long train running

ryan left saturday morning for the states because his grandfather is sick and he wants to spend some time with him. please pray for ryan and his granddad and their family right now. he will come back november 15th. 

this weekend was a great encouragement though, even though i was missing ryan. we all drove to bondeno, the community where andrea is now living and working. they had a retreat for everyone in the churches of italy. it was so great to spend time with these people and get to know a few of them a lot better. there was even a family there that drove from france to be a part of everything and they were such a unique family. i was so glad to get to know them. i may even go visit them one day. 

we shared 2 huge meals together and it was really wonderful. i love spending time with this church, not only because they are great people but because it is located in the middle of nowhere. every church in italy i have been to is right in the middle of a crazy city, so i love coming to this one and sitting outside and being in nature. kids can play outside and run around and we can walk around and eat fallen pomegranates. 

kelli and i stayed together with an awesome family. they were so hospitable and warm and we loved getting to know them. the husband was also hilarious. when we took a picture with his son and the son's girlfriend in their living room he had to make sure that the white bloom from his cactus and his red geranium were behind us in the picture. kelli may even come stay with them for a time in december.                                                          

i'm an introvert by nature so the day leading up to a retreat i usually have to psyche myself up to be around people constantly, not to mention speaking italian the whole weekend. but at the end i'm always so happy and thankful for the whole experience. of course it was the same this weekend. i didn't want to leave. 

in other news, we have movie night, a youth retreat, a cooking school, a thanksgiving feast coming up. i feel my relationships with my students growing daily and i feel them sharing their hearts with me more and more every time we meet together. pray for the little interactions of everyday life and that we use those to the fullest.