Coconut Macaroons

  We set out on another mission. Location: our kitchen. Subject: coconut macaroons. Purpose: meet our white haired friend on her doorstep rather than out the window. Our journey began at the grocery store with a list of sweetened condensed milk (latte condensato zucherrato) and coconut. Two helpful workers and a patron later we found them. As we left, we thanked the helpful patron and she wished us a "buona torte." Good caking. This really cracked us up. In the kitchen we joyfully prepared the little cookies, the aroma of toasted coconut filling our entire apartment. As they baked we looked up some key phrases:

Abbiamo portato dei biscotti che abbiamo fatto oggi. = We brought you some cookies that we made today.
Ci piacerebbe essere tuo amico. = We would like to be your friend.
E' stato bello conoscerti. = It was really nice to meet you.

We figured these would get the general idea across. As we were baking, she poked her head out the window to hang some undergarments on the line. She waved and asked us if we were good...then blew us a kiss goodbye! We were very excited to really meet her!

After writing her a little note, we drizzled chocolate over the cookies for a finishing touch, and then set off across the courtyard to deliver our treats. Once we found her door, we nervously rang the doorbell and waited as the door slowly opened. Behind the door revealed a very short old man smoking a cigarette. We asked him if there was a lady that lived there. He shook his head and shut the door in our face. Ouch! We were so confused, but sure that this was in fact her door. We rang the doorbell again, just waiting to be yelled at in Italian. The man reluctantly opened the door again and our conversation proceeded as follows. At least this is what we think he said.

Old man: I've just eaten dinner and I have no room for your cookies. Us: We live in apartment B. Old man: Oh, you're in the wrong building. Us: No, we are looking for a lady that lives here. Old man: Grumbles. Hollers for someone. Younger lady: Hello. Us: Hi, do you speak English? Lady: Yes. Us: We are looking for an older woman that lives here. We wave at her from our window, and we have brought her some cookies. Lady: Mama! Her mother was not the little lady that we had hoped. They squabbled for a little bit in Italian. Lady: You must be talking about Louisa, she lives below us. But she's not home now. Us: Ok, thank you.

However, we are most definitely positive that she indeed lives in that apartment, for this is the window that she always waves from. We stood outside their door, a little bruised, frustrated, definitely not the ending that we had hoped. We are saving her cookies for when we see her again, but as I sit in our kitchen typing, her window looks much different than before. The shudders are closed and the lights are off. There are no undergarments hanging on the line. It is strange.

On the bright side, we enjoyed the extra cookies that we made with the ladies in our Bible study. We had the most wonderful evening, digging into God's word and delighting in his wonderful gift of Jesus Christ! We are reading through Romans, and are really learning a ton.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. Romans 3:23-24