A couple of weeks ago we had our first annual (hopefully) Christian Ski Trip!! We took the youth from our church in Bondeno to meet with some of the youth from the church in Vicenza and the youth from the church in Belluno to go skiing. We left early Sunday morning with two cars full of people, gear and food and headed for Belluno. We met everyone at the Belluno Church of Christ for worship on Sunday morning. Belluno is a fairly small city in the Dolomites and the Belluno Church is small with about 15-20 members. They were thrilled to have us visit. With 8 guests from Bondeno and 5 from Vicenza, we had a great group. Everyone was encouraged by our time together, especially the members in Belluno. They were amazed to see the room so full. Belluno, being in the mountains and a little further north, can't always be involved with the retreats and meetings hosted by other churches in Italy, so I am so thankful that we were able to visit and I hope to have the opportunity to go there again soon.
After worship we drove further into the mountains to Malga Ciapela. Half of the group went skiing and the other half played in the snow. I was in the half that played in the snow... With sleds and a bit of imagination, we had a great time. For me, the best part was seeing the Dolomites covered in snow; it's one of those memories that you know will stay with you forever. I don't need to actually ski. Put my by a window where I can stare at the mountains and give me a hot chocolate and I'm happy.
The next day half of us went skiing again, and this time I skied. I think at this point I would classify myself as a beginner 2. I still haven't been able to advance to intermediate. Actually, I did better than I ever have before -- I think it's because I borrowed skis from Luca's 7 year-old cousin. But we had a great time! Daniela tried skiing for the first time and did an amazing job. She has no fear and fell when she wanted to stop, so that was entertaining. The best part was spending time with the youth from Belluno: Marco, Laura and Jelena, 3 amazing kids who are so much fun. We had such a great time hanging out with them and it just makes be want to go back to Belluno even more! We should be able to make it back up there this spring.
