It is with a heavy heart that I write today and not only because of the dramatic situation in Italy and in the world these days.
That’s crazy how everything can change within a few hours and you find yourself unexpectedly at the mercy of the unknown! Till 48 hours ago, I was in Ivory Coast (Africa) for the World Race, a Christian missionary program which was supposed to last for a few more months. I left Italy at the beginning of October last year. So many things have happened in the meantime! I have been in 8 different countries around the world, I have spoken Italian, English, Spanish and French in 2 and a half continents, I have taken dozens of planes (counting connections flights), I have slept in at least 20 different beds (including 2 nights on the bus and one night on the floor at the airport), I have packed and re-packed countless times, I have tasted local traditional dishes, I have met people of all cultures, ages and backgrounds, I have walked long distances, I have praised God in about 10 Christian churches and prayed in different languages. I have also done activities that I personally had never done before, such as: sanding wooden furniture for the renovation of an orphanage, raking leaves and collecting horse excrements with a shovel at a farm, painting walls, cooking Italian meals for foreigners, cleaning a swimming pool as wide as a lake in order to be used for educational and evangelical purposes, feeding an elephant in an African zoo, overcoming my fear of heights by doing the jump of faith in Argentina, teaching and entertaining children in English for hours, helping organising “merenda” parties for kids and one-day women retreats, preparing creative work and projects for a school in Africa, having feedback sessions and team time almost every day, planning and leading group Bible studies, sharing long messages and testimonies in front of entire congregations. Finally, I will never forget the last ministry with the truckers at the port of Abidjan: we had the opportunity to have extraordinary conversations with groups of Muslims about Jesus and the Gospel which led, in some unforgettable cases, to them giving their life to Christ and experience the power of the Holy Spirit of God (what a beautiful miracle!).
I have seen extreme poverty, pain, sickness and desolation but also great joy, celebration, friendship, unstoppable faith and so much love! But what remains engraved in my heart above of all are the children and people in Latin America and Africa who loved me, inspired me, welcomed me into their homes, communities and families. Not to mention my teammates who have been part of my life every single day for the last 6 months! Together we laughed, cried, discussed, worked, played, studied, sang, danced, celebrated, prayed!
And now all this that seemed to be my reality in the near future, at least for the moment, seems to be unexpectedly part of my past and I find myself with so many questions without an answer.
In particular, due to the unprecedented international situation and the closure of borders in many states due to the Coronavirus spread, Adventures in Missions (the American Organization in charge of the program I am in) was forced to take the difficult and timely decision to immediately make all participants retutn to their country of residence.
So, here I am writing about my sudden forced return to Italy (my home country) from Africa about 5 months earlier than expected during these difficult times for everyone!
However, despite the sadness and disappointment for unmet expectations, despite the end of a journey I didn’t want to end yet and despite the struggle of being suddenly in quarantene here in Italy, I am really grateful to God for this experience of the World Race and for all that I have learned and lived in the past 6 months. Besides, I know that the Lord will never forsake me and will be with me wherever I am. He holds my life in His hands and, in one way or another, even when things do not go as I would like, I am convinced that He will make something beautiful out of it. The challenge on my side, certainly not without obstacles, is to persevere in faith, not to be discouraged and continue to have hope trusting in the goodness of God no matter what happens around me. By the way, Jesus never said that we would have an easy and trouble-free life, but He promised all those who trust in Him to fight with and for them in the battles of life and to help them in the storm. This is the beauty of having a direct and personal communion and relationship with Jesus: it becomes your strength, your support, what gives fullness, meaning and value to your life and then you realize that “being a Christian” is not a religion, a tradition or simply going to church on Sundays, but your true being.
What’s more, what we’re experiencing here in Italy right now seems like a bad nightmare. Until 2 days ago, I followed with sadness and dismay from very far away the news about my country being on lockdown because of Coronavirus but today I find myself here in the middle of it, living out this surreal situation and being put in quarantine. Usually, one of the first things I do when I come back home from abroad is to visit my nephews, my niece and sisters or go to the beach, but this time I had to lock myself in the house and accept the fact that I will have to stay in this condition for at least 2 weeks. In short, normal life and things we take for granted have been taken away from us; going out, visits, greetings, smiles, hugs and handshakes have been replaced by protective masks, phisical distance between one another and fear.
However, it is absolutely fundamental that we keep encouraging each other and focus on a hope not dictated by pure optimism but by the certainty of faith and the sovereignty of God who is in control.
Finally, it is equally important to try to take advantage of the time in quarantine at home to do things that maybe we are not all used to do or don’t have enough time for it: reading a new book, trying new recipes, learning a new game or playing a musical instrument (it’s never too late!), exercise (we don’t need the gym for that), devoting ourselves to a new hobby which can be done indoors, taking virtual visits to museums, spending more quality time with our loved ones who live with us … but above all why not spend more time to get closer to God in prayer, worshipping Him or studying His Word, the Bible? (My favorite sections are the Gospel of John, Matthew, the letter to the Ephesians, the book of Ruth or Esther).
May God bless you and protect you all during these challenging times!
Ps. This is my African style +smile + always trusting God in the midst of difficulties and unknown 🙂 – photos taken about a week ago
