In Love in Torino

Here I am. Sitting on the balcony of our hostel having been here for maybe an hour and I'm already thinking, "I hope I come back someday. Maybe ill even live here". I SO easily fall in love with the places I visit. So easily. Even meeting Anthony Testa (a pastor here) and just hearing about how there is so much to do here, learning more about the emphasis in the occult, and hearing their heart for prayer in this brief time I'm enthralled by this city.

It hit me on the plane ride here that I will be here for two whole weeks. In that moment two weeks felt not only like a short time but also a lifetime. Even Liz said while we were on our way to the hotel, "So much will happen this week and so much will be different. And then you'll have another week".

Missions. It feels like my calling. For now it will be as a missionary on ISU's campus but I am excited to see how The Lord continues to lead me in staying or in going.

By the way. I officially accepted a position as a Great Commission Ministries staffer on Thursday. I'll be going to new staff training in June and then I will be full time support raising!

The picture is from our balcony

Plane Ride

Every flight I can remember taking, my dad would always get tomato juice and so, for my brother and I it has become a tradition to get tomato juice while in flight. Hence the picture.

For my flight from O'Hare to London I was sitting next to a lady, Julian and her daughter, Ana. They are from London but went to visit her brother in Louisville. Their whole family is originally from Ghana. I didn't get to talk to them much because I was trying to switch my sleep schedule to Turin time ( when we left it was 11:00pm there).

From Heathrow to Munich
Flew into some London fog (literally) and made our connecting flight to Munich. Met Farouk. He lives in the United States with his daughter but is going to visit his family in Cairo. He was very kind and told me to be careful in Italy and to be sure I wrote down everything I took a picture of. He also said, "Go for anything and let it fail but don't expect it to fail. If it does, oh well". He is Muslim and told me about how all Jews, Christians, and Muslims should accept one another. I was sad that I didn't get to talk about why I believe in God but I am glad that I met him. It made me realize that I just don't know how to share my faith with Muslims. That may be some of what the Lord teaches me this trip. I also loved the clouds in this flight. I took a stab at getting a good picture of them. They were just so beautiful. The pictures I took do no justice.

Often during the flights I have been thinking of the verse that says Mary pondered all of these things in her heart. That's what I want to do. I want to ponder all of the experiences I have with the Lord in my heart.

Now, we are waiting to board our flight to Turin. I'll blog about it when I get there!!

On Our Way

We are currently on our way to O'Hare airport. In just about 3 hours we will be on our way to Torino!

It still feels surreal that we are leaving but I'm sure that will all change once we get on the plane.

I am excited about a few things right now bin excited about a 9 hour plane ride to hopefully spend quite a but of time with The Lord and to just hear from Him.

Honestly, I am excited to take a break from ministry and to spend this time to be refreshed. I have been feeling a little bit burned out because I feel like I'm not really doing anything excellently, I'm just doing things as I can.

One thing that you can be praying for is that we would see at least one person come to know The Lord while we are still there. That we would get to live out the great commission fully while we are there. Pray bold prayers for us. Even bolder than outlet desires. I am trusting that The Lord is going to do work and that He will bless our time in Italy and make it fruitful.

The Lord is good. And He is working and will continue to work in our lives and the lives of those in Italy. Praise Him!

Photo of the Day February 14th, 2013

February 14th, 2013

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Photo of the Day February 13th, 2013

Hello all! I will be doing a picture of the day until I go to Italy so I can get familiar with the Nikon D90 I'll be bringing. I will post my top photos of the day (my favorite will be starred). None of the photos will be edited, all pictures will be shot with a 50mm lens and I will include my settings. Please feel free to comment and critique!! Thanks!

**February 13th, 2013**

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February 13th, 2013

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Italy Trip Update

Hey everyone!

Here is the first of a few updates I will be sending out about the trip. I am super exited that we leave in just over a month from today! 

First, thank you all so much for your support. I am fully supported financially for the trip which is so awesome. Please continue to pray for us as we continue to prepare for the trip.

This past preparation meeting, we talked about trip expectations. One of the common themes was that we expect God to use us while there in Italy. We know the Lord will use us but we are all praying that He would make that really clear to us.

In the next preparation meeting, we will be separated into the groups for the English Clubs. There are three different tiers: Beginner, Intermediate and English on the Edge. During this meeting we will be working within smaller groups to create lesson plans. 

I will probably send the next update right before we head on the trip so you can keep an eye out!

Thank you so much, again!

Sincerely,

Kristin

Oh I Crack Myself Up....

It was the first of the snow fall that cold winter’s day
When Kristin decided to head out to play

The sun shone so brightly; ground covered in glitter
She shared her excitement with her friends via twitter

Soon she was ready for home, a place to thaw out
But the door wouldn’t seal right she noticed with a pout

All the frigid cold wind that should be out there
Was freezing her apartment and the man-made warm air

                       She debated and thought but just for a minute                      
“Call Young America? No I’ve got enough wit.”

So off to her room she ran with no delay
For her tools and a jacket; she’ll be handy today

Upon further investigation she discovered the problem
The small metal strip that lay there, on the bottom

But she needed a screw to make the strip stay
In place when the wind came to blow another day

She remembered an extra, right in her stash
Excitedly she tried it and it was a match!

“I’m done!” She exclaimed, proud to conquer her foes
But when she went to shut the door, now it wouldn’t close

“How can this be? I just fixed the darn thing!”
Lurked a piece in the track that required quick thinking

“Ah Ha!” She realized, “I know just what to do.”
So she grabbed a kitchen knife the one called Ginsu 

She sawed and hammered and chipped it away
That darn little piece that was so in the way

Now her door seals quite nicely if you give it a shove
When you ask her about it she’ll say it was a labor of love

She fixes all sorts of things after fixing the door
“Take that, Young America! I will call you no more!”

And it took me 20 minutes to cleverly tell you about 20 minutes of my life today.  

Enjoy!