On our second Sunday in Rome, May 29, we saw several groups of people waving pink flags, chanting slogans, and wearing these pink jerseys:

It turned out that they were supporters of the Palermo soccer team, which was competing against Inter Milan for the Italian Cup that day in Rome. They were a lively bunch, marching around and loudly proclaiming their support for their club. We even heard a bunch of them chanting loudly and saw them walking out of the Metro toward the stadium. Sadly for them, their team lost for the third time in the finals. But we admired their spirit. Any groups of young men who dare to walk around in pink ought to be admired!

The day before–Saturday, May 28–was the highlight of the trip for me, during one of our service projects. It just so happened that this highlight turned out to be a combination of service and soccer. The service was to support folks who prepare and serve a hot meal every week for Afghan refugees who are in Rome. Up to 175 young Muslim men (most from Afghanistan) show up every week, and teams like ours provide a nice boost to the regular volunteers. This was deeply meaningful work, and I loved it.

But the highlight was when we walked to a park next to the St. Paul Outside the Walls Church and set up cones to mark out a small soccer field. We divided into two teams, passed out orange jerseys for one side, and proceeded to play a lively game of calcio/soccer/football. The orange team, supported by strong defense from our own Brittany Stevenson and wing play from Kayleigh Hartman, took an early 3-1 lead.

Our non-orange team battled back. Right winger Ryan Barnett made some nice runs, while left back John Bartlett and right back Kristen Rayz held down the defense. Striker Danyella Tonelli provided a crucial scoring punch, with a late goal that contributed to our eventual come-from-behind victory.

More important than any victory, however, was the sense that we had connected with our Afghan and Pakistani friends on a human level. We had transcended our language and cultural differe

nces for a little while and competed together. A bunch of Americans, Afghans, and Pakistanis sharing in the Italian national pastime, next to a church in Rome. The laughter, the joy, the smiles, the handshakes, the teamwork, and the sweat–all of it was a little glimpse of heaven on earth.

That day, we gave thanks for calcio.

Not everyone had an opportunity to blog while we were there — internet access for the men closed at 11:00 PM and we were rarely back by then. I hope that some of us will add posts even though we are at home… I want everyone to have an opportunity to share meaningful moments. Hopefully we’ll be able to add a few photos as well.

Thanks for keeping our team in prayer during our travels. Please continue to pray for the refugees all over the world, as well as Jason, Tim and Elizabeth (our service project contacts) for their work with the Afghan refugees in Rome.

Peace!

Ann O. Lawson

It has been a while since our team has given you all an update and for that we do apologize…we are making the most of our time here in wonderful Italy by staying busy!

As Ann pointed out, the team spent three days away from Rome: one in Siena, one in Florence, and the last at Cinque Terre, a series of coastal towns on the Mediterranean Sea.  The team agreed that Siena with its smaller, more medieval feel has been one of our favorite locations.  While in Siena, we visited a beautiful church and enjoyed strolling along the quiet streets soaking up a new atmosphere.  In the afternoon some of the team visited an art museum while myself and three others climbed several hundred steps to the top of a bell tower and were rewarded with an amazing view of the surrounding city and countryside beyond. The next day we traveled to nearby Florence where we toured the Uffizi Gallery, home to several famous works of art such as Botticelli’s Birth of Venus.  For someone who has never visited an art gallery before, the rooms upon rooms of paintings and sculptures was a bit overwhelming but well worth the visit.

Friday, the final day of our our excursion away from Rome, took us to Cinque Terre along the coast of the beautiful Mediterranean Sea.  Our team had eagerly been anticipating a day spent enjoying the sunshine while resting on the beach or hiking the coastal path between the five villages of Cinque Terre.  Therefore, we were very disappointed when we arrived and discovered a dreary, rainy day.  And if you were to assume that we complained about our ruined plans, sadly you would be correct.  And yet in the midst of our somewhat negative attitudes, our amazing God chose to bless us!  The rain soon  stopped and the decision was made to go ahead and hike.  Some of the team only hiked a portion of the path while four of us completed the entire trek in what turned out to be perfect weather for a long, intense hike – cloudy and cooler than it would have been on a sunny day! 

Before we set off, our group gathered to pray and read our brief devotion for the day which just so happened to be about looking for God even when things don’t go the way we want them to!  I was overcome and felt so guilty about how quickly I became angry for the bad weather.  As I spent the next few hours climbing up and down the cliffs along the sea, I was reminded over and over of what a blessing it was to be able to hike and view the amazing landscape crafted by the hands of my loving Creator.  I know that Ryan Barnett, my hiking partner, can tell you that I was also relying pretty heavily on God for strength by the time we arrived at the last town at the end of our hike! Haha!

Now I do not mean to turn this blog post into a sermon, but I must end by encouraging all who read this to remember that we serve an awesome God who has an awesome plan for each of our lives.  Even when things don’t go the way we hope, He is in control and has our best interest at heart.  This has been so true for our team.  Not all our plans have gone exactly the way we thought they would…however, I know that each of us would agree that we have repeatedly experienced God’s blessings while here.

Thanks for reading and sorry for the length!

Kayleigh Hartman



We took a midnight train – sitting up – so we didn’t get much sleep before arriving in Rome at 5:45 AM. We had a couple hours to rest before cleaning up and heading out to our third day of service work, returning to help with the food distribution and relationship building with refugees through Trestevere/Rome Baptist Church.

Each member of our trip will have an opportunity to post here, so I’ll leave the details to them. Just wanted you to know we were back to our home base. The trip is drawing to a close and we can feel it… eager to return home but just as eager to make every moment of the next 3 days last! 

Thanks for your continued prayers and support.

Ann

Thanks for your continued prayers.

Ann

Since the storm hit just as we were about to visit the Colosseum yesterday, we decided to head out to see it this morning. The Colosseum was as large as I imagined it would be; it’s difficult to picture just how many people were sitting and walking around during the events held in ancient Rome. We also got to learn a lot more about Nero, and how he may or may not have initiated Rome’s destruction. I thought the historical aspects of the site were very interesting. Before we left, we finally got our group and individual pictures in front of the Colosseum for all of you to see!

We intended to visit some of the churches in the city after having lunch in the park, but one was not open for visiting hours and it looked like it was about to rain again. We changed plans and went to the Trevi Fountain. When you throw a coin over your shoulder into the fountain, it assures that you will visit Rome again in the future, so of course we all had do to this!

This time we fortunately got inside before the rain started to pour, and we had another delicious dinner inside the convent. We then went out for some Gelato once again in order to meet the leader and one student of a group from Liberty, who will also be staying with us.

With love,

Kristin

We then ventured outside and ate our packed lunches at the Spanish Steps. The sun was beating down on our backs as we enjoyed a nice little lunch of sandwiches, oranges and cookies. Street vendors were constantly trying to sell us flowers and different toys. Many of the men seemed to be the same nationality of the men we served previously. It was an interesting experience knowing that these men had stories and families they loved and needed to support. It was difficult.

We then headed to the Forum and saw: Palatine Hill, a few different Archs and various columns. It was surreal to look out at the city and stand in the center, knowing how much history was in this place. It seemed unreal! I was able to learn a lot about the different structures and was absolutely fascinated by the story of Nero. I had no idea what a character he was or his passion for acting. (Along with some very inappropriate behavior)

We were then going to go to the Colosseum, but we were rained out. So, the men separated and told us to head to the next bus stop and we would find our way back. If only it had been that easy! Kayleigh, Kayla, Kristin, Ann, Brittany and I found ourselves running through the city of Italy trying to find the bus 60. We were covered in rain and only found relief in taking breaks under a tree and eating the teams supply of cherries. We decided we deserved it more than the boys. We finally, out of sheer luck, stumbled on the correct bus, and after a panicked run to catch it, we headed home.

After resting for a bit we went out to dinner at a nice little Italian restaurant. I come from an Italian family, so I have high standards for my Italian food. It was very good, but not anything like my moms. (She will appreciate that!) After talking about alligators, getting told no, and eating yummy gelato, we headed home. It is now very late and I am tired. Roma has been great thus far. 

With love,

Danyella Tonelli

After we finished serving the Afghan men, we had time to “roam” around Rome. We accidentally stumbled upon an amazing view of the ancient Roman forums with the Colosseum as the backdrop, which made for some amazing pictures. We had time to travel to the Pantheon, the oldest standing functional building in Rome. Tonight was also our first time experiencing real Italian gelato and although our waiters got a little frustrated with us, it was still delicious anyways.

With Love from Rome!

Brittany Stevenson

p.s. Hey Ab!

After Pompeii we traveled to Naples to eat pizza at the restaurant featured in the movie Eat Pray Love that has been called the “Best pizza in the world!” It was indeed wonderful! We have a full day ahead of us tomorrow when we will start our service work.

On a more personal note, today was my 20th birthday, and I can’t think of a better way to spend it than in Italy, my only wish is that my parents were here to experience it with me =]

Kayla Tonneas

On our way to our lodging, we passed several major landmarks including the Colosseum and the Circus Maximus. We only saw them from the van, so we are looking forward to returning later this week to really experience the sites.

After reaching Via Nomentana 333, our address for the next two weeks, we had a brief orientation and then walked together to an ATM and a grocery store. We returned and made our homemade lunch of pasta and salad. We plan to rest a little now and explore later this evening.

Thanks for your continued prayers!

Ann O. Lawson