Allora

I just googled myself and found my blog from over two years ago...story of my life....literally ;) It's funny...the last post I wrote was about trying to write 25 things about my week for 25 weeks...I guess not much happened?.... Quite the contrary.

I finished out a phenomenal year in Salerno- seeing God grow His love in students and in my heart. I lived in California with my parents...that was really difficult. Only God's grace sustained us...I am confident that God's arms are holding me and my family. But don't get me wrong. I certainly have had many reasons to smile and laugh! God is always faithful to bring blessing even when the world seeks to bring destruction. I worked at a thrift store and got to know a ton of people with whom I probably would have never socialized.

I got into graduate school at the University of Southern Mississippi...for Social Work. That is a long story, but still the moral of it is: God is faithful and almighty!

I love being back in Mississippi. As much as I fought being from MS as a child, I now relish it that much and more. The things that I'm learning in school and life are numerous, and I am getting the sense that I've still got a ways to go...and that's okay.

I'm off facebook for a bit, so maybe I'll try my hand at this again. I guess we shall see...

vvb
Mai

Inspired by Facebook?

Have you been on Facebook lately? I have. I spend more time on there than on here. I bet you've noticed that. Allora, there has been a facebook fad going around called "25 Things". A person posts 25 things about his/her life for others to read on facebook and then tags 25 people (but in my case it was 31 because I can't follow directions and just tagged as many people as I could). The tagged people then write 25 things about themselves ( you can see how this can get a little out of hand!) Time magazine did an online article about the ridiculousness of this Note-trend! I did mine (check out facebook). And now I have the outlandish (but quite attainable) goal of making a list of 25things for 25weeks! This is sad, but it should round out my time here in Salerno through July. I want to make the best of these last few weeks so stay tuned for le mie 25 cose!
un bacio!
Mai

Sono felice perche sono ritournata!

So it is Wednesday. We were supposed to go on campus for the first time on Monday. That didn't happen. Then yesterday was an international day of Prayer. So we prayed. It was good. So today was the day. We met at 9am @ the Girls' apt. We prayed. It was good. Then we gathered materials. We talked about how anxious we were. It was good. Then we started walking to the bus stop. We bumped into our friend Gianluca (he is a student and a writer and has a band and is basically the definition of cool.). Then we kept walking. We made it on to the bus. Not too crowded this time. I thought about what it would feel like to be back on campus. Strange. It seemed neither strange nor familiar. There was hope.
Breanna and Jamie were paired off with me. I was hoping that we could start the day off by meeting with my friend Silvia. Something familiar, something friendly. Nope. Oh well. We walked out to the fountain by ingenereria and lingue. There was a bench with four girls chatting with each other. We took a deep breath and took the plunge. "Ciao...Come state? Mi chiamo Mai....lei presento mia amiche Breanna e Jamie....Lavoriamo con un organazazione religioso si chiama Agape Italia...."..........insert awkwardness here......
We then are bombarded with questions about who we are, where we are from, what kind of religion, etc etc etc.....
One girl is pointed out that "Parla Inglese bene"....Alessia (she does). Another girl says she doesn't believe in God...she does, just not in religion...I can understand that. I get into a deeper conversation with Valentina...she wants to know exactly what I believe and after telling her she says "So you are not Protestant? You are a Christian?". Yes! She gets it! Only I guess she didn't because when the conversation is winding down I asked her if I can have her number to maybe take a caffe or lunch together sometime. She says "You have your faith and I have mine.". Can't blame a girl I guess. Maybe I'll see her around...I don't want to change her....supposedly we have experienced the same God....can't we just talk about that?

Next Breanna, Jamie, and I decide to talk over what happened. We talk about different beliefs that are held in the cultural Roman Catholic mindset. We talk about how Christ is the only answer for their questions and also our own. What we are doing is so not normal. Of course not everyone is going to get it.

We headed down to the garden and ran into the Guys. Chat chat Chat. As they leave, they point out a girl who is sitting on bench all by her lonesome. And so we go.

Her name is Maria. She is a first year Scienza della informazione student (which means: she is studying education). She wants to be a Scuola Materna teacher (basically preschool- or headstart). She has two older brothers. She is vibrant and very welcoming. Easy to talk to. We tell her a bit about ourselves and why we are here. I ask her "Is there anything that makes you think there is or isn't a God...." She says " I don't think anyone can be sure". I tell her a bit about why I am sure. We talk about the importance of family in her life. We find out that her father just passed away in April. She let us in. We are hoping to take a lunch with her next week. She's got spunk. I want to be her friend. I want God to make Himself sure to her.

After we took a lunch we decided to grab a caffe and ran into some friends...and more friends...and more friends!!! I am so thankful for the warm welcome back!

Tomorrow I am hoping to see Silvia. I miss her.

divine appointments

Connections are good. They make the world make sense. They even entice one to creep further in the unknown abyss of life. I've got a story that explains what I mean:

Last Spring, I had to go to the immigration office (La Questura) for an appointment. I had originally been scheduled for sometime last October, but the appointment was missed. All in all, I never ended getting rescheduled until the Spring. I went once with my teammate Tiffany (we thought that the two of us had the same appointment, but you guessed it, we didn't!). Then I was rescheduled again for almost a month later! GRRR! It gets better! When I arrived on time (maybe even early) for my appointment to get my fingerprints taken and to be announced "officially living in Italy" (funny because I had been there since the previous September!), the computers were not working! I had been sitting and waiting for quite a while and had to sit and wait quite a while to get my appointment rescheduled! While I waited I noticed a man who looked to be of some African descent. He looked to be a man of a very calm, kind nature. However, I am the type to keep to myself in most public waiting situations. I'll let you in on something right here: I've been feeling these promptings lately (the past year or so) to ask people if I can tell them about Jesus in my life. I've never done it. I don't want to, but I have a feeling that's going to change?

So fast-forward to the next week when I finally have my appointment: the man is there again. I wait and wait and wait. I had been reading the book of Hebrews on my personal time with the Lord and decided to pull it out to finish clearing up the slew of questions I had about how Jesus was enough. I was also battling in my heart and head against the nudge to speak to the people gathered outside of the Questura that morning. As I am praying, the man said to me in English "I see you're reading James"(which is the next book after Hebrews). I was taken aback, but answered that I was actually just finishing up Hebrews. He introduced himself. I introduced myself. Turned out that he had grown up in Chicago but had lived in Italy for the past 30 years! He too was there to share the Love of Christ with Italians! He had grown up in a Catholic churched family but had never really connected with God. It wasn't until he was stationed in Alaska with the military that he saw God as living. The doors to the world opened at that point and he found himself with a group called Christ is the Answer. His main connection to the group is through Gospel singing but the group spends much time ministering to people throughout the world in so many different ways.


He was at the Questura with his 22 year old daughter, Serena. She is Italian born of an African American father and lady from India! She speaks perfect English and Italian so we passed the waiting time in both! We found out that she, although she has spent her life traveling all over Italy (they are in Rome at the time) with her family and Christ is the Answer, knows some of the same students I know from the University of Salerno! It was such a wonderful experience (especially because nothing fun ever happens at the questura...not to mention anything so intentional as God giving hope!)


So fast-forward to yesterday! I went to the church in Battipaglia for service. I'm saying hello to some of the students I knew from last year and UP POPS SERENA!!!!

God amazes me! He is so kind to lead us on (even when we choose not to follow). I don't mean to sound conceded but I can't wait to see why I was the one at the Questura that day! God is in the business of making connections. With you and with the world. Stand-by.....

In the Beginning

I'm going to give this blogging thing yet ANOTHER try! I named this blog "MaiConAgape" because Agape Italia is the name of the ministry over here and I go by Mai (my middle name) over here because it is easier to say and hear in Italian! I recently returned to Salerno, Italy after spending the summer in America with my parents (June 20th- September 14th). I finished a class online that I needed to finally graduate from Mississippi State University. I traveled to Mississippi and Tennessee to see friends and talk to people about aiding the university ministry in Salerno. As much as I do love living here in Italy, I must say that America made me smile and feel at ease this summer! I thought I finished school last summer (2007), so I decided to be used to speak about Jesus to Italian students. Earlier in life, I know that I had a realization that I want to experience God in my life. I want to be useful in conveying the Love of God to the people in my life. I studied psychology MSU. I am looking into using my interest in people to pursue a professional career in counseling or social services. However, I'm learning at each turn that God was so right when He said that His thoughts are higher than my own! As I look back on the things in my life that have propelled me towards today, I cannot skip by saying that God has been mighty active in my life's story. So here I am today: trying to Love God and love people in Salerno, Italy as an international intern with Campus Crusade for Christ. These blogs may be silly or serious depending on life....get ready!

much love to the lovely, Lacey Mai