Let's start with Friday. Friday I had the pleasure of going with three friends to an agriturismo (very common in the Italian countryside...basically a combination of a farm and a bed and breakfast). The highlight of this much-needed escape from city life was galloping through olive groves with this in the background:
[Actually I'm still waiting for a picture my lovely tour guide took on her phone near the end of our ride, so hopefully I can add that soon.]
And I realized how much I miss riding. It's been over a year since I've been on a horse (and even longer since I've been in a horse show or jumped a fence), so it felt good to be "back in the saddle." Literally. Well, it felt good during the ride itself. I'm not gonna lie, I'm actually still sore (after three days). I don't think I really noticed how much of a workout riding is when I did it several times a week in high school. Ah, nostalgia.
So that day was really fun, and of course being with those three friends is always a joy :)
Then, early the next morning, I met up with people from my church in Rome to go to the region of Abruzzo to fellowship with other evangelical churches in Italy. It was great to meet so many Italian believers and hear how Christ has changed their lives. ["Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come." -2 Corinthians 5:17]
We met in a park, and one church did a "mime" about the masks we wear. There was "la bella" (the beautiful girl who cares so much about her appearance...but behind her mask of self confidence, she's insecure and obsessed with the "faults" she sees in the mirror), the party animal (who seems to be always having fun and laughing at life, but who is killing himself trying to please people and searching for acceptance), the bully (who is cruel to others as a sort of self-protection mechanism) and the "religious" person (who scolds and rebukes, but is actually blind and stumbling about). They then went on to depict how Jesus can take the masks away...even if it's difficult at first and even if they wanted to put their masks back on again...they found joy and fulfillment in "taking off the old self with its practices and putting on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator." (Colossians 3:9-10)
Then, after a quick lunch, we drove another hour or so to the wedding of two members of our church. We got there just in time to cram into the bathroom and change clothes (or so we thought...seeing as the ceremony started half an hour late, we ended up having plenty of time).
I love weddings. It takes me back to the year I interned for a wedding planner (which was SO much fun :)). I love the details...the decorations, the color choices, the dress, the venue, the food. I've probably been to more weddings than I can count, and I have to say this one was one of my favorites. Not only was it my first Italian wedding, automatically making it special, but the setting was breathtaking, the food was delicious, the dancing was "divertente" and most importantly, the ceremony was nothing short of God-glorifying.
The ceremony was filled with thanksgiving and the Word. Our pastor talked about 1 Corinthians 13, focusing on the fact that though we can and should strive to love like this (with patience, kindness, humility, forgiveness, selflessness and hope), we will never love others perfectly. I wish I didn't, but I still hold grudges, "keeping record of wrongs"...I still want what I don't have and I don't want to wait for it...I still snap at my mom and don't think of my roommate before myself. I am not always patient or kind and, I'm sure, I'm often rude. So these verses are a beautiful standard, but it's important to note that Christ was the only one who ever lived up to it. And only because of Him could I ever hope to not lash out in frustration at a personal jab or be self-seeking, envious and proud.
The vows were beautiful and so was the message from the pastor of the groom's home church. In every aspect of the ceremony, God got the credit. Rarely have I seen that done so intentionally and wholeheartedly at a wedding, at it was truly lovely to witness.
I could go on and on about how marriage is (or should be) a picture of Christ's relationship with us (with His "bride," the church [Ephesians 5:25-27]). But I feel like I've said it all before, so I'll let this video do the talking. (Because if a picture's worth a thousand words, a video can speak volumes, right?)
Italian weddings are lengthy affairs. And this one reflected three main aspects of Italian culture.
First of all, Italians care about friends and family and are generally very inviting, hospitable and inclusive. This was exemplified in the group photo. I kid you not...we took a group photo with all 200+ people at that wedding.
Secondly, Italians love to eat. Again, I kid you not, we ate for over four hours. That's eight courses, my friends. I didn't think I was going to make it there for a while.
But then, we all made room for desert by dancing off the first seven platefuls of food. Because, last but not least, Italians love to have fun! They had a band who played traditional music and led in traditional dances from that region of Italy. I think this was my favorite part of the day. I love dance. It can say so much about a country's culture and heritage. And it just feels good to move and let loose!
I finally crawled into bed a little after 1 a.m. (even though the party was still going strong). But the weekend wasn't over yet! The next morning, we went to the groom's home church and enjoyed worshipping together and (you guessed it!) more food. Lasagna, veggies and vast array of desserts. And coffee, of course. Then, around 3 p.m., all 50 or so of us sat down to share a little about ourselves and how we can be praying for each other.
So this weekend was definitely a cultural experience. And a beautiful one at that :) But I have to admit I was pretty happy to be home (at around 7 p.m. last night)...to relax, do a little yoga, watch a movie, and just not speak to anyone for a few hours ;)
Even with all it's quirks (and what culture doesn't have plenty of those?), I'm so grateful I get to live in and really experience Italy. I'm amazed by all the things I've gotten to see and do so far and all the people I've had the pleasure of getting to know. Here's to eight more months of this crazy, challenging, exciting adventure!
