This is the absolutest shortest stay ever in any country. From the time i am picked up at the train station in Como, to the time i am let out at the Malpenza airport (Milan), only around 22 hours elapse.
Italian weather is very pleasant, and the atmosphere of the people etc. is basically like i remember it – friendly, boisterous, unmindful of rules etc. The family greets me at the train station and we go to their apt. in a small town. But the towns here all seem to run together, and it is cool to go down streets obviously made for a different era, and make our way thru the organized chaos. There is someone selling fruit by the case from the back of his pickup truck, and we get 16 pears for 3euros, 5kg grapes for 4euros, 16 huge sweet yellow peppers for 4euros etc. etc. Nice!
The lady of the house has gotten her training at self-supporting places in America, and her attitude towards this first edition of the Great Controversy is very typical – doubting with a sense of knowing all about the subject. What is it that makes people who attend self-supporting schools get pride under their skin? What happened to teaching how to be humble and believing the inspired words as they are written? But the husband is more supportive, and in the evening takes me to a nearby SDA church to meet a pastor. The pastor graciously agrees after 5 minutes of explanation, to bring up this 1858gc project with a group of members at his church that are active in promoting Ellen White’s books. Hopefully they will look favorably on the book, and agree that it should be in the Italian language also.
My friend is the main man in Italy who travels around putting up Health Expos. It is a great work, and pray that he can touch many people’s hearts by helping heal their bodies. He tells me some of his dreams for the work in Italy, and it inspires me. The restrictions to business here of any kind are many, and seem to be insurmountable – like to get a license to have a eating establishment of any kind in Florence, you cannot just go down to the govt. office and pay 5euros and get a license – no no. They have already written up all the licenses they are interested in doing, and you have to basically “buy out” a current restaurant owner. Well, of course this is very expensive, running in the tens of thousands of euros. So it is unavoidable to start the restaurant with a big debt hanging over you. Of course if it is God’s will, any barrier can be broken down, but i still think the idea of starting a massage business in the Rome airport would be best. May God bless you, and give you a good place there in the heart of the beast to work for him!!!!!!!!!!!!
The next morning i am let out at the airport around 11am, compute a while, walk around a while, eat a while, people-watch a while etc. until time for my flight to open counters. The Japanese tourists are instantly recognizable, not just by their speech, but by their dress, and the many cameras around their necks, and by the fact that they all move together tightly in groups. I love them – salarymen, retirees, office ladies, all are intensely interesting to me.
The duty free store has all the usual – wait – those bottles are NOT filled with alcohol, but with olive oil – cool! The price wisens me up, and i head out to the Olympic plane. Their internet site said a 20kg limit for baggage, so i am a bit worried, and have taken stuff out of the suitcase and put it in the backpack to get it down to 23kg. What’s this? The guy in front of me puts his bag on the belt, and even tho the LED readout is showing “28”, nary a word is said, the flight tag is slapped around the handle, and it is whisked off. Whew, no problems anticipated with mine, and i am right – but the knowledge gained is input to let me know that Greece is going to be even more ruleless chaos than Italy – and it is still in the EU zone!
Please bless the small work in Italy, Lord, and may your words be spread even there where your servant Paul wrote such wonderful, inspired words, where there were many martyrs for you, and where the seat of the beast is today.
NOTE: Post written November 3, 2006