ROME, ITALY...Caput Mundi!

You are in the ETERNAL CITY. I don't like the sound of that! There is only one eternal city and we want to go there in the rapture not right now! However, Rome is called the Eternal City because it has always played a significant role in the history of Europe. It is also called the Eternal City because it is one of the world's richest in history and art, and one of the great cultural, religious, and intellectual centers.

Rome was founded in 753 BC by Romulus and Remus. Romulus wanted the city built on the Palatine Hill, Remus wanted it built on the Aventine Hill. The question was to be decided by an augury (divination). Remus was the first to see 6 vultures and Romulus saw 12. Each claimed the augury (the foretelling of future events by occult or supernatural means)in his favor and Remus was killed.

Romulus created the Roman Senate and the Roman Legions. He abducted women from the neighboring Sabine tribes. Romulus was one of ancient Rome's greatest conquerors, adding large amounts of territory and people to the dominion of Rome.

So there you have it, if Remus had been the victor, you today would be in Reme instead of Rome!

There is so much to see in Rome, I suppose you will see different sights everyday! There is the colosseum, the Roman Forum,the Pantheon, Roman Temples, the catacombs, cathedrals and castles, and the Sistine Chapels. There is also the Trevi Fountain. Tourists throw coins into the fountain to guarantee their return to Rome. If that is all it takes, throw in a bunch!






Today you will meet up with Missionary Mike Hopkins. I can't wait till you tell me about him. Missionaries are special people! From your itinerary, it looks like you will be hosted by him the entire time you are in Rome. On Sunday morning you are singing at the International Church. Does Mike pastor that church? You are going to have so much fun being with a missionary. I hope you get to go to his house and hang out, like the students and teams come to our house here in Jamaica!





This evening the concert is at the Evangelical Church of San Paolo. The itinerary says you are walking to the church. Won't that be so much fun! Can you imagine all the attention you will garner. Beautiful college students walking in their tuxedos and gowns! The townspeople will think there is a really large wedding happening on a Wednesday night!! They may follow you to the service and meet the Bridegroom himself...Jesus!

Have a lovely day sweetheart in the Eternal City. One day we are going to the one not built by hands, where the Eternal Conqueror lives. But in the meantime enjoy this one!

ITALY...il menu..per favore!

Today you are leaving Southern Italy and flying to Rome! What a great day. It is an hour flight and then you take a bus ride for an hour to Hotel Stromboli which is located on Via Marsala.....my mouth is watering! Strombolis, chicken marsala, antipasti, bruschetta, crostinis, gnocchis, insalata, patate frittes, spaghetti, italian cookies and coffee. Italian food has always been our favorite!

There are different words to specify types of restaurants. We say "restaurant" for any type of establishment that serves food, well except when we go to the truck stop! But in Italy the word "ristorante" means the place is "high end." For casual dining, the word is "trattoria" and for a restaurant in a hotel the word is "osteria." If you are going to a restaurant in the country it is called "locanda." Isn't that cool, does it remind you of daddy's sermon with the paper valentine and the different meanings for the word "love!"

Hotel Stromboli is right downtown. Important monuments are within walking distance. This is the first free day you have without a concert at night. This afternoon the schedule says that you are landing, checking in to the hotel, eating lunch and then sightseeing at 4:00. I can't imagine the beauty of the city at night. I wonder what time it gets dark there. I remember being in Belgium during the season that it got dark at 11:00. We were playing volleyball with the team and it was still light at 11:00 at night! Here in Jamaica it gets dark year round by 6:00 at the latest. What a difference. Our evenings are really long here!

I took a virtual tour of Hotel Stromboli and it looks like a lovely place.





You have left the shoe part of the "boot"! You are now just below the knee and I would imagine that the weather has changed and you will see marked differences from where you have been. I am so anxious to see your photos and postcards! What a great tour. You didn't land in one spot and remain there but you have traveled the country! God is so good. He has allowed a remarkable trip for you. I consider it a beautiful gift for your 20th birthday!



Tonight your legs will be tired from walking the city! Rome is the capital and the largest city in Italy. It has 2.7 million residents in the city proper. Rome is located on the Tiber River in the Lazio region. Since second century AD, Rome has been the seat of the papacy. Since 1929 it is also the site of Vatican City, an independent city-state run by the Pope.






I am so proud of you son. I am so proud that you are using your talents for Jesus, the one who gave you these gifts in the first place. I am so proud that your heart is for Him. He called you before you were born. There were prophecies over you at your birth. You have chosen to live for Him and that is the greatest choice one can ever make in a lifetime. May you make music in your heart today since you will not be making music for the crowd. God is listening to your song. I love you so much. I can't wait to hear your voice!

ITALY...Ti Penso Sempre

Good morning son! Well for me it is morning, for you it is mid afternoon. You are on the road again. After you did some sight seeing this morning, you loaded a bus with your bag lunch and traveled on to Vibo Valentia. There you are going to connect with Pastor Santoro Gianpaolo for the evening concert. How excited you must be. Singing the wonderful songs the choir has practiced for many months to a new crowd each day. I know that they are enjoying it. It is my dream to hear the concert choir in person before you graduate next May. I am praying that the Lord will make a way for me to do that. I know he will. He is not a mother, but he understands a momma's heart. Yesterday late afternoon when Renee saw a new post on your facebook, we all just went crazy, jumping and running around. So excited to hear from you even if it wasn't your voice, it was your heart. You love Italy and you are having a blast. Oh such wonderful news to our hearts.

Living in Europe is one of our most fondest memories. There is no place like it! I am so glad you are able to spend eleven days there. Who knows when you have your band, you could go back! That sounds good, doesn't it!!

Vibo Valentia has a population of 35,000 and the town is filled with numerous Baroque and Renaissance churches. You will love seeing those. As they tower into the sky, especially a blue sky, there is nothing like the view. Speaking of blue skies, it is blue here in Mandeville, but the weather looks like rain where you are. I wish we could trade. We need the rain and you need the blue sky!

There is a Norman Castle in Vibo Valentia and interestingly, each of the four towers on this castle were built by different rulers. This castle is noted for being the spot where seven martyrs were slain for having defended the town from the impending take over by the Pignatelli.

The car's license plates there are coded by VV. It reminded me of Jamaica's license plates. As you remember, the color of the plate indicate who drives the car, taxi's as you know are all red, business vehicles plates are green and personal cars plates are white. Have you noticed different license plates as you have traveled the highways?

Vibo Valentia is located near the Tyrrhenian Sea and is a tourist center! That should be fun! Maybe you can by some souvenirs in this place. On the "boot" Vibo Valentia is located at the top of the shoe part of the boot. That is the first time you have been on the north side of the "boot". I suppose the terrain may be different than what you have been seeing or maybe the food is different.





Mondays are sometimes hard for you because of the traveling ministry you usually have on the weekends, but this is one Monday that I suppose was real easy to wake up for! May your eyes be open today to the physical beauty around you, but also to the people you meet. They may be going through a very difficult Monday and they need your love, your touch, and your voice. Be bold son and share Christ's touch. Sometimes it is the only thing that makes the difference between life and death.
As always I am praying continually for you and the team and today can be the best day of your life!

ITALY....Mi Manchi il Figlio!

What a beautiful day to be in Italy!It is your first Sunday there. This morning your church service was in Isola di Capo Rizzuto. It is so amazing that when I went to bed last night, the sun was already waking where you are. When I got up this morning, your morning service was over. I trust that it was awesome. You were in my prayers through my night and your day! Isola di Capo Rizzuto is a town in the Calabria region. It would appear to be a small town with a population of 15,000 people. Although the name (Isola) means isle, it is not actually an island; it is an isthmus extending into the sea which is completely attached to the peninsula. It must be gorgeous.




The main historical attraction is the sixteenth century fortification of Le Castella. I love looking at the official website for the towns that you are visiting. I don't read italian but "turismo e cultura" are real easy words to figure out!

The pastor for the church this morning was Antonino Elia Mortellito and you must have quite a drive to this evenings service because you are eating a bag lunch on the bus! I wonder if their bag lunches have pizza and cannolis!! Doesn't that sound so much better than a dry ham sandwich!

You are in the bus right now and I am praying for safety, for peace, for a band of angels to protect you. Do they drive crazy like where we live or are they sane drivers? I hope the latter is true!

You are on your way to Reggio Calabria. The sound check is at 4:30 and your service is at 6:00. When you are in ministry for the evening service, daddy will be preaching here at Hatfield Assembly for the morning service!! I pray that both of you while in ministry at the same time in 2 different time zones will sense God's anointing and beautiful things will happen to the people present. You have a message to tell and sing to the nations!

I am praying for Pastor Davide DiIorio this morning. He may need God to refresh his spirit in only a way that college students can! How kind of him to feed and house the VFCC students there at the church tonight. May he be blessed for his extra efforts.

Reggio Calabria is quite a place! I am anxious to see your pictures from there specifically! It is the capital of the Calabria province. It is located on the "toe" of the italian peninsula and is seperated by the Messina Strait from the island of Sicily. Isn't that cool! It is situated also on the slope of the Aspromonte mountain range. It is the oldest and largest city in the region and is the second oldest city in all of Italy. It is called the City of the Bronzes, all dating back to its Greek origin.

Reggio Calabria has a population of 186,134. It was founded in 720 BC by the Greeks and then later became a Roman ally, thus turning into a Roman Republic. Being a port city I am wondering if you will have some seafood. I hope that you really like it! The Aragonese capital building is now a center for art. I wonder if you will tour this place tomorrow when you have a couple hours to sight see. That building was there before 540, isn't that amazing. I love the deep history that you are experiencing on this trip! I read that the Versace family is from this city. I bet they capitalize on such a famous family. I wonder if you will see there name posted downtown anywhere or if there is a Versace store or maybe a street named after him! Remember when we were in Florida the day that he was killed and that whole story?? Well when I saw the pictures online for Reggio Calabria I had to get daddy and Renee to come and see them. This looks like a beautiful city and I am so happy you get to see it with your own eyes, wow!






Today this scripture comes to mind for you.

The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty one will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you in His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing. Zeph. 3:17


Keep singing son
Keep blessing people
Have loads of fun
Make lots of memories
Treasure all the moments of the journey!

ITALY....Dio ti benedice!

It is day 2 in Italy and son I am so happy that you are there, experiencing the trip of a lifetime! I trust that all went well yesterday and your first concert was wonderful and that the Italian people accepted you warmly...how could they not...they are such a warm people!

When I was waking up this morning you were halfway through your day! Isn't it amazing, I am here on one time zone and you are there 6 hours ahead of me.

I was thinking of you especially when you went to bed last night. The night before you were huddled in an airplane seat.....last night you were able to stretch those long legs out under the blanket. I wonder if when your head hit the pillow, you fell right to sleep. The first day is always hard, you usually sleep poorly on an airplane, you landed in Rome, then went back up again, you landed, you went through your day kind of foggy I presume and then got right to work! What a day! I wonder if your belly was full of good food. I see that you ate dinner later after the concert. I can't wait to hear about your meals. Is it traditional Italian food like we know or is it like mexican, where there is a difference between authentic mexican and american mexican!

Today is a brand new day! You probably feel pretty good today. This morning you were sightseeing. How exciting! I love how Dr. DeSantos made the itinerary. It is so neat to sight see and work all in the same day! What did you see besides the ocean?

As of this moment you are on a bus going to the second concert in Caccuri. I wish you could hear your sister speak the italian names of the towns you are visiting with her italian accent. It is precious! Caccuri is also in Southern Italy and in the Calabrio region but it looks like it is inland on the map. You must be close by to Crotone because you are staying in the same hotel tonight. Here is a picture of the "Italy" boot! I love that image.




According to the internet, Caccuri has a population of 660 families! I thought that was a neat way to put it. Reminded me of Troxelville! A book that I am reading right now (fictional) is situated in Ryanville. I know....coincidental...right! As if I need another reminder of you, I am ALWAYS thinking of you...Back to Caccuri, population 1,780...I wonder if that is counting the kitties and dogs in town! It is situated on the summit of a protruding spot between the Lepre and Lese...2 affluents of the Neto River.

Caccuri was founded as a defense station on a hill where the castle stands today. Did this ever bring back memories of our living in Spain. I have so many memories of castles and sightseeing...even when we traveled to minister in a church, if daddy saw a castle in the distance we would take an unplanned excursion...just great memories. I hope that you are able to take in the castle while there today. Caccuri Castle dates back to the sixth century. It is in a state of decay, the last time it was restored was 1885. Basilian monks arrived in Caccuri and built three monasteries...I assume you will see remnants of those days if not the real thing...you are going to have so much to tell me!




Right about now you are in ministry at Camp Zion. It must be a camp because it says you are having Dinner on the Campgrounds after the evening service! I am praying because you are probably singing right now! May your worship be sweet son, may your audience be one although you are singing to the nationals. May your words be clear and your voice without flaw, but most of all may your passion be for HIM. Jesus has a plan for you and I think by now we realize it is music.

Music is a method to heal the soul. The people you are singing to may be in all states of mind. They may be joyful, they may be sad. They may be grieving, they may be glad. They made need peace in the midst of a storm, they may need Jesus to keep them warm. Whatever they or you need tonight, I know Jesus will fill every void.

As always you are in my heart and I am so proud to be your prayer warrior as you are so far away in body, but near me in spirit. Be blessed, my boy.

ITALY....amore!

You are so blessed Ryan! I am so happy that the Concert Choir's ministry this spring break is in Italy. Six months ago you said there would be no financial way that you would be able to go to Italy. From sending lots of appeal letters to mema amd poppop and many others praying, you just got off the plane! God is good! This will be an experience of a lifetime! You know that Daddy and I are jealous, you making a trip without us! This is your eleventh country and your first on your own. It is hard for me not being there to make a Walmart run or packing your bag! We are so very proud of you.

When daddy and I lived in Spain, we boarded a ferry, put the car on it and traveled for a month through England, Wales, Scotland, Luxembourg, Andorra, France, Germany, Bavaria. We went to Gibaltrar many times and loved Portugal.We took advantage of living in Europe and what wonderful memories and photos I have! However, the one place that we didn't visit and wished we had was Italy. And today you are there!

Yesterday you flew to Rome and arrived there this morning! Since you are 6 hours ahead of me, when I was going to bed you were just about to land. My thoughts were of you all night. I hope that you slept on the plane and that the jet lag won't be too severe. For a while you will feel in a fog, unless the Melatonin really did its thing! As soon as you made the last call to us in Newark, I put the Rome, Italy clock on my desktop. I will not get confused by the time change.

You were estimated to arrive in Rome at 7:45 this morning and then turn around and fly out again for Crotone. From the images I see on the internet, Crotone looks like a beautiful place, situated on the Ionian Sea. The hotel looks really nice too, right on the water. I hope that your first view of Italy was absolutely breath taking! I can't wait to see your photos!






The population for Crotone is 61,000. It is at the bottom of the "boot" just before the "heel" and right by the sea. Crotone was founded in 710 BC. Isn't that remarkable! Such history. You will see architecture like nothing you see in the states or in Jamaica. Our countries are just babies!

Crotone is in the Calabria region. I have seen that name before. The history is rich. Its people were known for their physical strength, that must be why it is known for its Olympians. The first known Olympian from there was Milo of Croton. Milo was a sixth century BC wrestler. He was a six time Olympian, defeated on the seventh time by another Croton wrestler! He also won seven crowns at the Pythian Games. Remember they preceded the Olympic Games. He had a brilliant wrestling career and is also credited with leading his fellow citizens to military triumph over Sybaris in 510 BC. You will see his statue there I am sure or at least in art displays.



It is so wild that right now as I type this in the morning here, it is almost 4:30 there and you will be boarding a bus in an hour or so to go to the first concert of the tour. I wonder what the church is like, Chiesa Cristiana Evangelica and Pastor Abele Trosino. I wonder what your first thoughts will be. I wonder if you will recognize certain words or phrases, since it is similar to Spanish. I wonder where your thoughts will be when you first take the stage. I wonder how the people will respond when the choir comes in so handsome in your tuxedos, and the girls in their black dresses. I wonder if you will want to remain and never come home. I wonder if the food will be incredible. I wonder if when you go to sleep tonight if your mind will rest or if it will be whirling with excitement. I wonder.....





I miss you son, as always and I pray a GREAT evening and wonderful ministry, ministry with eternal rewards. The Italians will be blessed by your voice and your bright eyes.

Praying for you so far away from home......

Renee our Beautiful Belair-ian!