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information blackout

Wednesday, August 29th, 2007

or so it feels like it…..

I contacted the Lawyer. He was supposed to get ahold of the Consulate and get the scoop from them, and then talk to his office in Rome and find out how to proceed. The problem is that August is NOT a good month for things to happen in Italy. Italy celebrates what is known as the ferragosto…. the August holidays… by which nearly all Italians get off 2 weeks in some part of August. This is serious…. Italians are very serious about holidays…. so, as it just so happens I started asking about this at the beginning of August, nearly no one has been around to look into it. Hence the long silence that feels like an information blackout. Hopefully as September is just around the corner, things will swing back into action….. perhaps “action” isn’t the proper word…. swing into a slow plodding melodrama…. yeah, that’s more like it.

So that’s what is [not] happening right now. Keep you all updated as I find out info.

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consulate visit last friday

Wednesday, August 1st, 2007

Well, every time I go to the consulate it gets worse….. the first time, I was told it may take a while to get the adoption recognized, but they could probably do it. Then the lawyer told me that it would take 5-6 years and I would have to do some filing in Italy independently. This time the consulate told me that they would put me in touch with a lawyer here who specializes in these types of issues, but it may take 10 years and be very costly. Next time I go, my American citizenship may be in jeopardy and a second time after that, they may want to put me in jail! 

Well, it’s not that bad, of course, I’m just being ornery, but I put a call into the lawyer they recommended and haven’t heard from him yet. I’ll try again later today just to remind him that I am serious about this. I’ll have to weigh out options once I know what is realistically on the table, but there is simply no way I can afford to wage a protracted legal battle in Italy. I would maybe cough up a few thousand over time to see this through, but I can’t even think about 10’s of thousands to pursue it. So IF that is what it will take, then apparently, citizenship is out of the question at least through these means. We could always look at establishing some other sort of residence there and then applying after the requisite amount of years…. 5 right now. But the problem is HOW exactly we can get over there legally and establish residence. 

These are questions for the Lord right now. If he really means for this to happen, then he will have to make a way. If he doesn’t, then I will have to assume that we were mistaken about the call. It’s not of course at that point yet, but I thought I’d let everyone know how things stood right now. 

Pray for the lawyer meeting and that things would turn out. I have one other option: a lady I met online when I was asking questions about adoption. She is Italian and seems to have some ties with adoptions there in Italy. She told me to let her know when I have all the options on the table. Perhaps she would be able to do something. At any rate, I’m hoping to know within a short time whether the citizenship by blood will be pursuable or not. 

ciao, 

dave  

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complications

Friday, July 13th, 2007

Well, the attorney got back to me and it looks like it may be impossible to avoid filing some sort of petition in Italy. The adoption is going to significantly extend the process.

I need to get some more answers, but from what I have seen so far, it may even include some decisions I am not willing to make. I hope not, but it is possible that the citizenship door, at least jure sanguinis, is going to be closed. That doesn’t mean we couldn’t take other measures, but I will have to pray and see what is going on.

Kind of a bummer, but while all this is news to me, it was not news to the Lord. So he knows……… I’ll keep you posted as I find out more. 

dave

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Original birth cert finally came in yesterday

Thursday, July 12th, 2007

That is the last of the documents that I needed to get.

Here’s where the story gets interesting…. I contacted a consulate approved translator to get my docs translated, [you HAVE to use a consulate approved translator] and he mentioned that beside translations, he is also an attorney and represents the Vice-Consulate in San Diego. For $300 he will appear for you and represent you when applying.

So I am trying to see if maybe he will represent me and perhaps he will have the pull to go around the adoption hassles that the consulate is giving me right now. 

He also said he could fit me in alongside another application this September, meaning I would not have to wait until march 2008. I will have to wait and see if he thinks the adoption issue can be overcome. I wrote him a detailed explanation of the case and hope he will be prompt in responding. But he seems pretty prompt so far in his first response. Perhaps this will be a tool that the Lord uses to speed things along.

Now all I have to do is figure out how to pay for it all…….

 

dave

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been a while since the last update, so…..

Tuesday, July 10th, 2007

I figured I had better get in here and write something.

The fact of the matter is that right now, there is not much happening that I can report on. I am waiting on citizenship documents from the state, but even with the application, I have nearly everything I need and still the appointment with the consulate is not until march 2008. Even then, it could be months or years before I find out if my application has been accepted and my citizenship recognized. So not much happening on that front.

Ronnie, Kristi, Shelly and I have been busy trying to get back into ministry and the daily routines of life here. Keep Kristi in prayer, given that she is having health problems right now. I won’t go into anymore detail than that.

The other thing that is REALLY on my heart is bit involved to explain, but I’ll share it and ask your prayers too. Shell and I are planning on getting citizenship, working and supporting ourselves to live in Italy. Ronnie and Kristi do not have that option, so they will need to get Visas. The problem is that none of the Visas are really available right now. We just don’t meet the criteria necessary to qualify. We were hoping for a missionary visa, and that might still happen but……. that means that an agency from Italy must invite Ronnie over, he must raise the support and our church must pledge to support him.

My own sense and desire is to somehow avoid having to raise support from people here. That means he will need to work. But work visas require an Italian company to want to hire him, then be willing to go through the process of obtaining a visa in order to bring him over. Not likely at the present time since he doesn’t work for any companies that have italian offices, doesn’t speak italian, and has no connections for such a thing to even happen. I don’t know how this will work, but I think if we can avoid having to raise support and be able to support ourselves, then we are able to function better there. We also have the advantage of co-workers and people that we interact with on an everyday basis that we can begin to minister to.

But if it was going to take God opening doors before, this will really take a miracle. If it really is God’s will, pray he will make a way for that to happen.

dave

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this is what I was waiting for?

Thursday, June 21st, 2007

Got a package from the State yesterday. I’ve been waiting to get my original birth certs, the last piece of documentation that I should need, so I open up the envelope and………. they sent me four copies of the amended birth cert, rather than the original, pre-adoption cert. Talk about disappointment. I could have gotten those simply by walking up to the counter and asking. So I called the state today, which is never any fun: it took me 53 attempts [yeah, I counted], and about an hour to get through and speak with someone, and I was told I should send everything back to them for an exchange. Hopefully it won’t take so long this time, but I’m not counting on it. At least I don’t have to go through the court process again.

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tornati a milano/back in milan

Friday, June 15th, 2007

Here are some photos of us back in milan. Ecco delle foto di milano.

 castle

Tuesday morning we drove back from Treviso and saw this castle off to the side of the road. You just don’t get to see this kind of thing in the states. Martedì siamo tornati a milano da treviso.  Non mi ricordo dov’era, ma abbiamo visto questo castello… cosa mica normale per noi in America.

 duomo face

duomo corner

This is the face of the famous Duomo in Milan. Duomo means the principal cathedral of the city. Every major and midsize town in Italy has one, usually the center of the city. Milan literally radiates outward from this central place. The top pic is at dusk, the lower one was taken wednesday after we got back when it was still raining. Il famoso Duomo di Milano. la foto sopra è ovviamente di sera, mentre quella sotto è di giorno, ma con la pioggia.

inside duomo

This is from inside the Duomo. It’s hard to express just how impressive this is, but the architecture is meant to draw you vertically as if reaching up to God himself. It actually accomplishes it’s mission. Da dentro il Duomo. È veramente impressionante il Duomo. L’architetture fu disegnato ad attirarti verticalmente come se uno si stendesse verso Dio stesso. E si riesce.

 in piazza

In the Piazza of the Duomo. Milan has a large immigrant population. Several African immigrants stopped us to tell us how beautiful our wives were, slap a thread on our wrists and then demand money for the honor. One guy wanted 10 euros out of Ronnie for the unwanted approach. Just then the Italian police went running after a few and they all scattered to the four corners of the earth. La Piazza del Duomo. Milano ha un grande flusso di immigranti e qualche africani ci hanno fermati a dirci quante belle nostre mogli, metterci a polso un filo colorato e poi esigere i soldi per l’onore. Uno volevo 10 euro di Ronnie quando un polizia comincio a cacciarli. Subito si sono scomparsi.

 galleria

To the north of the Duomo is a large shopping mall called the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. I love the place because in the center of the mall, which is shaped like a cross, there is a Prada store, Louis Vuitton, a high end crystal shop and the fourth esteemed business as a cornerstone? McDonalds. All the high end shopping you can want. Pick up some Prada and then eat at McD’s. Classic.

Al nord del Duomo c’è il famoso Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. Nel centro della galleria, ci sono: Prada, Louis Vuitton, una gioelleria di nome scordato ed un quarto negozio stimato ed elegante- McDonalds. Sissignore, tutto lo shopping elegante che si può fare. Compratevi delle scarpe elegante a Prada, poi mangiare a McDonalds. Classico.

milano night

milano at night

A few night pics of Milan. Qualche foto di notte sempre milano.

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sempre le foto del viaggio/more trip pics

Friday, June 15th, 2007

I got some more pics from Pastor Ronnie of Montebelluna and Treviso.

 inside CCM

This is of the Calvary Chapel in Montebelluna. As you can see the place is really rocking. Just kidding the service hasn’t even started yet. It actually fills up. There are seats for about 80-90 inside plus whatever is in the childrens ministries too. About 100 some on a regular sunday. Questa è Calvary Chapel Montebelluna…. prima che iniziasse il culto….. non durante ; ). Ci sono posti per 80-90 persone più quelli che lavorano coi bambini. 100 più o meno.

 lunch with pastor craig

Afterward we ate at a restaurant with Pastor Craig and his wife Silvana, and their three kids, whose names escape me right now. The little guy in front is Josiah if I remember right, but don’t hold me to it. The brother we met before service in a coffee bar is David Downs. He is here in Italy from socal. Dopo il culto abbiamo pranzato ad un ristorante con Pastore Craig, sua moglie Silvana, ed i loro tre piciotti, i quali loro nomi non mi ricordono ora. Credo che il piccolo centro davanti si chiama Josiah, ma non sono sicuro. Il fratello a sinistra si chiama David Downs, il cui abbiamo incontrato in un bar primo del culto. Lui abita in Italia ma è proprio da California. Left to right- sinistra a destra: David Downs, Shelly, Io [me], Kristi, Pastore Craig, 2 of his kids [2 dei suoi ragazzi], Silvana, the waitress [la cameriera] and Josiah front and center [sempre Josiah nel centro davanti]

 Kristi's calzone

Kristi with a calzone that is bigger than her head. A calzone is basically a pizza folded in half and baked. It’s actually pretty hollow, not nearly as much food as it seems. Kristi con un calzone più grande della sua testa. Ma non c’è niente da preoccuparvi, l’ha condiviso.

 treviso center

Another pic of Treviso downtown where we spent time with Pastor Mark Nigro. Ronnie took this one and the pic captures some of the great colors you find in Italy. And I love the mix of the old and modern that you find so abundantly in Italy. Il Centro di Treviso dove facevamo una serata con Pastore Mark. Questa foto cattura dei colori incantevoli d’Italia. Amo il mischio dell’antico con il moderno che si trova dappertutto in Italia.

More fotos later. Più delle foto a venire. ciao,

dave

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Shelly’s comments on the trip

Thursday, June 14th, 2007

Our trip to Milan was great – and as Dave said, I don’t want to be home. I really enjoy being on vacation and seeing new things. I suppose once we move to Milan and it becomes my home that I won’t find it quite as fascinating – but hopefully that won’t happen.

Anyway, an update about the job situation. I met with three of the people that I used to work with at 3M Unitek Italy. All three have moved to other positions within 3M Italy. Alberto and Francesco both seemed genuinely pleased that I wanted to move to Milan; Alessandro had no comment – but he is high up in management now at 3M Italy and he probably needs to be circumspect.

When I talked to Francesco, he mentioned that 3M Italy is currently reducing their workforce by about 70 people. Since our move is at least a year away (and probably closer to 2 to 3 years), things may be very different when I try to get a job there; but right now it doesn’t bode well for me to be able to transfer. I will have to leave this completely in the Lord’s hands since I’m not really sure how to go about getting my existing job transferred, and don’t know if that’s what I should try to do anyway.

But back to the trip. I was excited when talking with Pastor Quam from Montebelluna. He mentioned that there was a woman he had talked to that was asking for a Calvary Chapel in the Milano area. If I understood correctly, she had a relative that was attending the Calvary Chapel in Rome and had visited Montebelluna. Pastor Quam is not sure if she is attending church now, nor how to reach her. I just pray that we will be able to find her and that our dream/goal will be a blessing to her. Also, there have been other Christians that have been in Milan in the past that may be able to offer us some support/suggestions. I believe that Pastor Ronnie is following up on those leads.

Dave mentioned in his post about the two women we met in the store who are Christians. Both of these women are from America and are attending a church in Milan that reaches the English speaking transplants in Milan. It is encouraging to know there is an evangelical church already in Milan – but they are not reaching out to the Italians. Hearing about this confirms to me that there is a real need to reach to the Italians and not just offer support to the English speaking transplants; but it also encourages me that there are other evangelicals in Milan who will be there for emotional support if we need it.

So, hearing all this, it sounds like there is a real need – and I’m encouraged that we are to go there. I know there will be many additional hurdles we’ll have to go past before we can get there – but hopefully it will be quick.

Posted in Italy Trip 2007, Shelly's Job Transfer | 1 Comment »

le foto di Venezia/Venice pics

Thursday, June 14th, 2007

Ciao a tutti. Lunedì il 4 giugno siamo andati a Venezia, un sogno particolare di Kristi. Hi everyone. Monday 4 June, we visited Venice, a dream of Kristi’s.

Da Treviso, abbiamo preso un treno a Venezia dato che trovare un posto a parcheggiare è quasi impossibile e si uno riesce a trovarsene uno, costoso. Dalla stazione ferroviale abbiamo preso un vaporetto a San Marco. Ecco delle foto.

From Treviso we took a train into Venice since the parking is rare and expensive when you can find it. Once in Venice, we took a water taxi, called a vaporetto, to Saint Marks Square. You can walk it, but the streets are a maze and it would take some time. Here are a few pics from the ride.

Venice Canal 1

Venice Canal 2

Venice buildings

 

 Piazza San Marco

San Marco pieno di gente. This is the famous San Marco square, full of people. Seems there is always some construction going on these famous sites.

 Dave in San Marco

Io qua sono… pensieroso. o forse annoiato. o guardando un insetto. o perso. chissà!

Here I am meditating on something. or bored. or watching a bug. or maybe lost.. who knows.

 Venice street

In corsa verso il taxi all’isola di Murano, siamo entrati nel labirinto delle strade piccolissime di Venezia. Murano è molto amato delle donne, ma per noi uomini… meglio una partita. We went through the maze of tiny streets from the square to take a water taxi to Murano. Murano is an island famous for its artisan glass. The ladies love the stuff… but for us guys… let us watch a game.

Ronni ha molto foto. Gliene chiederò altre da lui. Ronnie has ALOT more pics. Hopefully I can get more from him.

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