Country folk in the big city...

Last weekend our team made the almost 5 hour train ride up to Florence for a conference with all the staff here in Italy. Even though I was in meetings most of the time it was really awesome. In one room were people that have been with the ministry for 30 years and then some that have only been in the ministry for 2 months. As someone who just stepped into the picture, it was really compelling to see the vision of the people that have been in Italy for a long time and have seen the whole story. It really changed my perspective on where we're at in the ministry because from my point of view it seems like we haven't come very far since right now I'm just trying to get a Bible study going, but the ones who have been around are so excited by how much God is moving and has moved and can clearly see that God will continue to move. All that to say that I am just very excited about what God is going to do in Italy this year and the years to come, whether it's what I had in mind or not.

As it was my first time in Florence, I had many "firsts" in my life over the weekend. I ate pasta with wild boar in it for the first time...delicious! I bought a train ticket for the first time on my own. I stayed at a hostel, which was a little shady, but cute...even though I had to take a bird bath in the sink because my shower wouldn't give me some hot water. Most importantly, I bought my first pair of boots and YES I wear them with my jeans tucked in. They are fabulous. I will post a picture as soon as I take one.

What was funny about Florence is that it was so different from being in Salerno. Salerno is so small in comparison and we have almost no tourists here, but in Florence there were tourists everywhere and everyone spoke English. English just doesn't really exist here in Salerno, so it was really just strange at first. Oh and the pizza was just no comparison, just trust me that southern Italy is the only place to have true pizza! Here's a little slice of Florence for you.

The skyline of Florence at sunset.


FYI: You can take a segway tour of Florence, but just a tip if you're trying to blend in this isn't the way to go.


So, Morgan and I decided to sight see for an extra day in Florence, so of course, we went to go see the Statue of David. If you look behind us in this picture, you can see that David is a giant! I was so surprised. But what it actually comes down to is that there is a giant naked man in the room...and that's just awkward!