When the day is just right

yesterday, saturday, was one of those days that packs everything necessary in life all into one amazing day.

On the bus on our way back to Bologna

The day started out in service with a sister who is originally from germany, her name is Aleksandra. She had a return visit/study she wanted to try and find home so we went to do that. We had to take the bus to Casalecchio, a nearby town outside of Bologna. We finally made it to the house of the study, which Aleksandra has had a very hard time finding - she was a great bible student, but has been in Sweden for some time, coming back and forth to Italy. We found a relative/friend at home and he informed us that she was now in Switzerland, for work. She would be returning later this month, but only for a few days before returning to Switzerland.

Cappuccino #1 of the day

We left the magazines for the bible student to read, and Aleksandra at least now knows when she can try and get in contact with the woman again. One difficult aspect of the ministry here is that there are a lot of people who end up having to move or leave for one reason or another (usually work related) and so if you find someone who has an interest in the Bible and you are able to have a good conversation, it may be difficult to keep in contact. I admired the sister I was with for the sacrifice and lengths she was willing to go in order to find her student at home. It took us the entire morning to travel to her home, with our bus and then walking to her home. After the visit, we found a nearby coffee shop for a much needed cappuccino. We then headed back to the city center of Bologna and it was about 1130am at this point.

Cost less than 10 euros for a plate
 of of gyros, greek salad
 (which included no lettuce,
and a brick of feta) and pita bread.

On the bus, another sister, Monica, called me and wanted to see if I was available to meet her up for service, as her group was done for the day. This was perfect, since Aleksandra had to stop once we got back to Bologna. I had hoped to have a longer day in the ministry, so I was glad that Monica thought to call me. We made plans to meet up for lunch in the city center. We ate at a delicious greek food ristorante, which was a nice change from pizza. :) 


After we ate, we did "informal" witnessing in the city center, basically looking for anyone that might speak English (here, that is usually Africans) and listen for English speakers. Just as we left the restaurant we heard 2 Asian girls speaking English and stopped to talk to them. Come to find out, they were from Oakland, California. Talk about a small world! That was a great start to our afternoon, the girls were nice to talk to and accepted the magazines. Hopefully that seed planted with them will grow and they will come to appreciate Jehovah and they will want to learn more about the Bible. 

Witnessing in the outdoor market

There was a nearby outdoor market, filled with clothes, shoes, belts, jewelry, and all kinds of other random items. We (and when I say we, I mostly mean Monica lol) spoke to quite a number of Africans who spoke English, and Monica was able to get some phone numbers so she could follow up on the interest. We met also a man who has been reading the Watchtower & Awake since he was a young boy. When I asked if he had ever studied with Witnesses, he said no because he has his own church. But he loves our magazines. I encouraged him to visit jw.org for more articles and videos that he might like and encouraged him to keep trying to learn about Jehovah. 

Cappuccino #2 of the day

After some time of walking around and talking to quite a few people, it was break time - another cafe nearby was beckoning us and we stopped for a quick cappuccino and croissant  (brioche in Italian) filled with Nutella which was delicious. After the snack break, we took the bus back to the kingdom hall for the afternoon service meeting. I was pretty tired at this point, is was almost 3:30 and I had been out since 9:30! But, I soldiered on and our next territory was some business territory near the main train station of the city. This time it was Monica, myself, and a brother named Nathaniel. I was able to speak to some of the business owners, mostly from Nigeria, and placed some magazines with them. Nathaniel was helpful in breaking the ice with the shop owners, and then I would present the magazines to them. The friends here like to tell the person they are speaking to that I am from California. That was impressive to the Asian girl Lilly from earlier, that I would come all the way from home to Bologna, not just for vacation, but to search for English speakers to teach them about the Bible. 

My service partners - Nathaniel & Monica

At about 530pm, Monica and I were tuckered out and left Nathaniel to take of the last couple of shops while we headed home. It takes Monica about 45 minutes to drive from Bologna to her home. The sacrifices of time, resources, and energy is beautiful to see and the blessings of Jehovah upon these ones is also evident by the enjoyable experiences in the ministry they have. 

So, today in the ministry I engaged in several avenues of preaching - none of which were door-to-door! It was a fun experience and I really enjoyed working with the 3 different service partners in one day. It was really encouraging to me. 

American Football in Bologna

Once I got home, it was time to chill for a little bit and unwind. After a shower and a snack of Cheerios, I studied my Watchtower lesson and then got a call for an invite to a football game. Now, I don't mean soccer football, I mean good ol' American pastime of football. Apparently the teams are horrible and the game is pretty amateur, but it is free and when you are a need greater or pioneer, you're up for free events. We took the bus to the game which started at 9pm. We made it by the second period (that's right, even the American announcer who spoke English referred to the quarter as the period) and tried to find the other brother that we were meeting up with but we couldn't find him. 

Myself and two others in our group of 6 ended up on a park bench waiting to find out what the plan was - someone went to go try and find the brother again - and nearby there was a snack stand and they were selling (microwave) popcorn which was delicious lol. After our snack, the three of us took a walk and it was really enjoyable. It's really amazing how Jehovah's people are an instant family - we know nothing about each other, we are really perfect strangers - and yet we had some great conversations and got to know each other better. In any other instance, none of us would probably be friends or try to get to know each other, but the truth brings us together and we are able to find common ground and bond with people we eagerly call our brothers and sisters. 

McDonald's - Eating outside in the historical city center

By the time we finally find the rest of our group and the game is now over (Bologna lost by the way) we head back on the bus into the city center, to probably the only place that is open at this time of night -- McDonald's. Although it was quite late (after midnite, close to 1) McD's was a hustling, bustling place. After a snack and some more goofiness, we all headed home. Thankfully my place is in the city center, and so I was able to get home first (no Mother, I didn't walk by myself, and yes, we all made sure everyone was safe and sound lol) and snuggly into bed. 

He was so excited for his 1/4 pounder with cheese.
I'm actually scared at how scared my fake scared face is.
This brother is originally from Hawaii. 

Service, personal study, good association, good food, being outdoors in the sunshine - - - it was every good thing we should enjoy all stuffed into one packed day. It was a nice balance to be able do what Jehovah asks of us (preaching work), buy out time for personal study, and also enjoy wholesome recreation with friends. This never happens at home lol but hopefully I can build some better habits while I'm here so I can be more balanced at home - buying out more opportunities for spiritual things which truly brings me the most happiness. 















Sorry this was such a long post for literally one day's events, but it was quite an eventful day! My mom asked me to post some pictures of my neighborhood where I live, but since I just typed out this long entry, I'm going to take a break and try to find a grocery store that is open (lots of stores, even grocery stores, are closed on Sunday) and get some groceries for the week. 

If you've made it this far, congratulations - your brain has completed its reading exercise for the entire day lol. 

ciao, 
x nadia x