Whether it rains…rains…rains

Buongiorno from a quite wet and cold Italy team. I don’t believe any of us expected the amount of rain we have been getting! Not even our missionaries. Hence the title of our report… it’s been our anthem as of late. As I write this report the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and we’re all warming up! Finally! It’s a beautifully clear morning and we’re praying the rain will stay away. It’s really been affecting our work projects and slowing things down. However, the kids continue to push hard to finish up all the necessary projects before the 11th when team members arrive. Since our last report the leaders of the teams have arrived for their seminar and it’s been fun getting to know them and to work alongside them in the mornings. It’s been cool to double to work force and get more accomplished. The base is really shaping up for Boot Camp!! Since Monday, we’ve enjoyed joining the leader seminar for their lunches and dinners. We’re getting the opportunity to try even more authentic Italian food and it’s the best! We continue working our way through Bible Studies and the team has enjoyed being taught by Mr. Ethan, Mrs. Angela, Mr. Mattias, and Miss Elianna so far. A highlight for the team is our guys/girls time. Where we get to be just girls and just guys. Most of the team requests this even on days when it’s not scheduled! Us leaders enjoy the time too. Another highlight of our days are evening devotions. It’s been so awesome to hear from different members of the team. Whether that be their testimonies or something God has been teaching them. We also have a song which the devo sharer chooses, highs and lows of the day, and sharing encouragement and prayer. Something we do each morning at breakfast is draw the name of another person on the team, and then that night at evening devos we share an encouragement with them about what we see in them or how we see God using them. It’s been very special and growing for our team. The team is looking forward to the team members to arrive and being able to hop in to run Boot Camp! Whether this be helping judge the OC, teach classes (drama, puppets, etc), or anything else that is needed! Yesterday during another rain storm I was able to collect a few sentences from each of the team members! I hope you guys enjoy what they have to share! Blessings!! We love you!

The food is good! The work is fun. The weather is wet but cool. Obadiah M

Hello parents. We are in Italy now and it is beautiful here. The TMI base is on a mountain with a view of a valley with several small towns spread around. Here are the camp we are working hard building parts of the obstacle course and setting up tents, etc. on Sunday we had the opportunity to go into the town of Spinoso and see the lake in the valley. We also went to a cafe and got ice cream. Praise God for how He has blessed us! Micah L

It is cool to see some of the other cultures of the world and how we can all come together for the same purpose. I do miss my motorcycle though, hearing other people’s echo through the valley hurts. Jack W

Hey everyone! I’ve been enjoying my time in Italy so far, the food they’ve been making us is really good. I’ve been getting to paint a lot which is fun. The only bad thing is that we’ve been getting lots and lots of rain every day. Allison Y

Hi. Fun, happy, pasta. Eliana H (leader kid)

Hi mom and dad! Italy is awesome! The pasta is even better than we all thought it would be. Within an hour of arriving in Naples the missionaries brought us whole pizzas for each of us. I ate two though! We also went to a church on Sunday and after the 3 hour service we had a 9 course meal. It’s safe to say I’m eating well! Love, Wes! Wesley S

So far in Italy… it’s rained almost every day. It’s been surprisingly cold in the mornings and evenings. The food has been stellar. We’ve had a lot of work but even more fun! Moriah B

Over the past week the Lord has shown me what it looks like to create a community with people who don’t speak the same language as you. And to create friendships that I never would have thought I could make. Abby F Hey everybody! Don’t want to make you all jealous, but I’ve been able to have pizza, pasta (lots), and Nutella. Surprisingly, a lot of people speak Spanish here and it’s been cool to talk with them and play Uno No Mercy. I can’t wait for Boot Camp to start in a few days and to attempt singing in Italian. Love you! Harper S

Hey everyone! Italy has been great. We’ve been working hard setting up boot camp and the OC. A lot of painting and building obstacles. Love you all, can’t wait to tell you more when I get home :) Katelyn V