Bologna

I accomplished my first multiple connection train trip by myself. I know this may sound silly to some of you, but for me it was something to conquer. I have traveled on trains in Europe, but always with people. For me there is a comfort in having another person there simply for the reassurance that if a wrong decision is made you are in it together. I think these days of living in a perpetual state of not comprehending everything that goes on around me makes the simplest of things seem difficult. I must admit that going to big cities is pretty easy and passing through Florence is a reminder that English is spoken in many places in Italy. On the way to Bologna my connection was through Florence. You see Perugia is in the center of Italy surrounded by mountain ranges. Therefore, it is not on the direct route between the other major cities. It is a beautiful city, but the Umbria region is not the top choice for tourism. So for learning language and being immersed in the culture, it is a great place. So back to the trip...I have become accustom to trying to speak in Italian with Italians, so after exiting the train I find the track number, but to be sure I ask one of the official looking guys in broken Italian if my ticket was for this train. He than proceeds to answer me in perfect English. I had forgotten what that was like and it made me kind of chuckle. At this point I realized how beneficial it is to study in Perugia.

I made it to Bologna in great time and Linda Brucato, one of the TEAM missionaries, met me outside of the train station. Her husband, Andy, met up with us a few minutes later and then we dropped my luggage at their car. The plan was to grab lunch and then participate in a "March for Jesus". Several of the churches in Bologna were taking part and Andy & Linda wanted to represent their church. We were unsure of how it would all go, but it ended up being an amazing afternoon. We passed out hundreds of brochures with the gospel message, and had a police escort as we marched around the streets of downtown Bologna. Linda & Andy actually ended up sharing the gospel with a Jewish couple from Israel. The weekend was full of meeting people from their church in Bologna and hearing about TEAM's ministry in Italy over the last 20 years.
The whole trip was so encouraging and it gave me an excitement for my future ministry in this country. It is clear that it will not be easy, but it is also clear that people are lost and worshiping false gods. As you continue to pray for me, God gives me glimpses of His compassion and love for those He has made and I am honored to bring truth to even one of His lost sheep.