Last Days in Rome...

I am back on U.S. soil now and it feels good to be back in my own country. Rome was excellent, and great, but it wasn't home. Atlanta isn't exactly home either, but it's closer to home :).

Before the memories fade, I wanted to write about my last days in Rome. 

4.21.12

We sorted all our display mounts and supplies and got them all ready to pack.

4.22.12

L and M went to an Anglican Church service that was really neat and liturgical. I was going to go, but when Sunday morning came, I just wasn't up for it. I ended up staying in the hotel for the morning and catching up on some much needed rest. I went out mid-morning and did some gift shopping and then sat in a semi-quiet piazza (which is really any kind of public area or park). In the piazza, I wrote in my journal and observed the world around me for over an hour. It was really relaxing, and sweet fellowship with the Lord. Sometimes, I think I just need some solitude. 

children chasing pigeons in the piazza

  4.23.12

Monday morning... we packed up all of our display mounts and supplies, made packing lists for the supply crates and were done by mid-morning. Our work in Rome was officially finished! We had lunch and went back to the hotel and went our separate ways. I did some research to plan my last day in Rome.

4.24.12

L and M went to Florence Italy, and from what I hear they had a great time! I opted to stay in Rome and see what I could see... I think I walked nearly the whole city of Rome! I should find a map and post it...

the views from the top of this hill were amazing!

I started with a hike up a hill to see a statue of Garibaldi, a war hero for Rome, I got lost a little bit on my way down the other side of the hill, but I eventually made it to the Synagogue in the Jewish Ghetto, and then back to Piazza Navonna. Did you know that Piazza Navonna was built over an old Roman race track? It is, and that's how it got its oval shape. *[Please note, just as an aside, I am not an authority on the history of the sites of Rome, what I have absorbed is through skimming online descriptions and my limited understanding of the Italian language. I could quite possibly be incorrect in some of this...]

I went back to the Pantheon. I had gone to the Pantheon my second day in Rome and wasn't really that impressed with it. However, in the course of my research, so many sources were excited about the Pantheon, and I discovered that it is contemporary with the Colosseum, yet still standing intact. Not only that, but this once pagan temple now church building has been in constant use for 2,000 years! It still looks like it did when it was built. That is pretty amazing!

From the Pantheon, I made my way to the Capuchin Crypt. This was a really unique site. I was not allowed to take pictures, but I will try to find some online to share. The Crypt is in a Church where the soil on which the church was built, was imported from Jerusalem making it a coveted burial spot for many monks who were never able to make it to the Holy City in life. There are over 4,000 monks buried in this crypt, but there was not enough room for so many. After a while, the bones of earlier graves were exhumed and used to adorn the 5 chapels of the church. Creepy? I thought it might be, but it was oddly beautiful and very reverently done.  

From the Crypt, I made my way through the Four Fountains to the Republic of Rome. I also went through a church near by where there was a calendar in the floor by Galileo Galilei. There was a gold band on the floor with numbers and symbols, and signs of the zodiac. In the ceiling, there was a hole where light would shine down on certain spots on the calendar. 

I was also excited to see Le Grand Hotel which was nearby. This is my own little delight because it is a place that was mentioned in a fiction series that I really enjoy. Turns out the author didn't make up things, but actually wrote about real places!

I met up with the guys on our team who finished sealing all the set containers. Congrats to them! We met at the Termini train station and made our way to the Mediterranean Sea! The water was COLD!

We came back and walked up Aventine Hill to see the gate to the Knights of Malta (actually the 3rd country in Rome, the others being the Vatican, and of course, Italy). The gate at the Knights of Malta has a keyhole that when you look through it, you can see St. Peter's Basilica! My picture didn't turn out where you can see the Basilica, but I could see it with my own eyes.

We meandered down the hill through beautiful orange groves and even more basilicas. We walked across the Circus Maximus (I think that's what it is called) where they used to hold chariot races.

We ate dinner in the Jewish Ghetto, and walked back to the hotel via Campo di Fiore. 

All in all, it was a pretty amazing day! I was exhausted, but it was so worth it!

4.25.12

Boarded the plane at what would be 1:45am Oklahoma time. It was a good flight, and I actually slept for about 2 hours. It was great since I have never before really been able to sleep on flights. Somehow I woke up on my stomach in the plane seat, not sure how that happened. After clearing Passport control, customs, and security, I finally made my way to the MARTA which is Atlanta’s subway system and took the train to northern Atlanta. The station is within a block or two from the hotel, and after walking around Rome, it wasn't a long walk at all :). L joined me a little later. She had stayed at the airport to make sure our crates cleared customs, and were secured at our work space here in ATL. We walked to the nearby Mall and did some window shopping and had Chick-fil-a and Starbucks (for chai tea), two restaurants we never found in Rome :).

Tomorrow we will work at our exhibit here. I'm about ready for bed, but I wanted to post this before life in the States got busy enough to cause my Roman memories to fade.

I also want to say... God is so good! There was one night I could not sleep... I had been praying and talking with the Lord about some issues. I had a really great Skype conversation with my Mom, and then I began reading my Bible. I didn't mean to, but I ended up in the book of Romans and it was like God was speaking directly to me! He spoke to the specific issue I had been wrestling with. He is so good and so faithful! Even in the "small" things... He cares! 

Songs in my head tonight... "Rejoice" by Allison Speer, "The Potter Knows the Clay" by the Perry's, and "Hallelujah" by Bethany Dillon.

When in Rome...

The last week has been so full it is really quite difficult to put into words.

4.12.12

                L and I drove to Atlanta from OKC. Long drive? Yes. I think it was about 15 hours… It was also L’s birthday! We had fun listening to music and talking… Why were we driving? That’s a very good question. We were transporting some large/awkwardly shaped things from our OKC headquarters to our exhibit in Atlanta. Some of the things we just didn’t want to take on the plane…

4.13.12

                We did some work at our ATL location and then caught our flight to Rome! It was a LONG flight (at least for me, I think it was the longest I’ve been on at about 10 hours). Now, I don’t sleep on planes. I try, but I end up concentrating so hard on trying to fall asleep, that sleep never comes. So I had fun watching a movie about Shakespeare, and practicing Italian, and of course… trying to go to sleep.

4.14.12

                Somewhere along the way there was a time change of 7 hours (from OKC, 6 from ATL). We landed in Rome around 7am. Our driver from the airport to the hotel was Russian! (There is actually a LOT of Russian here!) L and I settled in a little bit and then met around 11ish to go see the exhibit, Verbum Domini.  From there we went sight-seeing… we toured the Vatican Museum where they had many amazing things on display! If I can figure out how to post pictures, I will… Some of the highlights of the museum for me were: Capella Sistina (Sistine Chapel), Mummies, Lots of sculptures, Rafael’s paintings, including one which was the cover of my high school textbookJ. After the Museum, we went into St. Peter’s Basilica. One word, WOW. We had dinner at a Chinese place that had amazing Tiramisu! (How’s that for random?)

Mummy

Rafael's Painting

4.15.12

                M joined us on the evening of the 14. The three of us went to church at Rome Baptist Church on Sunday morning. It was really neat. A multicultural English service. The pastor even graduated from OBU! Go Bison! J After church we went sight-seeing. We split up for a little bit and I went to the Colosseum. I got a tour that took me into the basement, and up to the 3^rd floor! It was really neat! When we joined up again, we went to the Trevi fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, and then met up with the rest of our team at a Restaurant on the Tiber River. Did I mention we walk EVERYWHERE in Rome? In fact, I have not been in a transportation vehicle (other than an elevator) since our Russian driver picked us up from the Airport. My feet are sore and swollen, but it’s so worth it!

Colosseum

4.16.12

                The work begins! We began un-installing the exhibit, and honestly the day, and the next few are a blur. We made great progress! The exhibit is in the Braccio di Carla Magno, which is on a constant incline which makes things interesting sometimesJ. Oh, this day was also the Pope’s Birthday!

The Pope had his Audience in the Square and this was the view from the Braccio

4.17-18.12

                The work and progress continue. Flexibility is the name of the game. Rome and the Vatican have different holidays and different rules. For example, on the Pope’s birthday we were given a 20min notice that we needed to leave. Then we ended up being able to stay another 4 hours. On Wed, we were not supposed to be able to come in until after noon, and were able to come in at 8am. Then Thursday, we were not allowed in at all because it was a Vatican holiday (the 7 year anniversary of the Pope’s appointment to office).

4.19.12

                Since we were not able to work at the exhibit, we went…. You guessed it, sight-seeing! M, L, and I went to a really neat place called Basilica San Clemento. It was an amazing piece of history! The top layer (ground floor) was an 11^th century Basilica with beautiful paintings and ornate tile floors. The second layer (one level down) was a 4^th century church. I think it was orthodox because there was at least one mosaic with Russian writing on it! It was from the Byzantium time I think… not really sure because most of the descriptions were in Italian. Anyway, I thought the writing might have been Greek, because Russian and Greek share a lot of letters, but L took Greek and said it wasn’t quite right…regardless, it was cool! The 3^rd layer (2 levels down) was a 1^st century alleyway, with a school, a temple to a Roman god, and a house that had been converted to a church!!! A 1^st century house church! That would be like some of the first Christians! I couldn’t help but think of Paul’s letter to the church in Rome. It was really amazing! After Basilica San Clemento, we had lunch and then went our separate ways. I climbed the 321 steps to the top of the Cupola of St. Peter’s Basilica. I could have walked up 500+ steps, but I opted to pay the additional 2 Euro and take the elevator as high as it wentJ. The view was amazing though, and even though I did get pictures, they do not do it justice! In the evening, we had an appreciation dinner with all the individuals and entities involved in the collaborative efforts of the exhibit. It was a really special time.

View from the Cuopola

4.20.12

                Today! We sealed all the item crates today! Now we have only to pack the display mounts and supplies. (By "we" I mean L, M, and myself, we have others on our team that are taking down and packing all the sets for the rooms. They have a little bit more to do).All in all, we are making GREAT progress, and are all planning to take Sunday off to rest. We need to be completely done by Tuesday evening. We fly back to ATL on Wednesday, where M, L, and I will work for 4 days at our exhibit there.

M and L at dinner tonight :)

So far, it’s been a great trip!

I really do appreciate your prayers, and God is answering!

I had really hoped to have some profound reflections to share or some significant insight… but I don’t. At least, not yet formed into words. There is so much to process… I am praying for God to teach me on this trip, but I’m beginning to wonder if the lessons will be in hindsight. It’s odd; I don’t “feel” God’s presence like I have in the recent past. I KNOW He is there and very present! I KNOW He is working and answering prayer… but I just feel like we are distant. I don’t understand it, and have been praying for understanding and closeness with Him. It’s almost like I’m self-sufficient and am not reaching out to Him, yet at the same time, I WANT HIM! Bizarre, and I don’t like it. I don’t want to be self-sufficient. I don’t want to think I can do things on my own… life is so much better when I walk in step with Him, and in constant fellowship and dependence on Him…  I’m going to be more intentional about seeking His face, and making time to read and study even through the exhaustion….

Anyway, that’s about it for now J it’s a quarter past 10pm, so I’m going to get started on that Bible Study and go to bed. I’m excited to Skype my whole family in the morning! Well, it will be 6:30 am for me, and 11:30pm for them…

Ciao!

Stand Firm

"I know I shall see in His beauty, the King in whose law I delight, Who lovingly guards every footstep, and gives me a song in the night..."

The last two weeks or so have been a series of challenges for me. Not so much circumstances, as just a battle of thoughts. Like a plane charging down the runway, but unable to get enough lift to take off, I would go through each day mostly down with little bursts of flight/joy. It was baffling.

Last week, I went on a trip to Gatlinburg, TN. The trip was work related, and it was a good trip, but one with a lot of personal lessons. On the flight out, I was extremely anxious. Now, this is not normal for me... I LOVE to travel, and I really do enjoy flying, so for me to be anxious or nervous is out of character. Regardless, there I was, finding every possible reason to be stressed out of my mind. What if my carry-on doesn't fit? What if I don't have a seat? What if they won't let me bring my bag on the next plane? What if I get to Knoxville and don't have a rental car? Etc. The bag was stressing me out because since I was traveling for work, I had work property in the bag, and it is supposed to stay with me at all times. I was flying on small puddle-jumpers, and my bag was large for the overhead space available.

I was seated on the very last row of the plane, and my chest was tight, and I was fighting tears. The only personal items I brought on the plane with me was my journal, a pen, and my ipod. I could either read what God has done for me in the past, pray with my pen on the pages of my journal, or listen to His truth via music. Pretty good options if you ask me. Gently, the Lord began to calm me down and remind me of His faithfulness. My journal is one of those with Scripture verses printed in the margins, and I was so thirsty for the Word, I turned page after page desperate for each verse. It took a deliberate choice to TRUST HIM. Not just with the anxieties of the moment, but with the cumulative build of frustrations, insecurities, and spastic emotions. He IS faithful! I know that to the core of my soul, even when my emotions don't reflect it. He proves Himself ever faithful!

I made it to my destination safely; the bag stayed with me, not only was there a rental car, but it was the same make and model of my own car so I was comfortable driving it! I took a route through the mountains to get to Gatlinburg. It was so beautiful and refreshing to drive on the curving, tree-walled roads, next to and over streams... Beautiful! I am used to driving straight and flat over the plains of Oklahoma, so the trees and mountains of Tennessee were a real delight!

The conference went really well, and I was so blessed by my siblings in the Body of Christ! However, I continued to ping-pong emotionally all over the place, all the while trying to put on a brave face. Those of you who know me personally, know that I could never play poker because typically whatever is in my mind/on my heart is also painted right across my face. I find it extremely frustrating, but it is probably for my own good. Anyway, I began to recognize these emotional volleys as a spiritual attack. Then came some thoughts/struggles from way out in left field (or wherever the blindside tackles come from). Stuff I had dealt with in the past (the operative word being dealt with, as in, no longer an issue in my life), was suddenly back in full force trying to trip me up. The thing is, there were no external triggers, no situation that would bring these issues up... it was all a mental battle. I knew exactly where this attack was coming from, and I had a good idea why. You see, recently the Lord has been teaching and growing me a lot, and our enemy does not like that. So I guess like in the case of Job, Satan got some permission to test me this week, and he did. But our God is SO FAITHFUL! By His grace, I did not fall!

Let me clarify; just because I recognized this as a spiritual attack, and knew its source, did not mean it was an easy fight. I was truly in a battle. I don't know how many times the words "stand firm" are in my journal for this week. Standing firm on the Truth is not a passive pose. You are actively standing against the current. Your muscles work and strain to keep your body upright as the force of the flowing flood crashes against you, trying with all its strength to topple you. Exhausting. But Oh, SO WORTH IT!

God is faithful to put people strategically in my life to hold me up like Aaron and Hur held up Moses in the battle (Ex. 17:12). In the midst of my battle, God placed 3 friends in my path to remind me of His presence. My friend "S.L" saw right through my non-existent poker face and prayed for me. Her hugs were a source of strength. My friend "A.M." "randomly" texted me encouragement and prayers. My friend "A.S." was there with joy and hugs, and though she may not have known it, her words and her friendship replenished my resolve and soothed over my prickly insecurities.

One of the dinner speakers at the conference made the following statement: "If the mountain is too smooth, you cannot get to the top." This is so true! When rock climbing, the smooth cliff surfaces are the hardest to scale. The best climbs are the ones with jagged edges. These jagged forms of rock give you more to grip. On our way to the "mountain tops" in life, we must cling to, and find our grip on the solid Rock. He is our foundation.

"A wonderful Saviour is Jesus my Lord, a wonderful Saviour is He. He hideth my soul in the cleft of the Rock, and covers me there with His hand..."

Now if you will bear with me and my long-windedness, I'll tell you about the mountain top.

It was the last day of the conference and I was heading home. It was early afternoon and I was finally feeling "normal" again. I stopped and had lunch, and then set my GPS on my phone to go back through the beautiful mountains to the airport. I'm driving along, and all of a sudden, my GPS alerts me that it is "re-routing." I could not figure out why it was doing this. I had picked the route I wanted, and had not deviated from that route. It just re-routed me randomly, though it kept me on the same road. I at first thought it was just a glitch, and it didn't really re-route me. After a while, I realized I was headed not to the mountains, but to I-40. I was bummed. I did not want to take the highway, I wanted mountain roads. I started to get angry, and then reminded myself that it would not do any good. All I could do was keep driving. Then it started to rain. Then I realized the time. I didn't know if I would make it to the airport on time. I started to stress. Then ever so sweetly, the Lord reminded me of His faithfulness. I cranked up my music and kept driving. Releasing my stress to the Lord. He is in control. Then, my phone died. The phone that had my GPS, on which I was dependant to get to the airport. It "just so happened" that the rental car came with an on-board GPS system that the rental clerk told me up front that I could use free of charge. I turned it on, and the last saved destination "just happened" to be the very airport to which I was headed. How good is God?! Then I remembered that even though the I-40 route was a longer distance, it was a shorter time to the airport. I think God must have "re-routed" my GPS, because I got to the airport just in time. Even with a little snag in the check-in process, and being stopped in security and questioned about the work property I was carrying, I still made my flight (just in time) and there "just happened" to be enough space for my bag. Hopefully, by now you have caught on that these things didn't "just happen," but I believe that God planned each one to demonstrate to me on a tangible level that He cares and pays attention to my life and my individual needs. On both flights home, I was about to burst with excitement at what the Lord had done for me, and He continued to teach me new and glorious things. Just fellowship one-on-one with Him. It was SO GOOD!

"Redeemed, and so happy in Jesus, no language my rapture can tell, I know that the light of His presence with me shall continually dwell..."

There is so much more I would like to share, but by now, if you have stuck with me on this post you are a trooper. I do thank you for reading, but my prayer is that in my incessant prattling, something might cause you to think on the Lord and what He has done for you.

Are you in a battle? STAND FIRM He is faithful!

Are you doubting? Remember His truth encircles you (Eph 6:14) {the belt of the armor is Truth}

Are you soaring? Thank Him!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,

Because He lives, all fear is gone

Because I KNOW He holds the future

And life is worth the living, just because HE LIVES