Ephesians 6:19-20

Hello to all. I hope everyone had a good weekend. My weekend was enjoyable. We took a train to Venice for the day yesterday. Venice was beautiful! One of the best things about it was that it was good getting to relax after a long week. The week was good, don't get me wrong, but exhausting. I am very thankful for my strength this week. I can think of a few times when it would have been very easy to be discouraged and just stop trying for that day or stop talking to people. But, no one said it would be easy. I know that every person I talk to, even if they disagree with everything I say, still hear me. Even if they do not respond right that moment, I know that there is a greater chance than if I didn't talk to them. I was told that there would be culture shock when I came overseas, and there was...but the foods and social behavior wasn't the shock. When I ask someone what they think about God, their answer is more of a shock than anything you will read in travel books. Not that they are different from what I believe, I expected that, but just the apathy that is shown when a response is given. "There is no God" is a response I received from one student. He was a nice guy, very friendly and kind to a complete stranger. But when he said this, I had to hold myself back from just saying "are you crazy?" But that is what he believed, and he was ok with it. We continued talking and I shared my beliefs with him and we exchanged e-mails and he had to go. That was it. That might be the only time the gospel is shared with him. And not the "God is real and if you don't believe you will burn in hell" but the fact that "God loves us so much that he gave his son for all of our sins" and he wants to be in our life SO bad that he is giving us a present...the gift of grace...and all we have to do is accept it. Many of the people we have talked to have never heard that. I know it is hard to believe, because I know at home, I can't watch TV or drive down the street without seeing something about Jesus loving me or how close I am to salvation. But here churches are visited more as museums than for the purpose they were created. Sorry for the rant, but I know times in my past where I have taken God for granted, and knowing that there are people that aren't only lost, but have no idea they are lost... it breaks my heart. That fact alone is reason enough for this whole trip. So when I am exhausted and feel like no one is ever going to open up to us or give us the opportunity to share with them, that thought always comes to my mind. Because I grew up with God in my life, it's my job to share what I have learned in my 20 years with these people. I pray each day that the people I talk to will respond, because they have everything to gain. My request is that you pray also for these people to respond. Thanks for keeping up, and Geaux Tigers for getting to the College World Series! God Bless! Ciao!