Church in Rome

The last time we attended church was in London, at the beginning of our trip. However, it was more of a touristy experience, being at the magnificent St. Paul's Cathedral. We haven't been able to get to church since then, due to morning trains and the speedy pace of our travels.

Our last day in Rome was a Sunday so we went to Rome Baptist Church, a small English-speaking congregation of about 100 members, found in the middle of Rome (right next to a Burberry store). It was so REFRESHING to be surrounded by fellow believers again! We just felt so encouraged to be there. The Pastor related his sermon on running the race (Hebrews 12:1-13) to the Olympics (which we were able to watch a bit on the cruise when we had some spare time). We sang our hearts out, were invited to stand up and introduce ourselves and both took away truth for our hearts to wrestle with. Many people chatted with us afterwards, wishing us well on the rest of our travels. Ah, we were SO encouraged!

 

What's also really neat about all this is on Friday and Saturday, we were reading Acts 28. It's right after Paul and the crew shipwreck on Malta and then make their way to Rome eventually. When Paul got to Rome, "brothers" (aka. fellow believers) came to see him and in Rom.28:15 it says, "At the sight of these men, Paul thanked God and was encouraged.". AMAZING! We felt like Paul did when meeting with fellow believers in Rome... thankful and encouraged! Praise God!

Isn't it so wonderful when God orchestrates believers to encourage one another? It's another reminder to me how important it is to be welcoming newcomers and encouraging our church family.

- Julia

P.S. That afternoon, we walked by the Spanish Steps again and then felt as though we had seen all we wanted to see in Rome and more, so we decided to hang out in Rome's large, central park. We had a picnic, took pictures of the awesome views of the city, listened to street musicians, people watched, lay in the grass, took a siesta, read books, etc. After seeing these funny looking Seaguay vehicles all over Europe, we decided to rent them for an hour in the park and had a hilarious time bombing around! Here are some pictures of our relaxing Sunday afternoon...