Sunday in Florence

The pictures are in the absolute backwards order in which I meant to post them, so please humor me and work from bottom to top!

First off, ALL the students returned safely from their "free" Friday evening/Saturday before our curfew on Saturday. A couple didn't make it exactly on time, but they were safe.... Here's the story. A group of about 6 or 7 people were thinking "beach trip" for the free day on Saturday; they talked it up so well that a BIG group ended up going with them. Since there was an Italian holiday (celebrating the Republic) on Thursday, many Italians took Friday off from work and traveled over the weekend, taking many of the hostel and hotel rooms that we thought might be available. To make a long story VERY short, the beach group had a hard time finding a place to sleep but eventually did, making their Saturday at the beach very relaxing (fell asleep from the looks of their red sunburns) and rewarding for their efforts.

While some students chose to hang around Scandicci and Florence and take in the sights that aren't on our itenerary, another couple of people decided to check out Venice - also not on our calendar but a "must see" if you're in the area. Their train trip there was alright, but their trip back was rough. In fact, it was cancelled. They made contact with our BAT group and reassured us that they were fine but that they would be incredibly late. If I have my info correct, their train left Venice at 3am and didn't get to Florence until around 6am. They STILL had to get back to Scandicci after that... I hope they bought loads of Venecian jewelry and that their gondola ride was wonderful because they deserve a break after being so exhausted from their journey.

Clay, A-C, and I stayed in Florence on Friday night but went to Pisa on Saturday. We wanted to get our route nailed down before our trip there all together; we'll stop at Pisa and take the cheesy holding-up-the-tower photos before we venture furture north to the Cinque Terre region and take in the cliffside dwellings on the coast of the Italian riviera. Oh, it's got to be on the top five list of the most beautiful places in the world! That trip is coming up at the end of June, so we got it down-pat for the students. We then trained to Lucca, a small town with its old, protective wall still surrounding the city; there were lots of Italians there on "holiday," so it was more crowded than I expected. But it was fun, the food was delicious (we've got the perfect spot picked out!), and the shopping/strolling was an experience unto itself. No difficulties in transport; in fact, right when we arrived back in Florence, the tram was ready, and right when we got off at our stop, the bus came in 4 minutes - minimal waiting. We had good timing yesterday, which doesn't happen on a holiday or weekend bus schedule always - perhaps we inadvertantly took some of the good-travel-luck from the Venice crew...

This morning we were all able to attend the Florence church that Robbie and Mona Shackelford and Davd and Debbie Woodruff attend in Florence (they do more than attend - they lead and serve the people of Italy in a beyond-expectation-fashion). We saw Warren Casey from Searcy there - a nice surprise. We also saw Keith and Christy Smith who are living/working in Scandicci for about a year (Keith and Christy are college friends of ours) with their two cute kiddos. A-C was able to see her Italian friend from 2007 - Deborah - and go to her Sunday school class with other children. Today we worshipped in Italian and in English. There were songbooks of both languages at each pew available for those who need them. We sang a song in English and then we'd sing it in Italian. Prayers were led in both languages, and the speaker had Robbie to translate his lesson into English for the HUF and BAT groups and the visiting parents of a couple of the HUF students. Clay and I talked to our group about their being such an encouragment to the people their at the Florence church and the importance of having a servant attitude; we'd heard college kids say before, "Well I didn't get anything out of that since it wasn't in English" and didn't want our BAT group to have that mindset. On Friday as chapel was closing up, I shared that since we were able to teach at HUF in 2007, hardly a Sunday goes by that I don't recall our worshipping together in Florence with Christians who speak an entirely different language. I often think of our Christian brothers and sisters worshipping our Lord and singing praises to Him in the corporate setting and think of how pleasing it must be to Him to hear His children praising Him in many different toungues. Like my daughter is such a blessing to me (I am made in His image, after all), it must make God feel honored, loved, and blessed when we lift each other up and love and worship our Father together, even across oceans and time spans. What a joy Sundays must be to our Maker! May we always show kindness and love like we show it on Sundays. I hope that today's worship was an encouragement to our BAT crew like it was to me and Clay.

After the worship service, we ate a potluck meal with the church. It must be overwhelming to cook for 60+ (HUF and BAT) non-Italian-speaking Americans - 20 of them athletes who put away a lot of food - but the Italians were hospitable and handles us with kindness and gererosity. There was plenty of food (first course was pasta, naturally, and then there was an abundace of veggies, meats, and desserts), and the lemon cake was the best I've ever had!

This afternoon, the BAT group is going to see Michaelangelo's David at the Accadmia Gallery downtown. After some heavy art-appreciation, we will all play soccer (Italian football !) for our conditioning for the day. We're packing in the activities; if you're a parent reading this and communicating with your students, please help us encourage them to sleep! Maybe I'm old and need more rest than I used to need, but I don't know how they do it on so few hours of rest... We're NOT encouraging naps - too much to do (i.e. "miss" if you're asleep) during the day - but at nighttime, these people need to go to bed! Oh, to be young again. I sound like a grandmother. Not that grandmothers are old-exactly. Sorry, Mother, dear. I certainly didn't mean to indicate that by any means that you are that "o" word. I only mean that perhaps I'm not as young as I used to be (or that I remain in my mind's eye)!

Dinner at HU's Villa

The first picture above is of our BAT students taking the long hike up the hill to HU's villa located on the outskirts of Scandicci, outside Florence, in the beautiful Tuscan hills. On a clear day, you can see the Florence's bricked-dome over the hilltop. It is a lovely location and is such a special place to me and Clay and A-C; it was where we were first introduced to Italy, it was were we first got to know Robbie and Mona and the others at HUF, and it was where our marriage was strengthened (there's nothing like TIME TOGETHER that helps relationships!). Returning to this hillside home brought back memories and made new ones.

The second picture is of A-C running to hug Robbie at the front door of the villa. Seeing her run up the path to the front door flooded my emotions-I just felt that she was covered with love and was so appreciative of the opportunity to have her with with this BAT group; she will grow in her own way this summer.

Our BAT group was able to eat an American dinner with the HUF group - sloppy joes, beans, coleslaw, potato salad, chips, and even Cokes! We got gelato - red (strawberry), white (vanilla), and green (pistachio) - that was homemade from a shop down the street in Scandicci that very morning! The gelato colors were the colors of Italy's flag since we were participating in the Italian holiday celebration of the Republic. After our meal, we went outdoors to the courts (basketball/volleyball) and a devotional (Robbie led our thoughts and it pictured above) consisting also of songs and prayer. Jeremy Daggett, who works at HU's international programs office in Searcy opened us up with a prayer; Jeremy has been quite a help getting us settled in, doing some shopping for supplies/food, and simply taking care of us while we are new at administering an overseas program while teaching. He and his wife Katie have gentle spirits and kind, gracious hearts, and our BAT students (and us!) have reaped the benefits of having them here in Italy.
The fourth picture (I hope they'll be displayed in the order in which I intend!) --behind Jessica in her pretty green dress--is of Casey and Kelvin exchanging the traditional Italian greeting - touching both cheeks and kissing the air - we all had fun practice! It was really an enjoyable evening of fun and relaxation and worship of our Creator with two special groups of young people; calling our students "young people" makes me sound ancient, but you know what I mean... Actually, needing more sleep than I'm getting is making me feel ancient!

After workouts today, classes, and lunch at the Avanti Bible School House (I fit it all in there, didn't I?), the students may either head out of town or stay here. They have a one-nighter of free time before being back to Scandicci on Saturday night at curfew - yes we have curfew. These are athletes-- we MUST bring them back in good shape! It takes rest and workouts and brain power to perform well, and you know that Clay is a big proponent of getting enough sleep... We'll see them safely back here Saturday night. Then we'll worship together on Sunday at the church in Florence; I imagine it'll be partly in English but mostly in Italian, and what an experience it will be! Wish our group "safe travels" for the afternoon/day tomorrow!

Duomo, Baptistry, San Lorenzo Church, and Medici Chapel

We have visited important building after important building today... First we toured the Medici Chapels where many of the Medici family are buried; we saw Michaelangelo's sculptures he made for the family tombs and marveled at his attention to detail despite his conflicting emotions about the family. We then strolled through the San Lorenzo Church, the oldest church in Florence. We discussed the exterior and interior of the Baptistry before seeing the lovely mosaics decorating its ceiling - gold and stones the size of your fingernail make up Biblical stories that helped the people of the time understand the scriptures. We ate our sack lunches while standing in the good-paced line outside the Duomo. Once inside, we saw the beautiful frescoed ceiling. Seeing people along the walkway near the top of the dome puts the grand scale in perspective.

Here we are inside Florence's Duomo... a few of the group straggled behind, so don't worry if your student isn't pictured--he or she was just appreciating Versari's frescos inside the Duomo's dome. The magnitude is unbelievable.

The students had more free time in Florence this afternoon. This evening, our plan is to make the uphill climb to HU's villa on the outskirts of Scandicci and to join the HUF group for chapel and dinner. It will be great fun to be able to visit with Robbie and Mona over a wonderful meal prepared by Paula and Leda - when we were HUF teachers in 2007, I remember wanting to ask the ladies to curl up in my suitcase and come live in the States with us! Even though I speak no Italian (Clay and A-C are working on it though!), we will have fun communicating with gestures! Some of our BAT students know a few of the HUF students, so tonight is sure to be a nice time with the HUF staff and students.

2nd Post for the Day

Do we look like tourists, or what?!?!? We're having a great time learning about Florence... This morning in the humanities class, we watched a movie about the Medici family who patroned the many architects, sculptors, painters, etc. of the Renaissance era. For those who were able to keep their eyes open and soak it all in, I'm certain that today's "Florence walk" meant a great deal. Even for those not in the humanities class (and for those who need to sleep more at night so that their eyes can stay focused!), the day was meaningful and interesting because Clay and I did our best to explain the importance of the buildings (Duomo, Baptistry, San Lorenzo Church and Medici chapels, many piazzas, etc.) to the Italian people - and the world. We hiked (yes, it's quite "a-ways" uphill) to the San Miniato Church and got a group photo with the Duomo in the background (see the attached photo) and then encouraged the students to walk further to Piazzale Michaelangelo, where the view also includes the Ponte Vecchio, the bridge that Hilter and his army spared here in Florence because of its beauty. It's so interesting that the Medici family that sponsored so many artists and was so loved by the city of Florence and its people got their priorities all messed up over the generations, putting the lust of power and greed above the love for the people and city of Florence...this caused rival families and others to become enemies of the Medici, so they had the covered walkway built from their palace all the way across the city to the government buildings (covering the Ponte Vecchio on its way, adding to its grandness - is that even a word?). I hope that the BAT students have enjoyed being exposed to Florence and her rich history and beauty today. Tomorrow we'll go inside some special buildings. This summer is one big history/art/people lesson, and I hope it's sinking in already!

Oh, Florence...what a city. It's got the modern conveniences that one would want everywhere AND it's got the charm, the history, the depth of something you just want to latch onto. Goodness, our country is a baby compared to the rest of the world; don't get me wrong--the American Revolution is inspiring... it's one of my very favorite historical times to study because of the thought that ideas worth value are something for which to fight. It's just that being in the same place that revolutionized art and architecture for all time is quite thrilling! Rachel Ray says that Italy is the "top of the world." I have a friend who claims Florence as her very favorite city of all. I think she's absolutely right.

We're ALL Here!

Two of our students had to take alternate routes yesterday. After much wrangling, one of them was able to meet up with us in London and fly down to Pisa with us. The other fella, well, he missed the Get-to-Know-Scandicci walk, but he finally made it, and we all told him how good it was to put our eyes on him! The last picture up top is from our Scandicci walk in the piazza in front of Bar Mario's. Some of the students tried gelatto for the first time, and one had a nice reunion with her tastebuds - she had been to Italy on a mission trip and said that gelatto had been calling her name... Most got a cold drink because we'd just had a welcoming lunch at the Bible Avanti School - chicken (don't know the spices but it was good, good), pasta (of course!), carrots, salad, and delicious strawberry shortcake (the 'crust' was a heart-shaped home-made cookie stuck in the side of each individual bowl - so cute). Rosa is already our good buddy! A-C got a weaving potholder craft kit at Christmas time and worked on them almost the whole airplane ride, so Rosa had a gift from A-C upon our arrival. She told us in the animated style that Italians use (and in Italian, of course, so I'm guessing) how nice they were and how sweet A-C was to give them to her.

After our Scandicci walk, we went to Gallo's Pizza to eat. You can't 'do' Scandicci and not go to Gallo's! The other pictures are from Gallo's; they sat us outside on the patio and brought us pizza after pizza - all different kinds, so we were able to try real Italian pizza the way we're supposed to be eating it! I found it easiest to roll it up like a tortilla and eat it that way, but proper Italian etiquette might frown upon that. :)

Clay is a stickler for being on time... the planes won't wait (in fact, they'll give away your seat!), the trains won't wait (we've already had to hustle to catch our ride from the Pisa airport/train station-same complex-down to Florence), and neither will class. The first kins class is meeting right now, after a much-needed long night of sleep, so I have a few minutes to update the blog. The students had workouts this morning, so Clay walked both workout groups to Luciano's Athletic Club the first morning; getting there, they're on their own tomorrow, but they've seen the way twice now - we're counting on their sense of direction being pretty good! After a lunch and our humanities and Bible classes, we'll head into 'town' to introduce the students to Florence! We're looking forward to the beautiful city - I'll have more pictures later, I'm certain!

Last Meeting Before We GO!

(Please see April's post if you haven't already.)

Well, we've gathered in our home for the last time before we all meet up to cross the ocean! The last time we met, our A&M Chelsea was able to be in town, and it was great meeting her; she has even selected her "free-travel" partners already. At this last meeting, we were able to introduce Vivi, whose family works with a church in Rome. They're here in Searcy this spring semester, so some of the students have enjoyed getting to know her. Vivi is Italian and has volunteered show us some Roman hot spots - after our on-site classes are completed, of course! We will see what travelers usually see in Rome AND we'll worship with Vivi's family (hopefully in Italian and English!) when we visit their magical city.

The students are ready. Some are full of questions right now, while some are content with winging it. Some are making travel plans already, while some are comfortable with the free-spiritness that makes others nervous! Some are planning out purchases and managing finances already, while some will be forced to think about such things later! Oh, it's going to be a fun group. We will ALL grow, be stretched, and develop physically, socially, academically, and spiritually because of our willingness to open our hearts and minds to people and ideas. How fortunate! If you are a parent reading this, I want you to know that although it might not be expressed as often as you would enjoy hearing it, your students are so very appreciative of the opportunity that you're giving them for such exposure and growth and have expressed such to us. They are excited beyond words right now before we even have departed; at the end of the summer, we hope that their (and our) hearts and minds will be deeper, more generous, more understanding, and more open to people, lands, foods, cultures, and thoughts.

Athletes Study Overseas

The first time my family spent time overseas was life-changing. It expanded our world-view, it gave us new interests and hobbies, and it even enriched our marriage. Needless to say, we're hooked on traveling and want others to be able to share in the experience.

My husband coaches football at Harding University. Several athletes shared with him their disappointments about their inability to participate in one of Harding's many overseas study programs because of the time involved in training for their sport. My husband decided to try to do something about it. He approached several coaches of different sports, along with HU's International Programs director to see if he could help out. He has combined two of his passions: coaching athletes and traveling.

Bison Athletes in Training (BAT) was designed to give HU's athletes an overseas study program experience. Our group will leave on May 30 for one month to study/travel in Europe together. Our family will travel with representatives from the following HU teams: football, basketball, tennis, soccer, volleyball, baseball, and golf. The group of 24 students will include male and female college athletes, and the Beasons will add 3 more to the group to bring the total to 27 travelers.

Because Clay is the Strength Coach, workouts and healthy nutrition were big considerations when planning this program. Mandatory workouts are built into our schedule, and our collegiate athletes will be eating healthy meals with an international flair. We will both be teaching classes, both on-site and in a classroom setting. The Bible House in Scandicci, right outside Florence, Italy, will serve as our home base. This will be a June to remember!