It really has been a LONG time since my last post!  Things are really kicking in gear for Italy and I wanted to make sure that I posted the blessings that are happening so that later I can come back and be reminded of them in case things get a bit harder and I forget.  God has been so amazing!!!  It seems strange to think that I might forget the last week and all of HIS goodness, but how am I any different than the Israelites?  They saw miracles and still would fall away and begin complaining and grumbling again soon after.  So...knowing I am the same, I will try to chronicle what has happened.

1.  Knowing that we need more support to be able to live in Italy (it's a bunch more expensive over there), God keeps providing us with others who want to join with us.  :)

2.  There is a missionary family in Genoa that is moving back to the States permanently and we have been in talks with them about buying their household goods.  I received an email from them the other day and they felt like God was telling them to GIVE us their stuff!  Can you imagine?  I am talking a house full of stuff:  pots/pans, towels, sheets, hair dryers, toaster, dining tables, chairs, etc.  Woke up with other morning to that info and knew once again that God is wanting us in Italy!!!

3.  Our friends in Italy had originally thought they were coming back to the States in the summer.  Because of that, we would not be able to get there until later in the summer.  (they really wanted to be there when we arrived!)  Well....the day after we got the email about #2 above, I received work from our friends that they aren't coming back this summer!  That really opened up the possibilities for us.

4.  The day after #3 above, God provided the way for us to take a Disney cruise over to Italy!!!!!  We are so privileged and blessed to be able to take a 14 day cruise leaving out of Galveston and ending in Barcelona.  We are then going to either take the ferry or the overnight train to Chiavari.  Bonus:  the cruise is cheaper in the long run than plane tickets and the food, etc that we would need for 14 days!  How cool is that?!


How do I explain the grace of God in our lives?  How do I wrap my head around the blessings HE has poured out upon us?  How do I stay composed in the midst of it all?  The answer:  I don't!  

I don't know why God chooses to bless us in such a wonderful way.  I don't know why God's grace is in abundance.  And I don't know how to stay composed in the midst of it all.  I find myself crying quite often!  It is overwhelming.

I will keep posting during this process.  Though you might not be interested in the least, it helps me to recount it all.  :)