I'm back....!

Well, yup, I'm back. My brain is still a tad fuzzy from jet-lag, but my ankles are finally back to their normal size! Hooray!
So how was it? Great! Unequivocally great! There were frustrations and bumps along the way, but I would still have to say that it was a wonderful experience.
Did we see lots of famous places? No. Just a few in fact. But did we see some amazing places? Unequivically YES! (You can choose which spelling of 'unequiv-etc.' you like best....) Italy is a beautiful country. We were in the Romangna area which borders on Tuscany. Very dry, but the trees and flowers were gorgeous! Hard to imagine how the dry dusty dirt we saw could support the lush and fruit laden tomato vines that climbed up to six feet on their bamboo trellises. And that was just the tomatoes! Rows of basil (basilico) and parsley and friendly old rosemary bushes whose aroma was lovely. And the trees! Mimosas with their feathery pink blossoms, tall gingko trees with their neat fan-shaped leaves, spikey palm trees, banana trees, and tall sturdy sycamore trees lining the boulevards. There were many beautiful blossoming trees and shrubs whose names, alas, I do not know. Perhaps a taste of the Garden of Eden. So much variety. I loved it! And of course all the wonderful window boxes full of geraniums and petunias cascading down the walls. Beautiful, beautiful.....
Did we meet any famous people? Not a chance. But did we meet some wonderful folks? You betcha! The dark-eyed, dark haired beautiful little children so full of life and mischief. The lovely old ladies riding their bicycles in their lovely dresses. The people strolling in the evening, dressed to the nines. The white haired old gentleman who would chatter away to us as we made our regular visit to the coffee bar on our way to the grocery store. He always made sure we had enough chairs at our little table as we made out our menu and shopping list for the day. We attempted a little conversation with our limited Italian, but made the most progress with the international language of laughter and smiles. And there were significant conversations with parents of the day camp children who had some knowledge of English and were eager to connect. We cherished those moments. Communication is a precious thing and takes many forms...
We went to serve. Serving is meeting people where they are at. Sometimes those we serve are not in the best place of their lives. And sometimes that is when they need our serving the most.
The team I went with was mostly young folk. And amazing young folk they are! Exuberant in their zest for life! So full of potential and a desire to serve. It was a privilege to live with them for those 16 days. One young man shared how each evening he and his wife would ask "Have we lived Christ today?" An amazing and challenging question, no?
I can't say that I'd go again next year.....I'm too old and out of shape for all the running we did through the airports! :o) But I really do treasure the memories I have.
Maybe I'll tell more specifics later. I just wanted to comment on the grand adventure before too long. It's been a week, eh?