An intimate relationship (with Jesus)

It's a beautiful day today- spent it sketching and analyzing the space and building of and around the pantheon... Yesterday spent all morning walking around the Vatican gardens (where the pope takes strolls- and like NOBODY gets to go there, but somehow we got the hookup and it was breath taking!! not what I expected, but still beautiful!) then a two of my classmates and I went to the Roman Forum and the Colosseo just to see it for the first time- we go back and back and back to these places, and every time you notice something different and get a more and more intimate appreciation for these magnificent monuments... looking both at context as well as individual... I like to look and relate it to our relationship with Christ-- the more we go to him the more intimate our relationship with Him... It NEVER gets old... ONLY BETTER!! And every time you meet with Him and spend time in the word, you are always guided, and you notice something different about what a month ago you read in a different sense... When studying the Bible it's like reading a story (context) and then relating it to your individual life... God is great!

48 hours survived...

So WOW... Italy, specifically Rome is indescribable... the pictures don't really do it justice... It's completely different when you experience it tangibly... So the first day was pretty intimidating, but the Lord is so good, and helped me through it. I am in a city that I don't know the language, but I'm trying to learn the language. They find it amusing that I'm trying to speak in their language and not just assuming that they speak English... there are tourists EVERYWHERE, not just Americans, but you can spot us like sore thumbs, but there are tons of Russians believe it or not... They've told me that I don't stick out too bad and I don't have a strong American accent- whatever :o) - Well, the wine is amazing, had a glass last night with my margherite pizza (cheese pizza)... The olive oil is pretty amazing as well...

Day 1: arrived and Katie and Erin (Crusade stint girls) were blessings and met me at the airport. I waited about 30 minutes and made people think I was French, which threw people off, but it made them stop bothering me... good attention diverter... We took a shuttle to my hotel, then we went and got a cup of capuccino Italian style (standing)... EVERYTHING here is tight, narrow, small spaces- really cozy, I kind of like it- a lot actually... Then they left and I walked around for 2 hours then ate lunch, then walked around and sketched for about another 4 or 5 hours, then went back to the hotel just as it was getting dark and crashed...

Day 2: woke up at 5 am without an alarm, packed up my suitcases, and walked through the streets of Rome with my bookbag and one small rolling suitcase at 6:30am... it was about a 30 minute walk to the residence, that only by God's grace I found, with my limited knowledge of Italian to ask directions. Well, I checked in and unpacked/organized a bit, then my roommate and classmate arrived, and she walked with me back to my hotel to get my other suitcase, then we took the bus to go back to the residence, but it stopped at a different place, so we ended up walking around Vatican city (up hills toting my 50 pound suitcase) quite a long way... then we went and walked around- to the spanish steps and window shopped... oh, and yes, the gelato (ice cream) pretty amazing as well! all in all, I'm still in awe of this city! I went in two churches so far, and it's amazing how insignificant you feel! God really is huge, and one of my friends who isn't religious but went with me said, "how can you not feel religious when you walk into a place like this" I think that kind of sums it up... I just got internet access, but I"m planning on writing in here as often as I can...

Day 3: We went to the market this morning- FRESH EVERYTHING, at 7 am we saw the seafood coming off the trucks still twitching... the mozzerella- wow, amazing! and the fruit, freshly picked, pretty great! wow, I'm just in awe of this place... and Nuns walking around just makes me smile...