Glimpses of Glory

Picture the longest table your eyes have ever laid sight upon. A table that spans the length of 2 normal sized rooms. Take that picture and add 25 people, lots of food, lots of wine and a lot of laughter. Guess what? I was in that picture and it was awesome. I was at the center of the villa with the entire group sharing a meal together. The cook served 5 different courses, starting with breads smeared with olive creams and other strange, but oddly delightful flavors. There were locally made bottles of wine placed along the table every few feet and sparkling water at the same intervals. The second course was a ravioli served with freshly grated parmesan. The third course came along in the form of freshly sliced bread with green salad tossed in homegrown olive oil and salt. It was divine. The fourth course brought fried potatoes with grilled meat that looked like turkey, but I chose not to ask. Finally, a giant platter of Tiramisu was brought from the depths of the kitchen into our presence and we basked in it's picturesque glory before digging into at least 2 helpings each. It happened to be the best tiramisu of my life. As if the 5 course dinner was not enough, I managed to make connection with 2 girls that were staying at the villa who speak German, Italian, and a little bit of English. It is beyond fascinating to discuss and learn the differences in languages. 

I went to a castle up in the mountains to attend a wine tasting! I have wanted to go to a wine tasting for quite some time and I am so thrilled I finally achieved that. The castle was absolutely spectacular and even though the man spoke German throughout the tour, Eva translated most of it for me. On top of making wine there, they also make olive oil from the trees around the castle. It tasted ever so lovely with the fresh bread it was drizzled over. So now I can officially say I have been to wine tasting, and in a castle at that! 

My time has been spent mostly at the racetrack this weekend. Seeing people "in their element" is quite amusing to me and I enjoyed observing the sights, smells and sounds that encompassed me. The mechanical smell of fuel, oil, tires and exhaust is absolutely divine to my nose. Listening to the revs of hundreds of motors and the buzzing of bikes passing by on the track is music to me ears! Seeing the different colors and shapes of all the motorbikes and seeing the different gear each person wears was also quite pleasing to my eyes. I found one that was all yellow. The entire bike and also the suit and helmet of the rider. I though of you, Kevin! Even though the days were long, I am glad I am more educated on the subject of motorbike racing. As we drove away for the last time, I looked back and I saw a cat sitting on a hill to the right of the road just relaxing, being a typical cat. I started laughing. Wild cats are normal in Italy, I suppose. 

While out shopping, I walked down a small street and entered into a tiny, cramped shop filled with candles, baskets and similar old people items. Somehow, I kept looking. I was sifting through some postcards with adorable paintings of children on them and the woman working there heard me say something to myself and immediately said, "If you need me to speak English, I can" which I thought sounded a bit eager, since I had not even spoken to her! But I turned around and said, "oh yes, I speak a little German, but mostly English, thank you." She then described to me that she is from the states and moved here to be with her Italian husband. I told her my story of how I came to be in Italy, and also in Germany. At that moment, her husband walked over to me. He started talking about how he had gone to the states to be with his wife and did not know any English but learned in 6 months simply because no one could speak Italian with him. I found that very encouraging! We talked for 15 or 20 minutes and they were completely charming! I found them to be absolutely marvelous. They brightened my day and I made sure to buy some postcards before I departed. 

Saturday afternoon, standing outside by the car waiting to leave for the racetrack, I looked down at my feet to admire my new Italian shoes (only 10euros!) and I rested my eyes upon a pear. I thought to myself, "Hmm, there is a pear on the ground. How odd. I must investigate." I glanced above my head and behold, there was a tree. As I looked closer, I could see the pears hanging down and I promptly jumped up and down in excitement and in mid-jump grabbed the most perfect looking pear and ate it simply for the experience even though I had just eaten breakfast…and it was delightful. And thus ends my 'discovery of a pear tree' story.

Stars are something I have been missing since being here. They are scarce in comparison to Alaska it seems. As I was closing my laptop to walk back up the mountainous road to the villa, I suddenly realized how dark it was. Determined not to get all worked up into a frenzy and scare myself, I began my trek up the road. I began to pray and happened to glance back down the road as I was talking. I stopped dead in my tracks and my words. Spread before me was a rich canopy of deep navy sky, heavily dotted with glimmering stars and in the midst of it all, the moon shone out bright and strong, allowing my eyes to fully capture the expanse of world which was sliding into my being through my eyes. Nothing can compare to the glimpses of glory the Lord shares with us. Though the night was cold and my body was tired, something had me rooted to the ground, unable to peel my feet from the surface and walk away. To add to the teetering stack of wonder I had compiled over the last few moments, a shooting star shot through the glossy sky, enveloped into the navy darkness within two seconds. These are the spaces of time where my own smile is not enough. These are the spaces of time where Jesus is smiling with you.

Lazy Mountain Bible Church, I would like to address each and every member and/or person who goes there. I miss you. Even though I do not know all of you personally, I miss the strength and fellowship you bring. My heart and soul ache to be in your sanctuary worshipping with you again. Before I fall asleep on Sunday evenings, I think of you all at church and long to be with you. God has opened many doors and avenues for me here and I had found a solid church, but these past few weeks of traveling and changing jobs have found me to be searching once more for a place to worship. I feel withered and dried up from lack of fellowship. Despite that, our Lord is very great and I am continually strengthened by his love and faithfulness. As I am surrounded by many different beliefs and opinions about the world, I have begun to learn more about why I believe what I believe. Even so, I need help. I need prayer. Dear church, please pray for me. You are in my thoughts and prayers often, as you continue to know Christ and to make him known. I long for the day when I will step through those doors again! 

"But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ." - 2 Corinthians 2:14-17