"HERE I AM....

.....ROCK YOU LIKE A HURRICANE!"

It's been about 3 weeks since hurricane Ike hit Galveston and Houston and all the excitement, life is slowly starting to be back to normal...

First, let me just say it has been quite an adventure. I don't know if anyone was prepared on how serious a storm it was going to be. I, fortunately (or unfortunately, whatever your perspective might be) missed all the excitement. I flew home that Thursday before to help my mom pack up their house and move to Maryland.

That Saturday, as we were cleaning and packing we had the news on so we could hear what was going on with the storm. The footage they showed was incredible! Galveston was destroyed! Watching the devastation of Galveston made me begin to wonder about Houston. How were things? How were my friends that lived there? How was my apartment? And my car that I left at the car park at the airport? Well, praise the Lord! that my car was alright when I arrived home! And well, my apartment? Well, here are the pictures of what happened to it... Praise the Lord nothing happened to any my stuff.




So naturally, I had to move out. My friend Christa, who lived in the same complex, lost her roof. So the apartment complex moved us into this beautiful spacious townhome together. It is GREAT! We both feel like we got this amazing upgrade! And it is such a blessing to have a roommate again! So through this storm, God has showered us abundantly with blessings and protection!

Sciopero

Sciopero. The Italian word for "strike". As in, the workers went on strike because they wanted higher wages. And that is just what happened today. It was my first day of class and there was a strike for all the busses and trains, so I had to take a taxi to get to school...but you know, that's part of the adventure, right? Strikes. Scioperi. So normal for Italy.

The class was great and there are alot of fun people taking the course with me...everyone is mostly from America, one from Canada, and one from Croatia. This course is very informative, alot of work, but a lot of fun! (think of a semester long master's course crammed into 4 weeks)

And I am already seeing how I can apply a lot of this information into my ESL classes this coming school year. And definitely see how this will help me create better English lessons when I go down in teach in Ecuador next summer.

Stay tuned for more....Next Wednesday I start my first day of student teaching!

Ale Viola!!! Forza Fiorentina!

This morning Nicole and I went to the outdoor market by the stadium so I can do a little grocery shopping for vegetables and fruit and such. I LOVE shopping for groceries this way! Anyways, on our way back, we saw all these people wearing purple (the AC Fiorentina color) lined up at the stadium entrance. Naturally, we wanted to find out what was going on, so we walked over there and asked an old man what the commotion was about and we found out that a new player was signing on to join the team and they had this huge ceremony to welcome him...SO fun! I don't know exactly who he was, but he sure was a very handsome Italian soccer player, and that's what matters, right? Ha ha.

Too bad I didn't have my camera with me....

The Italian Adventure begins....

My journey to Florence, Italy, has been a long and eventful one so far, and I am not even in Italy yet! I am sitting at a diner in the London Gatwick airport right now. Just finished lunch - burgers and fries (of course, those of you know about my quest for the world's greatest burger...so far no one has topped Rusty's...but that's another story) - note: now I know why the Brits are not known for their hamburgers. But I am getting ahead of myself and getting off track here. How did I get to this point you may ask? I SHOULD be on a plane halfway to Florence by now, but I'm not.....

Yesterday I departed from Houston and arrived in Atlanta with no problems. Boarded my British Airways flight with ease and settled into my seat, preparing for the long voyage to London. Shortly after, I fell asleep, fully knowing that we would be taking off at any minute. Well, 30 minutes pass by and I awake to the fact that were still sitting on the runway. We hadn't moved one inch! Fantastic. From then on I knew that this journey was going to be an adventure! As expected, we arrived 40 minutes late this morning. Customs was just a sea of people! And now, instead of 2 hrs of a connection time, I was now down to 1 hr 20 min to clear customs, collect my bag from baggage claim, take the train to the international terminal, re-check my bag and get my ticket, go through security - all to make my flight to Florence. Yeah, that didn't happen. By the time I got to the international terminal, I had missed my flight. Praise the Lord! I was able to get on the 3pm flight!! Hence the reason why I am writing to you from a diner in the London airport and not from the air....

Stay tuned for more! This Italian Adventure has only just begun!!!

ps - yes, I DO have my laptop with me this time around!

Ecuador....mi pais

"In His hands are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him...Come let us bow down and worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker." Psalm 95:5-6

At the end of spring, before the beginning of summer...I was so torn about what do and where to go - Ecuador or Italy? I wrote it all down, my desires for each, and gave them all to God. He is was so faithful to answer by blessing me with BOTH trips this summer!!! How great is our God!! And loving is He! I just got back from an amazing trip to Ecuador where I spent 16 days serving the Lord at the same school I was at last year with Fundacion Amor y Esperanza. It was so great to see the faces of the children I love so dearly and work along side the teachers there. My heart came alive during my time there! I was overflowing with joy!!

Since I have been back I have been able to spend some good quality time processing my trip with the Lord with all that He had shown me during my time there. I do believe that the Lord may be changing my vision from that of serving Him in Italy to serving in Ecuador! I am excited about the possibilities that lay ahead and excited to see where God will lead me within this next year.

There is so much to write and to say! I can't wait to see each of you in person and tell you all about it!!

**NOTE: I wish I could have written more about Ecuador during my time there, but alas, I didn't bring my computer. Note to self, ALWAYS bring my laptop with me on International journeys!!!

And I can't believe that I leave for Italy in about a week!!!

Ecuador here I come!!

Last summer I spent three and a half amazing weeks in Quito, Ecuador. And in about a week, I will returning back there! This time, with a group from my church. I can't wait to be back there and see all my friends, like Pancho and Pity and their family, as well as Cristina, and Johnny, and all the sweet little children at the school!

There will be 11 of us total going to Quito this June. 9 of them will be there for a week, while Brittany (one of my high school girls from church) and I will be there for two weeks. We will be leading workshops for the teachers at Carmen Bajo as well as doing a soccer camp for the children, teaching them the skills, discipline and character building as athletes, and most importantly how this all applies to your life as followers of Christ. It will definitely be an exciting time and I can't wait to tell everyone of you all about it!!

Stay tuned for the updates...stories and pictures coming to you soon.....

Hasta luego in Ecuador!!

Per I Miei Amici Italiani - For my Italian friends

Okay, so many of you know that I purchased a "FORZA FIORENTINA" scarf to hang up in my classroom. And that I have the picture of Luca Toni and I at my desk. Here are the long awaited pictures of both!




And for those of you who don't know, Fiorentina is the professional soccer team in Florence and Luca Toni used to be the star player for the team (he now plays for Bayern-Munich)

Bella Firenze

I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel back to Florence to visit my friends and spend Easter with them. What a wonderful week it was of re-connecting with old friends, Italian and American, as well as making new ones. It was amazing how it felt so natural and so normal being back there. And in some ways, I felt like I was in a dream. Was this really happening? Am I really back here? During that week I was able to go on campus and share with students about the love of Christ. Though it was only one day on campus, it truly spoke to the core of my heart. I was discovering my true self again, I was a woman fully alive!

While I was there during that week, I also went and visited a school about possibly getting my certification to teach in Italy. It was great. I was able to talk to the director of the program and find out all the information I needed. I also was able to have some great conversations with some of the staff women who share my vision of starting a Christian school for the Agape staff children, and even possibly open it up to international students. In many ways I felt God's confirmation that He will be bringing me back there long term to serve Him, and to serve Him through teaching!! I am so excited about that possibility! And I am praying that it happens sooner than I expect it!

My time in Italy was sweet and refreshing, with spending time with dear friends, and with spending time with my Savior. I truly felt His presence all around me. I felt His love, His arms wrapped around me. Whenever I would start get nervous or anxious about returning, the Lord calmed my nerves with His peace and I could clearly hear His voice gently whisper comfort to me "Be still and know that I am God. Trust me and do not fear". And that is exactly what I am doing. Placing my trust in Him and waiting for His perfect timing.

And I want to leave you with these verses that continue to bring hope and encouragement to my heart. I pray that they encourage you as well.

"In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength." Isaiah 30:15

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone, my hope comes from Him...trust in Him at all times, O people, pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge." Psalm 62:1-8

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21

Lessons Learned

I know many of you have been asking me about my trip to Italy, but first I thought I would share with you some of the lessons God has been teaching me lately.....

The first thing is: Just be yourself!! (1 Cor. 15:10) To realize who I am through the grace of God. That the most attractive person I can be is being me, just the way God made me. I shouldn't be afraid to let others to see the real me, my true heart. Everyone has their insecurities and struggles just like I do. And God, in His faithfulness is changing me. Not into someone else, but He is making me into more of me. Into the woman He is calling me to be..the more of Him I become, the more of myself I become, the more of my true self!!

(1 Peter 3:3-4) I have finally understood the meaning of this verse. I struggled with it for such a long time because I am not a very quiet person. Those that know me well, know that I can be loud, I am very much an extrovert. But now, through His grace and work of the Holy Spirit, the Lord has shown me what He means about having a gentle and quiet spirit. It is to have a heart of faith, a heart that trusts in God, a spirit that has been quieted by His love and filled with His peace. A heart at rest in Him. And how beautiful that is!

The other three lessons I have learned are:
- Slow Down
- Focus
- Simplify

Sometimes you need to slow down in order to move forward. This hit me as I was trying to do everything I could at home and at work. I can't go 100 mph at work and at home - I need to SLOW DOWN! To slow down with my time with God. Lately I have just been trying to sit and listen more to Him...and not rush through my quiet times with Him, but really slowing down and taking the time I need to hear His voice. God cares about EVERY aspect of my heart. He answers the desires of the heart to those who fear Him. God has perfect timing - WAIT upon His timing! I have been learning to work with God's timing and seek Him with what is bothering me or what is laying heavy on my mind. FOCUS on what only I can do. Lately, what I have been doing is writing everything that has my concern and giving them to God (that includes the "pros and cons" lists that I make along with the concerns.) And with this, He has shown me how He guides me, how He is always faithful! How He is always there to direct my daily steps with certainty and purpose. There is such great peace that comes from trusting God and relinquishing our concerns fully to Him.

God has a specific job for me and for you. We need to slow down, simplify, and find focus on what it is and do it! And when we do, how beautiful it is when we allow our work to flow out of love for our Savior!!

"He will quiet you with His love" Zeph. 3:17

And my dear friends, our Lord's love IS extravagant!!

So Much to Say, So Little Time

I can not believe that is has been so long since my last post! And for this, I apologize. It's not like I don't have anything to write about...I have TONS...it's just finding the time to sit and write. So.....

First of all -
You are now looking at a fully certified science teacher! I have finished my program and received my standard certification in the mail a couple of weeks ago. Thank you to all of you who have been praying for me and encouraging me during that process. I appreciate each and every one of you!

I LOVE teaching!! I am the Conceptual Physics teacher for the ESL (English as a Second Language) department and the JV cheerleading coach. My students are great! They not only keep me on my toes, but they are also so entertaining.

Since last year, I have discovered not only that my passion is teaching, but I also know now how I will be returning to work in Italy - through teaching. The Lord is so good! And I am so thankful for this vision that He has given me. There is a program in Florence through the University of Siena that I am currently looking into. It is to get my certification to teach Italian to foreigners in Italy and abroad. It is also recognized by several universities in the states, which is great if I want to go and get my master's degree. So my plan is to go back to Florence next summer and take this program, get my certification there, and my dream would be that the Lord will provide me a job afterwards to stay and live and work in Italy! That is my dream!

And there is more update to come later....

Random Facts....at the request of Kat

The Rules:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules. (**if you’re a non-blogger, you can email them!)
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog

My 8 Facts...boy were these hard!

1. I love teaching high school Physics!! I hated it when I actually took it in high school, and in college, but now - totally love it! And I love being in the classroom!

2. I have been a bridesmaid 13 times. Yes, that's right 13 times. That means that I have 13 dresses in my closet that I have only worn once and will most likely never wear again.

3. I love the outdoors. However, whenever I go on a retreat or camping trip, my hair dryer and my straightener comes with me. Just because you are outdoors doesn't mean you still can't look cute (with good hair)!!

4. I am BIG on tradition. I mean, I went to Texas A&M, enough said.

5. I can get quite competitive when it comes to playing sports (though the only sports I play nowadays are tennis and golf).

6. I love trying new things and the challenges they bring - life should be an adventure!

7. One of my favorite places in the world is the beach...the sun, the salty sea air, the sound of the crashing waves...what more could a girl need to find relaxation and peace!

8. My dream is to one day own a little piece of land in the country....

Now, I send this on to be completed by Francine, Lindsay, Tiffany, Amanda, and Gina!