As of this morning because of some great help from Mike Davis and Rich Burrill (ReachGlobal Guys in CA) and of course a lot of prayers it looks like I already have 3 churches willing to open up their doors to me while I am back in California!!! This is a huge blessing and a great piece of Good News! Rejoice with me!
In other news tonight our Home Group will be celebrating a Seder Meal . We have been studying God’s deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt and it being Holy Week and all seemed like a natural way to celebrate God's faithfulness.
I have a bunch of friends coming over to celebrate Easter with me on Sunday! (Going out to look for a Ham today, wish me luck.)
Friday, April 22, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
2:40 am
There are somethings I wish Young Life and Youth Ministry had not prepared me for, like for example chatting with prostitutes on the streets. It is 2:40 am and I just got home from handing out Easter candies and Easter cards to the girls working the streets on the outskirts of the Eternal City. I am gonna be completely honest with you and say I was super nervous about this new venture. Sure I went to the Human Trafficking Conference and I have read articles and watched films, but going out for the first time to actually have conversations with prostitutes is a bit unnerving.
Just 4 of us went, and we spent time in prayer before, during and after. I went assuming, even though I had been informed at the conference otherwise that these would be women, that they would be tough and stand offish, I was wrong. Friends these were girls. These were girls I would place between 14 and 20 years of age. These were kind and gentle teens, excited for the chocolates and even for the invitations to church for Easter. These were someones kids, many of whom had an understanding of church from some part of their life.
And after talking to the first two girls I recognized that this was in fact no different than the first time I went to the SLV High School campus. It was just as intimidating and then all of the sudden it wasn't. These teens were no different other than the fact that they are working the streets of Rome. They were smiling and chatting and dancing.
I never in all my times at the High School campus imagined that God was preparing me to chat up prostitutes in Italy, but it seems God never lets anything go to waste. This was only our first encounter with these girls, and I ask you to begin now to pray for these 18 gals that we had the opportunity to talk to, that God would continue to show us how to build relationships and that He would draw them to Himself. The 18 that we met with are only the tip of the iceberg here in Rome, so you can pray that we might find ways to be a blessing to more and more girls. Pray for these girls; for their safety, for peace and for them to come to know that their is a God who created them in His image who loves the with a true love that they might not even believe exists. And this may be harder but pray also for the men who are soliciting these gals that they might no longer desire them, but instead have a deep desire for God.
Just 4 of us went, and we spent time in prayer before, during and after. I went assuming, even though I had been informed at the conference otherwise that these would be women, that they would be tough and stand offish, I was wrong. Friends these were girls. These were girls I would place between 14 and 20 years of age. These were kind and gentle teens, excited for the chocolates and even for the invitations to church for Easter. These were someones kids, many of whom had an understanding of church from some part of their life.
And after talking to the first two girls I recognized that this was in fact no different than the first time I went to the SLV High School campus. It was just as intimidating and then all of the sudden it wasn't. These teens were no different other than the fact that they are working the streets of Rome. They were smiling and chatting and dancing.
I never in all my times at the High School campus imagined that God was preparing me to chat up prostitutes in Italy, but it seems God never lets anything go to waste. This was only our first encounter with these girls, and I ask you to begin now to pray for these 18 gals that we had the opportunity to talk to, that God would continue to show us how to build relationships and that He would draw them to Himself. The 18 that we met with are only the tip of the iceberg here in Rome, so you can pray that we might find ways to be a blessing to more and more girls. Pray for these girls; for their safety, for peace and for them to come to know that their is a God who created them in His image who loves the with a true love that they might not even believe exists. And this may be harder but pray also for the men who are soliciting these gals that they might no longer desire them, but instead have a deep desire for God.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Sickness, Sadness, and Despair...People Dying Everywhere...Happy Birthday
"Sickness,Sadness, and Despair...People Dying Everywhere...Happy Birthday...Happy Birthday"
These are the uplifting lyrics that I remember my dad chanting now and then to celebrate someone's life. They also happen to be the words that sum up the last few weeks here in Rome.
As it turns out I am sick a lot here, whether that is from living in a new place with new germs, or the fact that it is a city with 4.5 Million people most of them using public transportation and not using good practices such as hand washing and covering your mouth or perhaps it is that some kids I am helping with English happen to attend schools and bring home with them every little bug that is floating around including the flu, pink eye and chicken pox all in the last few weeks. Whatever the cause here in Rome I find that I am constantly in need of a tissue and a cough drop. Which yesterday at the park came in handy as a mom there also was in need of a tissue for her little girl and I was able to reach in my Mary Poppins bag of tricks and come to her little girls rescue.
If you read my latest news letter you know I am sad to be leaving here in just 20 days. But you may not realize that I am not the only one who is sad, many of my faithful supporters have written to express their sadness and even frustration on my behalf. And my team is sad along with me that I will miss the arrival of our newest team members and these next 3 months of ministry here.
My sadness is not just sadness, in many respects it is despair for the people here. Many of my close friends are in a world of hurt right now, and it is breaking my heart. Pray with me for them. Without giving away private information you can know that I have friends with marriages that are on the verge of collapse, friends who are in the midst of difficult pregnancies, those who have been without work or working without pay for months, many friends who have parents and loved ones with serious illnesses, friends who need homes, documents, and most of all a lot of friends who need the peace that only God can provide.
And, yes there are people dying everywhere. Of course there always are. But last week I was invited to my first Italian funeral, one of my friends lost his Grandma and invited those of us in our Bible Study to attend. It was an honor to be there for him, and also to be introduced to his family. Later that same day as I was walking not far from my neighborhood I came across my second encounter with death for the day. There in the middle of the sidewalk lay a man dead. There surrounded by Italians but completely alone lie a man I would guess in his late fifties. This image has stuck with me for over a week now, reminding me of the urgency of spreading the Gospel, because no one knows the day or the hour.
This has also been a season of Birthdays. I have had at least one if not 2 or 3 Birthdays to celebrate every week for the past month. It is encouraging to know that I have made so many friendships. And I am thankful for each new friendship that God provides! What a blessing to be included in the celebrations of these lives.
These are the uplifting lyrics that I remember my dad chanting now and then to celebrate someone's life. They also happen to be the words that sum up the last few weeks here in Rome.
As it turns out I am sick a lot here, whether that is from living in a new place with new germs, or the fact that it is a city with 4.5 Million people most of them using public transportation and not using good practices such as hand washing and covering your mouth or perhaps it is that some kids I am helping with English happen to attend schools and bring home with them every little bug that is floating around including the flu, pink eye and chicken pox all in the last few weeks. Whatever the cause here in Rome I find that I am constantly in need of a tissue and a cough drop. Which yesterday at the park came in handy as a mom there also was in need of a tissue for her little girl and I was able to reach in my Mary Poppins bag of tricks and come to her little girls rescue.
If you read my latest news letter you know I am sad to be leaving here in just 20 days. But you may not realize that I am not the only one who is sad, many of my faithful supporters have written to express their sadness and even frustration on my behalf. And my team is sad along with me that I will miss the arrival of our newest team members and these next 3 months of ministry here.
My sadness is not just sadness, in many respects it is despair for the people here. Many of my close friends are in a world of hurt right now, and it is breaking my heart. Pray with me for them. Without giving away private information you can know that I have friends with marriages that are on the verge of collapse, friends who are in the midst of difficult pregnancies, those who have been without work or working without pay for months, many friends who have parents and loved ones with serious illnesses, friends who need homes, documents, and most of all a lot of friends who need the peace that only God can provide.
And, yes there are people dying everywhere. Of course there always are. But last week I was invited to my first Italian funeral, one of my friends lost his Grandma and invited those of us in our Bible Study to attend. It was an honor to be there for him, and also to be introduced to his family. Later that same day as I was walking not far from my neighborhood I came across my second encounter with death for the day. There in the middle of the sidewalk lay a man dead. There surrounded by Italians but completely alone lie a man I would guess in his late fifties. This image has stuck with me for over a week now, reminding me of the urgency of spreading the Gospel, because no one knows the day or the hour.
This has also been a season of Birthdays. I have had at least one if not 2 or 3 Birthdays to celebrate every week for the past month. It is encouraging to know that I have made so many friendships. And I am thankful for each new friendship that God provides! What a blessing to be included in the celebrations of these lives.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Encounters
Just a quick little update to let you know how thankful I am that God is answering my prayers for more and more chances to engage with Italians. I have been praying for months that God would open up avenues of conversations between me and the Italian people and I can honestly say that in the past 2 months relationships are beginning to take shape.
The day I moved into my apartment an elderly man greeted me, (a good sign as it is not customary for neighbors to be so friendly right away here) and every day since that we have seen each other he has said buon giorno (or some form of salutary) and every time it would bring a smile to both of our faces. But then last week as I was sitting at the coffee bar downstairs practicing Italian with my language tutor my neighbor sat down at the table next to us and proceeded to converse with us for at least 30 min! What a huge answer to prayer! And now when we greet one another it is more than just ciao, but ciao with a few polite inquiries as to my day or his day tagged on. Progress!
That same day I when I went inside the bar to pay for the coffee, another group of older men were chatting animatedly about soccer, they assuming I was Italian included me in their conversation. Then were pleased to discover that I was in fact American and continued chatting with me a bit! Yea God! Now each day when I go to the coffee bar for my morning Bible Study I greet these men with a smile and get one in return!
Also last week one of the older ladies who has been attending my English class every week jumped at the chance to spend time exchanging language with me, when I asked if anyone would like to exchange an hour of English for an hour of Italian. She invited me over to her home last Friday where I spent a great 4 hours talking almost the whole time in Italian! And tonight when I saw her in class she invited me over for a repeat this Friday! When I went to her home last week I arrived a bit early so I sat in the park across in the Piazza close to her home where there is a senior center of sorts and there were lots of seniors out enjoying the first day of sun we had seen in quite some time. I had 3 stop and talk with me, so I am thinking of getting their early again this Friday as well.
In case you were unaware there are a lot of senior citizens in Italy (check out this link to see where things have been and where things are heading for the Italian population breakdown.) and this number is sure to increase in the coming years as Italy has one of the lowest birth rates of any country. A lot, and a lot of them are really lonely. It seems God is opening up doors into this community and I am excited to see where He leads.
The day I moved into my apartment an elderly man greeted me, (a good sign as it is not customary for neighbors to be so friendly right away here) and every day since that we have seen each other he has said buon giorno (or some form of salutary) and every time it would bring a smile to both of our faces. But then last week as I was sitting at the coffee bar downstairs practicing Italian with my language tutor my neighbor sat down at the table next to us and proceeded to converse with us for at least 30 min! What a huge answer to prayer! And now when we greet one another it is more than just ciao, but ciao with a few polite inquiries as to my day or his day tagged on. Progress!
That same day I when I went inside the bar to pay for the coffee, another group of older men were chatting animatedly about soccer, they assuming I was Italian included me in their conversation. Then were pleased to discover that I was in fact American and continued chatting with me a bit! Yea God! Now each day when I go to the coffee bar for my morning Bible Study I greet these men with a smile and get one in return!
Also last week one of the older ladies who has been attending my English class every week jumped at the chance to spend time exchanging language with me, when I asked if anyone would like to exchange an hour of English for an hour of Italian. She invited me over to her home last Friday where I spent a great 4 hours talking almost the whole time in Italian! And tonight when I saw her in class she invited me over for a repeat this Friday! When I went to her home last week I arrived a bit early so I sat in the park across in the Piazza close to her home where there is a senior center of sorts and there were lots of seniors out enjoying the first day of sun we had seen in quite some time. I had 3 stop and talk with me, so I am thinking of getting their early again this Friday as well.
In case you were unaware there are a lot of senior citizens in Italy (check out this link to see where things have been and where things are heading for the Italian population breakdown.) and this number is sure to increase in the coming years as Italy has one of the lowest birth rates of any country. A lot, and a lot of them are really lonely. It seems God is opening up doors into this community and I am excited to see where He leads.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
LOOKIN FORWARD
This morning I am pleased to let you know that my account is starting to see an up swing! That means that there are lots of people out there who have recommitted themselves to giving, or who have begun giving and even a few who have given above and beyond the last few months to help boost my account. So faithful supporters I just wanted to make sure you are encouraged like I am that God is faithful to provide.
I am still coming home to raise support on May 10th for a few months, please continue to pray with me that God will open doors at churches and events for me to share my heart/His heart with while I am home. I am working with Mike Davis and Rich Burrill from ReachGlobal to find new supporting churches and individuals, pray that God will lead us to the right individuals and organizations.
If you have a place Room or Spare Apartment or House that you could let me use while I am home please let me know.
Thanks for all the prayers and support!
I am still coming home to raise support on May 10th for a few months, please continue to pray with me that God will open doors at churches and events for me to share my heart/His heart with while I am home. I am working with Mike Davis and Rich Burrill from ReachGlobal to find new supporting churches and individuals, pray that God will lead us to the right individuals and organizations.
If you have a place Room or Spare Apartment or House that you could let me use while I am home please let me know.
Thanks for all the prayers and support!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
no simple answers
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| Pic is not mine |
As I laid in my warm bed last night listening to the powerful thunder set off all the car alarms on my street and watched the lightening burst through the night sky unable to drift off to sleep all I could do was pray. Not for me. No, I was fine...I had a house and a bed, and heat. I was crying out to God for all those who live in this city without those things. There was a flood of emotions flowing through me as I prayed; sadness, frustration, helplessness, thankfulness, disgust and of course each emotion brought with it questions of why and what and how. Why are there so many people living with so much while so many have so little? Why do people leave their countries thinking life will somehow be better here? Why are we (am I) so selfish with what I have? Why are their so many empty buildings and churches in Rome and yet people live on a piece of cardboard? What can I do? How did we as a culture (world culture) let things get this way? How do we mend all the brokenness? How do we help? How do I sleep knowing so many are spending the night soaking wet, cold and alone? Why, God? And what would you have me do?
A friend of mine was listening to this song the other day. He really liked it, but since he does not speak English he asked me to translate it for him. As I did all I wanted to do was cry.
Friends, as I wrote this I was reminded that earlier this week I asked God to break my heart, to give me compassion once again. I had felt myself becoming hardened to the plights of the people in my city, numb to the world around me. As I write I realize that God is indeed faithful to answer our (my) prayers, and because of that I sit here, heart breaking for those around me. (be careful what you ask for, from a God who promises to answer)
Friday, March 11, 2011
I am heading home on May 10th for hopefully 3 months or less to raise support. Since my parents house is quite full as it is, I am looking for a place to stay for the 3 months I will be home. If anyone knows of a place that is free or inexpensive that I could use May 10th - Aug 10th please let me know.
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