Ciao!

I hope I am able to type as this is an international keyboard, and my fingers are mostly frozen as I write this!

I really have not had a chance to sit down at a computer for a long period of time since I arrived. A few days ago I did get some time, and I used it to call my parents on Skype (free through the computer). It was a much-needed conversation, as I had not spoken with someone at home since I arrived.

Let me back up... I arrived in Holland on January 11th, and my friend Femke was there to pick me up. I was starving, so my first meal in Europe was Burger King in the airport! I have learned that in Europe everything is smaller than in the US, and they also take every opportunity to charge you for small things like ketchup for your french fries. Yikes!

Anyhow, I will not give a blow by blow of my time in Holland because I would be here forever. I will try to summarize. I stayed with Femke in her college flat, otherwise known as an apartment, for a couple of days. She shares it with 5 other girls, and her room is very small, so it was quite an adventure, but we made it work! She is going to college to become a teacher, so I attended class with her. The classes were quite different than anything I am accustomed to; it was an interesting window into education in another country.

It is common for students to go home on the weekends, so we went to the home of her grandparents (I cannot find the apostrophe on this keyboard!). We spent a couple of days there, or rather we slept there. During the day, we took the train to various locations, including Gouda (where Gouda cheese comes from), Utrecht, and Amsterdam. It seems like almost all cities in Holland have a canal system running through the center of town, which is very picturesque. Many of the stereotypes are true: there are windmills everywhere, there are bicycles EVERYWHERE, and they do eat a lot of cheese, bread, and potatoes. However, I did not see anyone wearing wooden shoes! This, apparently, is not common anymore.

I had a wonderful visit with Femke, and I really got to see quite a few things in the short time I had there. We went to the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam, which was extremely interesting, and we also went to a museum which houses some of the work of Rembrandt. I have to confess, though, that I do not get excited about looking at endless paintings of people posing in chairs, etc. I guess I am not very cultured after all.

I certainly will not get fat here; I do not think I have ever walked more in my life! Actually, I have really enjoyed it; however, when it is freezing outside, it does tend to dampen the spirits a tad.

Anyhow, moving on... On Monday (the 16th) I left Holland and flew to Rome via Dublin, which geographically did not make any sense but financially it did! It took me about 2 hours to get through immigration, etc, in Rome, which was rather unexpected and rather distressing. I was afraid Antonio Marino would eventually give up and leave, but thank the Lord he did not! Apparently, several 400 passenger planes arrived from other countries all at the same time and completely bogged down the passport control line. Oh well, it was a good cultural experience!

I was not able to stay with the Marinos right away. They had gone to Panama for the holidays (to visit relatives) and had some trouble getting back here. Consequently, only Antonio and Anna (his older daughter) were here when I arrived, and it did not seem a good idea for me to stay in the house without his wife being here. For the first few days I stayed with an Italian couple (believers) who were wonderful and very hospitable but barely spoke a word of English! Somehow we communicated, though, and had fun in the process.

On Thursday, Dolores and Sofia (the younger daughter) flew back from Panama, and I was able to come stay here at the house, which was very nice as I was craving clear communication. Antonio and Dolores live in a little town called Pietracatella, which is a short drive from a slightly larger city called Campobasso. They are both up in the mountains, but Pietracatella is higher. If you picture a little village high in the mountains where everyone knows each other and the buildings are all thousands of years old, you have Pietracatella! It is very stereotypical and very beautiful as well. The view is unbelievable!

It is a very picturesque spot, but it is definitely not a tourist trap, so I kind of stand out. The other day I walked around with my camera, and everyone stared at me as I walked by. It is just the camera that stands out, though, because I do not look that different.

Anyhow, I am starting to ramble on here. I have had a very interesting visit with Antonio and Dolores. I now have a much better picture of what they are doing here and how I could possibly fit into the ministry, etc. Over the weekend I attended a small gathering of believers, which is the beginnings of a church--very exciting! If I get another chance on the computer, I can write a bit more on that subject.

I should go because Antonio is back from town, and he will most likely need the computer soon. He is battling with the heating system, which is broken. He has somehow acquired two wood stoves, which are not really working properly. Mostly we get smoke, not heat! So you can picture me all bundled up in layers and layers in a freezing house in the mountains of Italy--smelling like I just came from a campfire! Ah, the joys of missions...

Hope this finds you all well. I am sorry I have not been able to post pictures so far. I would need help as I am not familiar with this system, and Antonio is already so busy that I hate to ask him. If I do not figure it out, I shall do it when I get back to the US!

Ciao for now...