BELLA ROMA...FINALE!! :)..... Day #49!

Finally...Part 3!!

My last day in Rome (Monday)...I am not going to lie, at this point it felt like I had been gone for a WHOLE WEEK! Evan and Katie left early that morning to catch their flight, but my flight was not until 3:00 p.m. so I decided to go explore the Roman Forum! It was pretty cool! Walked around and got to look at all the old remnents of what used to be the heart of Rome!! :) It nice to just kind of walk around on my own and take in the whole weekend! I sat down and journaled for a little as well. I was however extrememly tired because over the last two nights I don't think I REALLY WENT TO SLEEP...it was just a bunch of that dozing but you can still hear everything and stuff! So yea I was really tired!! I went to a little cafe and read for a bit before I needed to catch my bus to the airport! I had a salad!:) (healthiest thing I ate all weekend haha)

The Arch of Titus!!

just some ruins!

An old Basillica that they have made into a museum now!

Head of NERO!!! inside the museum!

The Temple of Castor and Pollux

Temple of Saturn

A Stadium!

Claudian Aqueduct!

The Journey home:

I was hoping that my return would be just as smoothly as my arrival...but me having a COMPLETELY SMOOTH travel has yet to happen haha... My flight was delayed 3 hours in Rome and so I was really worried that I was not going to make my train from London to Swansea in time. We landed in London and I keep thinking Oh I can definitely make this...THen Came PASSPORT CONTROL! OH BOY! I had totally forgot that when I arrived in Cardiff in September... they didn't stamp my passport!!!!!! WHy? I have no idea! But for the past month I have technically been "AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT"!!!! The guy at the international office at school told me that it was okay, that next time I leave the country and come back just to make sure they stamp it (aka Rome back to London)! I brought with me documents stating I had arrived In September and Was a student and the whole shabang! Got up to the counter crossed my fingers and really hoped all was going to work out. The lady looked at me and was like, where is your stamp?? I explained the whole thing to her and she had to call the head person! Took a little while but he finally said "those Welsh...you don't look dangerous (wink)" and stamped me! :) So now I am OFFICIALLY LEGAL!! haha! Unfortunately that took quite a while... time was not looking good for me! I was running around trying to get on my train to London Victoria...got it! From I SPRINTED to the Tube (London Underground) to get on the train to London Paddington! MADE IT! TICK TOCK TICK TOCK...I had literally 5 minutes!! I just sat on the train praying... oh help that train to be delayed or something!! I got off the tube and SPRINTED (I was trying to burn off all the calories I consumed from the gelato and pasta ;) ) anyways I arrived at my platform... but there was NO TRAIN!!! Missed it by 7 minutes!!! UGH! I went to the ticket office and had to buy a ticket for the next one....thank goodness there was a next one...this one was actually the last train to Swansea that night!! I finally made it home about 2:30 a.m! My oh My that was a LONG DAY!!

Everyone here tells me that I have the worst luck when it comes to traveling! It really seems like everytime I go anywhere SOMETHING happens..a plane or train being late, me missing something, my passport not getting stamped..my luggage not making it etc.. but I am the most BLESSED UNLUCKY person EVER :) becasue I ALWAYS end up where I am going, not always WHEN I was planning or through the route I had planned but I get there!! And I have learned a little bit more each time. At the train station after I found out I had missed my train and bought my new ticket I ended up misplacing my phone and was freaking out...found it and then went and sat down at a cofee shop and just started crying... why? I have no idea.... Maybe the fact I had barely any sleep, and was having to wait for a total of 6 hours on transportation when I was supposed to be back in my room, and focusing on how much I missed home..basically just feeling sorry for myself!!! I sat down and started journaling...I was complaining that God did not answer my prayer and I missed the train......CAN YOU SAY SELFISH!!! I just spent the last three days full of blessing from God and the first sign something goes wrong...I get unhappy!! Ironically I had just finished reading about Moses and the Hebrews. God displayed his mighty power through plagues which freed them from Pharoh and then while sitting at the edge of the sea when Pharoh chased after them... they immediately started questioning Moses and asking him why God would free them just to bring them out to die! LOVE LOVE LOVE how God conitnues to show me little lessons in life and areas that I am in the wrong through all these "don't go as planned" trips! Who is planning them anyways??  I pray that the Lord continues to open my eyes, and to pick at me, showing me where I am in the wrong!!

In conclusion!!!

God is AMAZING!

Rome was an unforgettable experience :)

Italian food from ITALY is WAYYY better!!

I really want to learn Italian now!!

I cannot even MEasuRe how BLESSED I am, and am SO THANKFUL!!

ARRIVEDERCI!!

(goodbye)

Bella Roma (Part #2).... Day 44!

The continuing story of ROME!!

Welcome to Day TWO...Sunday!

This morning was an early morning for sure. We woke up at 6 AM because we wanted to make sure to get to St. Peter's to stand in line for Mass by 7:00, so that we could be one of the first ones sitting! Erin wanted to get seets by the isle and we certainly did :) walking from the bus station to the church the sun was RISING!!!! :) it was Beautiful! The only time I remember seeing the sun rise is during my 6 am conditioning as I am running to Langston Lake with the squad... I liked this one A LOT MORE :)

This was my very first mass EVER! It was a really neat experience, even though I couldn't understand any of it because it was all in Latin!

After Mass we went to eat because we were all STARVING!!! And needed some Coffee as a mid morning Pick-me-Up!

We then went back to St. Peter's to go explore the Coupula! We got to up into the DOME!!! and then ended up on top of it and got to look out! It was an incredible view! So GLAD they had an ELEVATOR!!! :) I thought it was pretty ingenius though how they made stairs and walls that curved with the curve of the dome so it felt pretty cool knowing that I WAS ACTUALLY WALKING UP STAIRS IN THE DOME OF ST. PETER'S!!!!!

We got to look around in St. Peter's at the art and saw the PIETA! Erin had to catch her train after that and so Evan, Katie, and I then made our way to the Colosseum. We went on the tour...and actually had to pay extra for the ENgliSh speaking guide who was very very difficult to understand! But Me and tours haha I ended up taking pictures and stayed behind in the back so it didn't really matter :) I am really happy that "games" and "entertainment" have changed over the course of history!! The sun was setting while we were there...I saw the Sun RISE and SET on the same day IN ROME!! WOW!!!! We made our way to dinner and I got PIZZA! Yummy. THere was not one item of food that I tried that I did not just think was the best thing ever :) Italian food is just never going to be the same after this!! And of course we couldn't end the day without Gelato!! Evan and I went back to the Hostel and Katie went and met up with a teammate who was studying in Rome.

It was so great getting to catch up with my DEAR FRIEND EVAN GRAY! Really awesome to just see how much the Lord has really LED both of us in our lives! She Is such a BLESSING!!!

Day 2 PICS!!!

Sun RISING :)

Mass

The Pope...He is wearing RED PRADA shoes!!!

:)

In the Coupula

The leaning stair case in the walls of the DOME!

THE VIEW!!!

Can you see the shape of the KEY?

The Pieta!!

Bridge of Angles behind us! (Edited)

Sun SETTING behind the Colosseum!

I think I would Make a good Statue! :)...NOT!

:)

The Lord Blessed me with another just ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE day in Rome!

To Be CONTINUED....AGAIN :)
Part 3 (Day 3) to come :)

-Lissa

BELLA ROMA (Part 1)..... Day #42!

Ciao!!!!

ROME was AMAZING!!! I have been trying to figure out how I am going to even blog about it, what to say, what pictures out of the hundreds that I took do I put up, where do I even begin!!! I guess the beginning would be a good start ;)

I arrived safe and soundly Friday night. Everything went so smoothly but was extrememly tired so I checked into the hostel and met up with Evan, Katie, and Erin and then went to bed! Evan and I have known each other for quite some time...grew up playing softball together for several years! She is currently studying in Scottland with Katie. It was such a blessing to be able to meet her in ROme!!

Spent the night for the first time in a hostel! It was really nice actually except for the guy snoring louder than a tornado (that might be a little extreme but at 4:00 in the morning things can seem louder than they actually are). =) I wish I could have gotten in the same room as the other girls but its okay! So we got up and had our tickets to the Vatican Museums. Such a good thing that we booked them online before we came because the line to get in was SOOOO long that it would have taken us all day! But we got to just jump right ahead of everyone and go right in:)

It was so gorgeous! Just completely breath taking going around all the rooms and getting to see the fabulous art and sculptures! Nothing is like it these days! We ended with the Sistine Chapel! Cameras were not allowed so I don't have any pictures from there but it was so MAGNIFICANT!!! I wish I could sit here and just explain what it was like sitting there looking up and seeing the ENTIRE ceiling covered in art!!!! Michelangelo was so gifted!!!

After the Vatican we went to lunch! When in Rome... I got Spaghetti and it was just amazing! Olive Garden does not even compare to REAL ITALIAN food!! :)

After lunch, Erin's (a girl I met through Evan) family Priest, knew Father Denis and he was able to hook us up with passes to go to Mass Sunday morning INSIDE ST. PETER'S, where the POPE HIMSELF WAS GOING TO GIVE MASS!!! What an incredible opportunity. Not just anyone can get these passes either you have to have connections, and 4 people ended up not being able to come so we got the tickets. How crazy!! I had never been to a catholic mass before, so it really was a neat experience for the first time! 

Father Denis ended up walking around Rome with us, giving us his very own personal tour! It was such a blessing and a huge reason the day was so great. Most the time I think tours are kind of boring and would rather just explore on my own but Father Denis made everything so interesting and taught us so much I don't even think tours would have talked about. We went to several churches, the Bridge of Angels, stopped in at the Pantheon, and he treated us all to Gelato! 

One of my FAVORITE stops was the Bridge of Angels. This bridge represents the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Each Angel is holding a different object that represents part of the crucifixion like the crown of thorns, and a spear (for the spear that pierced his side) and a stick with a sponge on the tip for when Christ said he was thirsty. The feeling of walking down this bridge is just one that I cannot even attempt to explain and put into words.   

After Father Denis parted from us, we went to see the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. There was a big protest starting with riots, so He told us to make sure and stay away from the Colloseum. We could see the smoke from where we were though... pretty crazy!!

At the Trevi Fountain we were taking pictures of us tossing coins in and making a wish...I was so focused on tossing the coin in I TOTALLY forgot to Make a wish hahaha, way to go me! But I mean really... What more could I have wished for?? God has blessed me immensly with this experience!! Sometimes I still think I am going to wake up from this dream!! :)

We ended the night with grabbing a bite to eat and then going back to the hostel. I tried a Roman dished called Gnocchi alla sorrentina. They are these noodle type things but made from potatoes, with a tomato sauce it was DELICIOUS!!

What a wonderful first day in Rome!!

Picture Time :)

Vatican City

a GINORMOUS bathtub made of MARBLE! 

The story of Moses :)

Lunch time :)

St. Peter's

Bridge of Angels!!!! :)

Jesus Christ carried the Cross on his back!

Crown of thorns!

meet Father Denis :) Yummy Gelato!!

The Pantheon

Police getting ready for the riots

Smoke from the riots! AH!

The Trevi Fountain!!

Spanish Steps!
Katie, Erin, Evan, Me

Dinner... Gnocchi alla sorrentina!

I absolutely cannot end this day without sharing with you all the best part!! :)

My entire was spent learning about amazing people in history who acted upon their belief in God. Really HEAVY!! I kept getting reminded of a verse that my Dad shared with me when I was struggling.

Psalm 56:4

In God, whose word I praise- in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?

All these people died!! They were convicted and put to death for being criminals, but they also died as a martyr for God's kingdom. No man can take away the lasting effect they had and still have today. With God, men can do nothing to you. Its ironic how most of their deaths are what had such an influence in the spreading of Christianity. Men thought that by destroying the people of Christ, they would destroy Christ but the complete opposite effect took place. Christ's kingdom grew!! Father Denis pointed out several times how Rome was a polytheistic country. They believed and worshiped many different gods. But now they are one of the most religious cities, because of the work of the disciples and many others. There was not any huge wars where the christians just wiped out all of those who were not christians, in fact the ONLY blood that was shed was their own. Christians were persecuted and crucified, yet they WON!! By the miraculous work of God, using individuals to spread his word, not just while living but continuing to show the Grace of God even after their deaths. How AMAZING is our GOD!!! :)

(Part 2 to follow)



-Lissa

Day #35...BLAGODARQ =)

Hello, hello! So I counted and I have officially been gone for 36 days...is that all??? Seems like so many more, but I only have 67 more days until I return home, and I haven't even gone on my first major trip yet..OH MY GOODNESS!! But not to worry, ROME AWAITS! Yes, yes..in precisely 4 days I leave for Rome, Italy to spend the weekend there. I am meeting up with a dear old friend of mine Evan Gray, whom I have not seen except for the occasional running into at Planet Sub, or Target, in a couple of years! I am super ExCiTeD! :) I am also SUPERRR nervous because I will be traveling there by myself and am leaving straight after class to catch a train to London where my plane will be. Please Please Pray that everything goes according to plan and the trains are not delayed or there are no mechanical issues or anything like that!!

But lets see...I guess I should catch you all up on what has been going on here in Swansea!
Thursday night My roomates and I, and a few others out of the group went to go see a Shakespeare play, at the theatre on campus. It was "A lot ADO ABOUT NOTHING" and I really enjoyed it. It was my very first Shakespeare play to go see, and in the beginning I found myself a tad lost but ended up understanding it as the play went on! I was pretty proud, because me and literature, poetry, etc, don't usually mesh well! :)


Cristen, Caleb, Me, Conner after the Show!

Friday!!! I have been excited to share with you about his day! Nothing really exciting happened during the day, I went to class and then I went to the basketball shoot around! At the shoot around though only two other girls showed up so we just scrimmaged with the guys and it was fun. I officially met and started talking to one of the SWEETEST girls I have met, Anna! She is from Bulgaria. Her and her family moved to Swansea four years ago, and she is now in her 3rd year at Swansea University. After basketball, she invited to come back to her house and have dinner. Her mother made a tradditional Bulgarian dish and it was SO SO SO YUMMY!! Her parents do not speak English as well so it was really neat communicating with them! :) I am so excited to see where our friendship goes during my time here!

Saturday... Cristen, Courtney, Caleb, Nick, and I all went to Cardiff. It was a really neat city. We just shopped around all day and then went to the Cardiff Castle which was really awesome!!

Nick and I...I like the view behind us!

This is the Keep

View of the Castle House from the stairs of the Keep

Take a squat?!?...This was the toilet in one of the rooms in the Keep haha

View of the Courtyard from on top of the Keep



After I got back I got to have a three hour skype date with my AMAZING boyfriend Elijah, and my little sister Macy :) 

Boy oh Boy do I miss them both!!

I am so beyond thankful for the technology that is available to us today that allows me to not only "talk" but "SEE" people from back home :)

Sunday

Was a very relaxing day. I slept in and spent some really nice time with the Lord and then went for a run, and did laundry! My friend Allison returned from Spain and she came over and filled us all in on her lovely trip!

Monday

Well I did not have class... So I decided to go into town. Why not right? ha! Cristen and I went into town and ran a couple of erands and then had a lovely afternoon tea/coffee and cake date :)



Yummy!!!!! :)



Monday night Anna invited me to play volleyball so Caleb and I went and we both had fun and met some really nice people! I think I will go back whenever I can :)

Tuesday
I had class today from 2-3, and it was nice. I like my Psychology class a lot, find the material really interesting! After class I had basketball from 7 to 9 which was a good practice! Coach told us that out first game is in a week Oh MY!! haha So soon!! I also recieved a package from my MOMMY today!! YAY!!! She sent over some movies, and my favorite candy, my basketball shoes and a few other things! I just am so blessed to have such a wonderful Family!

:)

I was also able to skype with my other half from home KAYLEE MAE HENDON! :) Along with talking on the phone with Elijah for a while!!

I miss her!



Wednesday (Today)

No class today, and its raining at the moment (not a rare occasion) so I am hoping it will stop so that I can go run for a little bit. The one lovely thing about the weather here is it is the PERFECT weather for just grabbing some coffee and a book, and relax and read, and a great time to meditate with the Lord!!

Within the last few days, I have learne something about relationships that I had never really considered. A lesson that I am so very thankful the Lord has helped show me. I always thought that "changes for someone" was bad... and that you have to always be yourself. Well that is true, being yourself is important but its not about changing FOR someone, its about ADAPTING WITH THEM and them with you, as you grow together!! Having a long distance relationship has been extremely tough, but it has also been so beneficial in regards to forcing us into complications that we would have never encountered being at home together. I personaly have learned so much more about Elijah and MYSELF within the last month than I had ever thought I would! :) I just love it when the Lord helps me realize something even the simplist of things. He is always constantly humbling me in different areas of my life!  :)

Till Next Time:

-Lissa

P.S. In case your wondering what BLAGODARQ means, it means "THANK YOU" in Bulgarian. Anna tought me it so that I could tell her mom Thank You for dinner :)

Psalms 91:1-4

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortresss, my God, in whome I trust." Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.