The Roman River

Sometimes I still can’t believe this whole Rome adventure we’re on. Yesterday, I sat with Jen in the mall at McDonalds with a two- year old, one- year old and 8-month-old. Jen commented that our life felt pretty nutty at that moment and I agreed..…… in a mall, in Rome, with three babies, at McDonalds. This script couldn’t have been written by us, rather God has a plan and we’re believing good things are happening in us and through us—even in the very random moments of the day.

These last couple of weeks have felt more settled. We have a routine with school for the older kids and Truman started daycare for three days a week at the WFP Montessori. Usually we wake up around 6:30am, kids up by 7am, they eat, get dressed, make beds, brush hair and teeth, and they’re out the door by 7:45am to be at school by 8am. It’s nice we live so close to school and we’ll continue to be close in our new apartment that we’ll take possession of on November 1.

Finding an apartment with four bedrooms in Rome has proven to be a task, but we got one! It can actually work into a five bedroom, which is great for when we have guests. Originally, we had hoped for a big villa with a yard and lots of rooms, but the location of most villas are too far away from school and pretty secluded. We quickly realized there are more advantages to living in an apartment near the school. Additionally, we live near a little lake with a park and activities over the weekend. It’s quite fun for families and the open space is welcome in this building-packed city.

EUR (A-or) is the name of our area, it’s about five miles from the city center (Vatican area). It doesn’t look like “Rome” because we’re in a suburb. At times I wish we were in the city center, but it makes more sense for us to be near David’s work and the kid's school. We’ll continue to venture into the city over the weekends and for events. Plus, Jen and I will get to explore more in the week since Truman is in school now(3 days a week)—packing Quincy along is easy for now.

The kids are doing great at Highlands, (the Italian school). At first, Lyndsey was having a hard time. Last week, she had a major meltdown. I had to stay at school with one of the counselors to help her transition into class for the day. It was heartbreaking, but it led to a conversation about bravery and courage. We talked about choosing to walk thru hard things in spite of our fear. I let her know that I was just as scared as she and we both have the opportunity to challenge ourselves and continue to push through the language barrier and newness of this country. I may have even inspired myself. J

In the end, she was still crying and they had to pry her off of me as I ran out the school doors. My insides were melting with sadness for her, but I felt leaving would help her. It was heart wrenching. On my walk home, I started considering other schools for her to attend since she was clearly not doing well.

When I got home, Jen and I prayed and let me tell you, God heard us!  When I picked Lyndsey up from school she said she had the best day since she’s been in Italy. It was obvious she was proud of her bravery and she had made new friends. That evening at the dinner table she said “God did a miracle today….. he did a miracle in my heart.”  Lyndsey felt how much God loves her and she hasn’t had an issue with school since then. In fact, she’s almost excited for school in the morning. No complaining at all! Its quite miraculous in my book. I still want to cry just thinking about how God had shown himself to her and our family.

This whole move has been like panning for gold. I feel like we’ve dipped our pan into a new promising river and we’re shaking all this dirt and water around in our pans believing we’ll get gold nuggets.  Lyndsey’s nugget was big, beautiful, and very valuable! I’m sure she’ll find many more- maybe not as obvious or large, but she’ll get more.  

Each day I plunge my pan into this river and after swirling my dirt and water, I always find gold nuggets by the end of the day. They look a little different from Lyndsey’s nugget, maybe not as big and shining, but they’re dense and weighty usually containing lessons of courage, bravery, hope, persistence and boldness. Even in driving around Rome, I am learning something about myself and how I interact with this world. I already know I have been changed for the better from this experience. I have new tools in my tool belt and I'm excited to become more acquainted with them. 

More lessons learned in Rome in future blogs. J

 Lyndsey and her new friend, Frederica.

 At the hospital- waiting for x-ray results.

 After the hospital trip, we walked across the street to the Appia and found this amazing park.

 The new normal- amazing art and history everywhere we go.

 Quincy is 8 months old!

Our crazy mall experience. We had Gwenaelle with us too because her momma (Amanda) was sick. Amanda and Gautier Ferran are in Rome too- they're friends from DC and were neighbors with Jen. We get together regularly with them and a handful of others who are here connected to the WFP.