Gotta love the Elliotts!!! :)

A couple weeks ago, after our Friday morning Bible study, Kanda and I went around Rome with the Elliott family (Kip & Tammy and their four kids). It was such a fun day! Being with children and families is something that I LOVE, and I know that I just come alive in a special way when I am around kids. As I have moved to Rome to serve Christ here in campus ministry, I really enjoy working with college students. However, kids definitely have a special place in my heart, so how SWEET of the Lord to provide me with such great kids to hang out with while I live in Rome!

Here are some photos from our adventures! :)

At a Kosher fast food restaurant in the Jewish Ghetto (neighborhood) of Rome: complete with Kosher hot dogs and Buffalo burgers! :)

Baby Rhett (almost 15 months) and his dad, Kip! :)

Tammy, Rhett, and Lily (6) :)

Ethan (8) and I, being silly with our yummy food! :)

Lily-- the walrus with French fry tusks! haha :)

Ethan, Kip, and Jackson (10) chow down! :)

What a sweet friend!

Heading over to La Dolceroma: a delicious bakery and gelato place!

Ethan & Lily with the giant cone!

A street to remember the Roman victims of the Holocaust. (October 16, 1943 was when Rome's Jews were surrounded by the SS).

Jackson, Ethan, and Lily explore the ruins around the Teatro di Marcello.

Kanda and I enjoying the beautiful day!

Lily and some chamomile flowers :)

Buona Pasqua, tutti!
(Happy Easter, everyone!) :)

I pray your Easter was lovely. Everyone in Rome spent Easter Sunday at Amy's apartment-- she cooked beautiful food, decorated with beautiful eggs, flowers, and other lovely things, and gathered together beautiful people to talk about the MOST beautiful news in history------ Christ, dying for the sins of every person who has ever/will ever live--- and rising from the dead--- to claim victory over death, sin, destruction-- and allowing US to claim that victory, too, as we choose to receive Him as Savior, Lord, and Redeemer!!!!!!! What a beautiful, beautiful story. I pray I never tire of listening to, or telling that story--- for it has changed my life, and continues to, on a daily basis. Praise Jesus--- He is risen!!!!!!

Here are Amy's beautiful eggs she dyed! (They look deeper even than the "normal" pastel colors because she started out with *brown* eggs... cause that is what the grocery stores normally only have!) Cool, huh? :)

Speaking of color, everybody really got a kick out of using the Color Select feature on my camera (a Canon PowerShot-- I highly recommend it! :)... so I decided to include one of myself in my blue Easter dress! :)

Jenny and I, celebrating the joy of Easter--- Christ is Risen!! :)

Getting everybody on our STINT team together for a picture-- always hard when everyone is so FUN! :)

There we go! What beautiful friends. :)

Ostia Antica & the beach :)

On Tuesday, April 7th, I went with some friends to Ostia Antica (read more about the ancient port city of Rome here).

It is a beautiful city, even though it is now in ruins.

I love bees! :) I think the Lord uses them in my life to help me remember to stay busy and be a good steward of my time/energy! (even though I sadly don't always do that).

Then, after walking around the ancient city, we went to the beach that is nearby. (Ostia is right on the Tyrrhenian Sea-- the sea right West of Rome).

Above, Chris, and below, Jimmy, play some Frisbee @ the beach.

April and Amy, enjoying a warm blanket and curling up with the Word of God-- to be refreshed and restored! :)