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