord has taught me. if i had to pick the biggest thing the Lord has taught me, i think it would be the importance of loving people. we are going through 1 peter as a team this summer, and in 1 peter 4:7, it says, "Above all, love each other earnestly, because love covers a multitude of sins." it has been so crucial for me to realize that the most important thing we can do as followers of Christ is to intentionally, purposefully, dilligently, and earnestly love everyone around us. Christ said that the world would know his followers by their love (john 13:35).
i cannot express in words the hopelessness and apathy i have witnessed in my time here. the italian people do not know love, they do not know hope, and they absolutely do not know Jesus. i know a lot of people wondered why i was going on a mission trip to italy...people think that italy is a christian country...i mean the pope lives here...really? but like i have said before, i think italy might be the most "lost" country in the world! people have completely missed the truth of Christ even though they have been around the church and religious teachings their entire lives. most italian students are angry at the melding of the church as an institution with political power and hate that the pope has so much power over their social lives and their personal decisions. so many students i have talked to think that religion should be a personal thing, and they are intrigued when i say that i have a personal relationship with Jesus, but because of the influence and impact of the catholic church, they cannot wrap their minds around the idea of freedom from the law through Christ. it is my hope that the seeds planted this summer would take root and they would be able to experience the freedom and bliss that comes from knowing Jesus as your Savior.
i know that i have so much more to say, but it is terribly difficult to put everything in words (and type them into an internet blog when i am sitting in a tiny, stinky room, probably contracting deadly diseases as we speak...or type i guess). i just ask that just because my time here is almost finished, that you would not cease praying for this country. it is my hope that my experience and my blog has opened some of your eyes to the need for the gospel in this country, in all of western europe, and all over the world. the reality is that italians need Jesus...more than anything. pray for them daily (1 thessalonians 5:17), and have confidence in the movement in this country. the Lord is moving mightily here and i know He longs to see reconciliation. the italian people will always have a special place in my heart, and i pray that they have creeped into yours as well. thank you so much for your support and prayers thus far...don't stop!
i love you all...arrivaderci mi amici!
xoxo...hayley
well yesterday officially marked the end of my ministry here. i am going to get to hang out with one of my italian friends one more time before i leave, but we aren't going to campus anymore and there will be no more initiations. i really am in awe of how much the Lord has done in and through our team this summer. the agape staff told us at the beginning of the summer that the Lord would do more in us individually than he would do through us, but i didn't believe them initially. i thought that there was no way i would be changed as much as people hearing the gospel for the first time would be...i was definitely wrong. i was talking to one of the stint girls last night about how i think the Lord has done so much in my heart this summer that i don't think i am even consciously aware of all of it. i cannot wait to come home and just process everything that the Lord has taught me. if i had to pick the biggest thing the Lord has taught me, i think it would be the importance of loving people. we are going through 1 peter as a team this summer, and in 1 peter 4:7, it says, "Above all, love each other earnestly, because love covers a multitude of sins." it has been so crucial for me to realize that the most important thing we can do as followers of Christ is to intentionally, purposefully, dilligently, and earnestly love everyone around us. Christ said that the world would know his followers by their love (john 13:35).
i cannot express in words the hopelessness and apathy i have witnessed in my time here. the italian people do not know love, they do not know hope, and they absolutely do not know Jesus. i know a lot of people wondered why i was going on a mission trip to italy...people think that italy is a christian country...i mean the pope lives here...really? but like i have said before, i think italy might be the most "lost" country in the world! people have completely missed the truth of Christ even though they have been around the church and religious teachings their entire lives. most italian students are angry at the melding of the church as an institution with political power and hate that the pope has so much power over their social lives and their personal decisions. so many students i have talked to think that religion should be a personal thing, and they are intrigued when i say that i have a personal relationship with Jesus, but because of the influence and impact of the catholic church, they cannot wrap their minds around the idea of freedom from the law through Christ. it is my hope that the seeds planted this summer would take root and they would be able to experience the freedom and bliss that comes from knowing Jesus as your Savior.
i know that i have so much more to say, but it is terribly difficult to put everything in words (and type them into an internet blog when i am sitting in a tiny, stinky room, probably contracting deadly diseases as we speak...or type i guess). i just ask that just because my time here is almost finished, that you would not cease praying for this country. it is my hope that my experience and my blog has opened some of your eyes to the need for the gospel in this country, in all of western europe, and all over the world. the reality is that italians need Jesus...more than anything. pray for them daily (1 thessalonians 5:17), and have confidence in the movement in this country. the Lord is moving mightily here and i know He longs to see reconciliation. the italian people will always have a special place in my heart, and i pray that they have creeped into yours as well. thank you so much for your support and prayers thus far...don't stop!
i love you all...arrivaderci mi amici!
xoxo...hayley
Saturday, June 14, 2008
sorry for the delay!
ciao amici! i am so so sorry it has been so long since i have posted last. i have no excuses but i think the biggest reason is that i am so tired at the end of each day that the last thing i feel like doing is sitting in front of a computer. i am sorry though, because i know how many of you support me and like to have specific things to pray for! so here i am finally!
so before i update you on my awesome new italian friends and how ministry is going, i thought i would be a little light-hearted to begin with. last weekend, our team got to go to pisa and lucca, two cities about an hour train ride away. i got to see the leaning tower in pisa and took pictures pretending to hold it up, being a touristy as possible. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_Tower_of_Pisa) the tower was great, but there wasn't very much else to do in pisa, so we went to lucca, a small city about 20 minutes away. the city is not famous for much, but it is absolutely beautiful. we ate dinner at a little cafè and walked around the city. it was the epitome of a little tuscan town and i loved it! then, on monday, since it was a holiday here in florence, we didn't go to campus because no one was there. so instead, our team got to go to the duomo (http://www.duomofirenze.it/index-eng.htm) and we went up to the top! there are over 400 stairs to climb and they are tiny stone spiral staircases the entire way up. (mom...i don't think you'd like this too much!) once we got to the very top though, we got a 360 degree view of the entire city. it was beautiful! don't worry, i have tons of pictures!
yesterday, the team got to go to siena! siena is absolutely beautiful as well! it was really neat being there and seeing how different the cities are here. florence is definitely a buzzing metropolis, which i didn't fully realize until we went to siena. it is much smaller and and more compact (if that makes any sense). while we were there, we got to meet the summer project team that is serving there this summer. it was really great to learn how ministry is there, how it is really similar and so different at the same time. please be praying for the siena team, as they are in their last week of ministry as well!
today we got to do the one thing i have been looking forward to more than anything else...i finally got to see DAVID!!!!! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_%28Michelangelo%29) words cannot express the reaction i had to the most famous sculpture in history. i was literally breathtaken...i caught myself holding my breath as i just stood there staring at it! michelangelo is the most talented artist that ever lived and i was so taken with the fact that he used his skill to glorify our God. in the accademia, the museum that houses David, there were many other facinating works of art, mainly from native florentine artists. every single painting or sculpture in the museum depicted either Jesus Christ, mary, or something else related to the christian faith. i was thinking the entire time how unfulfilling it would be to walk through the museum and see all of the paintings and not believe in God or in Christ. i was just in awe of how beautiful everything was and how amazing it was to see these artists using their abilities to attempt to capture Christ, to capture everything that life comes down to. today was by far my favorite day in florence. i could have stayed in the accademia all day! it was just amazing! (and no, i don't have a picture...the camera nazi's scared me too much!)
i know i could write forever about how ministry has been going, but i'm just going to write about 2 of my friends...
cosimo--i talked about cosimo in my last post, and since then, we have gotten to hang out with him a couple times. the first time, we met him for lunch in the mensa and stayed there talking for a couple hours. then, we went to a cafè and had some tea and stayed there talking until about 4. we talked about absolutely everything...his family, where he grew up, politics, university life, the catholic church, his beliefs...everything. then, at 4, it was time for us to go back to campus pray, so we told cosimo and asked him if he wanted to come with us. surprisingly to us, he agreed, so we went back to campus and went through our prayer sheet with him, looking up and talking about all of the scriptures. it was so neat to hear what he thought about the scriptures we read. basically, that day, we hung out with him for about 5 hours and just talked about everything. at the end of the day, we thought he might be a believer because he would agree with everything we said, but he hadn't really gotten him to spell out what he believed for us. we got to hang out with him again on thursday night. my friend sam and i went to dinner with him...funny story, while we were at dinner, he told us that he was going to the bathroom and actually went and paid for the whole check...he is awesome. after dinner, we all came back and hung out at the hotel and almost immediately started talking about spiritual things. we got to lay out the gospel for him and talked really in depth about what that means. he told us that he believes everything we said, but, like most catholics, thinks that it is prideful to say that you know for sure that you are going to heaven. it was clear that this had been engrained in his head for a long time, because no matter what scripture we told him, he would say that he agrees, but that he just can't be absolutely sure and that on the last day, God will judge him and tell him whether or not he gets to go to heaven. we sat there talking until 1am and i could tell that he wanted so badly to be sure. the conversation was amazing and i think God is definitely working in his heart. please please pray that cosimo's world would be turned upside-down with the assurance of salvation that comes with faith in Jesus. he is one of the greatest people i think i've ever met and i want so badly for him to know the Lord in the perfect and amazing way that we do. please continue to pray for his clarification and certainty in salvation!
gisella--this is a girl that i met early last week on campus. i went through our survey with her, and then we just started talking about everything else. she told me that she was very religious and a very devout catholic. the biggest difference between the catholic church and the protestant church that i have found here, is that the catholic church is teaching people that they cannot be sure of their salvation. just like cosimo, gisella would not tell me that she is 100% sure that she gets to go to heaven, even though she told me that she believes in Christ and professes him as savior. i got to go through the 4 spiritual laws of the gospel with her and we talked about some very specific verses that point to our assurance of faith, but we didn't really get anywhere. i got to hang out with her again on thursday, but we just talked about random things and just had some fun because i felt like i laid it on pretty thick the first time we talked. please pray that we get to meet again before i leave and that she too, would have confidence in the cross and the saving power of the blood of Christ. pray that the Lord would bang them over the head with the truth that it is by grace alone that we are saved! not by our own works or merit! almost everyone i have talked to cannot say this confidently. i just pray that God will overturn their previous notions and fill them with his truth! gisella invited me to her house so she can cook for me, so please pray that we get to talk about this again!
thank you all so much for praying for my while i am here in florence. ministry is definitely very hard. most italians have hard hearts to God and blinded eyes. pray for the veil of unbelief to be lifted and that they would be able to see the love and grace that God offers freely through Jesus. i would venture to say that italy is one of the most lost nations (in the sense that they have the least believers in Christ) in the entire world. praise God that he sent me here...please continue to pray for the precious souls of italy.
we have one week left of ministry and we need divine endurance. pray for my team and a strong finish. we leave for debriefing in cinque terre next monday, and i know everyone is excited about it, but we have much to do before then (or should i say, God has much to do before then!) thank you all again. your support means the world to me!
ti amo! ciao!
xoxo hayley
so before i update you on my awesome new italian friends and how ministry is going, i thought i would be a little light-hearted to begin with. last weekend, our team got to go to pisa and lucca, two cities about an hour train ride away. i got to see the leaning tower in pisa and took pictures pretending to hold it up, being a touristy as possible. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_Tower_of_Pisa) the tower was great, but there wasn't very much else to do in pisa, so we went to lucca, a small city about 20 minutes away. the city is not famous for much, but it is absolutely beautiful. we ate dinner at a little cafè and walked around the city. it was the epitome of a little tuscan town and i loved it! then, on monday, since it was a holiday here in florence, we didn't go to campus because no one was there. so instead, our team got to go to the duomo (http://www.duomofirenze.it/index-eng.htm) and we went up to the top! there are over 400 stairs to climb and they are tiny stone spiral staircases the entire way up. (mom...i don't think you'd like this too much!) once we got to the very top though, we got a 360 degree view of the entire city. it was beautiful! don't worry, i have tons of pictures!
yesterday, the team got to go to siena! siena is absolutely beautiful as well! it was really neat being there and seeing how different the cities are here. florence is definitely a buzzing metropolis, which i didn't fully realize until we went to siena. it is much smaller and and more compact (if that makes any sense). while we were there, we got to meet the summer project team that is serving there this summer. it was really great to learn how ministry is there, how it is really similar and so different at the same time. please be praying for the siena team, as they are in their last week of ministry as well!
today we got to do the one thing i have been looking forward to more than anything else...i finally got to see DAVID!!!!! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_%28Michelangelo%29) words cannot express the reaction i had to the most famous sculpture in history. i was literally breathtaken...i caught myself holding my breath as i just stood there staring at it! michelangelo is the most talented artist that ever lived and i was so taken with the fact that he used his skill to glorify our God. in the accademia, the museum that houses David, there were many other facinating works of art, mainly from native florentine artists. every single painting or sculpture in the museum depicted either Jesus Christ, mary, or something else related to the christian faith. i was thinking the entire time how unfulfilling it would be to walk through the museum and see all of the paintings and not believe in God or in Christ. i was just in awe of how beautiful everything was and how amazing it was to see these artists using their abilities to attempt to capture Christ, to capture everything that life comes down to. today was by far my favorite day in florence. i could have stayed in the accademia all day! it was just amazing! (and no, i don't have a picture...the camera nazi's scared me too much!)
i know i could write forever about how ministry has been going, but i'm just going to write about 2 of my friends...
cosimo--i talked about cosimo in my last post, and since then, we have gotten to hang out with him a couple times. the first time, we met him for lunch in the mensa and stayed there talking for a couple hours. then, we went to a cafè and had some tea and stayed there talking until about 4. we talked about absolutely everything...his family, where he grew up, politics, university life, the catholic church, his beliefs...everything. then, at 4, it was time for us to go back to campus pray, so we told cosimo and asked him if he wanted to come with us. surprisingly to us, he agreed, so we went back to campus and went through our prayer sheet with him, looking up and talking about all of the scriptures. it was so neat to hear what he thought about the scriptures we read. basically, that day, we hung out with him for about 5 hours and just talked about everything. at the end of the day, we thought he might be a believer because he would agree with everything we said, but he hadn't really gotten him to spell out what he believed for us. we got to hang out with him again on thursday night. my friend sam and i went to dinner with him...funny story, while we were at dinner, he told us that he was going to the bathroom and actually went and paid for the whole check...he is awesome. after dinner, we all came back and hung out at the hotel and almost immediately started talking about spiritual things. we got to lay out the gospel for him and talked really in depth about what that means. he told us that he believes everything we said, but, like most catholics, thinks that it is prideful to say that you know for sure that you are going to heaven. it was clear that this had been engrained in his head for a long time, because no matter what scripture we told him, he would say that he agrees, but that he just can't be absolutely sure and that on the last day, God will judge him and tell him whether or not he gets to go to heaven. we sat there talking until 1am and i could tell that he wanted so badly to be sure. the conversation was amazing and i think God is definitely working in his heart. please please pray that cosimo's world would be turned upside-down with the assurance of salvation that comes with faith in Jesus. he is one of the greatest people i think i've ever met and i want so badly for him to know the Lord in the perfect and amazing way that we do. please continue to pray for his clarification and certainty in salvation!
gisella--this is a girl that i met early last week on campus. i went through our survey with her, and then we just started talking about everything else. she told me that she was very religious and a very devout catholic. the biggest difference between the catholic church and the protestant church that i have found here, is that the catholic church is teaching people that they cannot be sure of their salvation. just like cosimo, gisella would not tell me that she is 100% sure that she gets to go to heaven, even though she told me that she believes in Christ and professes him as savior. i got to go through the 4 spiritual laws of the gospel with her and we talked about some very specific verses that point to our assurance of faith, but we didn't really get anywhere. i got to hang out with her again on thursday, but we just talked about random things and just had some fun because i felt like i laid it on pretty thick the first time we talked. please pray that we get to meet again before i leave and that she too, would have confidence in the cross and the saving power of the blood of Christ. pray that the Lord would bang them over the head with the truth that it is by grace alone that we are saved! not by our own works or merit! almost everyone i have talked to cannot say this confidently. i just pray that God will overturn their previous notions and fill them with his truth! gisella invited me to her house so she can cook for me, so please pray that we get to talk about this again!
thank you all so much for praying for my while i am here in florence. ministry is definitely very hard. most italians have hard hearts to God and blinded eyes. pray for the veil of unbelief to be lifted and that they would be able to see the love and grace that God offers freely through Jesus. i would venture to say that italy is one of the most lost nations (in the sense that they have the least believers in Christ) in the entire world. praise God that he sent me here...please continue to pray for the precious souls of italy.
we have one week left of ministry and we need divine endurance. pray for my team and a strong finish. we leave for debriefing in cinque terre next monday, and i know everyone is excited about it, but we have much to do before then (or should i say, God has much to do before then!) thank you all again. your support means the world to me!
ti amo! ciao!
xoxo hayley
Sunday, June 1, 2008
a need for the gospel
ciao tutti! (aka hello everyone!)
i hope this post is finding everyone well. i cannot believe i have been gone for 2 weeks already! the time has absolutely flown by! i am missing everyone back in the states, but i am having the time of my life right now. i mean, i live in florence, italy...really? it's funny because we are all still saying stuff like that. none of us have actually grasped the idea that we live in a foreign country. i wish i could show you all pictures right now of this place...you would absolutely die. i know it should be sinking in by this point, but i still walk through our little cobblestone streets everyday and praise the lord for giving me this opportunity.
i think that is one of the biggest things i've learned thus far...the lord loves to bless us. we are to live our lives for him, but it is not all sacrifice my friends! i really believe that the lord truly loves to bless his children, and i am experiencing that like crazy right now. not only do i feel completely blessed, but i feel the lord's provision here more than i ever have before. he has provided for me in unimaginable ways, even before i ask him. he is so good.
for the rest of this post, i'm going to describe some of my new friends and ask you to pray for them specifically by name...
julia--this is a girl that i met on my second day of ministry. i talked to her by myself for a long time (as she rolled her own cigarettes...i know smoking is bad for you, but you have to admit, that's pretty cool...haha). we start our "initiations" by telling the students that we are on a cultural exchange, and asking them if we can ask them a few questions about their culture. i started asking julia the questions, about the importance of italian food, family, the influence of the roman catholic church, and what italian students think about god and spirituality. she was very quick to answer all of my questions and flat out told me she didn't believe in god, because she there were so many other things for her to fill her time with. i did get her phone number though, and we are supposed to hang out next week. please pray for a sweet time together, and that she would be able to see her need for christ.
carlo--this is a guy that the agape staff has known for a while, but they haven't seen him at bible studies or anything in about 6 months. please pray for a renewed curiousity about the bible, and a desire to start attending again.
costanza, giovanni, angela, sara, and giacomo--these students were in a big group that my teammate adam and i talked to. we went through the survey with them, and all of them were very helpful and loved talking to us about their culture. giacomo told me that he didn't believe in god because he didn't see the need to. please pray that this belief would be thrown out the window and the lord would rock his world. the others didn't go very deep into their own spiritual beliefs, but we've seen them a coupld times on campus, so please pray that we would get to hang out with them some more and build stronger relationships with them.
nadia--my teammate thecla and i met nadia on wednesday when we went to the liberal arts campus (whoop!) in the center of the city. we were going through our survey with a group of students and she seemed very opinionated about most of the questions. when the other students left, we continued talking to her about what she thought about god. she said that she thought their might be a god but that she wasn't really sure. i asked her what she thought about after-life, heaven and hell, and she said that she didn't really know about that either. so i asked her, if they do exists, how do you think someone gets to either of them. she said that she thought that by being a good person and doing good things for other people, that you would go to heaven. so i asked her, and this might not have been the best thing but i did anyway, but i asked her what she would say if i told her that i thought no one was good enough on their own to go to heaven. she said, "well i would tell you you are wrong." awesome...this conversation is going so well...(definite sarcasm, please don't be confused). then i asked her if i could explain. she said of course, because all italians are very welcoming and respectful of other people's opinions. so then, i got to lay out the gospel for her! i think it might have been the first time that i have actually done that. it was really great. the conversation didn't really go anywhere after that, but she said that she is usually at that campus, so i hope i see her again. please pray that the seeds i planted would spark a ravishing curiosity about the truth of the gospel!!!!
cosomo--this is another guy that adam and i met. we went through the survey with him and found out that he is catholic. you may not think so, but there aren't as many students that claim to be catholic, because faith in general, is pretty lost on their generation. from our conversation, we are pretty sure that he is a believer, and cannot wait to catch up with him. we got his number too, and are going to meet up with him soon! this is so exciting because the agape staff has been praying to find italian believers to one day take over their ministry so it will be entirely italian-run. please pray for this opportunity for discipleship and confirmation of his belief.
there have been other students that i have met, but these are just a few of the conversations that have been completely changing my view of the italian people and the need for the gospel over here! please partner with me in praying for the salvation of all of these students and a revival in faith here in florence. thank you so much for your continued support and prayer. i love you all!
ciao!
i hope this post is finding everyone well. i cannot believe i have been gone for 2 weeks already! the time has absolutely flown by! i am missing everyone back in the states, but i am having the time of my life right now. i mean, i live in florence, italy...really? it's funny because we are all still saying stuff like that. none of us have actually grasped the idea that we live in a foreign country. i wish i could show you all pictures right now of this place...you would absolutely die. i know it should be sinking in by this point, but i still walk through our little cobblestone streets everyday and praise the lord for giving me this opportunity.
i think that is one of the biggest things i've learned thus far...the lord loves to bless us. we are to live our lives for him, but it is not all sacrifice my friends! i really believe that the lord truly loves to bless his children, and i am experiencing that like crazy right now. not only do i feel completely blessed, but i feel the lord's provision here more than i ever have before. he has provided for me in unimaginable ways, even before i ask him. he is so good.
for the rest of this post, i'm going to describe some of my new friends and ask you to pray for them specifically by name...
julia--this is a girl that i met on my second day of ministry. i talked to her by myself for a long time (as she rolled her own cigarettes...i know smoking is bad for you, but you have to admit, that's pretty cool...haha). we start our "initiations" by telling the students that we are on a cultural exchange, and asking them if we can ask them a few questions about their culture. i started asking julia the questions, about the importance of italian food, family, the influence of the roman catholic church, and what italian students think about god and spirituality. she was very quick to answer all of my questions and flat out told me she didn't believe in god, because she there were so many other things for her to fill her time with. i did get her phone number though, and we are supposed to hang out next week. please pray for a sweet time together, and that she would be able to see her need for christ.
carlo--this is a guy that the agape staff has known for a while, but they haven't seen him at bible studies or anything in about 6 months. please pray for a renewed curiousity about the bible, and a desire to start attending again.
costanza, giovanni, angela, sara, and giacomo--these students were in a big group that my teammate adam and i talked to. we went through the survey with them, and all of them were very helpful and loved talking to us about their culture. giacomo told me that he didn't believe in god because he didn't see the need to. please pray that this belief would be thrown out the window and the lord would rock his world. the others didn't go very deep into their own spiritual beliefs, but we've seen them a coupld times on campus, so please pray that we would get to hang out with them some more and build stronger relationships with them.
nadia--my teammate thecla and i met nadia on wednesday when we went to the liberal arts campus (whoop!) in the center of the city. we were going through our survey with a group of students and she seemed very opinionated about most of the questions. when the other students left, we continued talking to her about what she thought about god. she said that she thought their might be a god but that she wasn't really sure. i asked her what she thought about after-life, heaven and hell, and she said that she didn't really know about that either. so i asked her, if they do exists, how do you think someone gets to either of them. she said that she thought that by being a good person and doing good things for other people, that you would go to heaven. so i asked her, and this might not have been the best thing but i did anyway, but i asked her what she would say if i told her that i thought no one was good enough on their own to go to heaven. she said, "well i would tell you you are wrong." awesome...this conversation is going so well...(definite sarcasm, please don't be confused). then i asked her if i could explain. she said of course, because all italians are very welcoming and respectful of other people's opinions. so then, i got to lay out the gospel for her! i think it might have been the first time that i have actually done that. it was really great. the conversation didn't really go anywhere after that, but she said that she is usually at that campus, so i hope i see her again. please pray that the seeds i planted would spark a ravishing curiosity about the truth of the gospel!!!!
cosomo--this is another guy that adam and i met. we went through the survey with him and found out that he is catholic. you may not think so, but there aren't as many students that claim to be catholic, because faith in general, is pretty lost on their generation. from our conversation, we are pretty sure that he is a believer, and cannot wait to catch up with him. we got his number too, and are going to meet up with him soon! this is so exciting because the agape staff has been praying to find italian believers to one day take over their ministry so it will be entirely italian-run. please pray for this opportunity for discipleship and confirmation of his belief.
there have been other students that i have met, but these are just a few of the conversations that have been completely changing my view of the italian people and the need for the gospel over here! please partner with me in praying for the salvation of all of these students and a revival in faith here in florence. thank you so much for your continued support and prayer. i love you all!
ciao!
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