More Gelato, for now

We got back from our Venice, Round 2, trip with my parents.  I don't think I wrote on Venice the last time and I don't think I will now.  Sorry to all of you who love it, but I don't.  It is apparently I place I go to get angry.  We don't travel well in Venice. 

Venice is for lovers.  Not for parents with young kids and babies.  Enough said.

Now, it wasn't horrible.  Other than the A/C wall unit in our room blowing mold that gave me a sinus infection and the makings of bronchitis, the trip was O.K.  They say that here in Italy, a lot.  O.K. means just what it does in the States.  Sophia got her snow globe, we got some masks (actually, that happened the first time) and I got a new cross for my collection.  Along with some gifts, we saw all the major sites, had a drink in St. Mark's Square and walked.  And walked.  And walked.  Oh, and ate gelato, like we do all the time now.

So - that's all I have to say about Venezia.

We have Rome coming up again.  I know I've written on that, don't expect much to change.  I will say, I'm glad we've seen what we have.  But when you compare it to our smaller trips, when we end up in our own beds at the end of the day (despite the war I'm waging against flying ants in the bathroom), we are all much, much, much happier.

In the hills above Fano

Italy is in the small towns, I'm finding.  Here is a good example.  Here is a picture I snapped *while the car was stopped* on the way back from seeing a doctor recommended by another of our project team folks.

He is a Bavarian doctor practicing here in Fano. (But don't suggest he's German, as I made the mistake of doing...apparently it's like asking someone from Alabama which part of New York he is from.)  He speaks English and did an ultrasound of my sinuses.  I can assure you that was a first.  I've had a lot of ultrasounds but never on my face.  He did a good job though and I'm, thus far, pleased with the prescribed medication.  It was cheap too.

This place is just SO beautiful.  It really stops the heart.  It is hard for me to appreciate in a big city, but out in the open air, out in real country, I praise the Lord for His creation.  I sang, as best as I could in my scratchy voice, His praises all the way to town.  The rainbow was an answer to many of today's prayers.  He is with us here.  He is with us everywhere.

He will be with us as we return home to Houston.  Yes, we are officially repatriating on July 28th.  This was designed to be a short-term gig and so it is.  We could have made it longer if the girls had an international school to go to, but without it, it is hard.  We want to get back and love on some close family we haven't seen in a long time.  We want to get back and put our girls in our beloved school, with our family there.  Expat life is good, but I'm glad it's coming to an end for now.  There are others staying longer, I know they will make the most of their time here. 

Mama, I'm coming home....to 110+ degree heat and full-time A/C.  We will leave Italy with an appreciation for many things, including wine, fresh produce, local markets and God's green Earth.  And of course, gelato.  We still don't get art or really architecture.  But we've done our best to see it.

I look forward to seeing our Houston crew.  I know we haven't been gone too long.  But there is no place like home.

Hearing from God

We have a long history of hearing from God in my family.  I've heard God's audible voice once about 7 years ago.  I will save the details for another time, but I assure you it wasn't in my head.  My parents have both heard God speak out loud - my Dad three times that I know of.  The last time was in January, 2 weeks before the girls and I came to the States to get our visas.  He was in bed, being quiet and still when he heard a female voice say, "I'm coming home."  (The other 2 times have been a male voice, so this was definitely "different," as if hearing God's voice isn't different enough!)

Initially, he thought it was his mother telling him HE was the one going home - literally to Heaven.  But eventually he worked out it was about Ella being born in the States - because she would need the extra care we could so easily get there.  He says that experience wiped all of his worry over us away.  He knew she would be fine.  (That story is here.) 

(When I asked my Dad if I could share that story, this is what he said,

Not at all on the hearing from God.  HE IS There and WILL HEAR YOU, sometimes even letting you know He is working, most times with His more important agenda.

 

I'm so thankful I have a man of faith as my father - one I can talk to about spiritual things!)

I'm used to hearing from God when I listen, usually in my heart and mind.  Lately though, I haven't been able to nail down any real time with him.  It's started to get me feeling out of sorts. The more time you spend listening for God's voice, the easier it is to hear.  Of course, the reverse is true.  The less you focus on God, the less you hear from Him. That's where I am.  I know it.  I don't like it.

I think about my schedule in Houston - I had loads more time to myself.  Our lives here are non-stop from sun-up to sun-down with no real time to still my mind and open the ears of my heart.  In an effort to figure out how I'm going to remedy this, I started thinking about what God's voice sounds like.  And I came to an interesting conclusion.

Even though I haven't been listening, I still know God's voice isn't going to make me feel bad.

Which got me to thinking that if I'm feeling really bad, really guilty and ashamed of not having the time in this season to dig deep in the Lord, whose voice am I actually listening too? 

I think about how I haven't talked to my best friend in a month.  Is she sitting in Houston being mad and holding a grudge about it?  No - she understands.  Just as God does.  He understands even more than she does because He sees what is going on.  So, who am I listening to?  Whose in my head making me feel so bad?

The enemy.

He's crossed battle lines to get here.  He's worked hard to stay hidden and plant the seeds of his evil desire.  His number one goal is to keep the Lord and me apart.  He doesn't want me seeking God, he wants me to feel awful but not do anything about it.  He is the ultimate Accuser, still dragging me back to court for crimes of which I've already been declared innocent, including this one. DUH - I just wrote about this in March!!

If you, too, have been wondering whose voice you have been hearing, here is what I have on the background of my computer:

I'm not listening to satan anymore.  I'm not listening to the lie my Heavenly Father is angry with me and won't forgive me because I can't/won't/haven't made time for Him.  I'm just going to have to catch up with God in the snatches of time available.  I can't grade myself against my past because that's exactly what satan would like me to do.  Christ freed me from that many moons ago and getting stuck in shame is not part of the plan of redemption.  He will find me when I seek Him, even if it is only for 5 minutes at a clip.

If you are struggling in the spiritual, ask yourself how that voice you keep hearing makes you feel.  Ask if that voice is keeping you from God or driving you to Him.  Then decide if you are going to keep listening.  Chances are, you won't want to anymore.

The Roma Aroma

So, last weekend we left for Rome! 

It was our first trip there and after being disappointed in both Florence and Venice, I had high hopes.  What I found to be true is echoed in the words of my brilliant cousin, Kristen Grant,

Rome is amazing but not charming.

Alas, our Italian big city experience is summed up by that statement.  Living in a small town, we have gotten used to getting around easily - not needing a map, much less public transportation.  Even in Houston, we had our circles we ran in, it didn't seem like a big town. 

Rome is much, much different. 

It's big, it's loud, it's dirty and it has seas of the unwashed masses.  (Ok, the masses were pretty much washed, but you get my drift).  Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we went.  Everyone should see it....once.  It has so much history packed into that square mileage - it is really incredible.  So, I won't cast it in a bad light because we really enjoyed their sandwiches.  Nice change from our regional piadinas.  You could say we lived on those sandwiches (we really did).  I thought I would amuse you with our impartial observations.  Only ten, I promise.  Most of the pictures can be seen on my Facebook page (awvogel).  Enjoy!

1. It's Rome so someone always has to die.  From the Colosseum, to the Forum to the Vatican Museum, people have died everywhere in Rome.  It just seems you can't get away from it, like the city itself derives its life from the blood that has been spilled.  (Morbidly poetic thought.)

Baby Ella sleeping on the bus.

2. No one does fantastic architecture like the Romans.  Pictures do not do many of the structures justice, but by far the most impressive was the Vittoriano, the monument to Italian unification.  The scale on which this city was constructed is just mind-boggling, especially considering WHEN a lot of it was built.

3. Babies are just as interesting to Romans (and Italians in general) as the architecture and artwork.  Ella garnered so many "Bellissimas!" I stopped paying attention.  It's true, she is adorable. 

4. Our older girls are awesome sight-seers.  They walked and they walked and they walked so more.  They complained a bit about their feet hurting, but we all were after 6 hours.  They told us when they were hungry, but didn't whine.  For 9 and 6, that is truly a miracle.  Studying up on what we would see helped tremendously as well.

5. If a restaurant can't figure out how to seat a 6-top + a baby, they do not want your business.  Bad experience but a good lesson learned.  Leave quickly if they don't act quickly.

6.  I heard so many languages being spoken, I really get the miracle of Pentecost.

Sophia at the Spanish Steps

7.  When in Rome, anticipate Romans will do what Romans do.  This applies generally, along with the specific.  We rented a 3rd floor apartment, which seemed like a great idea, till the lady above us walked around in heels, moved furniture and other "activities" (*ahem*) that kept us awake in the middle of the night.   

8. The Rome of today is not the Rome of "Roman Holiday."  I figured as much, but it was hard to enjoy eating gelato on the Spanish Steps with 250 other people around.  She was so bummed about it, the picture to the left is as good a "Princess Anne" shot as I could get.

9.   I am SO American.  No confusion about it in Rome.  Nope, not at all.  Gotta own it I guess.

10. Defend for yourself.  I got really tired of being polite when people stepped in front of the stroller.  I mean REALLY FED UP because people wouldn't even be subtle about it.  They would just cut me off.  So, I stopped.  If they stepped to close and got rammed, so be it.  No apologies.  Not the most Christian thing to do, I admit.  But I decided this about the time a woman tried to push Nats (who was walking next to the stroller and being her gentle self as I already mentioned) out of the way to catch up with her tour group.  She didn't care that Natalie was a child, she just went to forcibly move her.  Not smart, lady.  The claws came out.  NO ONE MESSES WITH MY KIDS.

So - that's our somewhat impartial view of Rome.  There will be a Part Due to this as we are taking my parents there in a few weeks.  They get here next week!!  So, until then.....Do as the Romans do.  ;)