• When they offer you something, whether it’s gum, drink, or food, take it- it’s rude not to
• If you tell of a talent you have- singing, cheerleading- and they ask for you to do the talent, you should. It’s insulting to them if you don’t
• Look them in the eye when speaking and even if you don’t know much of the language, still try.
• They believe that birthmarks are caused when we are in the womb and the mother eats a spicy food or drinks coffee- it burns us
• Rape isn’t really something that is existent because sex is just a part of life, almost encouraged
• Don’t rush. Sit back and enjoy life
• Every summer the girls go on diets (no matter how skinny) to lose weight for the guys
• When two people are married they will drive through the city honking their horns (you should wave to them) and they will take pictures at different places in the city- it’s an all day affair

• Getting locked in the bathroom. Scary but hilarious
• Getting full blown LOST in Rome on the last night with Emily
• Meeting Carlotta, Mila, Chiara, Fabio, Fe, Myliama, and Valleria
• Using the bathroom on the airplane. Something about that is just really cool (to me and several others)
• Throwing E.20 into the Trevii Fountain
• Jason getting onto me for being to quiet
• Charlie scaring me to death by grabbing my purse when i wasnt paying attention
• Playing Ninja in the Piazza
• Learning to wake board
• The strawberry cheesecake from Charlie on my birthday
• Yummy chocolate from Emily on my birthday
• Gilato and Gernada’s!!!!
• Walking the streets of Napoli at night with our Italian friends before we said goodbye

I am flying home after 10 amazing days in Italy. Most spent in Napoli. I grew to love the people and city with a sort of passion. There was one day when I realized how lost the people were. It broke my heart when that realization set in. I cried that night. I prayed for hours for the people of Napoli. They seem to be stuck on tradition. Their family is Catholic, so they are. Charlie’s team is the only team there. I know he is trying and doing an amazing job, but he needs help. They can be reached, this was proven this week. The people are hungry. I hope and pray that you send more to harvest the seeds planted and plant new ones. I pray that these people can come to know you. I know they could bring more people than imaginable to your kingdom. I pray that you watch over all of my Italians friends. I pray that Fabio and Fe will continue to talk to Jason like they said they want to. I really hope they will change and believe. I pray for my friends by name: Mila, Chiara, Fabio, Fe, Andrea, and Carlotta. I also want you to keep the shop owner’s I met with you: Myliama and Valleria. Watch over Charlie and Shannon, Emily and Jason, Paul, Courtney, and Grace. Please be over all of Italy and the new believers that we had. Help us to break down the language barrier there will be as we communicate with our Italian friends. Lord, once again, I just pray that you keep a hand over Italy, especially Napoli.

Amen

I’m sitting on the plane back to Chicago right now. I already miss Italy sooo much. It was such an amazing place. I think what I miss the most is the people. I also think that’s what I enjoyed the most. The people were so amazingly caring and friendly. Don’t get me wrong, Napoli was beautiful, but it was dirty and life is very hard for them. Jobs are scarce, they don’t have a hope to hold onto, living is expensive, and while I thought that would make them bitter, it doesn’t. They still love and care for each other ten times more than any of us in America. Imagine whata the people of Napoli could do if they believed in Christ. You could bet that they would tell everyone they encounter because they care. They truly care- that’s where our problem is. I can tell you all day long that I care but do I go out everyday and try to tell everyone that I know and meet? No, I don’t. Therefore I don’t care as much as I should. The people in Italy were amazing. I wish that I could be just like them and I hope that one day I will be. I believe this is one thing God wanted to show me. I think he wanted me to see how much love and care we as humans can have and make me realize that i’m not doing my part. On this trip, I  also became aware of how spoiled we as Americans are. In Napoli there asn’t any air conditioning. I honestly didn’t mind. After about the second day, though, I was used to it. In America, we get hot, sit down, and turn on an air conditioner or fan. In Italy, you just deal with it. There was a day when it was 105 degrees and we were out all day. All you can do is stay shaded, if possible, keep hydrated, and go for a swim. It’s not like that in America. We are also spoiled because of our showers. It’s almost guaranteed that we will have a warm shower- and our showers are usually very roomy. In Napoli, the showers are barely big enough for you to get in and there’s no guarantee of warm water. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and go. We as Americans are spoiled with plumbing. In Napoli we had toilets but most of the time, no toilet paper. This is why we carried around handy dandy tissue. Sometimes you didn’t even have a toilet seat. Other times you would have to pay to use the bathroom adn for the amount of toilet paper you needed- per sheet. To top it all off, some parts of the city had the sewage go in a pipe like thing and  everyday the sewage truck would come and empty it in a kind of like a port-a-potty. In America, we always have toilet seats, toilet paper, and we don’t have to pay to go to the bathroom. The Italians have a much harder life than us and they are ten times happier and more content. Another thing I learned it Italy was about the Mafia. A friend we made told us all about how they were a part of the police forces and were everywhere. He told us about how they expected the locals to do as they say and help them. One night, there was even a shooting not far from our hostel- they were responsible for it. We do not have to liveour lives in fear like they do. It just amazes me that these people can live in fear every day and still be soo  happy.

The Italians are a beautiful people. They are loving, caring, and just happy. I hope that through this experience I can find a way to really shine my light as far as my attitude goes. I need to be Italian in a sense of my attitude. This trip has put many feelings in my heart. Right now, I am crying because I miss it sooo much and I just left. I don’t know what this means. I do hope, pray, and believe that God will send me back one day. I just hope it’s soon. God has put a huge desire on my heart to talk and witness and make friends with the Italians.

Still have 10 hrs and 30 minutes left on this ride. Hopefully it won’t be as long though. My  mind is going 100mph right now, thinking about my friends and family, my Italian friends, God, and myself. There are so many thoughts going on right now that I can not even begin to write them all down. I really hope that I can come back.

Just finished a pretty good movie on the plane. It was called City of Ember. Still over the ocean right now. I looked over and there is a lot of floating white things- not boats, I don’t think, but i’m not really sure what they are. My seat on the way back to Chicago is 29H. It is an aisle seat. There is an older Italian man siting beside me. He and I have tried to make conversation but it isn’t really working. He only speaks Italian and I basically only know English. This proves a point about the Italians though. They are so kind and friendly that me and this man are still trying to communicate and it’s been over four hours.

So, we finally arrived at the Chicago airport and our flight is delayed because of weather. There is a pretty ferocious thunderstorm going on… We were supposed to arrive in Memphis at 11:00 pm but it is just now 11 and we are getting on the plane. Of course, however, they get us buckled in and the plane turned on and ready before telling us to get off because there are technical difficulties with our plane. When we got off most of us there, just cried as we called home. None of us wanted to go home just yet, but now that we are in the states, we want somewhere familiar. I called home only to find out that Shelby, Brittany, and Hunter are there with Mom, Dad, Katie, and Dustin. That just made me cry more- knowing they are all there for me and I’m not. We wound up not getting to a hotel until 3 this morning (it’s now June 14) and we had to get up at 7:00 am so that we can find a way home.

Soo, there are no flights out until tomorrow, so we are taking a bus- 6 hour ride to Dyersburg where Mr. Wes (Papa Pia) will drive me and Amber to Jackson. Bus ride was good. We watched movies, slept, and talked the whole way. It is nice to be back though.

We started our morning out with a double decker tour bus that took us around Rome. This took about an hour, but it was really cool. After the bus tour, I went with Jason and Emily’s group to tour Rome. We went first to the Mouth Of Truth. Here, you stick your hand in a statue’s mouth and say something. If you lie, it cuts your hand off. If you tell the truth, then you keep your hand. I am happy to say that I kept my hand. While it is only a superstition, it is amazing how many people will tell the truth just so you don’t have to risk losing your hand. We then went to the Pyramid- yes, there is a Pyramid in Italy. An Italian man of higher authority fell in love with an Egyptian princess. Because he believed in keeping traditions alive, he built her a white, marble pyramid in Italy. After she died, he also buried her. Of course it is not pure white anymore, but it was still amazing to see a Pyramid in Italy. Right across the street from the Pyramid is the gates of Rome. It was outside these gates that Peter was killed. We also went and saw the Colosseum. The Colosseum was absolutely amazing. I have never felt so small in my life as when I took a picture next to it. They had to go far back and then you could barely find me! They even had the guards standing out there- they were quite funny. We went by several different fountains- several which we could drink from. I have never had water that was so cold and good. I wish I could of brought a lifetime supply of it home with me. We also saw the place where Julius Ceaser was killed and buried. I saw the Pope’s house, no Pope though, while we were in Vatican City. It was cool there. The gates around have secret tunnels (not so secret if we know about them I don’t think) that go through the walls for the Pope to go through. We also went and saw the Spanish Steps and the Big Wedding Cake (I can not remember the actual name of the place. This is what tourists referred to it as though).  We also went to a mosseleum. I know it sounds extremely creepy but it was really cool. The ceilings and walls were decorated with real  bones. For lunch we went to McDonald’s. Now, for anyone who has heard to never eat at McDonald’s in foreign  countries. It’s a lie!!! I have never tasted a burger that good. The lettuce and tomato was even fresh. Only downside, you had to pay for ketchup. For dinner we ate at the Hard Rock Cafe. I had the Legendary 10 oz. which was really good. Our last stop for the night was the Trevi fountain. This was breathtaking. I even went to the bottom and stuck my hand in the water and I got a picture of me throwing a coin into the fountain and making a wish

It was a really good yet difficult night. We got to the Piazza and Fe was already waiting. Chiara got there soon after. I got to meet Carlotta, Fe’s sister. Carlotta talked to me about how they are moving in a month to a place on the southern tip of Italy. They are moving because life is so difficult in Naples. Se would never tell me how, but she constantly said it was difficult. Her and Chiara kept telling me how they would love to see me again and I must say that I would LOVE to come back and visit with them for a longer period of time. We had a really fun time tonight. Fe kept going around poking us and it would surprise us and cause us to shriek. He got the greatest laughs out of this. It was so hard when we got back to the Hostel and had to say our good-by’s . I did the “Italian Kiss” with Carlotta, Chiara, and Fabio. Fe gave me a super long bear hug. I am really going to miss them. I will keep in touch though.

Today has been crazy. We got up super early so that we could see where Paul landed and then go to Pompeii, but we got an unexpected surprise. This morning the train drivers went on strike and the trains were not running. Here’s the kicker though, we had already gone on one train to the second stop from our hostel. It was while we were waiting for the second train that we learned of the bus strike.. We couldn’t go and see where Paul landed because the train that goes there was gone and the other train that went to Pompeii would go up but there was no guarantee that it would come back down today. Therefore we walked down to a Piazza and waited for a plan. Charlie was really nice and was going to shuttle us in his van (would have taken hours) but he managed to find one train that was making one more stop and then strike. The stop was coincidentally at our hostel. We ran to the station and jumped on and headed back to the hostel. When we got back, Angie, Rachel, Allisa, Sarah Beth, and I went to see Fe. He explained the mafia to us. today, Fe gave us a really good laugh. He had Rachel teach him to cheer. He was amazed at the concept of a cheerleader because there is no such sport as cheer-leading in Italy. He was going to teach us to dance but we had to leave to catch the bus for Rome. It was really sad.

So, we made it to Rome and our hotel is really nice. Even has a bidet, which is a huge laugh for our entire group. We had an amazing dinner. It was a three- course Italian meal. The first coarse was lasagna and bread. The second, pork and some type of potato. The third, strawberry and lemon gilatto. It was absolutely amazing. It was a real deal Italian meal. The only other thing we did was go to the Auchan (Ocean) which is a gigantic super market. While there I bought candy, coffee, and pasta sauce with a little less olive (there are no olive-less pasta sauces). I also went and looked at the baby food- as Jason told me to. That was crazy. They had emu, chicken, horse, trout, salmon, tuna, cow, and rabbit flavored baby food. Crazy isn’t it! After that I got stuck in the elevator on the way up to my room. That was super scary. Apparently the power flickered. When it came back on it dropped a little bit and the doors opened. I took the stairs…

1) Bible Study- I have assigned Bible Studies that I am supposed to do. I am determined to keep up with them and really take my time. No more lolly-gagging around and only getting it half done. I am really going to study.

2) Blog- I will post something on my blog once a week and finally get this Italy picture album started and finished.

3) Friends- Spend more time with my friends before we all go our seperate ways.

4) Journal- I absolutely love to write. Therefore, I want to keep a journal of my everyday life. This will require me setting aside time daily to just write about my day

For now, this is all I have come up with. At the end of the year, I’ll let you know how I did.

I’m really sad because today is our last day in Naples. I love it here and will miss it but I am determined to make the best of today that I possibly can. I’m so glad and thankful that I have this opportunity. The food has been amazing. The pasta’s, croissants, and pizza’s are unbelievable. I could live on this food for the rest of my life.

This is our last morning of street ministry. We went to Cliche to talk to Valleria. Emily came with us and translated. I went back to see Myleiama. I may not have had the opportunity to talk to her a whole lot, but I enjoyed all the time I got to talk to her. I wish we could have had more time.

Several of us are quite discouraged because the phones are still down. Those are basically our main line of communication to others. Tonight will be our last night in the Piazza. I am really hoping that Mila will be there. I am officially packed and ready to go to Rome. I am really going to miss Naples.

I have a fairly large family. There are two people, however, whom stand out to me- my Mamaw Kate and my Papaw. My great- grandmother, Mamaw Kate (Katie McCreight), and grandfather, Papaw (Randy Ray Warren), are two important role models in my life and both are now deceased. I try, however, to constantly use the both as a reminder as to how to live my life like I should. My great- grandmother and my grandfather had many similarities to them.

Both my Mamaw Kate and my Papaw were family oriented. Mamaw Kate’s house was always full- especially on Sunday’s. Everybody would gather at Mamaw Kate’s house for a delicious home cooked meal which was always followed by loud and continuous bursts of laughter and conversation that could be heard all throughout the house and even outside. Papaw’s house was the same way. Throughout the summer on every holiday- Memorial Day, Labor Day, 4^th of July- the family would gather at Papaw’s house for swimming, his amazing meals, and the company of each other. The many meals we had at Papaw’s were his mouthwatering fish, juicy hamburgers, and sometimes pork loin. You never knew what to expect, but you knew it was always going to be good. Both Mamaw Kate and Papaw were family oriented and always kept a warm house.

I have never met anyone that could be as loving as my Mamaw Kate and my Papaw. Mamaw Kate was one of these people who were always ready to lend a helping hand, listen to what you had to say, and love you unconditionally. Papaw was the same way and he was well respected. Papaw was respected for many reasons- he was honest, hardworking, friendly, and loving. I have never met anybody that did not like my grandfather. Both my Mamaw Kate and Papaw would love anyone- no matter what they had done- and would always do what they could to help someone in need- no matter what situation he/she was in. A good thing about Mamaw Kate and Papaw being loving is they were also loved. Both Mamaw Kate and Papaw always put others first and would assist others with no complaints. Mamaw Kate and Papaw were also always there for a shoulder to cry on or just someone to talk to.

Both Mamaw Kate and Papaw were a fighters. Mamaw Kate fought cancer for quite some time and while she eventually lost the battle, I do not think I know any women as strong as I think my Mamaw Kate was. My Mamaw Kate had cancer which spread throughout her body- it was everywhere. It got to a point where my great- grandmother could not eat anything and eventually not drink anything. Through all the pain and trials my Mamaw Kate endured with cancer, she never gave up. Mamaw Kate always held her head high, believed strongly in her faith, and did not mourn over her situation. My Papaw was also a fighter due to many health problems- cancer, aneurisms, back problems, and blood clots were among the list. My Papaw never gave up, however. Until the day Papaw died, my grandfather kept busy and never quit just because he was not doing well. He pressed on. I respect both my Mamaw Kate and Papaw for the fights each endured through.

My Mamaw Kate and Papaw have set a sort of pathway for me. There are several similarities in Mamaw Kate and Papaw’s personalities which help me see how I want to live my life. By seeing how Mamaw Kate and Papaw’s lives played out, I know that I want to take their similarities and incorporate these into my life. I want to be family oriented, loving, always putting others first, and being a fighter. If Mamaw Kate and Papaw could do it, why can’t I?