The Colosseum & Bumping My Head

Two updates:
1) Recently some friends and I went on a night tour of the Colosseum. Our tour guide (in English) was Ilaria-- a sweet girl who is actually an archaeologist. We had a lot of fun experiencing the Colosseo at night; it is usually not open at night, so we got to have a really sweet experience that only happens once a year. This time was especially sweet for me because I did not go into the Colosseum at all last year, so it was fun for me to go. Why not-- I live in Rome!? :)

Also, before the Colosseum night-time experience, we got dinner with several people-- including my best friend in Italy, Alessandra (and her boyfriend, Justin, too-- he's Canadian). Below is a picture of me, Alessandra, and one of my roommates, Courtney (who met Alessandra even before I did, on a summer mission trip to Rome in the Summer of 2008- right before I got here).


2) Also recently, we have been settling into our apartment (where 6 women live now!-- Mamma Mia!) :)... and when we were re-arranging our living room furniture, I bent down to move a lamp, stood up, and crashed my head up against a marble shelf that sticks out from one of our living room walls. As one of my roommates said, "When you put Marble vs. Head, the marble wins." :( Ohhhh my goodness it hurt SO BADLY! I sobbed for about a half hour in my bed and iced my head-- and felt like a little girl! However, I learned a lot about what to do for head injuries, as I tried to be an adult and take care of myself. I researched at the Mayo Clinic's online website and read a great article by a nerosurgeon. Click HERE to check it out: it's short, sweet, and very informative!

Above: the marble shelf of DOOM in our living room: that corner is where I cracked my head! Ouch!

Thanks for reading about my life in Rome... I'd LOVE to know about what is happening in your neck of the woods! Email me and let me know if you would like!--- I'd love to hear!

MONDAY!

Hey everybody--
I fly out on Monday, September 14th to ROME for a 2nd year of life and ministry there.

Would you please join me in PRAYING for me and my wonderful teammates:

• that we could say "see ya later" well to family and friends
• that as we pack, that we would do that that *efficiently* and *quickly* and that we would NOT forget anything!
  
• that we each would spend SWEET time sitting at the feet of Jesus each day
• that we could REST well on the flight over? (sometimes I don't sleep well on long overseas flights... and I really would like to, to help me combat jet-lag!)
• PRAISE THE LORD that I am personally *finished* raising financial support! BUT- Please pray for my team, as a whole, that we would FINISH RAISING FINANCIAL SUPPORT so that we could all meet our financial support goal, set for us by our wonderful Sending Team at the Regional Office in Indianapolis

THANK YOU for being in this with me.
I LOVE being on a team with you.
Please email me if I can be praying in a specific way for you in this season of life!

From August 29th--- some of my teammates from last year in Rome at our teammate Sam Leopold's wedding in Knoxville, TN. :)

This is the 2009-2010 team of interns that will be doing life and ministry in Rome, Italy. In this picture, we were hanging out at my teammate Jimmy's house in Vail, Colorado, when we were out West for a big conference with other intern missionaries just like us, who are all going to live life in another country next year. From left to right in the back: Brian, Jimmy, Jenny, Rebecca.. and then I kind of start the front row-- and from R to L it's me, Courtney, and Lauren. :)