What Goes Around

You may or may not know that my first introduction to Rome was my George Fox University Juniors Abroad Trip back in May 2000.    Fox has this fantastic program where all Juniors are allowed to pick a month long trip to go on with about 30 other students and 2 professors.  I camped out over night on the lawn with all of my classmates and friends to make sure we got the trip we wanted before they filled up.  I am pretty sure we were about the 5th tent in line, and I did indeed end up on the trip I had hoped for.  My Juniors Abroad would be starting in Rome and then head up to Florence and Venice then on to Austria, Germany, France and end in England. 

It was this trip that would instill in me a passion for Rome that I had not had prior.  Of all the fabulous places I got to see Rome stuck with me in a way the others did not.  Not because of the monuments or the sights, but because of the people and the instant feeling of home.  It is odd to go to a place so different from any other place you have been and feel right at home.

Now 10 years later I am here living in Rome, 1 of the professors and a few of the students who went on this trip with me are now part of my support team!  And the day before Christmas I received a Facebook message from a GFU professor who will be leading this same trip in May for the first time, asking me if I would be willing to help out as a guide when they arrive.

When I landed in Rome 10 years ago, knowing next to nothing about this city or country I never would have imagined that someday I would be living here, working as a missionary and leading a group of Juniors from my Alma Mater around Rome introducing them to the city that I love and showing them the need for the Truth and Light here.

Pretty cool how God works all things together for Good!

Play Time

Last night after reading the first half of Dangerous Wonder, by Michael Yaconelli I knew I was going to be scheduling a date with God.

When I got up this morning I hurried to get ready, bound and determined not to get sidetracked from my day with God. I made it out the door by 8:30 and headed down hwy 9 to Santa Cruz. As I drove I asked God where we should head, the only place coming to mind was The Abbey So that is where I ended up. I ordered my coffee and spent hours praying. It was good. I bumped into (never an accident on days like this)two friends, and got to talk with each of them about Rome and also about what God is doing in their lives. After I finished my second cup of coffee and the table next to me became distracting, I took off.

By that time it was past noon and I was feeling a bit hungry, so I headed to Pacific Garden Mall to have some lunch. My favorite lunch downtown is at Acapulco I ordered my favorite, Carnitas! Go try them, you won't regret it! (unless you are a vegetarian, then it might make you ill.) As I ate I finished the Dangerous Wonder a book all about recapturing a child like faith. A no holding back faith, a faith that allows for questions and for play. It is a great book and I finished it in less than a day. (that is something for me, not a fast reader)There are more posts to be written in regards to the book, but not today. Today I am going to tell you about my time with God at the beach.

I felt God inviting me to play, and since I love the beach and it is free, I decided that would be a good place. I got to 3rd Ave. Beach one of my favorites, parked the car and then stood up above the beach looking down enjoying the view. At the same time realizing that standing there was not really playful. So I removed the heels, the sweater, the scarf (not in that order) and made my way down to the beach. I loved the sand between my toes, the warmth of it on a cool day brought joy to my feet. I wandered till I found a piece of drift wood, and I safely plopped my self down on it and looked out at the crashing waves.
Beautiful, but not really playing. So I slid down into the sand resting my back against the log and let myself day dream, take in and just begin to relax. As I leaned back into the drift wood I began to think about that piece of wood. It occurred to me that in some ways the log and I are very much alike. It used to be somewhere else and at one point was planted, rooted to the only ground it had ever known. If it were to have human attributes it may have felt it knew its purpose in life, it may have been pretty satisfied with the status quo. But some how that tree became dislodged, and had been carried likely by a river into the massive ocean to one day be washed up along the shore. At first glance now you would call it drift wood. You may not even really give it a second thought, it just blends in there like it has always been a part of this land. That is how I long to be soon. Virtually blending in with my new surroundings in Rome. Carried by a force (God) so much bigger than I can wrap my mind around to a new place, but a place where I belong at this point in my journey. I could tell looking at the driftwood and using my imagination that it's journey had not been easy, and maybe it was not even over, but it was serving a great purpose where it was at the moment, as my backrest and more importantly as my doorway into a conversation with God.

Did I mention the sun began to shine just on me? I loved that little gift.

Then I felt God nudging me to to play in the sand. I said I did not feel much like playing in the sand, maybe I could just sit. I moved my feet around a bit to satisfy Him.
No, the invite came again, play. I looked around, there were others around, what would they think of a 29 year old playing in a pile of sand on a Monday afternoon, without any kids? Oh who cares I gave in I, I am moving soon anyway.

I dug into the sand getting to the cold wet sand moving it about. Not sure what to do with it. I felt a sand castle was asking a bit much given I had not brought along a bucket or shovel. So I just continued to push the sand. The thought came, to make a heart, but I resisted, feeling it too girlish and predictable. Then I began to shape Italy. I formed a boot clearing away the sand. I heard God whisper again about a heart, but I just focused on Italy, trying to recall which way the boot was supposed to face, then I remembered that it looks as though the toe will kick Sicily. So I adjusted accordingly. There I had lost myself in playing, and was pretty satisfied with the out come of my sand art. I snapped a picture on my phone so I could remember playing with God. Then I stood up ready to go. As I got up and moved out of the way I finally saw it. I saw that while I was forming Italy God had formed a heart.

God and I played in the sand today, and it was a day at the beach I will not quickly forget. It was such a great reminder that God not only cares about me, he cares about the things I care about, our hearts at this time very much inline with each other. God knows my heart, and created it for His purpose, and what fun to rediscover that today in the midst of play.

Go play with God! I dare you!!! I double dog dare you!!! Be a kid, let Him be your Dad and see what fun you will have as you just play together.

The Time is Now

Faithful readers and supporters and new friends,

I am excited to tell you that I am now beginning the visa process!!! It is pretty vital that I get to Italy in June, because Brian and Sarah are going to be leaving in July for their son's wedding. Which gives me just a month to get settled and started with school and Bible Study. Otherwise I would likely need to wait until Sept, and that is just a long time to wait.

So please pray that the reminder of my monthly support will come in this month, today would be great, but this month would work. And that the visa goes through smoothly and quickly!

If you can start giving monthly please click here to sign up. If you decide to give please let me know via email, ASAP so that I can count it in my records, as it can take awhile to show up in my account depending on when you choose to give. So please prayerfully consider helping me get to Rome by June! Oh so close!

The Good New Breakdown

My sweet Italian Friend from church asked me for a breakdown of what I still have left to raise. So this morning I sat down and worked out how many people I still need on my support team depending on how much they give.

Okay here is how it breaks down...

I still need $2800 a month.


2 people giving $1400 a month
5 people giving $560 a month
10 people giving $280 a month
28 people giving $100 a month
56 people giving $50 a month
100 people giving $28 a month

I tend to be a glass half full type of person, so when I look at this I see that out of the 1,000's and 1,000's of people who are part of God's family I only need to find less than 100 to support me!

Like I said in my last news letter, I am sooooo ready to go to Rome, to join God in the work he is doing there. So if you would like to join my support team, and have a part in the Kingdom Building work in Rome please please let me know. If you have a group of friends who may like to support me lets have a party and I will come share with them about how they can be involved.

Thanks to all of you who have already started giving, to those who lift me up in prayer each day! Your support means so much to me, and having you share in this ministry is one of the most awesome parts of support raising, and missions.

Wouldn't you just LOVE and iPod Touch?!

In the hope of creating more way's for my friends and supporters to Show Me The Love and get personally involved in getting me to Rome to plant churches I have come up with friendly competition!

SHOW ME THE LOVE

Here is how it works...
You have from now until the end of February to Show Me The LOVE by drumming up as many new monthly supporters as you can for My Road to Rome.

For each new monthly supporter you secure, giving a minimum of $5 a month, you will get a raffle ticket entered in the Show Me The LOVE Raffle increasing your chance to win an iPod Touch loaded with Italian Love Songs and Pictures. (which you can later replace with the things you LOVE)

1. Contact your friends and neighbors, share with them about Reach Global and the work I will be doing in Rome. If you need more info just ask or look over the Blog.

2. If they are interested in joining my monthly support team get me their name and number and I will contact them. If they sign up I will let you know, and put a raffle ticket into the raffle for you to win and iPod Touch!

3.On February 28th at 7pm I will draw out one ticket from the raffle and that person will win the iPod Touch loaded with Italian Love Songs and Pictures!

***At least 5 names must be entered into the Raffle by the drawing on the 28th or all entries will be invalid.


What I LOVE about this contest:
It gives you a chance to be more intimately involved in my journey to Rome!

It broadens my Support base!

It is more creative and fun than just calling people!

I might get to go to Rome sooner with your help!

The family of God is working together to build the Kingdom of God!

People who are not able to give monthly themselves may have friends who can and this way they can still feel like they are helping in a big way!

Alright, the contest starts now and I will give you updates along the way! Tell your friends or just invite them to join my monthly team so you have a better chance at wining the iPod Touch! (whichever you prefer)

All I Want For Christmas

It is this time of year when we start to make Christmas lists in our heads if not on paper of all the things we would love to get. Well, this Christmas all I really want is to be in Rome, serving along side my team. I don't want stuff, I don't want more clothes, or even cool gadgets, all I want is to be able to say I have finished raising all my support and that I can pack my bags and begin this ministry in Rome.

So if you want to get me something this Christmas that I really want, don't head to the store, or pick up your knitting needles, just join my financial support team and make my Christmas wish come true!

I need $6295 a month pledged for my Christmas Wish to come true. Right now I have $2465. How sweet would it be to have my Support raised by Christmas and be able to point to Jesus on the day we celebrate His birth and thank Him for the lovely gift of love in His great provision, and then to spend the rest of my year serving him in Rome as a thank you for all they ways He has blessed me again and again!

Jesus is after all the Reason for the Season, and if my only gift was what made it possible for me to serve Him all year long doing what He has called me to do it would just be soooo cool!

If you want to give towards my best Christmas Present Ever and the work of God in Rome, just click the link below!

Trinity's Christmas Gift

A Heart That Is Full

It has been my hearts desire through this whole process that as God prepares me to go to the mission field He will also invite others to join me in the process. Not everyone is called or even able to pick up and head to Rome, but God has equipped His people to be involved in His Kingdom Building around the world in other important ways like supporting missionaries through prayer and financial even sometimes sacrificial giving.

Today was one of my happiest days thus far in my support raising!(Thanks to all of you who were praying today, God answered your prayer!!!) Today was a crazy day...it should have been a super smooth day, but nothing timing wise seemed to be working the way I thought it should. However when I finally got to sit down spend sometime with Jesus and rest in Him things seemed to get less stressful. (go figure) Then I turned on my computer and found I had a Facebook message from one of my High School Students letting me know that they would like to support me monthly! I almost cried, joyfully, but still tears! (I am my mother's daughter)I have longed for people from my church, my community, my past of all generations and church backgrounds to join my support team. Not because I want their money, but because I really want them to be involved in the work that I will get to be a part of in Rome, I want them to feel connected to God's Kingdom work around the world! More than any other people group I had prayed for was that my students past and present would one day join my support team, and that we would get to join in ministry together! God started to answer that prayer today! And I was truly blesses by it. It was such an affirmation and joy to have them join my team!

On top of that I also got a lot more new supporters this week and a few the week before. I also get to go to Felton Presbyterian on Sunday and invite even more people to catch the vision God has laid on my heart for the people of Rome.

I go to bed tonight with a heart that is full of joy and a life that is blessed to be on this amazing adventure with God! I am struck again and again just how cool it is to live the life God created me to live, and that He desires for me to be part of His plan to redeem His creation. Friends God IS GOOD!

Here and There

I am away from home. I feel like I have been away for quite some time, though in reality it has not been all that long. Not in comparison to how long I will be gone when I move to Rome, or even as long as others who are here with me in Minnesota. There are two couples who have spent the last 7 weeks in the Congo, and are now here and then they will finally get to go home. Which makes my month long journey not seem all that bad. But tonight friends I am tired.

It has been a great week of learning and of meeting with other missionaries to get to know them and the greater need around the planet, but learning can be exhausting. I am no longer used to sitting and learning for 8-9 hours a day. We have covered all sorts of topics and am certain they will come in handy on the field.

Tomorrow is my last day of class, and then I am off to see some friends for a few days and then back to my old home and church in Cokato, MN on Sunday to share with the church there about the need in Rome, and the work I will be doing there. Then on Monday I will be home.

Then in the beginning of November I am heading back to Colorado for two weeks for Language Acquisition School.

Thank you all for your prayers. I really do appreciate them, and it has been evident that God has been at work here this week not only in my life but in the life of all of us here. It was so nice to realize this morning that while I was here praying there was a group of people at home and around the world praying for me.

Brokenness of Roma

In the online course I am taking we are discussing the poor, what it means to be poor in light of scripture and who are the poor in the cities we are going to. My heart is once again beginning to break as I look afresh and anew at the poverty both spiritually and physically in Roma.

In my research I came across this blog Here is a small section that I think really highlights why I am desiring to go and be used by God...

The eternal city of Rome is a city full of life, a city rich in culture and history. Tourists flood the city every day huddling around the great triumphs of history: the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, and Vatican city to name a few. Behind the glamor of fashion and the awe of ages past lies a city in poverty and spiritual emptiness. Latest estimates say that 25% of Italians are in poverty, and the government has few social programs and no long term answers. Spiritually the reality is worse. Much less than .01% are evangelical Christian. On the other hand immigrants see Italy as the land of opportunity, a place to start over, a place to raise a family and find work. When they arrive after risking everything they are met with the reality of a nation without jobs and severe discrimination. Because of this reality many turn to crime and prostitution to survive.


Though they are prejudiced against the immigrant population that streams into Italy from Eastern Europe and Bangladesh, they share the common struggle of poverty and hopelessness. We believe that the hope and love of Jesus is a cool drink of water that these people need. But at the same time they don't need just words, they need physical help.click here to see more images taken by a fantasic photographer that capture the other side of Roma

Friends it is so clear that the need is great in this city. Please continue to join me in prayer for the hearts of those living on the streets and in the hard parts of Roma.

October

In just two weeks I will be finishing up with my official work at Felton Bible Church and I will have 100% of my time to dedicate towards going to Rome! It is hard to say farewell to the students as their leader, but I trust that I am leaving them in God's hands and I can already see Him providing for them in big ways as He is also providing for me.

Many of you have been joining me in prayer regarding an upcoming training in Minnesota this October, praying that I might get to attend and not have to wait until the next time it is offered in April. Thank you for your prayers! God has seen fit to answer and I do get to attend the Pre-field Training Live Event from October 7th-15th! This is exciting news because it means I am one huge step closer to leaving for Rome and joining my team!

Speaking of my City Team, there is exciting news there as well! I just got word a week or two ago that I have two almost three new teammates joining the team. Brian and Sarah my Team Leaders, just got the opportunity to host Zach and Naomi as they came for their Vision Trip to Rome a few weeks ago! After the trip I found out that they have accepted the call to join our team in Rome, and that Naomi is pregnant! So really it will be Zach, Naomi and the new baby joining us in the Eternal City!

God is doing some pretty amazing things and I am getting more and more anxious to get to Rome and start serving along side my new teammates! Thank you all for your ongoing support and prayers! My monthly support is continuing to come in and with each new donor I am that much closer to starting this new life in Rome that God has invited me to! SO THANK YOU!!!