Saying our goodbyes!

Well...our time was up in Calabria...so we said our goodbyes to the family and their lovely farm...and hit the road!

I thought this was a great "wave goodbye picture"... We are gonna miss you guys...thanks for the amazing hospitality...and all the clean clothes! (sorry if their are some chonies left behind ^^)...here goes a 13 hour drive!

So we were about 4 hours into the drive home...and we see this amazing looking castle...so we stopped to take pictures and stretch our legs...

niceeee...timers are the best...

watch this video...it explains where we are...

me and my buddy davie....awww! ^^

Well...this time, instead of coming down the west coast side of Italy...like Tuscany, Rome, and Naples...we went up the eastern side, like the Adriatic...thats about all I can name drop...i dont know any cities on the right side...lol

We made it back safe and sound to Montebelluna...praise God for all the amazing works He did through His servant's hands....how amazing that God will do much, much more! Thanks God for a great 10 days all around Italy!

Last night to be with Carlo and Katia...

Amber and baby Sophia...aww!

So, it was our last night to fellowship with the family....it was like the night just didnt end! We worshipped with the kids...played games...stayed up late talking about the Lord...fell asleep on the couch...good times...

Everyone got in on the action...it was awesome...even little Hannah Ciara was rocking the box...seriously...she was holding a beat! Maybe one day...she will be an amazing worship leader helping out in her dad's church! Pastor Craig...getting down on the guitar....get errr dunnnn!

Everyone having a good time!

Jonathan...Kati...Jaquie...and Michelle...

Mr. MICKEY...he is such a happy guy...full of faith and the Spirit!

me and my lil buddy Joshua...

I got to hold baby Sophia...it was funny making her laugh...

We got to do some fun kids worship songs...good ol' favorite of mine...

Waves of Mercy....where are you SOSIMO! I need you to be ridiculous next to me! lol

What a great night with our friends in Calabria...we had some great times worshiping Jesus! Praise God!

Sunday Morning in Reggio Calabria

On the drive to church...we saw this sweet sign...

This was the church that we attended on Sunday morning in Reggio Calabria...Pastor Craig got to encourage the brethren there...good times...

Right before...Hannah led worship and I got to play some box for special worship...well...not "Special"...just special guests kinda special...you know what I mean...ughhh...^^

Baby Sophia...awww....so cute...Hannah was feeding her, she was so happy...she is seriously just a happy baby...all the time...the whole weekend...saw her cry once...

Got some footage of her eating....lol she was just staring at me...no she was not wishing she was eating me instead of the baby food...^^

So the church had a whole spread of lunch for us! mmm...some lasagna and then...

THIS! mmm....brusselsprouts (cant remember the last time i had that! like seriously since I was 10) wit sausages...hot dog weiners...and some salad....lets not forget the big fat chunks of mozzarella cheese...man these Italians sure know how to eat!

Board Walk Outreach in Reggio...

Sweet...last night to do some outreach in Calabria...we found a really sweet boardwalk, right on the water...so awesome...Think about it...we are ministering in the place that Paul the Apostle lived...Acts 28:13 "And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Rhegium. And after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli." Juicy huh...Rhegium later changed its name to Reggio, exactly where I was standing...and Puteoli is the old name for Naples...praise God I have been there too!

We set up and started to rock out for Jesus!

Me and Hannah rocking one of my favorite songs..."Once Again" all jazzed up is a great song i jacked from Doulos...thanks guys...for God's glory right?! ^^

Another sweet 4 picture panoramic with Sicily across the water!

Sunset was really awesome.....huh Mickey!?

it was nice down there at night...you needed a jacket, but I was a bit warm...

Rocking some Italian worship juice...can you tell what English song this is....oh wait...i just watched it...i start singing in english....oops! lol

Me and my new buddy Jonathan...remember that grey hood on his jacket...yeh...i used that...

Praise God for all the amazing outreaches that we had here in Calabria area...pray for those that we were able to minister to personally, and for the seeds that were planted even without face to face conversations...Thanks guys for your prayers!

Drawing Telephone...bwahaha

Oh my goodness...so this is like my next favorite game next to Balderdash (we would play that all the time in Okinawa...miss playing with you Robbie and Zach...)...so the point is that you first start with a sentence...then you pass it to the next person, who doesnt write words, but draws what they read...then so on and so on...going from drawing to writing...you'll get the idea...

This video is called..."How cults are started"...you'll know what I mean...

This video is one is awesome in its own ways...all in good fun...and I asked Mickey for permission to post this...he is not offended at all ^^

Fun on the Wavewall...

finally...a break from the rain!

watch out for the waves!

This stopped us going a certain way on the road...sorry for the 3 second look at it...^^

oh yeh...this is me figuring out that last video didnt record the whole time..."OHH!"

yeh...we were driving back to the ship to cross back over to Reggio in huge lakes of water! lol

Well...despite the really rainy weather...it was a pretty fun day...thanks Lord for bringing me to SICILY!

Getting all wet...

Oh man...it was starting to pour...we were lucky getting out of the rain while we had some lunch...but then...we still wanted to look around...or at least get back to the car...we were running from roof to roof...fun times...

had to stop and get this pic...really cool artwork in this arch...

ahhhh....the guys are having a good time...

the girls really aren't....oh and Pastor Craig...you sneaky guy you...lol

all i have to say....David...you came in at the perfect moment...^^

Jacqie....its not going to work friend!

Cefalu...

So as we were driving around the north side of the island....this is what we saw....mass mudslides...all over the island...crazy rainy weather here lately...the coast was pushing out mud waves around the whole island i think...

the city of Cefalu...a great tourist city...

one of the lil piazzas

a cool map of the city...they have this really amazing cliff that it is pushed up against and then a great ocean front...

The church piazza...probably the biggest in the city...

sweet group pic...

me and the Cefalu catholic church...

cool looking church...

supposedly this is Jesus...

Really awesome stain glass window in the church...

My friend Jonathan gave me his tear off hoodie...i didnt have anything...and it was starting to pour rain right when we came out of the church...ugh...but im happy!

Day in Sicily...soo sweet...

Going to Sicily!

David and Mickey explaining a little bit of history...

Thought this was a funny jump picture....^^

Wow...Mickey is a hilarious guy...hopefully....more George W. Bush to come in the future...lol

So we pulled into Messina, but are on our way to the city of Cefalu to hang out for the day!

Tour Day...

Today we were just going to go out and spend some time checking out the mountain area around Carlo...so before we spent some time in prayer and worship...its always great to spend time Jesus first thing in your day...

all i was thinking when we went and saw some pigs was... i miss 삼겹살...ughh...

Like this picture!? I love it...it is a panoramic of on top of the mountain...I actually did take this photo! It is actually 4 pictures...i found a free program that glues them together...awesome huh?

got a sweet group pic on top of the mountain, overlooking Reggio and Sicily!

awww....Joshie and Carlo...so cute...^^

Thanks David for making me laugh...

We went to another place to get some veggies...we were a little surprised!

cute little Hannah Ciara...she was yelling "ROCKO....BASTA!" Can you see it?! So funny...She was telling the guy Rocko to stop picking food...lol so cute...

We stopped by all these random places....it was fun...especially because he knew all these people...this old couple makes fresh goat cheese, and then sell it...we went to go get some...

Italian men....they always have some candy on them, for kids and stuff...so interesting...^^ I remember hearing stories of my Italian grandpa (he passed away when i was 6 though T_T), that he would always have some candy in my mouth when he was holding me, and my mom would always yell at him...

mmm...look at this block of cheese....it was amazing, only €10...which is like $1 ...really great price...and then we went home and had it for dinner.....ughhhhhhh drool! It was amazing...i would never had wanted goat cheese but it was really really good...

Oh yeh...we heard about this woman....a real Italian woman...she doesnt now, but just a few years ago, and for many years before, she would carry about 50lbs. worth of this cheese down the mountain to sell in town...and then come back afterwards...remember i said it takes 30 minutes DRIVING! crazy lady...strong italian woman though...

Awesome Sicilian lunch...

the menu prices...

mmm....fresh fish...it was cooked...ahhhh cha cha...this was the appetizer...or antipasto...

had a little fun with the bread....and yes...i ate it after....^^...really not joking...

mmm...i havent had fettuccine in so long...mmm...they are made from eggs...and it had some great fish inside of it...amazing pasta...

mmm....fries and a good breaded beef cutlet...oh....and a lemon...

it didnt come like that...i made the heart...^^

Wow...it was such a great lunch...thanks Lord for your provision!

Bagnara Outreach...

We did another outreach the next day down in Bagnara...the same little city where we had church on Wednesday night...it is really cool looking...little church, right on the water...really beautiful...

We set up again, but as soon as we did, it started to rain...so we thought we might had to pack up...well we saw a big enough overhanging in front of this hotel, so we went and asked them if we could play music in front of it...they said that they didnt care! Praise God for His favor...so we started jamming...lots of younger kids were hanging out and listening...

Now it is not just bad to have enough common sense to play music in front of a gelato shop...^^ but we really felt the Lord led us here. We did some great ministering talking to people....i love this quote from Pastor Tommy in Okinawa...he told us this as we were outreaching in Korea one time..."The worship of God draws people." It really doesnt matter that you play music, but more that they see you finding peace in worshiping God, and it is calming and interesting...Praise God!

Reggio Calabria Outreach...

Really sweet how the light was shining on the city...the picture does not do the view justice though...this was our drive down the mountain...our friend Carlo lives about 30 minutes up the mountain...it is a lot of switchbacks...hope you dont get carsick!

So we went out for our first outreach...this was actually a really great spot...and while we were setting up, the high school that we were in front of was just getting let out...so a bunch of students were pouring out, listening to our worship...

Actually...right after this video...we started ministering to this girl...Deborah, and she did accept Jesus into her life, and asked Jesus to be her Lord. Praise God. We pray that there will be much more fruit that comes from that outreach..

Well, after about 2 hours...we were pretty tired, and hungry...I had been playing the whole time, for probably about 2 hours...so we get in the car thinking we are going to eat somewhere...then Carlo jumps out of the car..."Let's do it again guys!" I was like....oh noo! I dont mean to be harsh...just telling how i was feeling at the time. But we did have a blessed time, so we set up again, and were there for about another 2 hours...we ministered to a lot of people in Reggio Calabria...

I asked Hannah to take over for me for most of the time because my fingers were really hurting...she did a great job praising Jesus!

Praise God for a great night of outreaching!

Lumberjacks For Jesus!

When we woke up the next day...it was a little rainy, so we figured we would take it kind of easy...but then it cleared up really quick, and Carlo had us doing some practical work for him...

He has a lot of wood....a lot...and he has a oven in his kitchen that heats the whole house, so he goes through a lot of wood everyday...we helped him do some work to make that process a little easier on him.

this is the dry wood that we stored up for him...

we had to load all the wood from the pile over there...which was about 6 ft. high...and about 10 ft. wide...crazy...

imagine me talking in a burly and rugged lumberjack voice...

Really...we helped enough for him to be stored up for about 2 months worth of wood...the work would normally have taken him about 4 or 5 days,...we did it in 4 hours...Praise God right?!

Wednesday Night In Bagnara...

Well...we made it safely into Calabria...Calabria is actually a region, not a city...we met the brother that we know at some place and he took us to the Wednesday night service for the church we would teach at that night...I didnt get pictures...but this was my first opportunity to lead worship in ITALIAN! it was awesome, God is good!

After....our brother took us to his house where we all stayed...his wife made us a great meal!

PASTOR TOMMY...we are eating our cabbage...and it is straight home grown...^^

Hannah (student) and Hanna Ciara...little hanna was soo much fun...

This was the guy we know out in Calabria...his name is Carlo...this is his son Joshua...a little blury but a good pic...^^

More pictures to come!

Stop in Priamare...

We were on the road for maybe 3 or 4 hours....and we made a stop in this little beach town calle Priamare...we had some good times eating some seafood...ahhhchaa chaa

this was the place we stopped at...

everyone was happy to get some good pasta and stuff....

i had a really good seafood risotto...mmm...

we spent some time on the beach...continuing to stretch our legs for the next long time in the car....good times...

me and mickey want to buy this island,...^^

SICILY!

Almost there!

Street Fighters...

So i dont know how...but street fighter came into our conversations, and then we decided to start doing some awesome jump kicks and stuff...

Mickey rocking the jump kick...

david...trying out the jump kick...^^

i love the epic battle between me and mickey after....^^ so much fun...

CC Rome Project DONE!

After we finished...we got to hang out with the kids one last night...they were so full of energy...

really cute and smart kids...

the whole outreach team...good work saints...

the WALL! awesome!

It was a great time serving the Lord and His church in the CC Rome church...they sent an email after...they said that they and the church was soooo blessed...and that it was the first time in 10 years that they had a children's ministry room...praise God huh?

Ok...on our way down to Calabria now...7 hours! wheewwww!

CC Rome Work Part 2...

So this was our last day...we needed to finish quickly, so that we could also paint, and then leave the next day finished with the whole project...normally, need to put one layer of spackle on the cracks and seams, and then sand it smooth and do it again...then sand it again, ugh....the worst part of drywall building...

But it is an amazing thing...there wasnt a wall...and now there is!

So this is what happens when you sand dried spackle...lots of white powder boogers...lol

i love how dave looks 60 or something...

Day 2 update..

finally done sanding...PAINT PARTY!

CC Rome Project Day 1

So...a big reason for stopping in Calvary Rome was to do some work in their church, just making things look a little nicer, but then also building them a wall, to separate their main service from the children's ministry...it was a great opportunity to serve the Lord!

Here is Michelle sanding and repainting the windows...

We got to sand and paint all the fencing surrounding the building...be careful Jacquie! there were cars passing by her like going 50 kph...crazy...

"Tesh"...our brother from Ethiopia, a guy from the church who wanted to help serve the Lord!

Mickey helping to paint the metal doors in front of the entrances...

Mid-day update...

The girls also got to serve the Lord by going to the store, getting lunch, and preparing it...thanks ladies!

mmm...espresso...we needed it...we were losing energy quick! ^^

David wanted to stop working, so he cut his thumb with a box cutting knife...T_T poor David, he wanted to help, and got cut instead...like the doctor job he got? Praise God though for real, he didnt need stitches, it was a pretty deep cut, but God is good and is his healer.

this is what David was allowed to do after his little accident...^^

So after that amazing espresso...well....lets just say we got a little excited...^^

yes...i had some of that "hyper juice"....^^

da boyz...

the men working hard....you can see that we had the steel framing, then just simply lined up the studs with the board, drilled in some drywall screws, and boom...done....we also put some fiber-glass insolation to keep the noise down, and also some heat too...

Pastor Craig led the group....he did this for a living for like 20 something years...he is the "master of drywall"...great things to learn...building the wall reminded me of building with Pastor Tommy in Okinawa...good times!

finishing the wall...

putting some bible verses in the wall...just like Pastor Tommy taught me!

soo...this was after our grand day serving the Lord...we are happy really...just tired...^^

This isnt the greatest picture, but this is Pastor Brent and his wife Hope...they were really great hosts...we were blessed with all that they did for all of us...

CC Frascati

We had to leave Rome so fast to get to church service on the outskirts of town...in a little town called Frascati...there is another Calvary there where we were going to be at service for.

David led worship while I played some Cajon...and then Pastor Craig got up and taught the Word...

Good times! It was cool to make some connections with people here...Lord continue to bless the work here in Your church!

St. Peter's Basilica

St. Pete's....

Me and St. Petes church...

Mickey having fun looking at the pigeons...what your shoulders there buddy! ^^

the fountain....view from the right side of the building...

famous swiss guards that are protecting the priest and Vatican part of the church...interesting how they were chosen to protect the Pope...do you know why?

I took this picture because it reminded me of my girlfriend...she plays classical music, and my favorite that she can play is from this guy named Chopin...thought you might like it...but it was just a store...lol ^^

Well that was a fast forward trip to downtown Rome...really great trip...super tired after...just a lot of walking...not a lot of resting, relaxing, really getting a chance to soak it up...but still very enjoyable!

Across from the Vatican...

We wanted to get to the Vatican area...so we picked up the pace and walked across this bridge...here you can see the tip of Saint Peter's Church...^^

The group...excluding Hannah....

right in front of the main street that dead ends into the front of Saint Peter's Square...

oh yeh...I almost died in this video...I saw them crossing the street...and i was late...and the cars started coming....lol funny...but not very smart...lol....stay with the group Daniel, stay with the group (the voice of my mother...except that she would not listen to her own advice..."oh what's that! A souvenir store! ohhhh!" lol jk momma...i love you!)

Piazza Navona

Dont know the real significance of this Piazza....other than it is really big and beautiful...but this is the Piazza Navona...a great place to relax...there were a lot of restaurants in this area...looked expensive though....^^

Pantheon

Some random cool looking pillars or whatever they are called in different piazzas....

The Pantheon...very famous site...again...dont know much...

The one thing I do know is that this is extra famous because this has no sealed roof...as you will see in this video...the ceiling is architectually (dont know how to spell) not normal...they dont know how the building is supporting the whole weight of the building...very interesting...^^

you can see the structure of the rotunda ceiling...sweeto

nice site...more....gotta keep moving fast...gotta get to our train in about 1 hour!

Trevi Fountain...

The super famous, awe inspiring Trevi fountain...dont know much about it...look it up on WiKipedia...i dont have that much time...lol

It was cool...i hear the thing to do is to come at night....eat a gelato...look at the fountain...it would be the life just to do that everyday right?! Or just own one of the apartments surrounding this awesome fountain...gosh...lucky! lol

Altare Della Patria (Altar of the Fatherland)...

So this is a really beautiful building commemorating the reunification of Italy under Victor Emmanuel II (the first King when Italy came together...)....they are kinda renovating it, keeping it intact and stuff, but it still looks amazing...

So...the big blunder of my trip...these guys stand around famous buildings and what not all dressed up...you can take pictures with them and stuff...David i guess said something about this, but that they charge you...and ask for money....totally missed that one...went up...took pictures...

got a random picture with them...i was posing for the picture...but then i was thinking...."OH NO! I have to probably pay for this"....ahhhhhh! 5 euros later...ugh....but i put my camera on multishot....so i got like 7 pictures...bwahah...bet they didnt see that coming...T_T but i still felt stupid...lol

great building...wow...

Forum

David explains the Forum...

This is the church that is where they once believe that Paul was in prison...as we were walking by, we were thinking...wow...we might be standing in the place that Paul was writing to Timothy his last letter, encouraging him to be strong and to trust in Jesus...crazy feeling...sometimes the Word just comes alive, when you experience where they were written (I'm sure that is true for anyone who has been to Israel on tour..)

Sweet arch....dont know who it is for...but it is in the center of the Forum...the Old Center of city for the great city of Rome...

as you look through the arch...you can see the Arch of Titus in the background...sweet...

The Forum...hopefully i can go down...but it costs money...T_T

sweet looking church in front of the gates around the forum...

Walking the streets of Rome...

So after seeing the Colosseum...we started walking in the general direction of the Vatican, even though it was pretty far...lots of things in between to see...like these guys!

kinda weird but dun sound....good times...

the progression of the Roman Empire...dont know in how many years and what not...

lol...this reminds me of my first day in school...got my backpack...and then my jacket rapped around my waste...so old school...i cant remember the last time I did that...lol

We found these kids that had a booth, where they were asking people to donate to missions and things like that...Dave was talking to them about serving God, or just serving men...the difference...some people, under the banner of Christianity just serve men, and then dont preach the Gospel...we should have that boldness to serve God and teach men about who He is...cool ministering time...

saw some dudes strolling down the middle of the streets...a lot of lost men, dead in religion and tradition...hopefully they will come to a true relationship with their Savior Jesus...

sweet statue of one of the many emperors of Rome...

I love this...its like some sweet armor...just as a part of the design of this building...ahhchaa chaa!

The Colosseum

After Sunday morning service in Rome, we decided to all travel into the city and see the old city...we only had about 3 hours...it was going to be the quickest tour ever.....lol

On the subway traveling towards the Colosseum...

THE COLOSSEUM! So juicy!

Brought my computer just for this....i was kinda scared about getting mugged...but it was worth it...^^

This is the place where probably thousands of Christians were killed as they professed their belief in Jesus, only going here to die for their faith in front of the angry mobs of Rome...but...a true decision for a life in Christ in never in vain...these people were persecuted, but are now resting with their Savior! Live for Jesus!

This is the Arch of Constantine...

David explaining the Arch of Constantine...pretty sweet...he so smart...im so duhm...^^

The Arch of Titus...the arch boasting the conquering of Jerusalem in 70 AD commanded by Emperor Titus...you can see Hebrew carving up close...but there was a gate...couldnt get at good pic...

Me and the SSEUM...

So sweet being here...wow...thanks Lord!

Off To Rome...

Were off!

Taken from my compie...

mmm....popcorn....WHAT!?! Mickey is eating it all! T_T im sad...

After about 5 hours...we were in Rome! Pastor Brent lives on the outskirts of the city...that is where his house and the church are...

He went and took us to the church...we checked out what we were going to do for Monday...were building a wall! Awesome...he need to seperate the area so that he could have a children's ministry room...

This was Sunday morning...getting prepared for worship...

Good to be in Rome...

Preparing For Outreach week...

We were preparing the puppets for when we were going to be on the streets in Calabria (hopefully using them to outreach and share the Gospel with)...we were having a little time getting to know the puppets...Mickey and Hannah were having a little too much time i think...lol

After...Hannah scared Dave...i guess he had gotten her pretty good...so it was payback...^^ i love scare videos....dont you? You think she really got him? i dont know...leave your opinions...

This is one of the three songs that we are going to do on the trip...Its called "Che Noia" Or something like that...sorry....It means "How Annoying"...the song says "How annoying" it is without a life in Jesus...pretty cool...was all cool until my puppet got stuck under Mickey's Puppets skirt...wow...soo funny...

Lord use this for your glory!

Sunday in Downtown Naples

Lorenzo's Grandpa.....making the vino...just right downstairs in their garage....so sweet...he just got some grapes from his farm that someone collected for him...just stirrin away!

Im laughing...because Lorenzo is yelling at his grandpa, and it startles him...so funny...^^

Went to Lorenzo's Baptist in downtown Naples...pretty cool worship and message...good times...got to meet with the Pastor after....hehe....as Lorenzo was introducing us, the Pastor was thinking I was Italian, and was surprised to hear that I had been to Japan and Korea and everything...hehe...I could pull it off right?

After church we went to the house for a great lunch...took a family pic...lol (The group...ME, Victoria, Angelica*, Bethany, Lori's mom*, Lori*, Lori's dad*, John Luigi*, and Marco* laying down.....*'s are Lorenzo's family...)

it was Bethany's bday....yay! Cake....i mean...yay! Bethany's bday! lol Happy birthday girly!

So it was our last night in the area, so we decided to finally see downtown Naples...Naples doesn't have the cleanest city in the world...but it was pretty cool...it had been raining in the morning, and as we were driving into the city, the rain had cleared away all the smog and made it look so beautiful! Thanks Lord!

We walked around in the port area of Naples...really cool...

Sat down right near the water and had some great Napolitan pizza...different styles in each region that you go to....pretty good...mmm

I devoured that pizza...choowww!

went out for another coffee....mmm....coffee is the best here...

mmmm....doesnt that look like some bomb tiramisu!

Me and Mimmo....sweet pose brada....

Mimmo giving the sweet introduction of the city...

downtown Naples/Port area of Naples...very beautiful night...good times...

So that was it....my time in Naples...I dont think I have laughed so hard on this trip, just really good times with great fellowship, I love my life in Jesus! I have such peace in this time that He has given me to enjoy the world and the things that He has allowed me to do for His glory!

Saturday all around Naples...

Well, Lorenzo wanted to take us out to this really sweet mall around his area...This is it!

It is actually a Volcano shaped mall, mostly to represent Mount Vesuvius that is right in the distant landscape...so sweet huh?!

We just walked around...nothing to buy, because everything is so expensive...but we decided to grab some coffee....I got the "Bacio Caffe" which means "Kiss coffee"...for all my loved ones!

Well as we were joking about my picture I just took with the kiss pose, I made this really awkward comment to Bethany..."Yeh my Bacio is pretty good (talking about the drink), but yours isnt that good...well, i dont mean your bacio...i dont know your bacios....ummm....dang...." Word for word...i did not think that one through....we were dying laughing...if you look closely...you can see some tears in her eyes...good times being awkward...

Tunnel time! On our way to Agropoli...which is a small beach town that is close to their small farm Lorenzo's family has....pretty cool...

skin boarding...in Agropoli...

im surprised I didnt fall right into the water...lol

Marco rockin the skin board...

spent some time writing stuff in my new journal i bought from Venice...had a pretty cool sunset...

My Favorite....Positano...

Positano....probably my favorite city in all of Italy....it may change...but so far...so beautiful...snapped a few pictures of art hanging around the area...

down on the beach....

Postiano....ahh cha chaaa

niiice....

lori and me...

walking back to the car...all up hill....had to have some fun to take my mind off the climb....^^

Well...we were messing around in the car...dont fall asleep when I am i the car....bwahha...sorry Victoria....it was a group effort though! ^^ good times...

Driving the Amalfi Coast...ah cha chaa

So we were driving up the Amalfi Coast, which has a bunch of great little towns on the way to take great pictures and things....

We are rocking out to my new favorite song for the moment..."When She's Near" by Fiction Family....lead singer of Switchfoot...check out the video...juicy!

Just wanted to stop off and get a pic....

niiiicee....

This is Sorrento i think....

Beautiful coastline....

Lorenzo is so patient with me....^^ hehe

Just around the bend is Positano...wanted to get some footage on the road though...

Well...i wish i took this photo...but this is the Amalfi coast at sunset.....ahhh cha cha...

In Pompei...

So Lorenzo picked us up, brought us to his house to meet his family, and then we got situated in their house there...really nice....had some dinner, then decided to go out for some coffee in Pompei...

Lorenzo's sister Angelica and Victoria enjoying their coffees

Bethany and Lorenzo....sweet backdrop no?

same Pompei church in the day time...

its the POPE...nah jk...just some dude strolling down the street of Pompei...

driving in Pompei...

The gates of Old Pompei...didnt go see it...just passing by...were on our way to the Amalfi Coast!

Off to Naples!

So David was a blessing and dropped us off at the Venice airport...we are on our way to Naples! Lorenzo, our friend that has his family there, already had left in the morning to get things ready for us...choww....got my ticket!

so we got all through the security and decided we were a bit hungry....well...didnt eat food, but the girls (Bethany and Victoria) got espresso...and I gots a big fat gelato! hehe....

YAY! On the plane....but then....we were waiting forever...and we were like....whats going on?!?! Everybody started to get up and look for their tickets...i guess something was wrong...

we found out the problem....it was Bethany....lol

her ticket said "Maurizio Chinellato" instead of her name....they check up to half the plane where we were sitting...trying to find this guy....lol when they got to us...they were like "WE HAVE BEEN CALLING YOU!"....calling us by Maurizio? haha we just shrugged it off...but lesson learned...check your ticket when it is given to you....

Good times....Bethany will forever be known as Maurizio now...bwahaha!

...been out for a while...

Hey guys...been gone on outreach to Rome, Calabria, and Sicily...so you know what that means...yes....lots of pictures and videos...It should take me a couple days to get it done...but i finally have some time...ok guys here it comes...

Oh yeh...but I still need to put up pictures from Naples...bwahhaa....then ill put some Rome juice up...thanks for your patience!

Murano Island...Glass blowing!

So Ray, Lana, and I got in a water taxi...and took off to Morano Island...which is world famous for its Venetian glass that they make right there....really cool place...

these guys are gonna demo some glass blowing...this homeboy is gonna make a vase...

finished product...sweet....

can you tell what he is making....it took me a bit to figure it out....^^

this is what he made...really fast.....really cool.....well actually not cool.....really hot! You see that paper? The guy put it on top of it....and it immediately caught on fire....geeez dont touch it!

This was the sweet shop we looked around in after....not everything was expensive...just most of it! lol...sweet stuffs man...

i like this antique lion door knocker....niiiiice....

Well...after getting lost for a bit...we found our way back on the water taxis to the Rialto bridge exit...the boat system is good....but a little confusing....jsut gotta be at the right place at the right time i guess...

me and the rialto bridge again...but at night! ^^

Well I had to get off a stop before theirs, I had to catch my train to go back to Montebelluna, they were heading to the cruise ship for one more night, then they were off to London for a couple days to finish their trip. It was such a blessing to be with some family out here...thanks for everything guys!

What a great experience to be in Venice! Wonderful day...thanks Lord for blessing it!

Found my family!

So it was time to find my family friends...I ran to go find them...but then I got kinda confused...because I couldnt find the Cruise ship gate...but as i was walking, I saw this big tall guy...and it was Ray! Yay...praise God I found them, that would have kinda stunk to be alone in Venice all day long...

Here is Lana and I...we got on the boat taxis that run from point to point on the Grand Canal...

Well really quickly...I know Ray and Lana because they have been my parents friends forever...like Lana was there for me as a baby, and we would always hang out with them. My parents were going to go on their 25th wedding anniversary with them (since they are around the same time)...but they couldnt go...so I met them only...T_T it would have been good to see my parents too, but it was great to see Ray and Lana too!

Were in Venice!!!! choowwww!

going under the Rialto bridge...

the Santa Maria Della Salute...

Well....despite the lame advertisments blocking the rest of the view...this is the famous "Bridge of Sighs"...uuuuuhhhhhhhh....that was a bad sigh....lol

this was the name of some hotel...cool right? ^^

Piazza Devotion (2 Kings 12)

I like this picture....it was what I could see from my seat

A little devotion I had with the Lord...i just wanted to share with you guys too...

As I kinda looked over this....i didnt necessarily focus on money...which it kinda sounds like that...but more focus on the faithfulness of the men of God that wanted to repair the temple. They were not driven by money...as I was encouraged to be...but to be a man of honor, having the correct motives to serving the Lord Almighty. Well again...if you have any comments or things you got from the Scripture...give me a shout out...

This is the view from the famous Rialto Bridge, which crosses the Grand Canal. It is most famous for all the cool (but ridiculously expensive T_T) shops on the sides of the bridge...it really has a regular path down the middle....shops on both sides....and then paths on the farthest sides of bridge for pictures and views off the side of

the bridge....(was that confusing? ^^)

Me and the Grand Canal...^^

found a good place to eat my grapes...lol

fountains are in abundance in Venice...

ok....on my way to chill at a piazza...I had about an hour and a half to kill until my family came...

Strollin in Venice...

After going to the Jewish Quarter, I pretty much had no clue what to do...lol So i bought a small map for about 2 bucks...and just strolled around Venice...

a small canal connecting to the Grand Canal that runs all through the island...

thought this was a cool mailbox...

when in doubt....^^

Ok...so I saw this...and I had to eat something...lol So I went to a store really quick, bought some grapes, juice (real juice...not just like cool...you know what im talking about...^^), and bread...mmm

ughh....depressing....one day....with my future wife....^^ I went up and asked the dude how much it would cost...for like 3 people (thinking of my family coming)...and he said €80 (about $120)

for only about 30 minutes....ahhhhhh! Well...come with money if you come to Venice!

I found this cool shop that sold different styles and colors of pastas...pretty cool they were making it right there in the back...

in the morning it was really busy, boat going around, bringing everything to all the stores...really interesting how they get everything around here...

I had some bread, so I decided to sit down and eat, and also feed some of the birds...poor little ones...it made me think of Matt 6:33 talking about how God provides "for the birds", and how much more God desires to provide for us. We should not stress about our provision, but "Seek first the kingdom of God and His Righteousness" and those other things just fall into place...Praise my Jehovah Jirah!

Venice!

I'm in Venice...im so close, but it has taken me a month to finally get here...David has been meaning to take me, but we have both been busy, but I finally had some solid motivation to go, and not by myself....Some old family friends were on a cruise that ported in Venice, so I was going to go meet them...I would be alone for a couple hours, but meet them around 1pm.

So David told me some cool places to check out on the map, and I just went for it...

It was really overcast in the morning...but I had read that it would be nice and sunny...praise God it burned off later!

Sweet fish market...

getting lost in Venice...

entering the Jewish Quarter...

So this is some article I found posted in a window...if you can zoom and read it...its pretty interesting...

was pretty cool seeing this place...thanks Dave for helping me find this place.

Mickey's Bday...

Well when we got back from driving....we were blessed because it was Mickey's Birthday...but also that we could still chow out on all the food they had! Some Dominican Republic ladies from the church hooked up some food for the whole Bible College, plus all the girls made some pie and other great stuff.....mmm...

Mickey's Mickey pie!

blow it all out mickey!

So we went to Calvary Chapel Budapest on that Sunday...it was pretty sweet worship. They taught in English and Hungarian, and we also had communion...niiice

after church...we all walked down to a Kebab shop and then took them to Erika's house to eat...mmm

We stopped at the store on the way to get drinks...but i had to try the local chocolates...mmm

Erika turned me on to her two favorites...first the small white one...was chocolate and cheese...sounds kinda gross, but it was like creme cheese...good

but even better was this Boci...mmm....chocolate, apricots, and nuts...oh joy!

the left side out Erika's window...

the right....can you see the Hungarian flag? Same colors as the Italian flag...just their colors are horizontal instead of vertical...

chowwing the grub....

Thanks Erika and Lili for spending time with us! God bless you girls, keep serving Jesus!

Later that night...we took the train back to where the Calvary Chapel is, and we met David's friends from the church...and we went out to eat...

We found a Asian restaurant that served all you can eat...in Korean, Japanese, and Chinese...mmm....i was soo happy!

they came around on a conveyer...sweet....the top was hot stuff...the bottom was cold stuff...

the affects of all you can eat...dying guys....laughing girls...sometimes i think women are smarter not eating so much...just sometimes though...^^

OK....with all that amazing food in my belly...i was excited...I saw a Tom Jones poster...and i had to the Carlton Dance...bwahaha....then some dude some in just trying to walk...and i slap him...T_T that didnt stop me though...

the crew....Lorenzo...Lily...Erika....and Dave...

there is this girl Bethany in the Bible college...thats why it was funny to us...sorry if you dont get it....^^

This was for our Brazilian friend Edney who couldnt come on the trip...we have this joke...for you buddy!! HA- HA!

a view of the town...

Sweet castle or villa or whatever you call building...^^

BRIDGE!

me and Gimmy...

BRIDGE....again!

me and Lori....and a lion...

Well we took a subway back to town...and got in our car that we left by Calvary Budapest...we walked by and took a pic of the sign...thought it was cool...

We took off to go to our hostel for the night...had to take another video from the view up top at night...juiccccyy! Enjoy!

Budapest Castle area...

I dont remember the name of this place we went...but it was a really rich area with very touristy buildings...a lot of people on tour....saw a few groups....Americans, Italians, Chinese people...really funny hearing all these different languages...

Thought this was a really sweet statue...

booo...you are not supposed to be remodeling your church when i come...^^

I found a great tour guy....T_T

sweet horse guy...

yay! thats me!

this was the whole area that we were checking out...so i guess the place is called "Varnegyed" or something....^^

I want to ride in a carriage...^^

Good times....here is a view from the wall...sweet juice...

Citadella Bunker...

So we went into this sweet bunker that is on top of the hill (Citadella) there was this wax museum thing...had all these artifacts from the war that was here...check it out...

this building got super jacked...

medals that had been from different soldiers, including some Germans...

wow...this makes me think how jealous Voonder might be right now...lol

gas mask juice....

This was a pretty cool place...and it was free because we stayed at the hotel that night....score!

Budapest, Hungary...

It took us about an hour and a half to get to downtown Budapest....pretty chill ride...

as we were rolling into town...they had all these great beautiful big buildings...ahhh chha cha

We met this homie Mark...he leads the choir group at Calvary Chapel Budapest...

The whole group...David, Mark, Gimmy, Lorenzo, and Gazi...

We pulled out some money...so confusing getting different currencies...Im always worried im gonna spend too much money with a different currency because you dont know the exchange...this 15,000 Forints is about 82 bucks...alot different than Euros...

We walked up the highest hill in Budapest, which has a really sweet citadel on top overlooking the whole city...so sweet...

all of downtown...

This is what is on top of the citadella...it is the last communist statue to represent those that have died under the rule of communism...Hungary was actually really heavily bombed from the Nazi's in WWII...more on that to come though...

Hotel Citadella...

After we booked our room for the night, Mark took us to his house for a sweet Hungarian lunch...chicken and onion potatoes...we were sitting here and the Italians were just arguing about something so silly...thought it was so funny...dont worry i bicker too...runs in my Italian blood...^^

Going to Vajta, Hungary

Well David Downs wanted to take out some of the Italian dudes, to get away and seek the Lord, and just relax and have some discipleship time...so we decided to drive to Hungary for the weekend and visit the Vajta Bible College (CCBC Europe) and then go to Budapest to travel and take pictures...

Well we had to wait for the guys to get off work, so we left at like 7pm, but it was an 8 hour drive...ughh.... So we didnt get into Vajta until about 3:30am...but then we didnt go to bed until 4am...because there was like a million mosquitos in our dorm room when we got there...check out the fun we had...ohh we are whispering because its 4 in the morning ....ahhhhhhh

We went and hung out and worshiped with the Vajta bible college students in the devotion...and then David taught for them

dont worry...i wooped them...(see Pastor Mike...its not only you!) Well actually...Gazi just kept hitting the 8 ball in in the middle of the game...lol thanks Gazi, best player on my team! ^^

the cafe...

me and Gazi taking some time to chat...

The front of the villa...

spent some time in the rotunda room and worshiped Jesus...

I like this...the hedges make the form of a cross...so sweet!

the backside of the villa....this is the rotunda room...

the view inside the Rotunda room....sweet...

juice pic...

Me and my Lorenzo friend...ahhh....my buddy...I have only known him for about a month...he's like my brother, so happy to have met him...blessings brada

Got a quick group pic and then took off to go to Budapest!

Uncle Daniel!

Well almost on their one year anniversary...they got pregnant! My sister and brother-in-law are gonna have a kid....im so excited...she told me on skype if you cant tell! Wow...so cool...

Well....my sister and her husband have been really blessed lately...Gabe and Jamie have gotten really great jobs, they moved out of their apartment and got a new house, and now a baby! God is good...

This is the remodel of their home....just got rid of the carpet...painted the joint....took off the stucko from the ceiling...stuff like that...HeY! i got in the photos...that was actually my last night in Cali in that last photo of me with them...

This is the video that they showed to the family after they finished...surprise at the end...bwahaha....

Well this is the reaction after they watched the "baby surprise"....so funny...my mom is like on Cloud 9 right now...and Gabe's mom looks like she is about to pass out....^^ oh the grandmas are funny....

Praise God for His faithfulness to my family...thanks Lord!

Back in Italy...

Well I am back in Italy...but not for long....on Thursday I am headed out to Hungary! Nice...a couple of us guys are gonna drive up and hang out there at the Bible College in Vajta...gonna be sweeto!

Chillin in Treviso for the morning...

Well, I woke up in the morning...Renata and Mark got some brioches and some coffee together...had a small breakfast, and then David came down and we walked around town for a bit in the light...

i like this montage...i gotta find a better way to get these....

The town clock and Da Pino...

livin in Italia...chowwww

nice statue....we just sat and watched the town go all around us...

just relaxing...talking about what the Lord is doing...good times...

We walked to the Treviso Duomo....

inside....

This is just walking outside of the Duomo...this old man walking towards us was 95 years old! He asked us for some money....holding a bag....saying that he was hungry and didnt know how he would eat...God bless this man....help him to know Your love
some sweet archeology things still being uncovered in Treviso...check it out...

Well we got in the car and started to drive around the outside of the city...its surrounded by a moat...really cool...



Good times....Treviso has a lot of history and a lot of beautiful things in it...great little place...^^

The view rolling into Treviso...nice picture i think...a bit blurry but its cool...

The plan was that I was going to go home when we got to Treviso (take a train back)...but Pastor Mark asked me to come to dinner and then spend the night since it would be too late...

This is the center of Treviso...so many people...really cool looking...

The town clock...and Da Pino....the restaurant that we ate at...

everyone chowed on some pizza...i got the Siciliana....olives...sausage...anchovies...capers...mmm....salty...^^

Pastor Tom Dickerson (From New Jersey...guest speaker for the retreat), Pastor Mark Nigro, and Mark's son Luca...ahhh

here is cutie Matea...she literally ate half her own pizza...and still wanted more...whoa calmati bambina!

We were playing around with Matea, taking away her bottle...she thought it kept disappearing...so cute...i love when she would see that it was gone...it was the same face every time too, always surprised...we probably did this about 6 times...it was funny every time! lol ^^