Neighbors, lanterns and legends

I have the best neighbors!

This, in the bowl is Zuppa di Pesce, or Fish Soup, very very common dish here on the Adriatic coast. I love cooking and baking (well, most days anyway). I remember back in Bible school (Jackson, MI, USA) and in missions training (Roach, MO, USA) I always used to share with my neighbors many things that I made. I just love doing that. And guess what, God has allowed me to have such wonderful neighbors like Concetta and Marika who love to share their cookings and bakings with us! Several times a week they bring over some pastries or other local delicacies... I feel so blessed that I am able to sample local food this way. Just yesterday Marika brought some of her mom's pastries over, they are delicious!
Ez itt Hal leves, ahogy a helyiek keszitik. A szomszed asszony hozta at kostoloba. Emlekszem, a bibliaiskolaban mindig vittem at a szomszedaimnak kostolot, amikor sutottem-foztem. Es most olyan szerencsem van, hogy a szomszed asszonyom szereti megosztani a sutemenyeit. Mindig hoz at egy kis kostolot, amikor sut. :) Milyen szuper hogy igy megizlelhetem a helyi izeket. 

The other day our team decided to have our morning prayer meeting at the beach. It was wonderful. I inhaled the salty sea air and gave thanks to my Father for everything.
Par napja a munkatarsainkkal ugy dontottunk, hogy a tengerparton tartjuk meg a reggeli ima- es megbeszelesunket. Gyonyoru reggel volt. Ahogy melyen beszivtam a sos tengeri levegit ha'la't adtam az Urnak mindenert. 

Lanternata. The other day we were off to parade through the streets of our little town accompanying our kids with their home-made lanterns. We actually had no idea what it was about before we went. It just seemed fun to go out at night with lanterns. Then it turned out to be a great opportunity for us to learn a bit of Italian culture.
They also call this event La lanternata di San Martino (St.Martin's lanterns). Legend has it that San Martino became a monk after serving as a Roman soldier. On a cold, rainy day in November, Martino was traveling on horseback, and came across a half-naked beggar. Seeing that the poor beggar was shivering from cold, Martino took pity on him, and cut his own cloak in half, giving one half to the beggar. As soon as Martino set off again on his journey, the sun came out and the temperature became warm. From this we get the "Estate di San Martino" (The summer of St.Martin).
That night Martino dreamt of Jesus wearing his cloak, and woke up with his own cloak intact. This sign made him rush off to be baptized and became a Christian.
According to the Catholic tradition, besides bringing us the wonderful warm November weather, San Martino has many shores as a patron saint or horsemen and horses, of tailors and beggars, of the poor and injured, of barrell makers and drunks, of cured alcoholics, of betrayed husbands- I leave it to the reader to find a thread here.
Well, anyway... we had fun walking around with our lanterns until the rain came down on us. Then we went home.
A lantern fesztival. Valamelyik este mentunk fel a foterre, Benike az iskolaban keszitett kis lampast es meg voltunk hivva erre a kis unnepsegre. Nem tudtuk mi az, ugyhogy felmentunk. Kiderult, hogy belekostolhattunk egy kis olasz kulturaba, es megismerhettunk egy regi olasz (katolikus) hagyomanyt. Vegulis abbol allt az egesz, hogy egy lohaton lovaglo romai katonanak oltozott embert kovettunk egy sereg gyerekkel, mindenkinek kis lampas a kezeben. Egesz jol ereztuk magunkat...amig el nem eredt az eso. Akkor hazamentunk. 
De a legenda szerint Szent Marton egy romai katona volt mielott szerzetesse lett. Egy hideg novemberi esten egy felig meztelen koldussal talalkozott, aki reszketett a hidegtol. Megsajnalta, es sajat kopenyet felbevagta es odaadta a koldusnak a masik felet. Allitolag rogton ezutan az ido felmelegedett. Azon az ejszakan azt almodta, hogy Jesus viseli a kopenyet, es mikor reggel felebredt, a kopenye ismet egeszben volt. Ezutan rogton elment, bemeritkezett es keresztennye lett. 
Hat innen ered a legenda. 

itt a romai katona lohaton

Here is the Roman soldier on horseback

Benjamin and Chantal...they are such good buddies and play so well together.
Benike es Chantal olyan jo baratok es nagyon szepen jatszanak egymassal.