Real quick because I've got to hike back to the hotel for dinner, and with a pulled right glute, that's not exactly easy! (stairs all day every day, and then an unlucky almost-trip this morning on my run did it in) You can tell we're getting real comfortable with eachother on this trip, when I was limping and someone asked why and I answered "pulled gluteous maximus" and this individual was like "does that mean your bum?" LOL
Hopefully I'll be able to compose a better post tomorrow: we have a long bus ride to Rome tomorrow (we're near Naples now), so that should give me good post-card writin' time. Hehehe...between writing the last paper I have due.
Sorrento is beautiful, with lemon & orange trees everywhere. You can just pick them! While Assisi's still holds its place as my favorite, I would absolutely NOT mind coming back to the Amalfi coast (where we are) during the summer some day! We can see Mt. Vesuvius accross the water, and the water itself is SO blue and clear. A lot of people in our group went to the Island of Capri yesterday, and I think I'd like to come back in the early summer and visit there. Pompei & Herculaneum are a history fan like me's dream! We walked in 2000 year old streets-- How cool is that!?? It's really sobering, too: those people had absolutely no idea they were about to die. There are bread loaves in ovens, political ads on the walls, children playing together...just another day in the life of a very modern, very ingenious, very wealthy, very SINFUL town. It reminds me a lot of the Flood, or Sodom & Gommorah. Or us. Just living life, and suddenly Eternity crashes in, and Time is up. I am so thankful that Eternity has already intruded on my life, and that I welcome it!!
Our hotel (the Michaelangelo) is really really nice, once again. They take care of me with gluten free goodies! There's a grand piano downstairs, where I like to doodle around when Allan isn't, and play iGrace songs. Yesterday I figured out "Jesus, Lord of Life and Glory," and that made me quite happy. =D
It's so wonderful to hear from those of you who have commented or emailed, to hear that you are praying for me! I know that I am being strengthened and blessed through them! This trip is FULL of opportunities to testify of Christ, to serve in His name, and to learn to die to myself. Since last Saturday, there's been a lot more fellowship for me, too, which is a HUGE blessing! Sat. night all us RUFers (Tierney, Carolyn-- the other C. Thompson =D-- Allan, RJ & I) prayed together for RUF and especially the Salters and Taylor, our intern. It was hard, because RUF's going through hard things, but it was so good to SHARE the burden, and to pray together. That night my Spoleto-roommate, Johanna & I were up late laughing and talking, about everything from the problem of evil to the sovereignty of God to marriage as a matrix for Christian hedonism to boys and back again! Sunday Tierney & I split an iPod & listened to a Piper sermon...Liz & I talked for over an hour about God's grace in our lives, and the Doctrines of Grace... There's been more & more as we get to know one another. But I've also been dismayed to notice a hardening of my heart as familiarity breeds at least annoyance if not contempt. It's easy to have holy, "thankful" thoughts as you watch the Amalfi coast unwind...and then... somebody takes your seat, and what then?
Oh wow, I've got to run to dinner. It took so much to get here, to find this place, and then to configure the IP address so I could access their wireless...the guy didn' know a think about Macs, so I am quite proud of myself. =D
Wow my blood sugar's low-- the room keeps spinning. Can't get into this eat-at-7 thing.
Keep praying for me!! You are all conduits of grace to me, and I am so thankful!
Ciao for now,
--Christina
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