Journey into the Boot: Italy, here we come

"Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house." Luke 10:4-7

August 3, 2016

I'm on my way to Italy. I have pinched myself a few times to make sure I'm not dreaming. But it looks like it's for real. I am inside a plane Rome bound.

If anyone had told me a month ago that I would be doing this, my answer would have been: "No way!" A trip to Italy in the month of August was the farthest thing from my mind on July 5th, which happened to be my birthday. On that day, I was actually planning a trip. But I had a different date and a totally different destination in mind. And yet, here I am, flying to Italy.

The plans were made just three weeks ago. Rafael received an invitation that he just couldn't say "no" to, and in three weeks we reserved flights, hotels, and even tickets to some major sights, like the Necropolis to visit St. Peter's tomb under the Vatican, something that usually needs to be done months in advance.

Those of you that know me well, know that I'm slightly OCD or just plain anal. I plan things way in advance and to the last minimal detail. Today, I was actually looking over my notes of the last time we came to Italy, and I had to laugh because every day was perfectly planned. I had a written itinerary per day of all the sights we were going to visit by the hour. I could have competed with Rick Steves and I would have won the prize for the perfect walking tour. This time, on the other hand, I just managed to put together the towns that we would like to visit and tentative dates for those. I booked hotels that I can cancel within a 24-hour notice and just this week, I was still making changes.

It's nerve wracking for someone like me to travel in this fashion. But in the past three years, during my dad's illness, I've learned that it's better not to plan too far in advance or your plans may need to be cancelled. I've learned to trust God more than to trust myself. I've learned that if He wants it to happen, it will happen, but if He doesn't, it ain't going to happen. I had to cancel a perfect trip to the Scandinavian Countries three years ago, a trip I had planned months in advance, "Christy style," with every hour of the day filled to capacity. But that cancellation led to an unexpected trip to Spain which just like this one, was planned within a month and it turned out to be just perfect.

I can't help but think of the apostles, who traveled the whole world spreading the Gospel, and they "carried no purse, no bag, no sandals." They didn't have reservations in advance. They depended on strangers to give them lodging for the evening. But they trusted God completely, and they knew that He was leading the way. My faith is not as big as that of the apostles. I did make hotel reservations in advance. I may need to change them but the idea of arriving at a city not knowing where I'm going to spend the night, it's more than I can handle. Maybe one day, I'll be that brave. But I'm definitely not there yet. But I'm making progress. At least this time, I don't have a minute to minute itinerary. I will let God lead the way and I'm excited to see where He will take us. I will trust that He is a better travel guide than me, and even better than Rick Steves for that matter (even though I will confess that I brought his travel guides with me). But I will try my hardest to let go and let God.

Usually when I travel, I like to keep a journal of our adventures and to record the places we visit for future reference. This time, I've decided to keep the journal on my blog. Since most likely we won't be spending too much time at the hotels, my writing time will be limited so I apologize in advance for any spelling or grammar errors. I won't have much time for editing, since by the end of the day I will be tired and ready to fall sleep. But I will try to write as much as possible, just like I always used to do on my hand-written journals. This time, I'll just be sharing it with all of you instead of keeping it to myself.

I will be praying for all of you and your families. I ask in return that you keep Rafael and myself in your prayers for a safe trip, and for my family back home to be protected while we are gone. In less than one hour we will be landing in Rome. And I'm still pinching myself because I still think I'm dreaming.

Ciao e benedizioni.