Well, I guess I’m writing this to try and justify the crazy
decisions I have made in order to live outside my comfort zone, experience more
of the world and coax my greatest self out of hiding. College isn’t cutting it
for me. So I figured, why not drop out of college and move to Italy? It
honestly just seemed like the right thing to do, don’t you agree? Of course
not, that why I’m so in love with the idea. Not because its counterculture and
I want to rebel but I believe God wants us to experience something more: to do
more, to be more and to love more.
So I probably already lost a lot of people, but for those of
you sticking around to hear more, I appreciate you. Hopefully through sharing
my journey and my heart with you I can inspire you to do something crazy too.
Naturally, I should start at the beginning but I’m not even sure if this
craziness has a starting point. But here’s what I do know, starting in January
I’ll be living in Thiene, Italy right outside of Venice. I’ll be staying with a
family and becoming a “big sister” to 3 wonderful kids while teaching them
English.
It’s funny how the Lord reveals your gifts to you and how He
intends for you to use them to further His Kingdom. My older brother can attest
to the fact that patience was a fruit of the spirit that hadn’t fully matured
in me, and to be honest, I still have a long way to go on that. But, when it
comes to working with kids, something just clicked. Fewer things bring me as
much joy as when I am hanging out with kids- especially the Cribbies. As many
of you know, I have spent the previous two summers with Zoey, Ruby, Maggie and
now Sam, which has been a blessing to say the least. But, lets be honest, some
times the whole growing up thing is hard. But I learned how to calm down a
screaming five-year-old and reason with a four-year-old whose legs just
suddenly “won’t work” convincing me to give her yet another piggyback ride. That
kind of stuff I can have patience for days with. Not only is it hard to resist
giving Ruby another piggyback ride, but its absolute bliss to see her respect
me and, in turn, race me to the cabin.
I’m now realizing I should have started a blog specifically
for my adventures with the Cribbies. Those memories are priceless and the
summers I spent with them taught me so much about myself and the ministry that
God is preparing me for.
Though no family will ever touch the place in my heart that
the Cribbies have, I hope to become just as much a part of my Italian family. I
pray the Lord is preparing their hearts with the same joyful anticipation as
mine.
"If we wait until we're ready, we'll be waiting for the rest of our lives"- Lemony Snicket
I'll be staying in an apartment attached to the Castello Di Thiene, a castle that my family runs. If you want to check it out heres the link: https://www.facebook.com/castello.dithiene
