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. :)

5 August 2009

Hey y'all. It's been a while! Hoping each & every one of you are enjoying your summers.

My summer has consisted of:

• My Grandpa Manken getting chosen as Grand Marshal of the Van Wert Peony Festival. My sister and I got to ride with him in a horse-drawn carriage down Washington St. in Van Wert during the Saturday Parade. It was my first time in a carriage!! :) I will never forget this day and how extremely proud Grandpa was.
• Driving around Ohio/Indiana. MAN I missed having a car overseas! I LOVE driving with the windows down, radio up, watching corn fields fly by and seeing the scenery of flat, flat, FLAT northwest Ohio.
• Eating absolutely fantastic Mexican food at restaurants with legit, authentic cooks. :)
• Going to gigunda-American-consumer places like Wal-Mart, Target, and the mall for the first time in a year. Totally mind-blowing!! but-- I love it how you can get so many things in ONE place. That's neat!
• Enjoying late-night grocery store options. In bella Roma, we have to get our groceries before the store closes at 8pm. In America... you can go whenever you want! Late night grocery shopping is great, and SO needed sometimes!
• Living up the high-life with wonderful American treats like: A smoothie maker/blender thing; Air conditioning; a clothes dryer; salad dressing; corn dogs; and getting to be with my family & friends!!! :) :) :)
• Learning how to make rhubarb pie and pickled beets at Grandpa Manken's house. :)
• Taking care of my sweet Grandma Zuber as she battled cancer & chemotherapy all summer... and eventually lost her fight on July 27th. :(
• Celebrated my good friend Kelly as she got married to her wonderful fiancee, now husband--- Kyle!-- on August 1st!
• Connecting with ministry partners. I made a scrapbook with ministry highlights from last year in Rome, and it's been a blast to sit down with individuals, couples, and families to share nuggets of what the Lord taught me and how I saw Italians' lives changed in the last year. I love being on a team and really enjoy connecting with teammates!
• Annnndddd, to connect with above... I have been re-raising all of my financial support in order to return to Rome for a 2nd year of life and ministry. Visit this website to read more about my heart for Rome, and for a chance to financially support my ministry if you feel led to do so.

What have YOU been doing this summer? Email me! I would LOVE to know! :)