Next week I leave for Italy, 15 days of service in Bologna, down to Florence, and eventually to Rome. Following is a little prelude… a glimpse of what it’s like to be a missionary on the peninsula by my colleague and good friend Mark Brucato (caution: don’t watch this on an empty stomach, lest your mouth salivate and cause you to drool upon your keyboard).

Clowns for Christ: The Joy of Realizing You’re Not a Lion Tamer
When I was about three, I saw a time-accelerated film sequence on television featuring a clown applying his makeup. The clip started with a normal