Friday-The big sport and cookout

Friday, 4pm, the sport/skit/barbeque was finally here. This was our big outreach and gospel presentation that we had worked towards all week. All of the teens we had met during the week showed up for the event. We began by a couple of rounds of volleyball, followed by a game of soccer. Everyone was very competitive and it was a enjoyable time. After the games, our team and some of the Italian youth group prepared for the Redemption skit. When we performed the skit we lined up facing the parking lot where Scott had his stereo in the back of the car, hooked into the power outlet and hatchback open so we could hear it. The other kids sat in the grass to watch the drama. It was a unique presentation. We had revised it to reach the audience by translating the signs into Italian, removing Lust/abuse, and changing the ending to more clearly portray the substitutionary death of Christ. It was very powerful. Scott then followed with a gospel presentation which he spoke in English and Fil translated into Italian.

Friday-

So like Friday was a busy day. It was supposed to rain all day. We had tract distribution in the morning, and our barbeque planned for 4pm. So as we got up and prepared for our tract distribution we were looking at overcast skies. We decided to go anyways. Originally we had planned to finish the town closest to us, and the town in the mountain, but since we had only one vehicle we decided to finish the town closer. That went well, the rain held off until we were finished and were having lunch. After lunch we prepared food for the barbeque and had another redemption skit practice. The mechanic called at 3 and we had just enough time to pick it up and use it to take kids to the park. God is awesome, and his timing is perfect.

The Pizzaria

At the end of this long, but incredibly amazing day the team, Scott & Sharon, Fil and his family and a few students went to a pizzaria. It was very cool. The menu had 2 pages of pizza, most of which we had never even heard of. Everyone ordered their own pizza. We watched as they made the pizza. They formed the dough, added the toppings and put them on a big rotating stone in a wood fire oven. They brought the pizza to the table on a plate and sat it down in front of you. The pizza was whole so we used the forks and knives to eat. It was soo good.

Children's club in the park

After all of our adventures at the waterfall we were pressed for time to get to the park for our children's club. We had an hour to down some water, clean up a bit, and get ready. When we got to the park we began to put on our mime makeup. The original plan was that we would go around the park to invite kids to come when we were mimes. There was no need. People had started to see us transform and were curious, so by the time we were ready there was quite a croud. We had so much fun. We sang a song, played a game, helped Scott by acting out his bible story, interacted with the kids during the memory verse, and helped the kids do craft. The kids were all told that they would be meeting again in September. It was a great way to wind down from a busy day.

By the way. When you read the following adventures you may want to scroll down to part one and work your way back. It will make more sense that way:)

The Waterfall of Formizza-the adventure part 5

The way down the mountain started off great. We made it down the scary switchback part no problem. Then it happened. The engine just started to sputter and then stopped working altogether. Fortunately when you are going downhill you can coast. So we coasted until there was a safe place to pull over. We used jumper cables and got the van started again and we were off. This lasted for about 10 minutes where we stalled at a construction site in the middle of this little town. We pulled over, and Sharon, who was practicing Italian style driving, just stopped in the middle of the road, turned around til she was facing us and pulled up to give us a jump. We had to stop 5 times to get to the auto shop. We were praising God that we made it that far, and that the engine was not dead all the way. The mechanic said that it was the alternator, and he could probably get it back to us tomorrow (Friday). Pray that it works out that way.

The Waterfall of Formazza-the adventure part 4

At the top of the waterfall we all sat down to have a picnic lunch together. We were very hungry at that point so all the food tasted really good. After that we admired the view. It was beautiful any way you looked. There were Alps on all sides of us, and of course you could look over the side and see the waterfall cascading down the side of the mountain. In this photo we are standing on a wooden lookout that goes out over the falls. When you look down from there you can see straight down where the falls fall. After this we had a coffee, checked out the gift shop and hung out for a little while. It was a fun afternoon.

The Waterfall of Formazza-the adventure part 3

After we watched the waterfall grow from the base of the mountain we decided to go to the top to the gift shop and look out for a picnic. Scott, Sharon and Fil decided to drive with the young kids while the rest of us hiked the path to the top. Jess and I were wearing flip flops, but were assured by one of Fil's students that the path was ok for us. So we started off following the girl who had done it before. Somehow we missed the correct path and began to walk up the wrong one. After a while it ended and we kept trudging on through marshy, muddy grass. We felt like trailblazers until we came to a massive rock face. Even if I were wearing sneakers or hiking boots there was no way to get up there. You would need a guide and a rock climbing expert. So we squished down the way we came and found where we had veered off the path. Finally we started up the path that led us to the top. It was in parts just big enough for you to walk through, and the only hint was that the vegetation was parted. In other parts it was very rocky and whith big step ups. If you add that with the fact that the top was one mile above sea level, we were breathing quite heavily. We finally made it to the top after about 45 minutes. We were quite proud of ourselves after we caught our breath.

The Waterfall of Formazza-the adventure part 2

When we got to the waterfall we waited for the show to begin. By show I mean that the waterfall begins with tall, but small streams. The water is blocked upstream for use for hydro electric power, but several times a week the dam is opened and the water flow increases a lot. The kids all ran and explored around until we started to see and hear the water changing. We then watched over several minutes as the flow increased to make the waterfall an impressive sight. With that view and the view of the Alps all around us it was absolutely breathtaking.

The Waterfall of Formazza-the adventure part 1

Thursday morning we headed up to a waterfall in the mountains. There were 18 people with us so we brought 3 vehicles. The trip up to the waterfall was very exciting. We left town and followed the road up towards Switzerland. You could see the architecture change as we got closer. When we reached the mountain where the waterfall was, we began doing switchbacks to get up the rest of the way. For those of us who were sitting on the passenger side it was an incredible, although scary view. When you looked out the window you were either looking down into the ravine, aka the side of the cliff, or you were looking at a wall that was so close you could touch it. The scariest part was when you passed someone going the opposite direction. The lanes are just big enough for 2 vehicles to pass. The photo you see is us in the middle of a switchback turn as we met a large truck coming down. We did not see him until the last second and everyone in the van screamed like we were going down a roller coaster hill. Fortunately we made it up the mountain with our side mirrors attached and everyone intact.

Italian Food

The food in Italy has all been really good. We have been amazed at the difference in what and how they eat here in Italy. Let me describe dinner. The table is set with a pasta bowl on top of a plate. Dinner begins with primo, which is the first course. Primo usually consists of some type of pasta and bread. After you finish the bowls are collected and your hosts are usually getting the secundo (second course) ready. This is when you have your meat, salad or vegetable. During this meal no one leaves the table and you visit and talk to the family. After the secundo the plates are collected and dessert is served. Several times dessert has consisted of a dough with a cream topping with fresh fruit on top. The pasta is different too. First of all the noodles are a bit different and they are served with the sauce mixed in, overloaded, but just enough. The sauce is made with fresh ingredients, and is very flavorful. We have rarely reached for the salt and pepper while we have been here.

Italian Redemption practice

Sunday afternoon we took some time to practice the Redemption skit with the Italians. It was a lot of fun. It was neat to see the changes that they made so that their audience could get the most meaning. Some things we deleted because it was different in their culture and some things we just changed to make clearer. It will be a very unique version. We will meet to practice some more, and then perform it on Friday or Saturday. Pray that the message is clear and hearts are ready to hear it.

Julia and Kristen (Rock) The Sequel

Julia and I are having a blast. Today we went with Jessi and Scott up in the mountains to distribute tracts. The view and the town was AMAZING. It was crazy to see the old houses still standing and being used. A lot of them look like Hobbit houses from the Shire (if there are any Lord of the Rings fans reading this...)

So today we also got a chance to dance with the Italian teens. We taught them 7 popular American dances including, the Cha Cha Slide, the Electric Slide, and the Y.M.C.A. Then they taught us several popular Italian dances. After that we went to the park for the Children's Club. Scott taught the kids a verse (Romas 5:8) and we sang songs, played games, made the headbands from VBS, and told them a story. It was not as difficult to communicate with the children as we thought it would be and the kids even taught us some Italian!

We are having so much fun here-- we do not want to come home!!

Day 2-Sunday Morning worship

Sunday morning we all got up and went to Davide and Alida's house for church. They had church in their living room. The furniture was pushed back against the wall and formed a circle for everyone to sit at. We began with a song which Davide's 4 daughters sang for us. It was very beautiful. After that they took turns picking a song which we would sing. It was very quiet and reverent during this. After a couple of songs one of the men would pray. The cool thing was, well the whole thing was cool, but the coolest thing was that we could actually sing with them. We had a hymnal and could could sing and pick out what some of the words meant. And some were familiar. In fact on one, during the chorous, the girls sang in english while everyone else sang in Italian. After the songs we had communion. Davide read Isiah 53, we could understand most of it because the passage is familiar. He then talked about the passage and pointed out what Christ did for us. How we need to really think about it. How great a blessing that he has offered this to all and how our hearts need to be right before we partook of communion. Scott then read 1Corinthians 13 about the communion. The Davide quietly went to the table and got a plate with a loaf of bread. He went around to each person who has been baptized and held the bread while they broke a piece off. You did not have to wait for everyone, you just ate it when you were ready. Then Davide grabbed the cup and offered it to us and we took a sip and handed it back. Davide would wipe the cup and take it to the next person. After that we Scott preached a message from Revelation ch2:8-11. The letter to the church at Smyrna. In verse 9 it talks about their poverty, yet they are rich. If you think about this spiritally this reminds me of the Italian church. They are small in number but they are rich in spirit. As we have met Italian people, they are very nice and they seem normal, but when you talk to an Italian believer you can see the light in their eyes. You can feel the passion for the message of salvation, and to share it with their people. Scott mentioned something back to a previous lesson about the church in Ephesis, that they had forgot their "primo amore" first love. I was very convicted. I love God and want to serve him, but I often fall short in my desire to share him with others. It was a great reminder that we need to not take our salvation for granted. We have been given a wonderful gift. A gift that was bought with the ultimate price. I didn't cost us anything, but it cost him everything. It is not for us to hug to ourselves and feel good about what we have. We need to really think about what he has done, really think about it. We need to make Jesus our "primo amore". Then we wouldn't be able to hold the good news in. What about you who or what is your "primo amore."

Julia and Kristen (Rock)

Ciao! This is Kristen and Julia. We're having too much fun to take time and write something...but Ms. Debbie is making us do it anyways. The food is good. fo sho. The scenery is amazing. Doing the Open Air has been the most fun missions part thus far. We are staying a true blue Italian family so we think we are getting the best experience out of everyone. Last the night the girls in the family took us to their movie store (which is nothing like ours...the movies are cataloged in a computer and you swipe your card and choose your movie and then put the card in another machine that pops the DVD out!) and we watched The Holiday with them until 1 in the morning! It is very fun to listen to the Italians talk. During dinner the oldest girl Noemi (the spelling migh be off..) translates their conversations into English for us. They are very curious about our cullture. Last night during dinner (which lasted about 2 hours) the father asked us a lot of questions about our culture. We LOVE it here!!!

A Day in the Life of a Missionary

Hey everyone! This is Jessi. I just wanted to tell you all a little bit about my experience so far here in Italy. Ms. Debbie and I are staying with the Macleans and it has been a wonderful experience. I have heard several missionaries at our church talk about what they do, but it is completely different to experience what they do. We have had the privilege and honor to work with the Macleans here in Italy. So far we had helped with open air evangelism, church, and tract distribution. During open air evangelism (as we have posted in a previous blog), we assist Scott by doing skits to draw attention before Scott does a sketchboard. A sketchboard is just a visual that assists with the gospel message. It usually begins with a few markings on the board that eventually tell a story. Scott will give the gospel message while painting pictures and words on the sketchboard. During tract distribution, we break up into groups of 3 and walk around putting tracts (gospel literature) into people's mailboxes. Eventually we will be doing a children's club (which the Italians do often with Scott) where we will teach the children songs like "Jesus loves me." The Macleans do many outreaches here in Italy. It is amazing to see exactly what Scott and Sharon do on a daily basis here. It takes so much strength, courage, faith, and patience to walk out onto the streets of Domodossola everyday and preach the good news to everyone, especially people who simply do not care to hear it. There is such a need for missionaries here, and the Italian believers are so willing to tell others about Christ. As important as it is to have missionaries here, we need to be missionaries in our country as well. As American Christians, we assume that the majority of the population is "religious" in some way, shape, or form; but here, no one seems to care about religion, or God in general. How do you tell people the good news of Jesus Christ to people who do not seem to care about religion; let alone a true relationship with God. The Italian believers can answer that very simply; don't stop trying, don't be discouraged, be patient, and keep on telling!

Day 1 Saturday-Open air in the piazza

Here we are with Scott and Fil. We had just finished with our open air meeting. We first met at Davide and Alida's house to get ready with our makeup. We then had what we affectionately call the "mime parade" We walked through the town down to the piazza. It was fun but weird, we got many interesting looks. Once at the piazza Scott set up his sketchboard and we began by gathering a crowd by doing a few skits. Scott and Fil followed with a sketchboard presentation of the gospel. Scott spoke in english and Fil translated. After they were finished we handed out tracts to the people who were left. We repeated this 3 times throughout the night. At first there were not many people out in the piazza, but as the night progressed there were more and more.

We didn't know what to expect. At first when we were doing our skits lots of people stopped to watch. Then they stayed for the sketchboard presentation, but when Scott mentioned "God", many people left. We personally were very disappointed. When we talked to Fil afterwards, he was very excited that anyone stayed. He was encouraging to us. It was such an eye opener. We tend to tell people the gospel and have the attitude that once we have told them, that we are off the hook; our duty is done. The Italians have the attitude that people need to know and they need to keep telling them until they get it. It is not such a duty, they are compelled to share this great news with others. We can learn so much from this small group of believers.

Ciao,

Team Italy

Day one--The market

The girls all decided that we would go for a walk early. So at 8am we met at Scott and Sharon's house and explored the town. We walked down to the center of town where there is a big market on Saturday. It was like a huge flea market. It was exciting to browse and be in the crowd and hear the language flowing around us. We tested out our first Italian with 'quanto costa?' and then tried to figure out how much they actually said. We didn't have anyone to help us with the language; we were on our own. It was a great learning experience. Most of the people in the town here can speak little English, but not enough to have a full conversation with. While at the market, we were able to try some fresh salami and unique fruits. Then we tried an Italian version of a tater tot and an olive treat (green olive stuffed with sausage and fried. After exploring the market for a while, we came back to the Macleans house and ate lunch (sloppy joes!!) and had an orientation. Fil and Scott gave us a schedule for the week and debriefed us how to approach the Italians when we were handing out tracts. We learned some more Italian and practiced our skits. Then we had a little bit of down time and everyone returned to their host family's home. We met up again after dinner to go down to the Piazza to perform a few skits and listen to Scott give the gospel message. It was a really great experience for all of us. We attracted a small crowd at first, but the second time we did our skits, the crowd was larger. Scott and Fil said it was a good turn out. We also got to meet some of Fil's students (who are learning to speak English) and we are planning to meet up with them again for our English club. After our Piazza experience, we got to try some gelato, which was amazing! By the time we got back in, it was after midnight.

Arriving in Domodossola

When we left the airport we got into a van and a car and headed north to Domodossola. The ride took about an hour at the speeds we were traveling (130 km/hr) but I have no idea how long it would have taken us. Driving is definitely different here, and although we saw noone driving on the sidewalk, it was kind of like a controlled chaos. Motorcycles would drive down the center of the 2 lanes of traffic and weave in and out, and one guy in particular blew passed us like we were standing still. It was exciting and beautiful as we drove towards the Alps. When we arrived at Scott and Sharon’s house we were greeted at the doorway by Sharon and most of Fil’s family. They were very excited and very nice. They made us feel very welcome, like part of the family. Then we all sat at the longest table I have ever seen and had dinner. We had some type of pasta as a starter. It was soo good! As we ate the conversation flowed around the table. We just sat and enjoyed the company of the Italian believers. We then had the main course of pork roast, salad and potatoes. Everything tasted so good. We visited with them through dessert which was an American flag cake that Sharon made. By the time we finished dinner and fell into bed it was after midnight.

Ciao! As we begin our second full day in Italy we finally have enough sleep and time to try to update. Here is a photo of us in Germany. Although this was not in the plans we were able to see several blessings from this detour. The first one we noticed is that we were so tired. We were trying not to give into sleep which meant that we were absolutely no good. We figured that it was better to be so tired that we felt like we had vertigo in the airport than to waste the little time we have in Italy with stuff like that. We tried to take 20minute catnaps just to get by until we could sleep. The second blessing for the detour was the flight itself. It was breathtaking flying over the Alps. We have lots of pictures. When we landed we found most of our bags, but we had to search for one. It had decided to take a different flight from Germany, so it was brought to us later. Once we had all that sorted out we headed out and met Scott and his partner Fil

We made it!!!!!! FINALLY!

Ciao! Our trip started off great. We left the church on time and arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare. Then we found out our flight to Philadelphia was delayed about 45 minutes. We thought we would still have plenty of time to catch our other flight from Philadelphia to Milan, but we were wrong. When our flight landed in Philly, we took off running to our terminal. Of course it was on the other side of the airport which didn't help. We get all the way there and they told us the plane left early. We had missed it by 7 minutes. So we had to go to the customer service desk and waited about 25 minutes for a lady to help us and she booked us on a flight to Frankfurt, Germany which left in 3 hours. Then that flight would take us to Milan after a 6 hour layover in Germany. Needless to say, our 22 hour travel time has completely worn us out. But we arrived in Milan at 5:30pm. Then we met up with the Macleans and had a traditional Italian dinner. It was delicious but we were not completely prepared for a 4 course meal! But we're looking forward to what God has in store for us and we appreciate all your prayers and support! Thank you for praying with us! We'll update as soon as possible! Bueno notte!

Walking by faith

Do you ever wonder if David gave pause before he faced Goliath? Did he stop to think that if he failed then the whole nation would be servants? What if him losing was God’s plan? I think that if David thought about it, he would have had a hard time defeating Goliath like he did. Seeds of doubt would creep in; the task is too big, I am too small, I have no experience, I don’t have the right equipment. Maybe he did think about it and overcame his doubt and worries by faith. I think if he did then that makes his victory even more remarkable. Think about it, when you are faced with a challenge that is just thrown at you, you don’t stop to think, you just do it. Ever hear yourself say as you are looking back that if I would have had time to think about it I probably wouldn’t do it?

You are probably wondering what this has to do with our trip. Well for the first time this morning I woke up feeling nervous. I am leaving my family and everything familiar behind, and taking other people’s children across the ocean. It is a big task and here it is. It is easy to let your mind come up with all kinds of scenarios. We have been riding the wave, so to speak, of the awesomeness of how God has worked something great in getting us to go. What if His plan for this trip is that we are miserable the whole time? Can we handle it? What if we start thinking like David; the task is too big, our team is too small, we have no experience? That is why it is called walking by faith. We need to know who our God is, what He has done, and what He says he will do, and focus on that alone. I know that He has placed our exact team, exactly where we are. I know He is working His plan in this trip. I know He gives us His word so we can be encouraged. I thank Him for bringing David to mind, how he threw caution to the wind and followed his Lord. Let us as Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith...” To God be the glory!!

Ready, Set, Go

Here we are 3 days before takeoff. As I look back at how the Lord has moved to make this trip happen I am awestruck at what he has already accomplished.

Here is what he overcame.
*Doubt--We needed to raise approximately $10,000 in 6 months. There was some hesitation for approval because of this. Our final total was $9,287 and 55 euros. This number is above what we needed because when we went to buy our tickets, the Lord allowed the price to drop $300.

*Fear--We learned a lesson about Joshua and the spies and the 10 let fear rob them of the blessing the Lord had for them. Joshua and Caleb overcame their fear by faith. Faith in who God is, what He had done, and His power to do the impossible. We had to overcome the fear of failure. The deal was that if we did not have the money by mid-April to buy tickets then we would not go. We worked our tails off and all of that could have been for naught. But we had faith that if we were following the Lord's will and He would make it happen. He did.

*Misunderstanding--What do they need a team for? They don't even have a church building? No work projects? What are you going to do? These are some of the questions we have heard. They could be discouraging if you do not see the bigger picture. During our training with the MacLeans we learned the importance of our team and the things we will do (See first 2 posts for more information). We learned that God does not need a building chock full of people to be working in His church.

Here is what we have learned.

God guides his people--We learned a lot about stepping out in faith. As I look back at the Missions conference last year and I felt the Spirit say in response to Scott's request of a team, "Hey Deb you could organize that", to how all the pieces have fallen in place since then, I stand in awe. The team has seen the same thing as we have worked and studied together.

When God's people use their gifts and work together it is a beautiful thing and amazing things can be accomplished--As we studied serving and our gifts we discovered that our team has a complete combination of gifts. We were able to use this to our fullest in our "Takeover Service".

We have seen this in our other projects and events as well. We have seen this in our church body as well. We have had many people use their gifts to help us, from making soup, taking pictures, to hosting a concert, this trip has been an amazing opportunity for all of us to use our gifts to accomplish the Lord's purpose.

That a mission trip is not only for the team to grow--Each of us on the team has grown closer to the Lord during this time. We have seen God working and are getting a glimpse of His awesome greatness. But I have seen Calvary Bible grow as well through this trip. You are a part of this, through prayer and encoragement. You have also witnessed God's working and are giving him praise and glory. Your excitement is visible and encorages us. We are excited to represent you to the Italian people.

By the time the congregation reads this we will be gone. We will be sharing communion with fellow believers in another country. We thank you all so much for your support and help in every way. Check out our blog as we hope to update daily. Also mark your calendars for July 18 at 6pm. We are hosting a dinner/debrief where you will get to see what the Lord did during our trip.
Here is a tenative plan. We will help Scott with his book table and do open air on Saturdays. On Sundays we will be worshiping with the Italians, (one of the Sundays Nick will have the opportunity to preach). During the week we will be distributing tracts in the morning, doing an english club with the Italian youth, and a kids club in the park. The last Saturday we are planning a youth barbeque where we will eat, play games, and perform the redemption skit assisted by the Italian youth group.

We have been so blessed by what God has done even before we left, that if that is all his plan entailed it was worth it. But I know that God has a bigger plan and he will use us somehow in the lives of the Italian people. It is like a great book, I can't wait to see how it ends!

Three Weeks Left

It's hard to believe that the time is almost here for us to go. We thank everyone for their support. It is a great comfort to know that our finances are met, and we can focus our attention on getting prepared for ministry in Italy. We are currently meeting Sunday morning at 7:30-9:45 for Bible study and prayer time. We are studing serving. We have had some great conversations about what our gifts are and how they fit into God's plan of service in our church and in Italy. We have also had some great times of worship and pouring our hearts out to the Lord. We are also meeting on Tuesday mornings. This time will be for practicing songs, skits, Italian, and anything else we need to be ready for. Please continue to support us in prayer and encouragement.
Here are some items to pray for.
Spiritual growth, that we would all be diligent in our quiet times and listen for the Lord to guide us.
Choosing music that we can perform in the park, with a guitar, that will appeal to the audience.
Health and safety as we travel.
The hearts of the people we will meet.
That our eyes will be open for opportunities as the Lord provides.

Thank you again,
Deb

Preparation time

Our team has been quiet the last couple of weeks. The kids are so busy with finals, AP exams and prom that we are taking a breather. We are using this opportunity to begin our Bible study on Serving, and communicating with the MacLeans on what we will be doing exactly when we get there. We have gotten some communication with the Italian youth and are starting to form friendships. We are bonding with our team by praying and supporting each other through this hectic time. Please pray for our team as we finish school responsibilities and begin preparing in earnest what we will be doing. We will be finishing up work projects, having Italian lessons, bible study, skit practice, and music practice. Pray that we will be open to whatever God plans for us. Pray that he would prepare the hearts of the people we will meet and use us to plant seeds for his kingdom.

God's perfect timing

God is so good and his timing is perfect. This week has been incredibly busy with medical stuff, team stuff, kid stuff, life in general. So after our team meeting I was feeling discouraged and frustrated. So as I went for an ice cream run I spent some time in prayer and venting my concerns to the Lord. Of course he quickly brought to my attention that I was looking at things from my own perspective and not his. So I decided to just rest in him and go about my day and trust him with the details. Not 5 minutes after I got back to the church a little girl named Abbie brought me a precious little letter that said she was praying for our team and that she can't wait to see people get saved or at least see how Jesus loves them. I was so touched that I cried. Not only did she minister encouragment to me, but I glimpsed a small part of the big picture. Our trip is an example to the younger kids. They have a part of what God is doing through their prayers. When we go and when we return with testamonies, they will see how God works. God taught me that I need to focus on him and let him be my rear guard; let him handle the results. I need to keep walking in faith, keep listening, keep learning, keep loving. To God be the glory!!

PS Never underestimate the power of a kind word, a note of encouragement, a caring phone call. With email it has never been easier to send a missionary a short note letting them know they are not alone, and that you have prayed for them. Don't put it off, send one now!

A big thanks

Our team wants to take this opportunity to send a big thanks to everyone who has supported us. You will be excited to know that we have purchased tickets and are well on our way to having the needed support for the rest of our travel expenses. It is amazing the opportunities that the Lord has provided us. This weekend the leader of our youth band organized a concert to benefit our trip. She invited other churches who performed music and drama. We invited other youth groups and families. It was a great evening. We had food, great music, awesome skits and most importantly the message of the gospel was given. It was awesome to see the body of Christ come together in worship. It was a great witness to our team how everyone pitched in using their gifts to make this evening a success. Thank you again and be sure to check back on how God is working.

As I sit in front of my computer this morning, I struggle to find words for what I am feeling in my heart. Yesterday's presentation was the awesomest thing I ever was a part of. For those who are reading this and don't know, our team kidnapped the pastor and completely took over the service. Months of planning, practicing, and praying resulted in an event where I think every heart there was blessed. I was blown away by the team. We had the service planned down to the last detail. Everything was executed with maturity and grace. We began by showing a video kidnapping of Pastor, followed by a mime skit. We then outlined our planned ministry in Italy. Then after a song we had a video of Pastor reading the scripture from "captivity". After this we had offering followed by a performance of The Sin Chair skit. This whole event was culminated by Nick, the lone dude on our team, bringing a message which was timely and effective. It was the coolest thing ever to witness each member of the team using their God given gifts to bring glory to our Lord. What an opportunity to apply their faith through ministry. Our trip is changing them and we have not even left yet.
It was also cool from the whole church perspective. Seeing that this event was "Top Secret" most people came to church expecting the normal service. Admittedly the kids were a little nervous that everyone would be supportive. There was no need for concern. Everyone I spoke to was blessed by them. Some were even speechless. These kids have grown up in this church and it was such a blessing to see them mature in their faith and ministering to the Lord. And praise God it was such an encouragement for the team to see the acceptance and support from the older generations. God is so awesome, it is amazing that when he is in something then nothing is impossible. If you walk in obedience by faith he just makes things happen.
Another thing that was awesome was how God provided financial blessings. I know it was a fundraiser, but when the service was done we were so encouraged and blessed that even if no money was given it was enough. But God, who supplies abundantly more than we ask provided $2,862 and 55euros. I was blown away. I was praying for $1,700, God provided $1,000 more than I thought was abundant. Wahoo! God is awesome.

Upcoming events

He is risen! What an awesome thing to know that we serve a living savior, and how cool is it that he directs us to do things that are beyond our imagination. During this spring break the Mission Italy team has been hard at work doing work projects and planning upcoming events. One of these events is this Sunday March 30. There will be a love offering envelope and the Mission Italy team will be doing a unique presentation during the morning worship service. You don't want to miss it!! Check out the link to our commercial. We were going to play it during announcements the last 2 weeks, but were unable due to technical difficulties. The video is "To Be Continued.." March 30. Invite your friends and plan to stay for a soup lunch afterwards.
Also mark April 5, 6pm on your calendars. Calvary Bible church and Mission Italy are hosting a concert "The Rock Out". Come enjoy snacks, fellowship and a variety of contempory christian artists. The team will perform the Redemption skit, followed by a gospel presentation. Invite your friends and neighbors! This is a great opportunity to reach out to others who need the message of hope and life that our savior has entrusted to us.
We are also considering a date for a chili cook-off. So if you love to cook chili and think that yours is the best this is your chance to prove it. Stay tuned for details.
Blessings,
Deb

Short Term Mission Homework

This week for homework we are going to try something different. Do the activity that follows. Each participant must post their answers in the comments section of the post. No cheating and looking at what everyone else said until you post your answers. If you are not on the team, check out what we are learning. Feeling adventurous? Answer the questions yourself and post your answers in as a comment as well.

Read Numbers 13 & 14.

How is this a picture of a short term mission trip?

What was their objective?

Did everyone come home with the same conclusions?

Why were Joshua and Caleb able to see the bigger picture?

What was the bigger picture?

What did you learn that we can apply to our trip?

Benefits of a mission team

A short term mission team involves a lot of hard work. There is much planning, time and details to see to for both the team going, and the people they are going to help. While Scott and Sharon were here they shared with us, some of the ways that having a team will benefit them. Some direct benefits are that we will be seed scattering manpower by way of tract distribution, and open air. Another benefit comes from us just going over there. As we give up part of our summer and do various things to serve the Lord, it is a living testimony. We represent a changed life, one that is committed to follow a living God. A less obvious, but just as important benefit is that by coming and witnessing first hand their ministry, we will have a better understanding of their needs, we can communicate those needs better with others, and we can pray better.
Aside from the benefits for the missionaries the team also receives benefits. Participating in a cross cultural ministry can change the course of the participant's life. The preparation work, and bible study, and team bonding gives the team a practical way to live out their faith. Some even go into full time missions after a short term trip. So you see in the long run all the work is worth it. Tune in next time to see the benefits for the senders.

Culture Training

During our training session with the MacLeans we learned about the culture and the area that they are serving. Scott said to describe it in 3 words he would use:Beautiful, Needy, and Hard. Beautiful is the obvious word since Domodossola is in the valley of the Alps.

Needy-the city where they live is in a central location to many little villages. This area has about 70,000 people and of them the city of Domodossola has about 20,000. In all that area there is only about 100 evangelical believers.

Hard-people's hearts are very hard to the gospel. They are not hostile to it, just apathetic (they just don't care). They are Catholic because they are Italian. Beyond the sacraments of youth their religion does not affect their life, it is more of a cultural thing. This is why it takes a while for someone to become a believer. The most effective witness is to build a relationship with people and then they notice that our faith is one that makes a difference in our life.

We learned that depression and suicide are common in Italy. To go along with that cheating is quite accepted and they tend to be very suspicious. Some things that they value are family, food, and their appearance. They never go out sloppy. Some things that they don't value is time, they are never in a hurry (unless driving), tactfullness, they say what they think, and to my personal horror, ice. They drink warm drinks! They won't go out with wet hair or dislike fans and drafts.

It was great that we were able to speak to the MacLeans while they are still in the states. This is such valuable information to prepare us for this cross cultural ministry. Tune in to the next post to learn what the benefits of our trip will be.

Training with the MacLeans

The MacLeans arrived Friday evening and met with the team to prepare us for our trip. We began by learning a little about each other and then Scott shared what his ministry goals are and where they are currently in their plans, and then how we fit in. This is what we learned. His ministry is a church planting ministry. At the beginning most of the work is in seed scattering, knowing that if enough is scattered then they will find thirsty souls that will become contacts. Over time spent building relationships, reaching out in Bible studies, etc. a few will become new believers. Then after time spent discipling, and training these native believers will in turn reach out to others in their circle of friends. The goal ultimately is to equip this growing body of believers to take over their own church and then the MacLeans will move to somewhere else and begin again. Currently they are in the scattering seed stage. They have a few contacts and have a few native believers.

The exciting part is where we fit in. When we come we will distribute tracts, do mime in the park and market, host a youth outreach, possibly do a childrens club, basically we will help them scatter seed and hopefully make new contacts. The time is perfect for him to have a team such as ours as they need to reach as many as possible. If their ministry was more developed they would be more involved in discipling and training. God is so awesome to provide their need and he is using us to do it. Well more details about the training tomorrow.