Missions

October 5, 2008:

"Brittney Webster blessed our hearts as she shared with us that God was directing her life to serve Him in some capacity in foreign missions. Her life is a true testimony for Christ and time will tell us what God has in store for her." ~Charity Baptist Church bulletin

I don't remember what I said to my church family that day. In fact, I don't even remember being on stage. What I do recall is the work that God was doing in my life then. It's the same work that He is furthering today.

I am called to foreign missions...
End of story. Piece of cake...right?

No, not so much.

Often, I forget why I'm here...why we're all here...
I came to college in the fall of 2009 knowing that I wanted to do mission work.
I will graduate in mere months, in the spring of 2013, with a Psychology/Social Services degree...knowing still that I want to do mission work.

I've never desired a 9-5 or to be a counselor, but when I came to CBC, I got cold-feet and switched my degree ASAP.
Now, I'm not saying that one needs a "Missions" degree to be a missionary, but I am saying that my current degree, though I enjoy it, was a fall-back plan.

Many times I've convinced myself into comfortability. I've tried to reason that I could get a good, respectable job, marry a pastor of some sort, and then settle into a happily-ever-after in "Your Dream Hometown."
The sad thing:  the lies I told tell myself actually work. For a little while.
The truth of the matter is that my dreams are way bigger than small town U.S.A...
and...

I'm not afraid to keep dreaming.

Don't get me wrong, it's scary.
I don't know what to tell people when they ask, "So, what are you doing after graduation?" I don't know where I'll be or what I'll be doing a year from this very day.
I fear that I will be forever alone...that the perfect guy is too afraid of the unknown of the future to take charge of the here and now.
I don't look forward to hard goodbyes and leaving the friends and family that I dearly love.
I don't even know where I am supposed to "go," though there are a few places that I already love.

What I do know are these things:

The Lord loves me with a love everlasting and has my best interests in mind (Romans 8:28).
I trust Him...This trust falters at times, but at the end of each day, it remains constant.
By losing everything, I will gain life eternal (Mark 8:35).
My joy is made complete when I get to share Christ with others; there's nothing I enjoy more.

So, maybe
I will never have the cookie-cutter life.

Though that means rough-times, tears, hard conversations, persecution, and letting go of comforts and idols now, I think that I will one-day be okay with that...



 

Faith

It is said that faith can move mountains.

"He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”-Matthew 17:20 ESV

Though I have been a Christian for six years, my faith in the Lord continues to grow on almost a daily basis...

You see, back in January, God put a deep, passionate desire on my heart, a desire to reach my campus for Christ.

*cue Journal entry from eight months ago*

1/4/12:
" I am convinced that God can and will use me to change the campus of CBC. At age 20 3/4 the reality of the Gospel, of the need to share my faith, has finally fit me in the face."

Then, school began again. There were a few of us like-minded people on campus (Lauren and Andrew) and we began praying about how to get discipleship groups started at Central Baptist College.
The rest of the spring was slow-rolling...We began training at UCA and gained the interest of a few students, but it was hard-work with just the three of us and for a while it seemed like the Lord was silent...

5/5/12:
Lauren graduated. That left Andrew and I.

And then the college-world welcomed summer.

5/19/12-6/30/12:
My life was completely changed by spending six weeks in Bologna, Italy doing ministry with college students.
I left Bo knowing more than ever that I wanted meaningful, real community on my college campus back in Arkansas.
Better yet, I knew that the Lord wanted change to occur at CBC, but I wasn't sure how it would happen...

7/29/12:
I received a facebook message from a new staff member reading, "I talked with Sarah the other day and told her my interest in creating discipleship Groups on campus (CBC). She said that you were super interested in that!" etc. etc. etc.

This was the first, small taste of what the Lord had planned.
8/8/12:
I was given the opportunity to share with the entire residence life staff my vision for our campus, my desire to see people living out the Gospel in each other's lives.
These people are leaders on our campus and some of them were intrigued...

8/19/12:
Several new faces met with Sam, Taylor (our awesome friends and support staff from UCA Cru), Andrew and I about DNA groups.

D-divine truth:  studying scripture together

N-nurturing community:  calling out greatness in one another and confessing sin to fellow members

A-apostolic mission:  living out our faith and sharing it with others

Toward the end of our meeting one of the guys said, "This could be why I'm supposed to be at CBC this year."

Get excited.

8/20/12:

Tonight, I stood in a room of thirty students at a discipleship group interest meeting. While they chowed-down on pizza, I got to share with those precious students our vision for a campus that is radically changed by the Gospel of Christ.

(Photo courtesy: Devin DiGuilio)

Our first D-group meetings are Monday for the girls and Tuesday for the guys. Please be in continued prayer for us and the work that God is doing at CBC.

I still can't believe that this is real and actually happening...

But

I have prayed and continue to pray for God to do big things and I have faith that He will...

Let the mountains move.

Conviction

Conviction.

I know, I know. The title of this post is just alluring, isn't it?

Let's face it, no one likes conviction. Why would we?
This 'C'-word often manifests itself as a slight tug at our heartstrings, a that warning that something is amiss in our inner-being.
It's an ever-present reminder that something needs to change...

We hate conviction because it reminds us of our failures, our flaws, our imperfections, our short-comings and our weaknesses...This creeping 'C' is easy to run from and even easier to hide.
Just keep doing your normal routine. Be satisfied. Be content.
Stop dreaming. Stay complacent.

Simply ignore the 'C'...or at very least try...

Trust me, I am an expert at running and hiding, but a recent sense of dare-I-say, conviction, has yet to leave.
Frankly, I'm not sure that it will...not until change is made...

It began at a church camp in the boonies of Missouri. A few things that the speaker said read like this from my recycled journal:

"Suffering is more than an inconvience."
"The world is not attracted to a shallow belief system."
"Our religion says that you go deep and risk everything for the gospel."

and then, the mind-set of some American Christians:

"I love my Christianity, but I'm not going to take huge risks for God."

*cue conviction right about now*

I've been on mission trips. I've given to the poor and fed the hungry. I've made sacrifices for God and the furthering of His Gospel.
but...
I'VE NEVER SUFFERED, especially not as I sit in this clean, well-lit, well-air conditioned home, drinking filtered water and typing away on my newly purchased laptop.
I'VE NEVER RISKED EVERYTHING FOR THE GOSPEL.

When I think of sacrifice, two stories in Scripture come to mind.

First, is the one of the rich, young ruler which can be found in Luke 18:18-30.

"When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "One thing you still lack, Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me (18:22)."

Secondly, I am reminded of the disciples' callings. Here's an example:

"After this he (Jesus) went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, "Follow me." And leaving everything, he rose and followed him (Luke 5:27-28). "

I don't know about you, but I more often feel like the rich ruler, who walked away sad after hearing Jesus' words, than the disciple.

Each packed box for college and each little "bing" at the check-out counter result in layer upon layer of conviction.

What if I really did sell all that I have and give it to the poor?
Resulting in:  myself, the clothes on my back, my Jesus and His Word.

Would I be labeled as some wacko, super Christian media-stunt ...or would others actually take a stand and do the same?

Is Jesus really who He says He is? Would I really be satisfied if all I had was Jesus?

The Aftermath

Well, today is the 14th of July and I have been out of Italy for two weeks now.

It feels like a life-time...and I'm not gonna lie, looking at pictures, listening to certain songs, watching Italian cooking shows and the excited feeling that I get whenever I see the letters "I-t-a-l-y" in any store bring me to the verge of tears...Maybe that makes me lame. Girly. Over-emotional. I don't know, but I can say that I definitely wasn't expecting this never-ending flood of emotions.
Luckily, God is good. He is so, so good and He has already given me countless opportunities to share about my trip and to share the Gospel with people here, with people back home.
Another blessing: we were given a ton of information at our debrief which explained how to cope with re-entry to the country. Some of the reminders were as follows:

"Don't forget to ask others what they have experienced this summer. Then, listen well."

"Remember that not everyone will want to hear about your experience. In fact, some people may not ask about your Summer Project at all. Don't let that take you off-guard."

"Try not to hate America (This one is paraphrased just a bit.)"

Believe me, these have been super helpful.

I have loved getting to hear about others' summers just as much as I have loved giving people a taste of Italy. I might've cried for real when I went to see one of my closest friends and Italy was never mentioned if the friendly little reminder above hadn't came to mind. And, best of all, I really haven't experienced feelings of hatred toward America, unlike summers past.

All in all, it has been a good, reflective two weeks and many note-worthy things have occurred:

A week in Texas was spent with 3,000 teenagers. They were given practical steps on how to be missionaries where they are planted and I experienced chaperonehood for the very first time. You could say that a lot was learned on both ends of the spectrum.

A dear friend, Ashley, got engaged. :) She has already found the perfect dress and today we conqured the task of bridesmaid fitting. I am so excited to see how the Lord uses she and Ryan as a unit.

Also, today it was decided that this blog would remain...not only to chronicle Italy or other mission trips, but to portray my life in the most real way that I've found, writing. Many of you have urged me to have "my own blog" for years now, so here are all of those compliments blooming to fruition. I can't promise to be "a weekly read," super punny or even worth your minutes, but please know that none of those are my intentions.

I believe (finally) that writing is a gift given to me graciously from God. I also believe that others receive encouragement from the thoughts and words that He leads me to pen. So, continue writing I must.

Plus, and most selfishly, a good bit spent writing always does my soul well...and helps my jumbled mind become coherent and managable.

Until the next adventure,
Brittney

This is Not the end

This is Not the End is a track from Gungor's latest album, Ghosts Upon The Earth. If you've never heard of Gungor, get thyself to the iTunes store. Quick.

Those words can also be used to describe my feelings of Italy and this life-changing summer.

In a little less than a week, I'll be back in the States for at least another eleven-months.
In years past, that thought, the thought that I won't be out adventuring around the world, has depressed me. However, a friend and fellow summer project-er Catherine, gave me some good insight a night ago.

She said, "Don't think of heading home as leaving the mission field but rather think of it as going on a year-long mission trip to America."

What wisdom. For once, I intend to do just that. Words cannot express how excited I am to see my family and friends, church families and youth kids.

Not only will I be able to share with them of the numerous places I've seen and foods that I've eaten, but more importantly I will have SO MANY opportunities to share the Gospel, the reason that I've been conversing with random strangers all summer, with the people that I love most.

So. So. Excited.

Though I have loved Bologna and would love to come back long-term in the future, I know that Beebe and then Conway in the fall is where I need to be right now. In fact, it's where I want to be right now.
I want to complete my Senior year of college. I want to be an RA and love my floor well. I want to be the best daughter, granddaughter, niece and friend possible. I want to write in order to give His name praise and to show the campus of CBC that God is still relevant.

I want to love God with all that I am...and to share that experience with others.

As my team and I finish ministry in Bo, please pray for the following names. Though they may be merely words on a screen to you these people are our dearest Italian friends.

They are the people that we have spent the past 6-weeks pouring-into and doing life with.
They are the ones that we love and will miss.

Virginia
Simone
Silvia
Luisa
Melissa
Sara
Giada
Imma
Mateo
Igon
Leonardo
Marco
Fedro
Laura
Carolina
Stephen
Diego
Gail
Johnny
Shirley
Claudia
Chiara
Michael
Vlad
Georgia
Jiacomo
Anjelica
Ester
Peter
Kevin
Julie
Soraya
and Guilia

Thank you always. I look forward to seeing you soon.

Love in Him,

Brittney

Bones

On Friday, our group headed to Rome. We had quite the adventure and saw many of the eternal city's beloved sights such as the Collesium, the Roman ruins, the Parthenon, the Roman Forum, the Vatican City, St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and the Trevi Fountain.
Yet, something random that we saw was the catacombs of San Castillo. This catcacomb, built right outside of the Roman walls, was Rome's first official Christian cemetary. It is four levels deep and we went down to two of them where we got to see the former tombs of over 500,000 people.
However, before you get too grossed out, please know that the bodies are no longer down there. They were moved by their owner, The Vatican City, because years ago their tombs were opened and raided in search of treasure.
As our tour guide explained, those criminals were out of luck.
"Christians bury only with bones," said she.
This statement has resonated with me since.

Christians bury only with bones.

It keeps repeating itself over and over in my head. A slightly morbid but lovely sound.

The more I think of it, the more two intertwined concepts come to mind.

They buried only with bones because their bones were all they had; Christ was all that could be found in those dry bones.

"And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it." -Mark 8:34-35

They buried only with bones because their treasures were not of this world. Their lives were hid with Christ on high.

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."-Matthew 6:19-21

O how vast the differences between present-day American Christianity and the Roman Christianity of the past...

Oh, the places you will go and the people you will know

Ciao, amici. I hope that all is well back home, be it Beebe, McRae, Conway or some other random, beautiful place.

What a week it has been. Since posting last Friday a lot of traveling has been done and a lot of people have been met. Hence the name of this update.

For starters, you all should know that my team and the rest of the folks here in Bologna are alright despite the earthquake scares. I felt my first one ever on Tuesday morning and it really wasn't bad....definitely not your stereotypical walls-shaking, things-breaking kind of ordeal.

Last Saturday, we visited Verona, the home of Romeo and Juliet. Yesterday, we traveled to Venice and it was absolutely gorgeous. Hands down, my favorite of the places that we've been to so far.
Trust me, I have photos and they will be posted when I get home.

My favorite day of this week has probably been Tuesday. God keeps showering me in little, surprise blessings and I am so, so grateful. He is sweet to me when I deserve it the least.
You see, Tuesday I didn't really feel like being here. I couldn't focus in our group devotional that morning and I did not want to go out and meet Italian students. I was paired with a friend, Paige, and we decided to try to meet students at a coffee shop called ITIT (This place is so much like Starbucks that it's not even funny. The funny thing is that Italy dosen't have Starbucks because they hate chain places.) Before approaching someone to chat with, we prayed a lot and asked God to take away our apathy and to use us despite our unwillingness. Then, Paige tapped the shoulder of the girl behind her...and the rest is a wonderful history.

The girl's name is Carolina and later we met her boyfriend, Diego. They are both from Mexico City (Anyone who knows me, knows that I love Mexico.) and are here studying art and film making. We hung out with them for the rest of they day and got to share our testimonies.
Carolina said that she wants to believe, but dosen't know what to believe in and Diego wants to start reading the Bible. She also said that our testimonies were beautiful and that she had never heard people talk so truthfully and honestly about God. Carolina came to our weekly aperativo (pretty much a free buffet with the purchase of a drink) on Thursday and came to church with us this morning.
Meeting them truly made my day.



Then, on Thursday, I was out sharing with another friend Lauren. We had been rejected three times in a row, but I still wanted to keep trying. As I approached two girls, Lauren said, "Brittney, what are you doing? I don't think they want to talk." I responded with, "Until the whole world hears" and walked up to them. At first they were hesitant to speak with us, but by the end of our conversation we had made two new friends. Then, though they don't believe in God, they came to aperativo that night.

Out of at least 30 people that I invited last week it was those three, Carolina, Luisa and Melissa who came to hang-out with us on Thursday night.

I think that Oswald Chambers says it best in My Utmost for His highest, "What makes God so dear to us is not so much His big blessings to us, but the tiny things, because they show His amazing intimacy with us-He knows every detail of each of our individual lives."

I am so thankful that He knows me intimately and that even on this trip I have started to know Him more intimately. I'm slowly realizing that intimacy with God is priceless.

Tomorrow begins our second week on campus and I have some specific prayer requests for you guys:
Carolina-the opportunity to study the Bible with her
Diego-the same opportunity for one of the guys
Luisa and Melissa-that they will do well on their exams this week and that we will be able to hang-out with them more in the weeks to come

Personally, pray that I would speak wisdom into the lives of my teammates and that we would be able to grow closer together as a unit.

Also, we have some specific outreaches planned for Italian students:
A hike on June 5th @ 2 p.m.
A picnic on Wednesday, June 13 @12 p.m.
A dessert exchange/party on Friday June 22 @ 9 p.m.

Prayer in any capacity for these things would be greatly appreciated.

Love always,
Brittney

Life in Bologna

Well guys, my team made it safely to Bologna...and what an adventure it has been already.
Let me start by saying that the earthquake did not affect us at all (praises!)

Truthfully, I don't even know where to begin.

Saturday, I met my team and they are all awesome. I already feel that we are a family and it has only been a week. At our debriefing weekend in Dallas we were told that our team was a gift and that they are all called by God.

This week has proved that those two statements are so true, so very true.

So that you can pray for us specifically, here are the names and schools of my teammates:

Catherine Rutter- Missouri State University

Lauren Holt- Texas Christian University

Paige Alwood- LSU

Madison Paulette- University of North Texas

Eli Lopez- UNT

Austin Matthews- UNT

Brian Rollins- UNT

and Christian who also goes to UNT.

The crazy, cool thing: we are all either psych, art or music majors. It's legit and there have been many jamfests already.

Our beloved staff members are:

Karl and Keri Armentrout- who are on staff at UNT

Natasha Larrinagua- also at UNT

and Caitlin Clark who is at LSU.

On Saturday, Lauren picked Catherine and I (Note: those two are my roommates here in Italy) up from the airport in Dallas and we spent the day at the Ft. Worth Zoo before we had to go to debriefing. Talk about a bonding experience. Then we went to debriefing, met the above awesome team and spent a day and a half in Dallas praying and learning how to love one another well for the trip.
On Monday, we headed out for Italy and first had a 10 hr. plane ride to Germany. Surprisingly, it really wasn't as bad as I expected.
Then, we only had about a two hr. flight to Bologna. We arrived here at 2 p.m. Bologna time a.k.a 7. a.m. and super early American time. Yes, there is a sevevn hour time difference.

Honestly, Bologna is exactly what I expected and I love it. It's still kind of surreal to me that I'm actually here and not just here, but here to tell people about Christ, the guy who changed my life.

Since our arrival, we have been busy and I have been learning a lot (and taking pictures!).

Here's just a taste of what life in Bologna has been like for me:

Wednesday, we learned: how to use the bus, the to-do's and not-to-do's Italian grocery store, cafe etiquette and lots of Italian history.

*Italy has been a nation since 1860. Its way younger than the US.
*For this reason, people identify more with their cities than their country.
Ex: People from Bologna are "Bolognese", not "Italian." It's joked that the only time that Italians actually call themselves "Italian" is when Italy is playing in the world cup.
*Each of the cities in Italy typically have their own slang and dialect.
*Bologna is made-up of 500,000 people 100,000 of which are college students, much like Conway just on a smaller scale.
*In 1088, scholars found the first mention of the university which makes it the oldest university in the Western world.
*Bologna had three nicknames:  La Rosa, La Dotta and La Grassa.
La Rosa= the red. Given due to the use of much terracota or could possibly be due to communism
La Dotta=the learned. Given due to the university.
La Grassa=the fat. Given due to the fattening food.
*This is the home of ragu sauce, tortilenni, lasagna, mortadelli (bologna) parmesan cheese and balsalmic vinegar. There are 650 different types of pasta and wine is cheaper than bottled water here.
*Bologna is known as "the city that functions," though it is the center of Italian communism. It prides itself in upholding communist values yet having free enterprise.
*Here, they are not big fans of the pope and are known for being fiercely independent.
*In the grocery store, no one touches produce with their hands. You must wear a glove...or you get yelled at.
*etc., etc., etc.

Seriously, my brain is overwhelmed as I'm still trying to process it all and take it all in.
Thankfully, I'm finally over jet-lag; Today is the first day since being here that I've felt completely myself.

Thursday, we visited Florence and twas lovely. Today has been spent learning how to do ministry here in Bolgona and we have been gifted free time tonight, time to blog. :)

Tomorrow, we are headed to see Verona, the place known for Romeo and Juliet.

Yet, Monday is the exciting day. On Monday, we are headed out to campus for the first day and will be meeting students.

I'm excited to see how the Lord will use all of us this summer, though I know that ministry here, in a place full of rules to follow and lacking pursuit of the one true God, will be difficult.

Please continue to pray for me and my team as we head out. Specifically, I want to ask that you would pray for the people that God will put in our pathways and that we would be able to present Jesus to them in a respectful, loving way.

We are confident that through us, HE will SHINE.

Love to you all,

Brittney

p.s. I've tried Italian pizza, pasta and gelato and they are all fantastic! Oh, and pictures will be coming soon. Thats a promise.

Prayer requests

2:30 a.m.

I'm still awake and probably will be until late Saturday night.
Luckily, I'm a morning person who likes her coffee black and strong.

In two hours, I'll be leaving for the airport.
My first stop is Dallas where I'll be until Monday afternoon at 4 p.m. Two days will be spent getting to know my team and doing some training.
From there, we have a 10 hr. flight to Frankfurt, Germany. It's estimated that we'll get to Bologna at 2 p.m. on Tuesday. :)

All of that being said, I wanted to leave all of my dedicated followers with some prayer requests:

*Physical strength and endurance

*Confidence and boldness in His Gospel

*That seeds would be sown and fingerprints left all-over Bologna, Italy and the University of Bologna
*For eyes to see and for wisdom to speak into the things that I am shown in student's hearts.
*Salvation to the nation of Italy

Before heading out, I just want to thank you all again for your never-ceasing support, continued prayers and outpourings of love.
I am truly blessed with greater friends and family than I deserve and I am more grateful than these words could ever say.

Again, thank you. I love you. I would not be who I am today without the investment that you have made in my life.
Be looking for updates here and on facebook...and be ready to hear countless stories and see even more photos when I return.

Ciao, bellas. :)

~Brittney

My first lesson

God is funny. In fact, He has a better sense of humor than anyone I've ever met.

I sure hope that you all have experienced or will one day experience the God humor that I speak of, that this post is about.

You see, on Monday I posted about sacrifice.
Some of the highlights are as follows (or you could just go read the entire thing below):

("There can be no fruit without sacrifice."
2 Corinthians 9:6 reads, "The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully."
We are told to live sacrificially.
Sacrifices are costly. They stretch us. They aren't easy. They hurt.
But, their results can be remarkably beautiful.
They range from the salation of man-kind to seeing one Italian student grasp the reality of the Gospel.
You and I can have as much fruit as we are willing to sacrifice...
How much of "your life" are you willing to sacrifice? )

On Monday afternoon I also posted on facebook that some of my teammates were still needing funds for our  trip to Italy.

Tuesday afternoon, I was given a check for $1,000........
(cue God-humor here)

The donor told me to spend it on "myself" and that I could do whatever I wanted with the money...

If you didn't already know, I'm a broke college kid. I have little money to my name.
$1,000 could go a long way.
I currently don't have a job and let's just face it, being a RA for the college isn't going to pay much next year either.

But
I can't keep it or spend it on myself. I simply cannot. If I do, some of my friends may not be able to go to Italy. This means that they wouldn't get the opportunity to spread the good news of Christ... 
My luxury and security are not worth it. All of the money will be given to one of my teammates on Saturday.
That is what I want to do with the money. It's what He wants me to do with the money. I have no other choice.
I'm not really sure what money I'll live off for the rest of the summer, but I am sure that that my God will provide a way for me.

Sacrifices are costly. They stretch us. They aren't easy. They hurt.
But, their results can be remarkably beautiful.
"There can be no fruit without sacrifice."

Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
Great are the works of the Lord,
studied by all who delight in them.

Full of splendor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures forever.
He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious and merciful.
He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.
He has shown his people the power of his works,
in giving them the inheritance of the nations.
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy;

 they are established forever and ever,
to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
He sent redemption to his people;
he has commanded his covenant forever.
Holy and awesome is his name!
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have a good understanding.   
His praise endures forever!

~Psalm 111~

 

Sacrifice

Today is May 13, almost May 14.
In approximately five days, I'll be leaving McRae, Arkansas

for Bologna, Italy.

Talk about a bit of a culture shock.

As most of you already know, I am so, so excited. This is literally a dream come true for me.