Kanda in Roma

If you have read or heard snip bits of my life recently, you’ve probably heard the words Spring Break. You could be thinking “Kanda, why do you keep talking about vacation?” Or maybe you have experienced a spring break mission trip yourself. Either way, here is the low down on the life of a STINTer during spring break.

Background information: For 3 weeks (March 8-29), American college students are coming over to Rome with CCC to grow in their relationships with God, to help with the ministry in Rome by sharing the Gospel and meeting spiritually-interested students who want to learn more about God, and to enjoy the Roman experience of Italian food, the Italian culture, and the Colosseum (among other tourist sites.) The first week 52 students and staff came from Ole Miss and Ohio. Week 2 (right now), there are 44 students and staff from Miami, USC, and Kent State. Next week (week 3) there will be 13 students & staff from Miami, Central Ohio, & Chicago.

Here’s what happened during week 2:

Saturday, March 15: SB students arrive. Throughout the day, people from our team went to the airport to pick up groups of students and helped them get settled into their hostels. I went with two friends to pick up the Miami group from the airport–we left the train station to go to the airport at 9:30pm and I didn’t get back to my apartment until after 2am. Even though it was a late night, it was SO great to see Miami friends.

Sunday, March 16: Some students (who didn’t need the extra time to sleep in) went to church. Sara & I picked up the Kent State group from the hostel and took them to the restaurant where we were having lunch and orientation. It was more challenging than usual to take the spring breakers to the lunch because the Rome marathon was in progress. Buses weren’t running their normal routes, and we had to cross the marathon path three times to get to the restaurant. After the lunch and orientation (with which some of our Italian friends helped), the Spring Breakers did the Amazing Race to some of the major sites in Rome. This helped the SBers get oriented with taking transport around the city, and was a great way to get a glimpse of the sites. For four hours, Sara & I hung out at St. Peter’s Basilica in the piazza waiting for the teams to come by that track of the race. After the Amazing Race, we all met at Piazza Navona, then split into groups to go to dinner. I took the Kent State group to dinner, to eat gelato, and to see the Trevi Fountain at night. Day 2 ended: 11:30pm.

Monday, March 17: Monday through Thursday mornings were times of devotionals and ministry training. I started the day by picking up the group staying at the Salvation Army (SBers were staying in two different locations) to take them to the Meeting Place bar. (In Italy, a bar is where you get coffee and pastries.) Monday morning 9:30-11 was a time of ministry training for the students. Afterwards, we split into our groups, and Amos & I went with the group who was going to the biology and engineering faculties (majors) at the university of Roma Tre. We grabbed lunch near the campus, and then the American students went out to meet Italian students and have conversations with them about God and spirituality from 12-4. At 4, we met with the other Roma Tre groups to share about our days and to pray together. Students had free time until dinner in staff homes that night. The STINT guys and girls had a BBQ together at the girls’ apartment. This was great because I was able to catch up with some of my friends from Miami.

Tuesday, March 18: In the morning, Debbie (staff woman in Rome) did a talk on the Spirit-filled life and students were trained in using Soularium as a ministry tool. Soularium is a fun tool… it is a survey, and students choose from 40 pictures one that describes their answers to questions like “which picture best describe your life?”, “which picture would you like to describe your life?”, and “which picture best describes your view of God?” This can lead into great conversation and helps overcome the language barrier because it’s possible to communicate through pictures. In the afternoon I went with the same group to the biology & engineering faculties at Roma Tre again, followed by debrief. Normally on Tuesday evenings we have Italian bible study and dinner, but we canceled this past weeks because students were already going out of town for Easter holiday.

Wednesday, March 19: DAY OFF! With 3 weeks straight of spring break, each STINTer gets one day off per week. My day off was Wednesday. It was great to catch up on sleep, run, spend extended time with the Lord, and simply do nothing. After relaxing during the day, I went to our outreach for the week, a benefit concert for Malawi. An American band played, followed by Haswell sharing about the trip to Malawi and the heart behind it. Then an Italian band, who were students that my team/spring breakers met the previous week, played, and the night ended with a DJ. Unfortunately, not many students could come because they were out of town for Easter holiday and the derby (a soccer game where two teams from the same region play against each other–Roma vs. Lazio.) However, we did raise 400 euro. Additionally, I can see how God has been using our outreaches like the concert to connect us with students. At the first outreach (Texas BBQ), a student who I had met through two spring breakers came to the party and brought 3 of her friends. I didn’t get any of her friends’ phone numbers, so I was surprised to see one of those friends at the concert the following week. We exchanged numbers, so I’m excited to get to know her more and she even wants to come to our weekly meetings.

Thursday, March 20: We started the devotional time later, so the Spring breakers could sleep in after the concert. Because students didn’t have classes on Thursday (Easter holiday), we did a prayer walk around the campus for an hour. At 5, we had our weekly meeting, La Bella Vita, for Italians. Although most students weren’t around we still had 5 students come to LBV, where we watched/listened to media & discussed the topic of peace. Afterwards some of the staff & STINTers went to dinner with Spring Breakers who are interested in going on STINT or summer project in the future. A lot of SBers who were here this past week are seriously considering doing STINT in Rome next year, so it was fun hanging out with some of my potentially-future teammates.

Friday, March 21: Friday was the SBers free day, and our day to catch up with the students we have been meeting with over the year. Because all the students weren’t at university, we just had a staff meeting/lunch with the ICS team. We took this time to evaluate some of the past two weeks, and change the schedule for next week. Because the Monday following Easter (Pasqua) in Italy is Pasquetta, meaning “Little Easter”, students do not have classes on this day. Instead, families and friends often head to the parks for a picnic. Friday evening, we had a time of celebration with the SBers, celebrating everything God had done during the week. We spent time praising and worshiping the Lord through songs, prayer, and sharing stories of what we had seen God do in our lives and the lives of Italians. Then we all went to dinner together as our celebration dinner, and one last Italian meal for everyone leaving the next day.

And so the process begins again on Saturday. Even though this is a ridiculously long post, it only touches on what has happened this past week. If you want to hear more specifics about any of this or how God has been working here in Rome, let me know. Or maybe I’ll post more later…

Last week (week 1 of 3 spring breaks), students from Ole Miss and Ohio came to Rome to partake in the ministry here and enjoy the sites of Rome. It has been truly encouraging to have Spring Breakers here: to see them take steps of faith in sharing the Gospel, to hear about their conversations with Italian students, and to have fun with them as they explore the city. After having the sweet Ole Miss group here, I realize how much I adore the Southern accent. Highlights of last week include: an Italian student rededicating his life to Christ, new students came to our weekly meeting (La Bella Vita), and 70 people (Agape staff, Spring Breakers, and Italian students) came to our Texas BBQ party. Through spring breakers, I have been able to meet some sweet girls who are believers (or very interested in learning more about God) that I will try to meet up with over the following weeks. Praise the Lord for how he is moving in Rome and for all the seeds that were planted during the first spring break week. Please continue to pray for the Spring Break trips.

    This summer (July 4-26) a staff couple, Haswell and Maria, from Florence will be leading a group of Italians (and Americans) to Malawi Africa for a three-week summer project! This is such an exciting opportunity for Italians to become a part of how God is working in the world and for God to work in their lives.  Two weeks ago, we held a dinner and presentation for students interested in going to Malawi, and tonight we will have a benefit concert! The heart behind the trip to Malawi is to combine doing good deeds and sharing the good news of the Gospel.  Throughout the trip, during the day, the group will work to build a school house, build a well, and provide for various other needs.  At night, participants will have the opportunity to pair up with a team that is showing the Jesus film in surrounding villages to share Jesus’ life with the Malawians.  This trip is open to both Italian believers and non-believers.  The only requirement is that they would not be opposed to the Gospel being shared.  This is an incredible opportunity for Italians to gain a heart for the world, to learn more about Jesus, and to see how Jesus changes lives.  (Side note: it will also be optional for participants to stay another week to go club hunting in Malawi!)  Please pray that some Romans would be able to go on this trip and be a part of this life-changing experience!

Tonight, we will be having a benefit concert for Malawi, where proceeds will go toward the cost of the trip and supplies.  The concert is also one of our outreaches during this time of Spring Break. An American band and an Italian band will be playing tonight, and Haswell will also share a little about the trip. So exciting!!

In February for one weekend, we took 7 Roman students to an Agape European Student Conference in Bristol, England. It was quite the experience… thinking back to my first Crusade conference, how it was a bit intimidating at first as a young freshman… I couldn’t imagine what that would be like in a different country, with a different language, and with a mix of cultures. Some of our students did experience some culture/conference shock, but overall it was a beneficial experience for the students.

We arrived to the conference on Friday evening after traveling all day, had dinner, and then went to the meeting that evening with worship music. Most of our students are Catholic and have never heard worship music with a band, instead of an organ, so many times the students would say “I feel like I’m at a concert.” At night, everyone split up to sleep in different churches across Bristol. Sleeping on the floor & freezing may not be the most comfortable way to sleep, but it is quite the bonding experience… even the Italians think so.

On Saturday, there were more sessions of speakers & worship in the morning. One of the speakers was Javier Garcia, who is one of the “three amigos” of the Agape Europe leadership. The Italians were touched by his talk, and also by Javier’s Spanish friend who is a doctor by profession, but said that he is first & foremost an ambassador for Christ. For most of our students in Rome, they have come in contact with few people who are truly passionate about Christ, other than Agape staff, so it was great for them to see that you can follow Jesus and work in any field that you want. In the afternoon, we went sharing with the students. It was a first for some of them, and was so great to see them take that step of faith. Saturday evening, there was a session of creative outreach ideas, including Soularium, short films, and meals with a message. The Italian students seemed to enjoy this part and are open to trying these techniques with their friends and campus!

Sunday was our last day at the conference, and one of the highlights was getting to pray for each of the countries represented in the room. I hope this time really gave the students a heart for the nations and a greater understanding of how God is moving all across Europe. After the conference, one of the students commented on how differences in the Christian churches aren’t what matter, but how we should be united, unified in Christ. The weekend after the conference, another student shared at church about the conference. This was the same student who said she was reminded at the conference that she doesn’t need to go to another country to share Jesus with others, but how she should be reaching her family, her friends, her community, and her campus.

I am continually amazed at how God is moving in the hearts of students and in the city of Rome.

Students & staff from Rome at the conference in Bristol!