One Year Mark

It's been exactly one year since I left Albuquerque to begin my journey in Prato, Italy. I never imagined my field time would go by so fast. I remember like it was yesterday how I was feeling as I boarded the airplane knowing I wouldn't step foot back in the states for 18 months. I was scared to death and in all honesty, I didn't think I could do it. I didn't think at 19 years old I was going to be able to live in a foreign country for so long with out my parents. But, the Lord is good and He's helped me through this past year and I love looking back and reflecting on how I've grown and what God has done for me.
When I first got here, I didn't know Italian (of course) and now I'm able to easily have a conversation. I didn't know how to cook, and now I'm making homemade lasagna, baking, and making several different types of pasta. I've learned how to have complete and total faith in the Lord, take one day at a time, and be still and know that He is Lord.
As for the work that's going on here, it's been pretty slow lately. I've lost a couple of English lessons but hopefully I'll have one or two new students here pretty soon. My team and I have made a few new friends but they have no interest in Christ and the Bible. It's very difficult for all of us and we're starting to feel like we're not making much of a difference here. It seems to be getting us all down lately so prayers would be greatly appreciated.
It hasn't been easy and I definitely wouldn't have been able to do this without the love, support, and prayers all of ya'll have shown me. Thank you so much for everything. I love and miss you all very much. Take care and God bless!

P.S. The pictures above are of when my mom and aunt came to visit in March. Good times!

Slave of Christ,
Charise

Time

Nine months and counting...

I have been living in Italy for 9 months now and now I only have 9 months left. I cannot believe how fast it's gone. It has definitely been the fastest 9 months of my life. It's a bitter sweet thing. I'm really looking forward to going back to the states and being with friends and family but then again, I'm probably never going to experience anything like this again in my life. I'm starting to think about what I'm going to do once I'm done here and that kinda freaks me out. For one, because I have no idea, and for two, because for the past year and a half, being in the AIM program I haven't really had to think about my future. I was just living in the moment. I'm still living in the moment but I now have to consider what I want to do with the rest of my life. It's a little scary. I know God has something planned for me but as of now, I don't know what that plan is.

My dad just recently visited me. He was here for several days and we were able to do a bit of traveling together. We went down to Rome (my favorite place in Italy so far), Florence, and I had the honor of showing him around Prato and what it's like living here. Christmas was not the same but it was a wonderful experience and I loved that I got to share it with my dad. It went by too fast in my opinion but we had a blast nonetheless. My mom will be visiting in March and Chandee will be visiting in June so I have a lot to look forward to. :)

Every Tuesday and Thursday my teammate, Molly, and I go to an old folks home. Talk about a challenge! I haven't been this challenged in a LONG time. It's difficult to understand people at that age anyway, but in a different language...yeah, that's hard. I've only gone a couple of times and they both have been difficult for me emotionally but hopefully it will get better. I'm hoping to be allowed to read the Bible to them (in Italian of course) so we'll see how that goes.

My other teammate, JaMarcus, and I visited a church last Thursday to try to meet new people and hopefully find more Christians to fellowship with, and I'd say we were successful. It was a good experience and I'm going to be giving one of the members English lessons. :)

So, that's what's going on right now. Thanks for reading and please leave a comment. God bless!!

Charise

Friends

I am feeling so blessed right now. Some friends from Scotland are here for Thanksgiving and it is so wonderful to be surrounded by people you care about and to know that they care for you. Living in a different country is hard but it would be nearly impossible if it weren't for the amazing people God put here with me. I love my team so much. We've really started bonding a lot lately and are getting along great. I love spending time with them. I just wanted to share that little bit and to say that God is awesome and knows what you need when you need it. Thanks God!!!!!

"Greater love has no one3 than this, that one lay down his life for his friends."
John 15:13

Nonna Maria (Grandma Maria)

Wednesday was a wonderful day. My friend Vanessa and I visited a little old lady from church and had a blast. We had just eaten 2 bowls of pasta before we went and boy was that a mistake! As soon as we walked in the door to Maria's house she sat us down and made us eat. She brought out eggplant, carrots, bread and cheese, and of course dessert. By the time we were finished Vanessa and I thought our stomaches were going to explode because we were so full.

Vanessa and I decided it was time to leave because we had some other stuff to do so we began putting our coats and scarfs on and Maria asks us if we want to take a nap. We kindly turned down the offer and she looks at us and says oh so sweetly, "I get offended when you tell me no." So of course we took off our coats and laid down on the bed! She bundled us up in blankets and fluffed our pillows, turned off the lights, and left the room! It was one of the best naps I've ever had.

When we woke up an hour and a half later she made us coffee, and gave us more food to cook for dinner and also gave us the blankets we took a nap with. I cannot believe how giving Italians are! She gave me and Vanessa 3 blankets that she made, a coat for me that she made, a necklace, and dinner! AMAZING!! She is one of the nicest little old ladies I've ever met. I'm so thankful for her and really enjoyed my afternoon at her house. I'll defiantly be visiting there again!

On Monday I went to a beautiful little city called Lucca. It's a little of an hour train ride away and it's one of the prettiest places I've ever been to. I went with Brian, my teammate, and two girls from Australia. The pictures above are a couple that I took during my visit. Thought you might enjoy! :)

Hope

Yesterday I had a Bible study with one of my teammates, Vanessa, at our favorite Cafe. This place is wonderful. The pastries are big and their Cappuccinos are amazing! Anyway, we're studying 1 and 2 Thessalonians and it has been so encouraging. We were reading through chapter 4 and came upon verse 16-18. It really touched me and almost brought me to tears. It's so wonderful to know that someday we WILL be in heaven with our Lord. He is going to take us up into heaven and we will dwell with Him there for eternity. PRAISE GOD!!! I find such joy in knowing that we won't be on earth forever.
Now, I have a confession to make. I've been having hard time lately and I haven't been handling it very well. I've spent too much time sleeping and being lazy. I've just been doing what I want and not what I need to be doing. It's just a little funk that I've been in and I'm trying my hardest right now to get out of that funk. That's where this verse has helped me. The end of it says to "encourage one another with these words" and that's what I'm going to do. There are way to many people out there that don't know about the hope that we have in Christ Jesus and it's time to get out there and tell them. It's defiantly harder to do it when you don't speak the same language but that will come with practice and time. Love is the greatest way of speaking to people. Just a simple smile can make a persons day and give them a bit of hope.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therfore comfort one another with these words."

2 Corinthians 6:4-10

Well, the newness has finally worn off. I've been here for 5 months and it feels like it's about time for me to head back to New Mexico. This is the longest I've been away from home and it just seems like it's time to go back. I'm missing my family a ton and wish more than anything I could be with them. My dad is coming in December for a little over a week and we'll be spending Christmas together so I'm really looking forward to that.
It's not that I don't not like it here or that I don't want to be here, I just really miss America. Italy is a wonderful place but it's not familiar. I miss the convenience of driving, speaking the same language, fast food, big cups of coffee...well, I could go on and on but that won't do any good. There are some things here that I really have grown to love though. For example, I have a favorite coffee shop that I love going to. I always get a pastry and a cappuccino. There's a man that works there who knows English and he loves it when us Americans come into the coffee shop so he can speak to us in English. I've done a couple of Bible studies there and he always seems SO interested in what we're doing so next time I go there I'm going to ask him if he would like to study with me.
The language is coming slowly but surely. I'm defiantly understanding it A LOT more than I'm speaking it. I'm really not good at saying things but my goal is to be able to hold somewhat of a conversation before my dad gets here in December.
When I came to Italy, I was expecting things to be perfect, and wonderful, and amazing, but it's far from that. What I didn't think about was that Satan is also in Italy. He knows that my team and I are doing good things here and he's doing everything in his power to stop us. It has been so hard for me because I've always had my family to run to but now that I'm thousands of miles away from them I've had to completely rely on God. This has been a HUGE blessing for me. Times have been really hard here in Italy but I have never felt so close to God. I am really having to be still and listen to Him. I'm just taking it one day at a time and allowing God to be in front of me as my shield and protector.
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. I miss you so so so much and I think about ya'll daily. Love you and God bless!!

Charise

Life is Beautiful

Times are wonderful here in Italy. God has really blessed me and I have totally fallen in love with this place and the people here. I've made several new friends and I hang out with them almost everyday. The language barrier is frustrating but we still find ways to communicate and we just laugh and have fun together.
This is the month of vacation for Italy so we haven't been too busy. I went to Rome and a wonderful place called Cinque Terre. It's five different cities right on the coast and there are trails to hike from one city to another. It was wonderful. I leave on the 15th for Germany, London, Scotland, and Paris. Some AIMers from my class are in France and Scotland so I'm really excited to spend some time with them.
They're are a couple of things I would like to ask for ya'll to keep in your prayers. One is my new friends. None of them know the Lord and I hope my teammates and I can make some difference in their lives and show them the love and grace of God. Another request is the new AIM class that started this week. It's and exciting and scary adventure they've just begun, so prayers for them would be appreciated.
I love and miss you all and thanks for your prayers and support! God bless!

Slave of Christ,
Charise