Oct 2nd - 10th

Oct 2nd

October 2nd was our launch day! Our flight didn’t leave until around dinner time, so that morning I got the chance to catch up with my parents, who filled me in on all of the excitement back home. Later that morning, my team (Annaleigh, Molly, and Allie) and I prayed with our host family and played card games until it was time to leave. From there, we said goodbye to our host family and the other teams, and headed to the airport. Everything was smooth sailing until Annaleigh jokingly told the TSA agent that she was carrying a block of cocaine with her, who just laughed it off thankfully. From there we boarded our flight and immediately made a list of the movies we would stay up all night watching (Pride and Prejudice, Mamma Mia, and Top Gun).

Oct 3rd

We landed in Paris at 8:30am Paris time. We were all very tired and disoriented because of the time changes. So, naturally, we made it to the first Starbucks we could find, and then slept on the floor and got stared at by Parisians. After a quick five hours in the Paris airport, we boarded a little flight to Turin. It was about 3:30 when we landed, and from there Caleb and Eva (our field directors) picked us up for the two hour drive to Torre. After a short drive filled with jokes and too many questions, we made it to the church apartment we stayed in for the first four days. After settling all of our things into the tiny apartment, we went over to Caleb and Eva’s for our first home cooked meal in two days. Caleb and Eva tried their best to keep us awake with good stories and funny jokes, we went back to the apartment and immediately fell asleep.

Oct 4th

The next day was a Friday - which is personally one of my favorite days of the week because it’s market day in Torre! We got up and put on our wool sweaters because it was so cold! We got coffee at one of our favorite bars (that’s what they call cafes here). From there, we wandered the market and took in all of the new sights, smells, people, and languages. After the market, we went over to Caleb and Eva’s for lunch and explored Bobbio - where we met Biscotto, who is a miniature horse who loves attention. After that we had dinner and watched movies until it was way too late.

Oct 5th

On Saturday, we went over to Caleb and Eva’s in the morning and were briefed on the work we would be doing, the people we would meet, and the culture here in Bobbio. After that, we had lunch and went on a walk that overlooked the valley. Bobbio is an agriculture based community, so everywhere you look there are cows or goats. Every day some of the herds walk through the streets and you can hear their bells from anywhere in town. That night, we went to get authentic Italian pizza for the first time! It was amazing, like better than how people can describe it. After pizza, we went to a local hockey game and met one of the missionary families we work with.

Oct 6th

On Sunday, we got up a little early before church in order to go get coffee. The church service was completely in Italian and in a little tiny room, so we were all cramped and hot, but the sense of community is so strong within the church because they are one of the only Christian churches in the area. Despite the language barrier, we could still understand the worship songs and the basics of the sermon! God knows no bounds! After the service, we had a traditional Italian potluck, and ate so much food! After the potluck, we went upstairs to our apartment, which doubles as the Sunday School room and made bracelets and drawings with the little kids. By the time we finished it was already almost 5:00 pm! So, we went over to Caleb and Eva’s again for dinner and had “English Church” and worship where we learned about the Sabbath and how important it is to give your spirit a day of rest.

Oct 7th-10th

On Monday we got to move into Forterocca, where we’ll be living for the rest of our trip. Mondays are our sabbath days when we just get to have free time and time to spend alone with the Lord. So we just cleaned and had free time. My favorite thing to do in my free time is go for prayer walks around Bobbio and just enjoy God’s beautiful creation. We also successfully named all of the random cats that live around Forterocca. Their names are B, Optimus Prime, and Kerri Gold.

On Tuesday, we started our discipleship lessons, where we have one on ones with Eva and talk about our life, how we are adjusting, and what God is doing within us. Later that night I made dinner because we finally have our own kitchen space to cook in! I love cooking dinner together because we play card games and jam to our favorite music.

On Wednesday, I woke up early to walk around Bobbio alone, and just spent time with the Lord. That morning, we had our first Italian lesson and just went over basic conversational tips. After Italian lessons, we cleaned Forterocca because there is a group coming for the weekend. After cleaning and finishing our chores, Annaleigh and Molly and I went to the bar and got hot chocolate! The hot chocolate here is so good! After that, we explored the town a little more and obviously had to visit Biscotto. On our way home, we ran into one of our friends who told us about his cat. Later that night, Allie made dinner as Annaleigh, Molly, and I played card games. Caleb and Eva came over to eat with us and we laughed at funny stories and talked about nostalgic memes. Then Caleb whooped all of us in nerts.

On Thursday, Annaleigh and Molly went to Turin to work in the warehouse that gives supplies to refugees, so Allie and I stayed home and did chores and homework. I worked on college applications, my testimony for a youth group Friday night, and this newsletter. Later that day, we went to Pinerolo where we got our pictures taken for our bus passes and ran some errands. We met a really nice girl named Ariana in a book store who asked us to come back and visit her in the coming days. When we got home, we all made calls back home and worked on more college applications, then went to dinner at Caleb and Eva’s and played card games and worked on our Italian. After dinner, we went back home to Forterocca and watched the new season of Outer banks for way too long.

Oct 11th

October 11th was a Friday. So, that meant we had to go to the market for some groceries. Annaleigh and I decided to take the bus, so in our broken Italian we bought two bus tickets to Torre and sat in the empty bus winding its' way through the hills of Val Pellice. When we got to Torre, we found some produce for the week, and of course some books! I got an Italian Bible so I could learn while I worship. After wandering the market for a few hours we caught the bus back home to Bobbio. There, we had lunch and I did more work on my college application essay and more chores around the house. Later that night, after dinner, we went to a middle school group. Where we played games, shared our testimonies, and studied the story of young Jesus in the temple. In our study, I learned to just take every opportunity I have to learn more and be in the presence of God.

Oct 12th

On Saturday, we had lunch at Caleb and Eva's and then had a team meeting about the schedule for the week, which is still kind of empty because lots of the people we work with are gone right now. We also had an Italian workshop and worked on our pronunciation and verbs. After that, we went home and watched some movies and made pasta for dinner.

Oct 13th

On Sunday, we went to church in Torre. The church in Torre is one of the only Christian churches in the whole area, so there aren't very many people who attend. Regardless of the small numbers, the families there are always very welcoming, even though most of the time we can't fully communicate. The whole service is in Italian which is fun to listen to, but hard to keep up with. I can definitely tell my Italian is getting better because I can understand more and I'm getting used to the cadence at which they speak. After the service, we went to a natural market, which is pretty much only organic produce. I had my first roasted chestnut too! I would rate it a 7/10. After the market, we went back home for lunch and I did some more chores and homework until dinner time when we went to a young adult group. There, we played games, had dinner, and had a bible study! It was so nice to finally get to talk to some young believers again! Our study was on Hebrews 10, and I learned to seek God's voice before trying to do His work, because how can you know exactly what He's trying to tell you when you don't fully know His voice?

Oct 14th

Mondays are our Sabbath, so we didn't have anything scheduled. So, when I got up that morning, I sat outside on the fire escape just journaling and reading my Bible. I spent most of the morning just finding my rest in the Lord, and it was so refreshing. Later that afternoon, I went for a walk and collected chestnuts, since they're everywhere here! Then, I came home and roasted the chestnuts while writing the discussion questions for next weeks young adult group. Then the girls and I had dinner and watched Twilight!

Oct 15th

On Tuesday, we have discipleship all day and time to do more work. So, when I got up, we went to the market in Bobbio and got some fruit, which is so good here! Later, I worked on my discipleship homework, my newsletter, and my college applications while waiting for my laundry to finish.

Oct 16th-20th

On the 16th, we had a Christmas gift packing event, where we packed gifts for children in need and listened to Christmas music! It was so fun getting to meet everyone and it got me in the holiday spirit! On the 17th, we had Italian and cleaned Forterocca. On the 18th, we walked around the market in Torre and then went to CIAO, which is a center for disabled adults. Where we just got to dance and spend time with them, and they are all so sweet! On the 19th, we just got to spend the day around Forterocca cleaning and hanging out. Finally, on the 20th, we had church in Torre, then we went home and deep cleaned our rooms and our floor of Forterocca. Later that night, we went to dinner at Caleb and Eva's and had English Church, where we learned about the importance of the Sabbath.

Oct 21-24

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were all spent at Forterocca just doing work on college scholarships, homework for our groups and classes, and cleaning. During these last couple of weeks, I've been really struggling with the fact that I don't get to go out every day and make an impact on other's lives. However, God has really been teaching me that sometimes there needs to be a time when I just spend time with Him, learn how to steward a home, and learn what living every day for Him is like, whether it is a quiet lifestyle, or an exciting one, every day is His. During these last days spent preparing, I had time to really reflect on the fact that I am really living here! There are going to be days that aren't exciting and days that are super busy, but every day is a gift from the Lord and should be used for His glory!

Oct 25

On Friday, we went to the market in Torre and hung out with the Vitter family, who is another missionary family from America! They have six kids who are all full of energy, life, and Jesus' love. They have multiple girls my age who are so amazing and funny! After the market, we went to their house for lunch and spent a couple hours just getting to know each other! They are so much fun! After that, we went back home and learned some dances for Summer Camp Replay, and after, I went for an extra long run in the rain. It was so pretty! That night, I made dinner and then we went to middle school group. There, we played games and had a bible study.

Oct 26

On Saturday, we had Summer Camp Replay in the morning! Summer Camp Replay is a monthly mini camp in the morning where we play games, teach English, and have bible studies for middle school and elementary aged kids! This is all to raise awareness for the camp in the summer! So, on Saturday, I was in charge of teaching a middle school English lesson and helping with the dances and games. We started with some songs and dancing and quickly got into some games that Molly and Allie made up. After the games, we started with our English lesson, which was just producing short descriptive sentences. It was my first time teaching an English lesson, and it was honestly hard not knowing what the kids knew and how to keep them focused. However, we made it through! To close the day's mini camp, we ended with some snacks and some more dances. After cleaning up, we went back to Forterocca for lunch, our Italian workshop, and our team meeting. Saturday was kind of overwhelming and stressful, but we went out for pizza and dancing which cured me!

Oct 27

Sunday was the annual cow festival! Yeehaw Italian cattle drive! So, that morning, after my run, we went to Caleb and Eva's house for breakfast and watched all of the cows, sheep, and goats walk through the streets! It was so cool! The cow's bells were so loud I could feel them in my chest. After the parade, we walked around the cow festival market and looked at all of the local produce, clothes, and cow paraphernalia. Sadly, it was raining, so after getting thoroughly soaked, we went home and spent the afternoon prepping for our young adult group. This week it was my responsibility to prepare the chapter questions, (we studied Hebrews 11) so I answered my questions and worked on some other homework. After that, we went to the young adult group and had dinner, played some games, and spent a few hours in worship and discussion!

Oct 28

Monday is our Sabbath, so we didn't have anything scheduled for that day. I love honoring the Sabbath and just having a whole day that we can spend recharging in the Lord and enjoying our new home! This week, Annaleigh and I walked to Torre again, but tried to take a path we had found! And 7 miles, 3 hours, and way too many wrong turns later, we ended up in Torre, hungry and muddy. There, we got lunch at our favorite lunch spot and talked to some very nice ladies. After that, we got gelato and talked to our families while waiting for our bus back home. After getting home, I spent the rest of the afternoon journaling and reading. That night, we had our Sabbath pasta and movie night!

Oct 29

On Tuesday, Allie and I went to Turin to help Eliseo, who is one of the missionaries here. We ran some errands with him in the morning, including visiting an older woman, who had had polio. We briefly chatted with her and prayed for her, and then got to work moving some of her things in order to take them to the donation center. After that, Eliseo dropped us off at the donation center where we put tags on devotional books for a few hours. Later, he picked us up and we went to his office where we help kids with their English homework. It was really fun getting to see the city and meet new people! I always love seeing how the Lord is working within so many people!

Oct 30

On Wednesday, the girls and I had an Italian lesson in the morning, and after our lesson, we went for hot chocolate at our favorite bar down by the river. After our hot chocolate, we came home and cleaned Forterocca for the guests coming this weekend. After cleaning, I worked on some homework and journaled until dinner time, and watched a movie together! It finally feels like Bobbio is my home and the community is starting to feel like our family and not strangers.

Oct 31

On Thursday, I had my one on one with Eva where we talked about homesickness and funny spooky stories (because it's Halloween obviously). After, we had discipleship and we talked about how Jesus gives us a way out of the rejection and revenge spiral. Then we went home and put on our Halloween costumes (Alvin and the Chipmunks), and headed over to CIAO, which is a center for adults with disabilities, where we danced and had snacks! All of the people there are so sweet! I love getting to see how the smallest things bring them joy! It reminds me that God intends for us to find joy in all of the small things that He gives us, and just to be grateful for everything we have!

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