After market day in Varese, stopping in to see the puppies in the local pet shop and caffe to keep us going, we arrived in Stresa!  Our intent was to do a little shopping at our favorite wine/balsamic vinegar shop, have lunch and check out some of the stores.  The wine shop was unexpectedly closed- with a little handwritten sign on the door that said they had left for their mother’s house.  Possibly a family emergency.  So that was off the list.  Will have to check back in December before we head home for Christmas!  We ate lunch at a great little restaurant called Mamma mia’s- You might think it interesting that Italians say “Mamma Mia!” often- it is a phrase that you hear all the time, and now I am saying it too!

We waited around until some of the shops opened again after lunch (yes, they close during lunch, and then reopen an hour and a half or so later!)  Did a little Christmas shopping- I won’t tell what we bought!  Ate a scoop of gelato in the chilly fall weather, and sat by a fountain in a park by the lake and relaxed.  Nice day! Good company! Fun shopping for family! Nice drive! 

We did not park where these big ducks were sleeping.  They have reserved this space.

Funny story!  When we stopped into the caffe bar (coffee shop called a bar) for an espresso, an older (and visibly poor) gentleman said something to us as we entered.  I thought he was begging, so I said, No,grazie.  He followed us into the bar, said something I didn’t pay attention to,and we ordered our caffe- due caffe e uno brioche.  The lady behind the bar gave one caffe to Billy and one to the gentleman!  I asked for two, not one, and she explained that the gentleman said I was buying him a coffee!    I smiled and ordered another coffee!  Creative way to get what you need!  He was very thankful and said thankyou many times!  Good story, huh?  Jesus says in Matthew 26:11 – for you will always have the poor with you…a good reminder for those of us who have so much to give.  A cup of coffee? No problem.

This is a little blurry, but the picture is what driving is like in Italia!  Motorcycles everywhere on both sides!  This has been a little hard to get used to, but you learn to look on both sides of your car all the time.  They drive fast and weave in and out of traffic.  The first few times were intense and made me nervous, but now we are used to this.  They are usually good drivers.  The disturbing part is when you see someone get hit- accidents here are not too frequent, but when they happen, they are horrible.  Worse than I have ever seen.  We pray for our safety driving.

The last pictures are a reminder for us of St. Louis!  We have great memories of raking tons of leaves at Grandma and Grandpa’s house in Creve Coeur- and the money the kids earned picking up bags of “gumballs” for Grandpa!  These are sweet memories- and seeing the gorgeous trees in the parking lot of Leroy Merlin was worth a picture!

Love from Italia- Jen and Billy

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.  Ephesians 5:15-21

The past two weeks have been a test for me!  I have had many opportunities to speak Italian, two cooking lessons with my Italian language teacher’s mother (and my friend Susan), repairman in the house fixing the boiler, some random delivery guy that stopped by, people at the grocery store chatting with me….singing in Italian at church on Sunday!  Uffa! (that means whew) My brain is taxed, my head is swimming with words and now I am having trouble remembering english words…..this is odd!

Last weekend we were intending to go to Venezia for the day, but heard from friends that it was flooded- and it was raining.  So instead we got our driving tours of Northern Italy book out and chose a route around Lago Lugano in Switzerland.( Thanks Cindy for the book~!)  We ended up spending the day driving through tiny villages and stopping to check out various sights, eat lunch and walk around.  It was really relaxing and the lake was beautiful.

We were walking up 400 steps to get to this church- it was quite a long way.  On our way back down we saw this sweet nonna on her way up to place flowers on a grave in the cemetary-

The cemetaries are really interesting in Italy- this one was old and very ornate. 

Sunday night was a baptism service in an evangelical Baptist church outside of Milano- it was wonderful to hear the testimonies of two young women and to witness their obedience to the Lord in baptism.  There were many new people who came- which is always fun!  We even sang a couple of worship songs in Italian! 

My friend Susan and I have gone over to our Italian teacher’s mothers home twice now for cooking and conversation.  Enrica is so gracious, as is her husband Samuele.  We enjoy tea, biscotti and cooking~  She is patient with us, speaks slowly and teaches us well!  Last week it was a veal roast, this week it was a beef roast with vegetables and polenta- They had asked us what we would serve with the roast and we said maybe a salad- NO!  That was the response~    So Samuele went out to the store, and they made us a HUGE pot of polenta- I think it weighed 10 pounds!  Billy and I ate at Sam and Susan’s house last night and enjoyed the yummy roast with polenta- there is so much left over, we are bringing it to the men’s bible study tonight.

Have a great week~!  Love from Italia, Jen and Billy~

Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what He has done for me. Psalm 66:16

You know it is fall when the broccoli arrives in the grocery store.  In the United states, this is not a big deal.  Here in Italia, it is a big deal!  (well, at least for me)  The vegetables and fruits are seasonal.  What a concept!  Not only are they seasonal, they are fresh and full of flavor- which is very different from the states.  I also like how the vegetables and fruit smell here- like many things in Italia, there is a fragrance that goes along with it- sometimes good sometimes bad….  But, as far as the food goes, there is nothing better than fresh food that has very recently been brought in from the fields where it is grown.  The fruits and vegetables have to be washed really well- there is dirt on everything!  No wax on the apples, no melons in the dead of winter, no sweet potatoes before it is time and no broccoli until fall.  You know that the simple pleasures are really simple when you get excited about vegetables- even to the point of taking a photo of the first bunch of seasonal broccoli!  Cooking and planning menus is a bit more challenging here- since you must go and see what they have first, then decide what you will cook.  I still think we are very spoiled in the US- Did you know that you cannot buy canned pumpkin here?  You actually have to purchase and cook a pumpkin- I have yet to try that! 

This time of year seems to be busy.  The days are getting shorter, the sun is setting earlier, and the cool weather has caused us to turn the boiler on and heat the villa.  The leaves are starting to fall, but the colors are not as dramatic here.  The mountain tops are covered in snow, but not as much as last year if I remember correctly.  The time will change here this weekend- and we get an extra hour of sleep!  Last weekend we drove over to Lago d’Orta (about an hour away) and walked around the little village and had dinner there- it was really relaxing- except when Billy stepped in a huge pile of dog poop and we had to go down to the lake to wash his shoe off!  I posted some pictures on Facebook, but here is one of us!

We enjoy the little side trips more than the big sightseeing trips.  We are sad that Billy’s sister and brother in law cannot come to Italia this fall- Linda had a major surgery this past week and I think is now home recuperating-  It seems that many people we know and love are suffering with illness, surgeries, waiting for serious test results and going through trials in their lives.  I know life is full of this- God says we will have trouble in our lives.  We have spent a lot of time praying for many people we know and some we don’t know- and we are trusting the Lord with their lives and circumstances.  We often feel a little separated from what is going on at home, but we are thankful for email, Skype and our phone!  We hardly ever watch the news- strange, huh?

It looks like we will be home in St. Louis for Thanksgiving- so I will be cooking this year~  I love Thanksgiving.  I love cooking for my family!  And I am looking forward to a relaxing week at home- jet lagged and surrounded by family!  I don’t plan on calling many people, because our time is very brief, but I will be home for an extended time starting at Christmas- and will take the time to reconnect with friends.  If you read this, don’t be offended!  It is not a personal thing.

The olive tree in the front yard is heavy with ripening olives- a friend of mine stopped by the other day and picked one off and took a bite, thinking it would be just like a black olive out of the jar.  Wrong.  Bitter and yucky.  She was surprised- I remembered from last year not to try them!  We leave them for the birds to eat.   We will have to trim the branches way back again in order for the tree to produce olives- it is more like an overgrown bush at times.

Recently read a good little book that I would recommend- titled- Just Do Something.  by Kevin DeYoung- a book about finding God’s will in your life.  Interesting and applicable.

Contentment says,”God has me here for a reason, and if He never does anything different, Ill still serve and praise Him.”

Kevin DeYoung

Serving and praising the Lord here in Italia- Jen and Billy

Saturday morning we left for the Metro station and picked up young adults for a fun time climbing around in tree tops at Jungle Raiders- just outside Como!  We did this last year, and it was a lot of fun.  I did not climb , but was the group photographer- Billy did not climb because he is still recovering from a frisbee injury….. don’t laugh!

The instructors at Jungle Raiders were very helpful, but I overheard them say we were all americans (tutti americani!)  I corrected him in italiano- that we were from many countries- England, Africa, France, Italy and the U.S.  They were surprised that I could understand them!  (I was too!)  The course was exhausting and difficult, and they all did really well, and the best part was no one was hurt.  We drove back with all of them and joined a few more at Michael and Amy’s house for a big bbq- grilled tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini and peperoni (peppers)  along with grilled pork tenderloin, lamb chops, sausages, chicken and smoked beef brisket with homemade bbq sauce-  Bread too.  It was a lovely evening that ended with worship, some teaching on biblical wisdom in our relationships and hot chocolate.  We went home to sleep, but the majority slept over in the big villa- 

We returned in the morning for breakfast together- oatmeal pancakes, syrup, bacon and coffee- yum- and again, worship and some additional discussion about God’s wisdom from Proverbs.  What a wonderful time- we are so thankful to be able to encourage the hearts and minds of young adults from all over the world.  What a joy it is to serve the Lord- even in Italia!

This picture was taken a couple of weeks ago, but we woke up to a similar sight Sunday morning- it was so beautiful!  Today it was totally foggy in the morning and by 9 am the fall winds had started and it is chilly and windy with bright blue skies and a view of the snow on the mountains!  Winter is coming!

“Wisdom is precious because it keeps us from foolishness.” K. DeYoung

For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.  Proverbs 2:6

Love from Italia- Jen and Billy

Paris was lovely!  We left on Friday morning from Italia and arrived at our hotel around 4:30 pm- The streets of Paris are a little confusing- a lot of diagonal streets, but for the most part, the street names are visible! (this is not the case in Italia!)  Our hotel was OLD and in need of a makeover- the room was clean and the breakfast was good!  The walls/floors/doors/ceilings were so thin, you thought the other guests were in your room- yes- in your room!  Getting sleep was more challenging than we imagined.

We did the tourist thing- and we both decided that we are not really the touristy types.  The Eiffel Tower at night was amazing- the crepes across the street were even better!  The night boat ride on the Seine was fun- especially funny to watch the hoards of tourists trying to snap as many pictures as possible as they jumped up and down out of their seats! I think we enjoy the people watching.  We walked A LOT!  Our legs and feet were tired- maybe are still tired today.  We spent time peeking into several churches and museums- we liked the Louvre, l’Orangerie, Rodin and Napoleon’s Tomb-  saw an interesting street fight- ate some good food- drank a little French wine-were entertained by street performers-walked through gardens and along huge tree lined streets-avoided the dog poop-admired the odd outfits-held hands -laughed at the people looking at maps-took the Metro and RER and helped other people find their way- spoke French with an Italian accent-walked through a museum of modern art and decided that we are not artsy at all….. 

The weather was beautiful.  Cool and sunny until the day we left.  Our favorite place to walk around was L’isle Saint Louis- fun shops, good restaurants and lots of activity.  Rue Cler was close to our hotel and was lovely as well.  We only took one small suitcase, our backpack and just enough clothes to get by- mostly dark clothes- like we wear in Italia!  Everything gets dirty and dusty.

It was nice to get home yesterday!  Now it is back to reality- laundry to do, cleaning, Billy back to work, and a talk to write today!  This week I will drive into M3 for Bible study on Thursday- I am excited to see the ladies !   This weekend we will spend time with the young adults from church- go to a ropes course in Como, dinner back here in Varese and a sleepover (we will go home for that part!).   I think I will be the official photographer for the ropes course- safer that way! 

Love from Italia-  Billy and Jen

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. 

 His love endures forever. Psalm 136:1

It has been almost 3 weeks since I arrived back in Italia.  3 weeks in the states, 3 weeks back, still re-adjusting!  Billy arrive back last weekend after his brief trip to STL- I think he is almost over his jet-lag.  Who knows what time it is in his body- states, italia, states, italia….hopefully after this weekend he will be settled in this time zone!  He never complains.  It is amazing.  I need to work on the not complaining aspect of life!

CBSI is in full swing now.  Very small groups this year, mostly due to ladies having to go back to work and many that moved back to the states or other countries over the summer.  And then there are some that are not sure about coming at all, which is understandable if you have never been to a bible study or your first language is not English.  This fall seems a bit less hectic, with not having to lecture and travel back and forth- or to teach twice a week, or juggle getting to know 2 different groups.  I do miss the Milano 3 ladies- I will have the pleasure of teaching them in a couple of weeks! 

I was thinking about the fact that this was our 2nd summer here, our 2nd fall has begun…..in a few more months we will have been here a year and a half.  Are we different because of our time here?  Yes!  Here are a few things I have noticed about both of us!

We are more patient.

We talk more with our hands now.

We eat seasonal food and don’t miss sugar as much.

We walk more.

We talk about our life more and encourage each other.

We love the people we meet and we care about their lives.

We worship the Lord more openly, passionately and with more joy.

We like to open our mail together. (it only comes once a month!)

We look foward and not back as much.

We take time to pray together.

We don’t give in to the temptation to criticize as much.

We appreciate each other.

We smile at people even when they don’t smile back!

We enjoy the simple pleasure of a glass of wine with our dinner.

We like to travel, but don’t worry about how much sight-seeing we do.

We don’t care when we get lost.  (This is good)

We miss our kids more than we thought we did.

We realize that we are very spoiled in the USA- we have access to everything all the time.

We like taking a real sabbath rest- and we rest!  Then we drive an hour to church!

We like picking up people from the Metro so they can go to church- its a great way to get to know people!

We are more grateful for what we have.

We are more giving in ways we were not before.

We praise God more often!

Come bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the Lord! 

 Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the Lord! 

Psalm 134:1-2

Billy and Jen( re-adjusting….)

After 3 weeks in the states, we have arrived home in Italia once again.  Our time with family and friends was wonderful.  We spent a week in Grand Haven Michigan at the cottage, where Lizzie and Danny and Andy and Jessica joined us for a week.  We missed seeing Dan and Abby this time-    The weather was beautiful with the exception of a violent storm the first Sunday night- 70 mph winds, huge waves and loud thunder, lightening- knocked the power out while we were cooking dinner, but we managed by candlelight.  We took turns cooking for each other- the shopping was hilarious at Meijer’s – 4 carts and lots of good food- cheaper than in Italia!  We enjoyed playing speed solitaire, go-karts at Craigs Cruisers, too much Dairy  Treat and Pronto Pups, we loved visiting with Bill’s brother Bobby and his 3 sisters and our nephew Billy and niece Annie (and Ronnie too!)  We even went to Silver Lake to the Mac Dune Rides !

We picked blueberries, had some crazy challenges with pop rocks and other gross things to eat, ate breakfast out a couple of times and worshipped with Bobby at his church- in all it was a lovely week!

Everyone needs an ostrich shirt

We spent another 10 days at home in St. Louis- saw some friends and family (Dan and Abby) !  Billy and Daniel worked all day re-doing his garage- and we marvelled at Abby’s gardening skills- HUGE tomatoe plants- TONS of cucumbers- and other fun veggies!  Shopped for big shoes for me, and some other stuff that we can’t get here- mostly books.  Billy relpaced some light fixtures (under pressure!) and we basically spent all our money at the dentist-  many crowns later, a root canal and more work to be done on Billy next week- yes, he is going back to the states again.  I will stay here and prepare for the first week of CBSI- studying the highlights of the Pentateuch- the first 5 books of the Bible.

Pretty jet-lagged , but happy to be back into a somewhat nomal routine- my language lessons will begin in two weeks- I must practice!  Please pray for us as we begin our second year here- to keep our eyes on Jesus in all things! 

Love from Italia-

Billy and Jen

Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.  Psalm 134:2

We will arrive back in the states on Friday night- very late.  It is vacation time for us, and today I begin packing for the trip “home”!  It is hard to think about what we might need to bring to Michigan AND St. Louis- and since we are flying instead of driving, Lizzie has to do all the searching around for the stuff that we normally bring to the cottage.  She has found some of the stuff on the list I gave her, but some the essentials may be packed in a random box- who knows~  I guess when we were leaving last summer, I did a good job of putting our stuff away so Danny and Lizzie could move their stuff in, except I have now NO recollection of where it is in the house.  Out of sight our of mind is true!

A few things that are important as we leave Italia for a few weeks- lock the house!  turn off the gas! take the trash out! lock the car in the garage!  lock the big doors!  lock the shutters!  water! spray for bugs so they don’t all invade the house! grab the US $! don’t forget the phone chargers!  PRAY!

Good thing we don’t have any animals to deal with….Lizzie will take care of that aspect for us-   

What will we do on this extended break?  Have fun in Michigan with Andy and Jessica and Lizzie and Danny….(we will miss having Dan and Abby there with us)… maybe pick some blueberries…..read books….enjoy seeing Uncle Bobby for the first time in almost a year….eat dairy treat….maybe a “finch” sandwich at Ray’s….go out for breakfast……walk on the beach….take lots of pictures….play speed solitaire until we can’t anymore…..sit on the porch….apperitivi….and that is just in Michigan!

When we get “home”….visit with a few friends….go to the doctor….go to the dentist….go get new glasses….have coffee on the deck….walk the doggy…..go for walks in the neighborhood….shop for big shoes…..eat Fritz’s….go over to Dan and Abbys……worship in big church…..have a few dinners with family and close friends…Lion’s Choice….do laundry in a fast manner…fix anything that is broken… go to work….collect deodorant and other WalMart goodies to bring back….enjoy normalcy for a brief period of time!

Happy 3rd Anniversary today!

Celebrating with Danny and Lizzie on their 3rd Anniversary!  Aren’t they cute?  A romantic dinner out tonight at American Bounty! Yum!

Praying for our safe travel this week – From Milano to JFK to Minneapolis to Grand Rapids to Grand Haven then home to STL!  Whew!

We love you and miss you!   Jen and Billy

Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. Ps.86:11

I have been thinking a lot about our life here in Italia.  Nothing too deep or lofty, just some thoughts…….

The pace is slower here.  That is nice, although sometimes it can be frustrating.

Italians feed their dogs and cats pasta-

Driving in the summer is far more dangerous than in the winter- because of motorcycles on both sides of you, bicycles in huge packs, and people crossing the street at random places.

Italian time is different- no hurries, no rushing (except in the grocery store when you pack your groceries!)

Laundry takes a lot of time- ironing is a given.

Yelling is acceptable.  Yelling at home with your spouse is heard throughout the neighborhood….

It takes time to adjust to living overseas….friends leave…hearts hurt…joy comes from God not circumstances.

Sundays are for bicycling, chores and family meals, not for the worship of the Lord (at least not in our neighborhood)

Did you know that during August, trucks are not allowed on the Autostrada from Thurday through Sunday?  Traffic to leave is intense.

Eating late is nice!

August is very quiet in town-  even the end of July is more relaxed.

Switzerland is horribly expensive, London is worse.

Sometimes we forget we are not in the USA!  Until we see the Alps….then we remember!

Missing family is hard, and yes, I still miss the dog and cats….  (Betty comes to visit occasionally!)

Gelato comes in wonderful flavors and can be eaten any time of day! (Ask Danny)

Cleaning a house with a lot of tile is sweaty work and very time consuming.

Decalcification of sinks, toilets and countertops takes some strong chemicals…..

Aperitivo time is relaxing- a time to reconnect, relax and people watch.

Language study messes with your head- I can’t remember English words now, and I am starting to dream “words” in Italiano.

Biblical preaching, corporate worship, people and Jesus make a great church-

The wisdom in the Bible helps us to keep this life here in perspective-

We have become more and more patient as time has gone by- with ourselves, each other and others.

God’s plans are good.

Public displays of affection are commonplace in Europe, especially with mature couples…..  and young couples

Vacation time is valued….we are excited about ours to the states for a few weeks! Buona vacanza!

Love, Jen and Billy

If you love me, you will obey what I command.

John 14:15

We sure had fun last week- driving the BMVoo all around !  After a castle stop in Sirione, and a castle search, (the castle was not open for 2009!), we arrrived in Innsbruck Austria for the night!

We travelled to Rothenburg Germany the next day- what a fun place to visit!  The nightwatchman tour was great- hotel was wonderful, the time with family amazing!

We drove through Germany and ended up in a fun town called Schiltach- close to the Black Forest- our hotel was old and charming!  Great food, explored the area, and even saw a lumberjack wedding in town!

We arrived in Geneva Switzerland the next day- in time to do a little exploring before our Reformation Museum tour the next day- isn’t it funny to think that you would run into someone you know in Geneva??  Our son-in-law Danny did!  He is very well known !  This was the 50oth birthday celebration of John Calvin- Geneva was lovely, a lot of watch shops, high end stores, fashionable people, banks and of course, John Calvin history!

We ended our trip by relaxing in Switzerland- around Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen- we stayed at a great hotel, walked ALOT, ate some fun foods, including Danny’s favorite, Rosti’s!  Billy, Danny and Lizzie went paragliding through the mountains, from above the city of Murren into Stechelberg- I loved watching as they came flying over the top into the valley! 

We had a great week traveling together- Danny and Lizzie are a joy to spend time with!  We arrived home to Italia later Saturday afternoon, went to the Esselunga, bbq’d veal burgers, and started the laundry process!  This week, Danny and Lizzie are in the Cinque Terre, and will be home tomorrow night- I am sure they are having fun exploring! 

Did you notice Danny and Lizzie ’s friend in the background?   Swiss cows are funny!

Ciao from Italia- Billy and Jen

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28