December 2010

At the end of November Josh's parents came to visit, stayed for 13 days, took care of our kids while we left for a vacation. When we came back we celebrated together an early Christmas. In fact in the pictures below you can see our half decorated tree :)

The kids had lots of fun with grandma and grandpa, they played at the playground, baked cookies, went shopping, took walks, watched movies...ate cookies with cool-whip...:)

grandma and grandpa with Hannah and Benedetta

After Josh's parents left, we had only few days to pack again and go to Naples where we had an appointment at the American Consulate concerning my Visa. We stayed at my uncle's house, had two very long days but at least two positive good things that came out of it were lunch at Ikea and that we finally got a permanent resident visa for me. So now I won't have anymore problems with going back and forth to the States.

Coming back we were approaching the Christmas season and in Italy in the schools it's time for school plays...

Hannah had hers first and she was one of the servants of king Herod. I was impressed with the costumes for the play...Hannah was just a servant so I had an easy time just borrowing a dress (an angel costume from a friend!!) It was a nice play, one of the best I have seen in the last few years.

At the end of the play the mom in charge of presents for the kids asked Josh to dress up as Santa Clause and he accepted. It was a fun time also because the outfit wasn't made to fit Josh!!! That same day we were able to give our own present to the teachers: a calendar with a daily verse and message and some cookies that we had been backing.

This is a picture of Hannah with the main teacher (on the left) and the religion teacher(on the right).When we started the school year last year we had opted for not taking religion class. But then Hannah had to sit in class for two hours and draw pictures quietly. We felt so bad for her. She didn't want to leave the class because she had just found a group she enjoyed being with after the move and didn't want to try to get out and be with another group of kids that she didn't know. She also felt like her friends didn't think she loved Jesus( maybe they had told her something about it) so she felt the need to bring to school her kids Bible to demonstrate that she knew Jesus and loved Him!!! We ended up talking to the teacher, explaining our faith and putting her in the class, she was soooo happy and we have been blessed by the decision and it has been a good time to respond and reflect on diversity of faith and what the Bible says with our own daughter.

Hannah in her play singing and dancing

The servant near the king Herod

The day after Hannah's play we had a big outreach in church: a Christmas dinner. We had lots of people there, the believers helped with the food and decorations. The evening started with the white elephant game and then we moved on the dinner.

This is the youngest baby in our church: Andrea. His dad got saved last year and now he and his wife come to church regularly. She is not saved yet but we can see progress in her life.

Jaqueline and Orlando

This is a couple from Brazil, they were already believers. Orlando plays soccer on the cites professional team and we are blessed by having him attending our church. Pray for their growth.

More faces from the dinner. The guy with the tie is Johnny, one of our coworkers. Here he is at a table with some of the people attending church as members and some that come just here and there to discover the truth.

Francesco e Sara

Francesco got saved last here and Sara comes to church every now and then.

Pam (on the far right) and her unbelieving family

This was our table at the dinner. We had invited some parents of Hannah's classmates. We have been trying to reach in these families with the Gospel in the last few months.

At the dinner Josh and I sang a song: While you were sleeping of the Casting Crowns translated by some friends of ours near Perugia.

Marco, our coworker, shared the Gospel using a kids' story

Benedetta had her play also. It was something a little more simple than what Hannah did, but she enjoyed it and we loved to see her on stage.

reciting a poem on the microphone

Benedetta and her friend Giulia

This is the nativity scene that the city hall put together in the main square of town. My family was here for Christmas so one night Josh, myself my dad and Benedetta went down town to look at not only the nativity but also at the Christmas bon fire...it was very windy that night so they started the fire but put it out right away.

A photo shoot of us and my family on Sunday morning. My dad came to church and this is a blessing! We had a good time and ate a lot and made many things from my hometown that I cannot find here in Sicily.

Wishing you all a happy New Year

Carmela for the fam

Autumn with the Daugereaus

October was a very busy month. We travelled all the way to Sant'Agata sul Santerno, near Ravenna (northern Italy), left our kids and drove down to Chianciano for the annual Focus Conference. We spent 5 days there and were blessed with the teaching, helping out with practical work at the conference and with fellowship. Then we had to drive back to my sister's house and stayed there for two days. We enjoyed spending time with family but mostly we were excited to see Carlo, our brother in law being baptized. It was a good testimony for everybody there.

When we came back Josh attended a week at the Academy finishing a class he had started 3 years ago.

On the 31st of October we hosted a Bible Character Party. We didn't have many kids but were able to have Bible story, memorize Scripture and sing songs. Obviously the kids dressed up and we all had fun!!! There were two friends of Hannah and Benedetta and then a family came that attends church. He is a believer but she is not. Vanessa (the mother our girls' friends) was excited at the way we teach Bible stories, she said "wow that's why kids don't complain about coming to church!!!"

Last week, Valentina, an english student, has asked to start a Bible study and that is awesome!!! We will probably start next week. Pray that God can do a mighty work in her heart and her family.

We have started an english class with the kids from Hannah's class so please pray that we can get more opportunities to share the Gospel with their parents.

A wonderful news....

As many of you already know from my facebook page, we have a wonderful news: we are expecting a baby. Our due date is April 24 and right now I am midway trough my third month. We had a hard beginning in fact two days after finding out that we were going to have a baby, my sister lost hers, so our good news was embraced by sadness and sorrow. It took us a few weeks before we were able to tell her about our baby. Hannah was very shocked by the news that my sister had lost her baby. With the pediatrician we think that this was her first time really facing the meaning of death and the fear of loosing a cared one would wake her up many times at night crying and showing insecurity. We are so thankful to the Lord 'cause it seems those bad dreams or insicurity have passed after many talks and hugs and cuddles!

In August I took a class at the Academy on Old Testament Survey, it was very good to be back at school and see that I am not too old to learn yet:P For that week Josh stayed at home and took care of the girls still trying to do his job.

He also took a class at the Academy.

In August we had the opportunity to see Valentina ( one of our English student) and she came up to the Academy one day during devotion time. She is impacted by the way we live our christian life, so different from the catholic way of the law! We have offered her to have a Bible study so that we can see what we believe in the prospective of what the Bible teaches...please pray that she would be willing to read the Bible together and that the Lord can work in her heart.

This past week we had a team of 16 from the USA. They came to help us with some phisical work at the Academy and evangelism. It was such a blessing to have them, my girls enjoyed some american speaking around them (there were some older kids too) and their English kind of came back! They transformed the center working more on the layout and then did some distribution in the streets of Acireale. They were ready to do more mime and open air programmes but the weather wasn't good. The first Sunday they were here we organized an outreach picnic with the church and they performed a mime, and gave some testimonies. we had a good group of non believers that were able to hear the Gospel presentation. Praise God.

We are almost back to our normal routine, school started and slowly other activities are starting too.

Today Josh went to the hospital for a few days to do a sleep test, Hannah is wearing a soft cast, so please pray that God would give me strength for this week because right now I feel overwhelmed with all that is waiting in front of me this week. We will also be getting things ready to leave next Sunday after church for the Focus Conference( the one that our mission organizes for italian elders) and then spent a few days with my youngest sister. Her husband will get baptize the next week end. If you remember Carlo, our brother in law, after a few weeks from the marriage came to visit us in Sacile with my sister. While they were there on Sunday, they asked Josh to have a Bible study with them because they weren't able to come to church in the morning. So that afternoon after the Bible study Carlo gave his life to Christ and since then he has been walking faithfully in his christian walk, he has found a church to fit in to and is involved in it. And now two years and few months later he is going to be baptize. It will be awesome to be there and share that joy with them.

July Fun

Midway through July we left for our vacation...we went to see my family on the south east coast of Italy. One of the very first days our family wanted to go with us on a trip to Vieste a wonderful town on the Ocean with white cliffs and beautiful see. We were really tired because we had arrived the day before but enjoyed spending time with family. My uncle's family was there too and we had fun swimming and playing together.

A view of Vieste's cliff

This year because of the Soccer World's Cup Benedetta and Hannah got into the Waka Waka song that was the official song for the games. So in this picture Benedetta is showing everybody how to dance it!!!

On the way back from the Ocean we went to the woods nearby and had a picnic there. We were going to grill there but because of many fires happening in the area they were not allowing anyone to grill anymore so it was a good thing we didn't bring just meat but also sandwiches otherways we would have been starving!!

My dad and Josh

On the way back we passed by a natural area where they have lots of deer so Benedetta and Hannah were able to feed them with grandma (who showed them how to). I have to say that Benedetta was braver than Hannah in this!

While down in Puglia (the region where I used to live) we went to see an amusement park. It was a small one but big enough for our kids to enjoy the day and have lots of fun. Hannah was brave in going on rides where even momma didn't want to go. Benedetta was too small in hight for most of the fun rides so she got to spend time with mommy on the carousel and many other little kids rides!!!! She kept saying to Josh, "can we see if I am too small again?"

We didn't know they were gonna have this funny game with water so they had to play in their underware for lack of bathing suit. We could't pass it up being that it was such a hot day.

Our precious Hannah becoming older...

Benedetta in "it's all about me" pose!!!

We found caramelized apples and we couldn't pass it up either. For some, it was the second time trying but for most of us the first. As you can see Benedetta loved it even if Josh let us know that it was not a real one because it wasn't real caramel...:) well it was good and that is what counts right????

We really had a good time in the two weeks spent with my family. We were able to rest, visit and have fun at the same time.

Now we are back home in Sicily and we have already started our routine back again. There is a class up at the Academy on Pastoral Counseling that Josh is attending than next week I will take the class on the Old testament.

Thank for everything and especially your prayers.

Proud parents

July 3rd was a special day. Our two wonderful girls dressed up with tutus and had their recital in the downtown main square of Acireale. They enjoyed posing especially Benedetta and did beyond our expectations. We are proud parents and came home with a smile.

May and June

The past month was the last month of school and so we were busy with recitals of all kinds and it was for us a good opportunity to meet with parents of Hannah's friends and get to know them better. We have to say that for being new in the area we have made ourselves known and we are having opportunities to establish friendships with some of them. Mostly all of them know of our faith and people have watched us and now they are not scared of our diversity. After spending time even just sitting at a birthday party waiting for the kids to be done, I personally was able to talk with some moms and I was very encouraged when the other day a mom told me that next time she comes over to my house she wants to know more of my faith. Another mom told me that we look like the MULINO BIANCO family... that will be like saying we are like The Little House on the Prairie family... we know people are watching us and examining us so pray that we can witness first with our life to the point that they are going to want to know more about what makes our lives different from theirs.

In the pictures below you can see two dads with their kids that Josh is getting to know closely. They play soccer together, we have had dinners together. At times it is hard because our focus is to bring the gospel to non-believers but the fear is that you never know what kind of people are going to come into your home (will they have clean or dirty language around your kids). It is physiologically challenging because you want them to be comfortable and enjoy being together yet you know that they are examining you up and down trying to figure you out at the same time! But God is good. So pray for strength that is needed often, both physical and mental. We are blessed by seeing these people wanting to spend time with us and calling us good people, pray that we can see changed life in them!

Please pray also for Valentina, one of our English students, she is very open to the Gospel and wants to know more. She wants to some to church but is very busy with work and study.

Pray also for Maria Pia.

The last day of Hannah's school was a game day with one of your parents, Hannah chose Josh ( she said because he plays soccer and he would make her win!!!) and he had to sing the Italian national himn!!! It was funny and I had to put the picture up!

Our little girl had also another sport day, she had to do some games and at the end got a medal with her friends.

In May we enjoyed the visit of my sister and brother-in-law, we spent almost a week together and we went up on Mount Etna but it was soooo cold! When we left Acireale it was a decently warm day but when we got to the top we were freezing! It seemed it was snowing but had a lot of fun! Carlo got saved 2 years ago while visiting us in Sacile and this coming October he is going to be baptized. We are so proud of him and hopefully we will be able to be up in northern Italy when he gets baptized.

This is a video of Benedetta dancing in the city square. Valentina's dad played and sang in the square that day and he really wanted us to go see him. He came to church one day while we were having class with Valentina and told Josh that he had been under a christian evangelical tent many years ago and he still remembered a song. He and josh spent time playing the guitar and singing christian songs.

Cannot help but putting video up of my little dancer...she has an innate talent!!!!

Keep us in your prayer for health, a few weeks ago Josh almost passed out in church we think it was a consequence of some medications he was taking but I also noticed that we are not really adjusted to the weather. Also now is the hot season here in Sicily and he can get really hot and energy zapping!