Day 5-From Ancona to Verona

We started out the morning in Ancona. We got up and headed downtown to Cafe Roma to have breakfast and meet Matt and Angie's friend Yuri. His family owns the cafe. Jason introduced us to him and told him all about how we are heading to Verona with Matt and Angie. He spoke English...which we have found to be helpful in making new friends. For breakfast, we had the typical Italian breakfast. This consist of some sort of coffee...espresso, cappuccino or latte and a pastry. Below is a picture of what I had:



The pastry I had was filled with chocolate and was so delicious. I also had a cappuccino that was pretty amazing. Let me tell you, I could really get used to the Italian breakfast!

After breakfast, Jason went to work and we had a few hours before we had to catch our next train. Brandon and I wondered around downtown Ancona. We found a book store, a market with stands selling all sorts of fruit, vegetables, meat, candies, flowers, pastas and other things we weren't quite sure what they were. It was nice to just walk around and watch the Italian people going through the motions of daily life. It was a beautiful day. While sitting on a bench waiting for Jason to meet us, we got to talking about how everywhere we go is so pretty and sometimes it's even prettier when you stop and look up at buildings. We took a picture of what we saw when we looked up from where we were sitting:



Around noon we headed to the train station to catch our train to Verona. Realizing we were going to be on our own in Verona, I wanted to prepare myself...so I did quite a bit of reading...



Our train pulled into the station a little after 5. I got out my Italian phrase cheat sheet to prepare myself for communicating with the Taxi driver. Turns out, he knew some English, and it was real easy getting to the hotel. We are staying at Hotel Maxim. We really like it. It's location is not quite in the center of Verona, so we get to experience real neighborhoods and real people as we walk through town. Here's a view from the window of our room:



After we freshened up a bit, we headed out on our first adventure. We had a little map given to us at the hotel and that was it. We just started walking towards the center of Verona with no idea what we were going to do. We just knew food was a necessity. After probably an hour of walking, we were pretty sure we had no clue where we were. Now, this normally wouldn't be so stressful but it was nighttime and we were hungry. It took us a good twenty minutes to get our bearings. When we did though, we emerged to see the most beautiful city we've ever laid eyes on. Since the moment we entered the center of the city my camera shutter has been buzzing non-stop. We crossed the Adige river over the Ponte Pietra. It is a foot bridge that was built by the Romans...like the real Romans, from Rome, like in Roman times. From there, we headed into Piazza del Erbe and found a nice ristorante to eat dinner at. We ate a place called Mezzaparte and had a candle lit dinner on the sidewalk. It was pretty amazing.

Italy Day 4

This was our first full day in Ancona. We woke up here and we will sleep here. No traveling. The morning started with the sound of children playing. We woke up and got to hang out with the Caseys and their children, who are wonderful, and a whole lot of fun. After the morning, we got to see some sites in Ancona.



We saw a beautiful view of the city, and went down to a monument that was not only in the center of town but also right beside the sea. Harrison (The Casey's youngest) and I went on a lizard hunt...not a whole lot of success on that front, but he did find a rock that he liked good enough to keep.



After our little tour, we went back to the Caseys where Heather made a great lunch for us and the whole Ancona team. We got to just sit and fellowship and learn from the experience of some really neat people.



In the evening we went to the Ancona team's church service. It was awesome to see the body worshiping together abnd bulding each other up in the heart of the city. The potluck dinner at the end of the service wasn't too shabby either. We wouldn't mind having to do that every week. We continue to be treated like family whervever we go from Americans, Italians, Strangers, Friends, Christian brothers and sisters.

Day 3-Saturday

Yesterday we spent part of the day in Latiano and Francavilla with the Bruno's then we headed back to Ancona in the afternoon.

In Latiano we started out the day with Gianni and Anyssa at the Open Market in Francavilla. I would compare this to a Flea Market back in the states...except less trashy with alot cooler stuff. It's outside every Saturday morning til noon. Their are vendors everywhere selling knock off designer clothing, purses, underwear, Italian shoes and even some replica soccer jerseys. We walked around and looked at everything. It was really cool. Below is a picture of the market.



After the market, we headed back to Latiano for lunch. We stopped by the neighborhood butcher shop. In Italy, most people buy their meats and cheeses at a butcher shop. Their were so many different cheeses...but the best one of all was the fresh mozzerella. When I say fresh, I mean FRESH! The butcher was an old soccer buddy of Gianni's so he was glad to let the "American friends" try to tasty Italian cheeses. He gave us each what looked like a knot of mozzerella cheese. It was very different from the kind you buy at Wal-Mart. I asked Brandon to help me describe it to you and all he said was "awesome." I think he probably ate 20 of the little knots. It was very creamy and soft. Gianni said most Italians don't prepare it any special way, they just eat it fresh like it comes.
The butcher shop also prepares dishes for people to take home and eat. Gianni got a couple different things. He got a dish with a few different kinds of meat, mushrooms and olives. He also got an eggplant dish. It was eggplant filled with ground beef, ham, egg and cheese. I know what you're thinking, "There is no way Savannah would eat that." Well, all of you should be very proud because I tried it. I have to be honest, I was not a huge fan. It was just a very different flavor and texture. I couldn't quite get used to it. I did try it though and that is what counts.
Here is a picture from the butcher shop of the fresh mozzerella:


After lunch, we said goodbye to the Bruno's. We had such a wonderful time with them and hope to visit them again when we live in Italy for good.

We hopped on a train back to Ancona. I have to mention that this train ride was much more pleasant than our first. I think the air condition was broken on our first ride and we were roasting for 6 hours. Our ride back to Ancona was relaxing though. The train wasn't crowded and it was comfortably cool.

We got into Ancona a little after 7:00. Jason picked us up and we headed downtown to meet Josh Furnal. He's another member of the Ancona team. We were pretty hungry by then, so Josh took us to a little "trattoria" by his house. There are different classifications of restaurants in Italy. A ristorante is ussually a nice sit down atmosphere and can be quite pricey. Trattoria's are Italian restaurants that area little cheaper than the ristorante. I would compare it to a diner or nice cafe in America. The one we went to is near Josh's house and he dines there frequently. We sampled a few different things. We had some pasta with a meat sauce which was very good. Josh also ordered what looked like a hanging shish-kabob with a few different kind of meat on it. After that, we sampled a few deserts. I can't remember what they were called but one was a creamy white pudding with mixed berry sauce on it and the other was also a creamy filling with carmalized sugar on top. Both were very tasty.

After dinner, we set out on a walk through downtown Ancona. We walked through a few piazzas and saw lots of rowdy teenagers who were up to no good. I think that is a universal occurence on Saturday night. We saw people walking dogs...which we are always glad to see. We met one of the students in the Ancona team's English outreach program. It was really nice to go on a walk after sitting on a train for so long all day. It was great to talk to Josh about life in Italy and the Ancona team's work here. We walked all the way to the Adriatic sea at the end of town. On the way back, we stopped at a Gelataria for some gelato. Gelato is like ice cream only a million times better. Brandon ate coffee flavored and I got chocolate chip. It was excellent. We also got a little taste of Italian tv. It was a little crazy. The show that was on was some sort of variety show with singing, jokes, skits and dancing on roller skates. It was a fun night and we are excited to spend the day in Ancona tommorow.



Brandon and Josh enjoying gelato!

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

Italiapalooza Day 1!

So we've been in Italy less than an hour. Jason Caasey taught us how to buy train tickets and look out for pick pockets and Harrison (Jason's son) showed us his really cool hamsters.

It is Thursday about noon here and we started this journey at 1:00AM Tuesday morning. So we are on day three of no sleep. We feel...weird...and excited...and slow on the draw. We practiced some Italian phrases on the way but we were so exausted that by the time we had an Italian flight attendant that said bonjourno, we spaced out and just waved.

We haven't done much or seen much since we've been here (like I said, less than an hour) but we are so keyed up we can't wait. We head out on a train this afternoon for more adventures and hopefully a night of sleep.

Laters,

Brandon and Savannah

A Dear Jon Letter

Jon...
I'm still listening to your sermons' podcasts. In listening to the One Month To Live series, I've really been convicted. My "bucket list" was easy: evangelize in Verona, Italy. It made me self-righteously sad. If this is my only dying wish (well, if I were dying), then why isn't God just having people pour in money for me to go soon?
And I started thinking about it... I'm planning on 10 to 15 years there. Not just one month. What do I spend my time thinking about, praying about, reading about? The culture, the language, the money needed, the housing... nothing bad in itself - just not Jesus Himself. So, I want to guard myself and remember that the point of going to Italy is not Italy - but Jesus! And even if I'm there for a decade or two, I need to be evangelizing like I'm only there for a few days.
Thanks for the reminder.
Blessings...
april

Time Between the Times

In Celtic history there is a concept known as the "Time Between the Times". When the sun is coming up, is it day or night? It's neither, it's dawn. The same is true for when the sun is setting. When you are standing on the shore, with the ocean tide coming back and forth over your feet, are you in the ocean or on the beach? While our team is in the states are we here or there? Neither. We are here waiting for there, which is markedly different than just being here, and definitely different than being just there. We are in the time between the times.

As Christians we experience this as well. We are citizens of heaven, but are stuck here on earth. Stuck with a glorious task of taking the message to those who have no hope. We live here while waiting for there.

So how do we proceed in our time in this transition. Much of it is spent raising awareness and seeking support, that is support in the form of prayer partners, one time financial gift givers and individuals and churches who commit a self determined amount of money to be given monthly to the work. Also, during this time in the states we continue following God in our daily lives. Looking for needs and opportunity around us. In about a week, we will determine if an extension is necessary. Currently, Angie and I are set to return to Italy by the end of the year and the team follows starting the following month. If an extension is necessary, our new return goal would be at the end of March 2009 and the team would begin to follow us in April.

What is the purpose of extension? Our team is working hard to raise awareness and support, sometimes that comes quickly, sometimes it seems slow, but when you are following God it always comes in His timing. Pray for the conviction of individuals/churches to partner with our team in finances and prayer. Pray that this would come quickly, if it is God's will.

If you are interested in getting involved in our team's ministry, follow this link:

http://www.goverona.org/involvement.html

A Song

With a background in opera and classical singing, many churches have asked me to sing while I visit. Usually I decline since I'm a little out of practice. However, I think I'm going to change my tune. I've composed a little number to sing at the end of my presentation. It's almost as good as Puccini and Verdi. Perhaps it will one day be performed in in Verona's ancient arena.

It goes something like this.

Hhh--umm

(to the tune of "Here We Go Around the Mulberry Bush")


This is the way to Italy, pray-pray-pray, give-give-give, this is the way to Italy, let's see wha-ut God can do!

Brandon and Savannah:World Travelers?

Sometimes I think about what we're about to do and I realize it is only because of God's providence and his specific call on our lives. Savannah and I aren't really in the same mold that a lot of missionaries tend to come from. Well, at least the people in college that were on the missions program. We aren't the most well-traveled people in the world you see.

Savannah was born and lived in the same small town in North Carolina her whole life. She had the same classmates in school from kindergarten to her senior year in High School. College was her first real adventure you could say. I moved quite a bit when I was younger, and had my fair share of first days at a new school. But for the most part I was from Florida, I liked Florida and I planned on living in Florida for the rest of my life.

I had a job that required quite a bit of traveling at one time in our marriage. One time I had to spend a week in Philadelphia for a conference and Savannah went with me. We didn't have a lot of Big City experience. I've been to a few, and so had Savannah, but it was still quite an experience. Everyone was in a hurry and if you were at a fast food place and didn't know what you wanted right away, the cashier and the person behind you would yell at you at the same time. If you walked over the vents in the street, you would get a gust of warm air that smelled like cheeseburgers but not in a good way.

One day out of that week I skipped an afternoon session of the conference to do some sight seeing. We underestimated the size of Philadelphia, and by the time we saw the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall and all that, we had walked about 4 miles and we then realized we had to walk four more miles back. It was July and we were really hot and tired by the time we got back. I was pretty much crawling into the hotel, which might speak to my current physical fitness level.

One night while we were there we were watching the news and someone was reporting about a murder that happened that day and the place where it happened was somewhere we walked right by earlier that day. It freaked us out a little bit, and we decided wherever we were planning on going that night suddenly didn't sound as fun as going to the hotel pool.

I guess the point of all this rambling is that we are both silly and ridiculous. We are ill-formed tools to perform the work that God has called us to. We are so thankful that that doesn't matter. We know that He will shape us and help us grow and that all the work that's coming is His work, not our work. All we have to do is let Him do it. We leave for our first trip to Verona in about 9 days. We will be silly and ridiculous there too, and we could not be more excited about it. God has put a fire in our hearts for a place we haven't been to yet. He's put a yearning in our spirits for a people we haven't' met and we wouldn't even be able to talk to yet. He provides the will to do it, the desire to want it, and the strength to accomplish it. The best part is He likes doing all of these things with ridiculous people.

-Brandon and Savannah

Verona Highlight: Castelvecchio

Castelvecchio literally means the old castle. On the westside of downtown Verona, along the Adige river, lies Castelvecchio. On one of our first visits to Verona, Angie and I got to explore the outdoor building, as well as the ancient pedestrian bridge that stretches across the Adige River. There is also a musuem that is housed within its centuries old walls. We'll explore that when we move there. The building is a great example of the Gothic architecture of the age. The castle was once surrounded by water from the Adige, but now is surrounded only by an empty ditch. It is built out of red brick and is composed of seven towers, a highly elevated keep that has four buildings within it. The construction was carried out by one of the Scalgieri family who led Verona for several centuries. The family member who oversaw this period was called Cangrande II. Cangrande literally means "Big Dog". The leaders of that time period took the names of dogs in the Verona area. Not sure why, but there are a couple of theories that I will share with you in a future Verona Highlight.

Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia about Castelvecchio:

The castle stands on the probable location of a Roman fortress outside the Roman
city. Lord Cangrande II della Scala had it built along with its bridge across the Adige
River as a deterrent to his powerful neighbors such as Venice, the Gonzaga and the Sforza families. Construction was carried out between 1354 and 1376 (Cangrande died in 1359). The fortified bridge was intended to allow the seigniors to escape safely northwards to the Tyrol in the event of a rebellion or a coup d'état (the Scaligeri were allies of the Holy Roman Empire) and when they eventually lost their hold on Verona, its surviving members left Italy to found a German branch of the family.
Later, during the Venetian domination, slits were added to defend it with cannons. The castle was damaged by French troops during the Napoleonic Wars (1796-7), in retaliation to the Pasque Veronesi, when the local population staged a violent anti-French revolt. Napoleon had chosen to stay in Castelvecchio on his trips to Verona, but his widespread and arbitrary requisitions of citizens' and churches' property,
the massive draft of male workers into the French army prompted the resistance
that eventually drove out the invaders.
Under the Austrians, Castelvecchio was turned into barracks. In 1923 the castle was restored, as well as in 1963-1965. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castelvecchio_(Verona)

Here is a link to the English version webpage from the city of Verona about Castelvecchio:

http://www.comune.verona.it/turismo/Passeggiando/inglese/itineraryA/castelvecchio.htm

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To read about previous highlights, you can just follow this link: http://gonorthnews.blogspot.com/search/label/highlights

God's Omnipresence

A couple of weeks ago I had a great reminder of how thankful I am that our God is not only omniscient (all knowing) and omnipotent (all powerful), but omnipresent (everywhere at once!).

John and the kids were going to scale the heights of Pikes Peak. Because this would be the kids' first attempt at a fourteener (a mountain over 14,000 ft high), John chose to hike the back side of the mountain, which he had heard was shorter and easier. He also decided that I should drive up and pick them up, rather than making them all hike back down as well.

Our car is currently an old 15 passenger van. I hate driving this massive thing and parking it is especially trying for me. (But it has encouraged my prayer life!) If you've ever driven the Pikes Peak highway you'll remember a lovely drive with breathtaking views. You'll probably also remember the tight switchbacks past timberline, oh, and the lack of guardrails. (T-shirts sold at the top proclaim that real men/women don't need guardrails!)

I left my family and said several prayers on their behalf as God and I had a lovely morning together. Then I began my drive up. As I hit that area around timberline and crawled along at 5 mph or so, letting cars pass me every so often, I began to have moments of near terror. Now this was my second drive up, but somehow I had forgotten what this road was like. I would travel up the "hill" to the next curve where, from my vantage point high in my driver's seat, I could see.......sky, not much else. Then the curve and I could breathe only to reach the next one.

I was asking for peace and the Lord's presence. I was asking him to have complete control of the wheel and the van. Extra gravity please, right under me to keep my wheels firmly on the road! (Not that he didn't have control all along.) I was also still asking him to be with my family on the other side of the mountain. NO accidents or injuries, please.

Then it hit me- again. What if God were, well, more like the gods of some folks? What if he could only be with me OR my family? Wow...again! He's not like that though, is he? He could be with us all that whole day. He could be with the rest of my team, my dad who is recovering from surgery, my friends in China, and all the folks we've yet to meet in Verona. At the same time! Isn't that wonderful! And amazing!

I've loved Psalm 139 for a long time. It is one of the things I have tried to help my kids memorize. For those of us who have lived far from our family, friends, and familiar things it is comforting. "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely, the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you." (vs.7-12)

We were all fine that day. God kept me on the road (extra gravity?!)and I reached the top. I had to wait a long time for my hikers. They had a harder trail than they had anticipated. But we all made it. God, our great and mighty God, was with us all.

The Truth Hurts or It Makes You Better

My two friends and I were browsing through cards at a drug store late one night. One showed another one a card and they both started laughing hysterical and saying my name again and again.

Now, three things you need to know about these girls:
1. I love them both very much and they love me.
2. They both are super healthy eaters/exercisers and as thin as my wrist.
3. They had only met each other that night.

This is what the card says:
"We're such good friends that if I suggested a long walk, you'd know I meant sitting with coffee."
...
"Possibly muffins."

Yes, that's me, alright. Perfectly me. I HATE sweating. I hate the outdoors. I hate being in the sun. I hate exercising. I love coffee and muffins.

Ready for the spiritual turn-around...

Scripture says that the gospel is a good fragrance or a bad fragrance, depending on your frame of reference. If you're heading for the light - then great - it's going to uplift and encourage you. If you're heading for death... well, that's what it's going to smell like.

So... you either reject the truth and get offended by it, or accept it, listen to it, and laugh a little.

As for me... I did get a Wii and am walking every morning and am eating lots of veggies... but I'm still up for that coffee and muffins if you're offering them. And everytime I look at that card it makes me think of my two dear friends.

The Great Commandments and the Great Commission

Of late, I have been thinking often of the Great Commandments and the Great Commission. I'm sure you all remember them.

Matthew records Jesus' answer to a question in this way:
Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it. 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Later in that same Gospel, Jesus gives his followers this commission:
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

I am really good at the Great Commission. I have been in China for six years doing just that. But, the Great Commandments, that's another story, unfortunately. I mean, I do love the Lord, but do I love him with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my mind? Let's just say that there is definitely room for improvement. But where I really fail is in the second commandment. "Love your neighbor."

When I was a teenager, I often dreamed about living alone on a deserted island. My opinion was that the Earth was a pretty good place...except for the people. I know myself better now, and I realize that I would be miserable without those extended family members called the human race. I have learned to take them...in small doses. I can even take large doses for a limited period of time.

But, loving them? I want to, Lord. I know I will love them in Paradise! But, what about now? Neither you nor they need me to love them then, Lord. You need me to love them now! That's how they'll know we are Christians -- by our love!

It's an easy trap to fall into. We'll get you all fixed up, then we'll associate with you and even -- perhaps -- love you. That's not what our neighbors (whom we impersonally call "the world") need. Our neighbors need God's love. They need our love.

Lord Jesus, help me to love my neighbors as you do. Help me to show that unconditional love to them. Help me to love them all, from the ones next door, to the ones at the four corners of the Earth. Conform me into your likeness. Amen.

The Cross

Beloved:

For the past couple months and I have been studying the life of Jesus through reading the gospels, reading a biography of Jesus' life by Charles Swindol, and doing a Beth Moore 90 day study about Jesus.  I have also started reading a book call "The Cross" by Martyn Lloyd-Jones.  The first thing I liked about Martyn is that he is British.  So when I read this book, I act like he is reading it in a British accent (I know a little weird, but just go with it).  Unfortunately, he past away in 1981 but he sure left a legacy of literature that evangelicals and use all over the world.  Another thing I like about this book is that His only reference is scripture, nothing else.  He encourages the absolute truth of the scriptures. 

From what I have read, which is only to page 68, I already have a better understanding of the purpose and ultimate foundation of the cross.  The symbol of Jesus' sacrifice through the cross should be the solid foundation of a Christian's life.  Think about it, the only way that we are saved and have the opportunity to spend an eternal life with Jesus is believing that Jesus took our place in dying for our sins.  Through this sacrificial act, he established the forgiveness of sins and made a bridge between the gap of man and God that had been separated since the fall of man.  Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection established order and presented a way of life that none of us could ever imagine.  A life beyond these earthly walls.  

Martyn goes on to accentuate the fact that we should glory in the cross.  Glory means to give high renown or honor, respect resulting in praise, worship and thanksgiving being offered to God.  His theme verse for the book is Galatians 6:14 "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world."  This verse, by reading it, is hard to understand, but I'm not finished with the book yet!  So far it has challenged and encouraged my view of the cross.  I am reminded of the intensity and foundational relevance the cross should have in my life.  

I will leave you with a poem by C. Wesley called.....

"The Wondrous Cross"

Give me the faith which can remove

And sink the mountain to a plain;

Give me the childlike, praying love

Which longs to build Thy house again;

Thy love, let it my heart o'er power,

Let it my ransomed soul devour

I would the precious time redeem 

And longer live for this alone--

To spend and to be spent for them

Who have not yet my Savior known;

Fully on these my mission prove,

And only breathe, to breathe Thy love.

My talents, gifts and graces, Lord,

Into Thy blessed hands receive;

And let me live to preach Thy word,

And let me to Thy glory live;

My every sacred moment spend

In publishing the sinners' Friend

Enlarge, inflame and fill my heart

With boundless charity divine;

So shall I all my strength exert,

And love them with a zeal like Thine;

And lead them to Thine open side,

The sheep for whom their shepherd died. 

Faith Raising

Brandon and I have been at this Support Raising thing for about 4 months now. I can't believe it has been that long. When I look back to April when we started I would have thought by August we would have alot more money coming in and be a whole lot closer to our goal. I could easily get discouraged and think that God's not going to hear our prayers and provide for our need but I know we're going to get there. It seems everytime I get stressed or worried about it I am reminded of what powerful and loving God we serve.

We were driving home from Indianapolis the other night and as we drove by a church the message on their sign stood out to me. It said "Where God guides, He provides." That little statement really rang true for me. I think back to last summer when Brandon and I were searching for where God wanted us to go and what capacity He wanted us to serve. As we stayed on that path constantly seeking God's direction and guidance we found the opportunity on the Verona team and before we knew it, God had put us where we belong. I know every appointment with a church missions board, every connection we establish, every email we send, and every dollar that comes in is a step towards our goal. All of these things are blessings and gifts from God. I try to not take any of them for granted but it's so easy to forget that we're not the ones controling who gives us money and who meets with us...it's our mighty God.

I just pray that as each person on our team strives to get to Verona that we all remember throughout every step that even though there is alot to accomplish, God will meet us half way. He'll be there to guide us and He will be there to give us all we need to complete the work He has called us to do.

Morning Devotions

This morning I was reading an exerpt from Blaise Pascal. He was talking about the amazing contradictions that we are as humans. There isn't another creature on the planet with the same kind of duality that we have. On the one hand we, who were created in God's image longing for a restored relationship with Him (even when we don't know that we long for it). We are capable of great love, service, and devotions through God. Yet on the other hand we have our fallen nature. We do the wrong thing more than we do what we know to be right. We seek out all sorts of carnal desires and pleasures and we lie, steal, and hate without thinking twice. No other species in the world could produce an Adolf Hitler and a Mother Theresa in the same gene pool.

Pascal went on to say that for him, no other religion gives a satisfactory explanation for this dual nature that we all have inside us besides the Gospel of Jesus. Even the shadow side of our hearts scream out and testify to the name of Jesus Christ!

I was thinking about this in my own life. I know that I have a long way to go before that final nail gets driven into my flesh and he stays down for the count. I daily have to pin him to the ground and tune out his protests. But he does not control me anymore. What a blessing to have the strength of Christ in my arms as I wrestle to the ground the old me and remind him that Someone Else is in charge now. What peace and what joy to finally have clarity of thought and a clear vision without all the duality that plagues us all. I am so thankful that I'm on the road to be a singular person, a person that imitates Jesus Christ. When I look back just a couple of years and see the things I've done or the way I've treated some people, I am humbled. I know that I will probably have that same experience a couple years from now when I'm farther on this daily journey with my Lord and Savior. Above all, I'm thankful that if we just open oursleves up (with all our filth and duality) God's Spirit will enter in, and that before long when people look at us they'll see Him instead. That's the ultimate goal.

Thoughts from Above

I will start this blog with some lyrics from a talented group called BarlowGirl:

I waited for You, today

but You didn't show, no 

I needed You, today; so where did You go?

You told me call, said you'd be there

and though I haven't seen You 

are You still there?

I cried out with no reply and 

I can't feel You by my side so

I'll hold tight to what I know

You're here, and I'm never alone 

And though  I can't not see You

And I can't explain why 

Such a deep deep reassurance

You placed in my life

We cannot separate cause You're part of me

and though your invisible I'll trust the unseen

I cried out with no reply and 

I can't feel You by my side so

I'll hold tight to what I know

You're here, and I'm never alone

We cannot separate, You're part of me

Though You're invisible, I'll trust the unseen

I cried out with no reply and 

I can't feel You by my side so

I'll hold tight to what I know

You're here, and I'm never alone 

This song speaks the truth in how some of us feel about the presence of God.  God is not limited to time or space, but we are.  Therefore, we find comfort in physical touch and what we can see to classify certain reality.  Although these things are important, I think that our relationship with God is a challenge against time, space and certain humanly comforts that we have.  We cannot see God, but know He's there.  Though he is physically invisible, He is visible as we apply His teachings to our daily life.  Ultimately, we are never alone.  That is more comforting than any physical touch or gift of sight in this world.  

Signing off,

Brandi Shea Davis

Free Hugs!

The other day I was surfing the web and I came across information about something called the Free Hugs Campaign. It was started by this guy who goes by the name of Juan Mann. How did it all get started? Read what Juan Mann had to say:

"I'd been living in London when my world turned upside down and I'd had to come home. By the time my plane landed back in Sydney, all I had left was a carry on bag full of clothes and a world of troubles. No one to welcome me back, no place to call home. I was a tourist in my hometown.

"Standing there in the arrivals terminal, watching other passengers meeting their waiting friends and family, with open arms and smiling faces, hugging and laughing together, I wanted someone out there to be waiting for me. To be happy to see me. To smile at me. To hug me.

"So I got some cardboard and a marker and made a sign. I found the busiest pedestrian intersection in the city and held that sign aloft, with the words "Free Hugs" on both sides.

"And for 15 minutes, people just stared right through me. The first person who stopped, tapped me on the shoulder and told me how her dog had just died that morning. How that morning had been the one year anniversary of her only daughter dying in a car accident. How what she needed now, when she felt most alone in the world, was a hug. I got down on one knee, we put our arms around each other and when we parted, she was smiling.

"Everyone has problems and for sure mine haven't compared. But to see someone who was once frowning, smile even for a moment, is worth it every time."

Soon, Juan Mann started doing this every week. Not long afterward, someone videotaped what was happening and posted it on YouTube. (Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4). After that, people with Free Hugs signs started cropping up all over the world. While you are on YouTube, check out the other related links, too.

People are so hungry for love. We have love. God's perfect love. What a perfect arrangement! Let's share it!