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Missions

Come Take a Trip With Us (and Hidden Blessings)

Our summer home

June for us is a busy month. Hubby is busy finishing up his English classes. While I scurry about getting ready for our summer travels, as we usually visit and catch up with friends and churches. We’ll be traveling quite a bit this summer too, as usual. And I really wish you could join us!

First stop: the hometown

First stop, Hubby’s hometown in the beautiful Cilento National Park, near Salerno. Where we stay right in the home where he was born! Situated in an ancient village, surrounded by rugged and wild wilderness. And with such old-fashioned ways that it’s like taking a giant step back in time.

Our beautiful summer town; Hubby’s birthplace.

A Hidden Blessing

When our summer home passed into our care, we really didn’t want it. It just seemed like an unneccary burden, more to maintain, and extra expense. (Lord, please forgive our grumbling and complaints!)

For it has turned out to be one of our greatest blessings! Expenses are low, mostly because Italian property taxes are so reasonable. None at all on 1st homes, and quite reasonable on second houses luxury homes. Utilities are the only real expense and also low because we don’t use them all year.

So we get a comfy summer-long holiday, nearly free! And right in the midst of the beautiful national park! But the greatest blessings we enjoy, other than catching up with long-time friends and neighbors, is the cool mountain air and almost total absence of mosquitos!! Thank you Lord!

Traveling on…

We haven’t formulated an itinerary yet, but plan to travel north and visit one of the churches we helped start in Sassuolo, Emilia Romagna. And then further north to visit friends. But best of all, we’ll be visiting churches (some for the 1st time), meeting up with old friends, and making new ones! We’ll try to keep you posted.

Reading and relaxation

In our summer village we always enjoy plenty of time for reading and study. In many ways, it’s become a spiritual retreat for us – and sometimes friends also get a chance to enjoy it with us.

Life can get so busy, what with work, church, and all. So in our lazy village afternoons we hope to study and read a lot. In preparation, I’ve been downloading Bible school materials and free pdfs from Free Classic Books.

More hidden blessings

Not that it’s all loafing time though! It’s also a catch-up time for spring cleaning, home maintenance, and cleaning our countryside land. So yes we are blessed, with both work and pleasure. And so many extra, hidden blessings that the Lord sends our way.

Like the year we got to minister in a church in Pozzuoli, near Naples! Called Puteoli in Scripture, the apostle Paul spent 7 days the town. It’s so exciting going to Italy’s Bible places!

The Lord sends many blessings. But if we’re not careful, we might overlook them, like we almost did with our summer home. Because sometimes his blessings come in the most unlikely packaging! Hidden among things we may not always see as blessings. How many of them do you miss?

Images: Girl reading by Pexels | Others ©SignoraSheila.

10 replies on “Come Take a Trip With Us (and Hidden Blessings)”

May your two months in your summer home feel like four (!), with plenty of rest, delightful relaxation among friends, leisurely walks and “sits” amidst God’s wonders of nature, and multiple moments of laughter and smiles!

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Thank you, Nancy! We really need it – more than ever this year. Our son appears before the judge today for the final divorce proceedings. It’s been a rough spring!

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I love that you get to visit this beautiful area this summer. It’s a dream of mine to someday go to Italy, but I enjoy experiencing the beauty and uniqueness of that country through you. You’re an amazing tour guide! Enjoy your summer!

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Oh Dayle, I hope you do get to visit Italy one day. Know that you have a place to stay with us! I’m so glad that you enjoy my Italy articles, as that will probably be a lot of my focus this summer. We have no internet down in the village. So I’ll need easy articles to post! Or at least we have no internet until we go out for pizza – which I don’t mind at all!! I hope you enjoy your summer a lot too, and get lots of family time!

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Thank you, Janet! Yes, Italy is beautiful and we are blessed to live here. Thanks for your blessings for our summer activities – we always appreciate prayer! God bless!

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Have a wonderful (and hopefully not too warm!) summer. We hope to visit Modena in September, in the expectation that it should cool down! 🙂

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Yes Robert, I think Modena should be cooled down by then. July and August are supposed to scorchers! Hope your summer will be pleasant and filled with God’s blessings!

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