Last Sunday was a treat. I got to meet with the guy who started Gospel Fellowship.
This is from earlier in the semester.
This is about how many we have every Sunday.
The current pastor and his wife are squatting on the front left.
But anyway…the man who started the church Stuart is from California and currently resides in Portugal. He came to Florence about 6 years ago I think with a team of people to start an international church here. They stayed here for two years, spent hundreds of euros and were finally denied their visas by the Italian government and had to leave. They left the church in the hands of Maurizio who is still in charge of it.
But he works with an organization that sends people out to various major cities in western europe to plant international churches. Check it out
I also went to Assisi again this past week and took loads of pictures. I was taking some pictures of the whole city at the train station before I took a bus up and I met the nicest old man. I took a picture of him too but it is on my film camera (don’t worry I knew I could handle myself cause I was taller, younger, faster, and stronger than him!) I think his name is Fede or something. But I am supposed to find him when I go back to Assisi.
He started out trying to figure out what I was taking a picture of (I was taking a picture through an opening in a fence covered by vines). So I try to tell him I’m a student from America because that is about all the Italian I know. So he is like “Wait here. I finish my walk and come back and take you to Assisi” (the town itself is about a 3 minute bus ride from the train station). So in the car, I am trying to talk in extremely broken Italian and then he busts out perfect English. Mama mia…I hate it when locals pretend they don’t speak English! They did that a lot in Honduras. They just wait until after you struggle for a few minutes and then start speaking English.
He works at one of the church museums. It was closed to the public but he took me and showed me around. I got to see a lot of stuff that is never open to the public so it was pretty awesome. He also took me to the top afterward so that I would only have to walk downhill rather than uphill.
It’s always the Italians outside of Florence that renew my faith in them.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I will probably be spending the whole day in the darkroom printing thankful for Henry William Fox Talbot for inventing the calotype aka the negative process.
Top 10 Things I’m Thankful for in Italy:
1) My photography classes with the exception of Travel Photojournalism. I am learning so much and I actually feel like a legit photographer now.
2) Trains! I love the trains here. They are cheap and easy to use. I love taking trains even though I’ve only taken a few for money reasons.
3) 1 and 2 Euro coins. They have a coin for 1 euro and then 2 euros. I love having those instead of bills although I feel like I’m spending less than I actually am because my mind is telling me I’m using quarters or something.
4) Calendars starting with Monday. It makes so much more sense and is easier to write stuff out cause most plans take place Friday through Saturday or Sunday. On these, you can draw one line and it just looks better.
5) Pashmina they are kind of like scarves but way more awesome!!!
6) NUTELLA!!!!! It always tastes so much better in another country.
7) Pizza Ahhh best ever LOVE it
8) Window displays. The mannequins actually look like real people with wigs and everything and are decked out. It is so cool!
9) Outdoor cafes. Even though I haven’t eaten at many since it is cheaper to eat at home, they are really nice (when it’s warm) and they are everywhere.
10) Muller’s yogurt. Ohh my gosh it is so much better than yoplait. It’s a German brand.