Friday in Southern Italy (Day 2)

Yesterday we spent the whole day in Southern Italy with our friends from Johnson, Gianni and Stephany Bruno. If Italy is a boot, we were in the heel. We rode the train into the town of Brindisi. We stayed in the nearby town of Oria with Stephany's parents at their Mission's center. Gianni and Stephany live in Latiano, which is where Gianni grew up. They minister not from there in a church in Francavilla. Had that not told us where we were, I would have never known we ever in a different town. They are all very close to each other. Like I said, Gianni grew up in Latiano and Stephany also grew up in Italy. Her parents have been missionaries in the area since she was 10 months old. Gianni is the minister of a church where they are now training Italian leaders. Jim and Caranita Wolseffier (Stepany's parents) run a counseling ministry to provide hope, healing and the light of Jesus to the Italians. We got to see their beautiful facility and hear all the wonderful things God has done in the lives and ministry over their years.

Our day with the Bruno's was delightful. We started the morning with a breakfast of Italian and American coffee along with an anbundance of pastries from a local coffee shops. In Italy coffee shops are called "Bars"...which can be confusing. Especcially when you hear a 5 year old say "dad, when are we going to the bar?" You have to take a second and remember what they were talking about!! After breakfast, we took a tour of their facility and got to hear about everything they do and all the things they have planned. They offer a free sports ministry during the year to kids in the community. They also offer Christian counseling to Italians. Gianni and Jim work in the church in Francavilla and are establishing leaders there. They hope to someday plant more churches in Southern Italy.

At lunch we had Tortolini, some sort of olive bread and a little bit of ice cream. After lunch we started to feel the effects of jet lag and took a little nap. We were glad to relax after all our traveling.

In the evening we headed to Gianni and Stephany's in Latiano. We really enjoyed spending time with them and their children, Anyssa and Raphiele. They are adorable! After the kids headed to bed, we ordered pizza's for dinner. Sergio and Julia came over to join. They attend the church in Francavilla and Sergio is the worship leader there in his spare time. Sergio and Julia do not speak English. It was very interesting to socialize with people who don't speak the same language as us. We have never done that before. We had no idea what it was going to be like but we really enjoyed it! Luckily, we have Stephany and Gianni there to translate. Brandon was so excited to talk Soccer with Italians! I believe Gianni and Sergio were pretty impressed with Brandon's knowledge of the game, teams and players. Hopefully someday we can all go to an Italian game together!

Overall, we were encouraged to be with the Bruno's and the Wolseffiers. Their love and passion for the Italian people is inspiring. We can definetly see God blessing their ministry and are excited to see How he continues to work in the lives of the people of Southern Italy.

-Savannah