Happy New Year!
I love the first day of the new year. It feels like a chance for a new start. . .
God could be described through the metaphor of the wind. You cannot see the wind, but you know that it is there. At times the wind blows very strongly, knocking things over, changing landscapes, and at other times the wind is so still you can barely feel it. There have been times in my life, like when in a crowded Italian subway, that it was hard to believe that the wind existed…you just could not feel it. There have been other times when the wind was so powerful that it shook the windows of my house, sent things flying across my yard, and broke our trees. You could not help but feel it. God is like that. Some days, even though I know He is there, I just don’t feel His presence. Other days, His presence is so strong in my life that I am overwhelmed. Today the wind was amazingly strong. It was nice to start a New Year like that. A sort of a promise of God’s presence in our lives and ministry.
So whether you started the New Year with a slight breeze, a hurricane, a wind storm, a strong gust or no wind at all, take peace in that God is always there. Even when we don’t feel him. And today, this first day of a new year, is a chance to start fresh….with the Lord, with our famlies, at work, with friends.
Happy New Year! May God bless you richly in this New Year to come.
Merry Christmas
Why do we celebrate Christmas?
We sing lyrics to these carols, without thinking about what we are saying.
O Come all ye faithful
O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him,
Born the King of angels;
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O Come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.
Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above;
Glory to God
In the highest; Refrain
Child, for us sinners
Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
Born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be glory given;
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing;
Joy to the World!
Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven, and heaven and nature sing.
Joy to the earth! the Savior reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
while fields and floods,
rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessing flow
far as the curse is found,
far as the curse is found,
far as, far as the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
and makes the nations prove
the glories of His righteousness,
and wonders of His love,
and wonders of His love,
and wonders, wonders of His love.
What Child is this?
What Child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom Angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
What Child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom Angels greet with anthems sweet,
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
Come peasant, king to own Him;
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise a song on high,
The virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
Remember what you are singing this year and think about why you are singing it. The King of kings salvation brings, let loving hearts enthrone him!
Merry Christmas from our family to yours!
Increasing in Number
Acts 6:1,7 “Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number…And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.”
Acts 2:41 “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.“ Acts 2:40-42 (in Context)
Acts 2:47 “praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”Acts 2:46-47 (in Context)
Acts 5:14 “Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.” Acts 5:13-15 (in Context)
It is interesting how easy it is to take for granted what God is doing around us. When countries go through huge revivals and thousands of people come to the Lord at once, everyone is amazed and praises the Lord (and rightly so). But when 1 person comes to the Lord one Sunday, 2 at a women’s service, 3 at an evangelistic event, 4 when they were invited by their friends, and 6 on another Sunday we tend to overlook these victories. Jesus says in Luke 15:7, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” There will be great rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents! Even when one person comes to the Lord, heaven throws a party. Because every person is important to Jesus. We are so excited that God is “adding to our numbers daily”. Weekly people are coming to the Lord in the church through Sunday services, women’s meetings, youth services, evangelism, invitations by friends, and many other ways that the Lord continues to draw them to Him. God is good and we know that there is great rejoicing in heaven over each soul who has repented and has found the Lord (for example: two people came forward last Sunday and 5 came forward this Sunday to accept the Lord).
WE’VE MOVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Praise the Lord!
We moved into our new facility over the last couple weeks and Monday we had our first “unofficial” service in the new church facility! God is so good! We switched to one service a Sunday until we are able to fill the new, much larger facility- but the amazing thing is that it was already full on Sunday! We barely fit! There were people standing in the aisles and sitting along the sides of the room. We are so excited to what God has in store for this new chapter of the church and our ministry here!
We’ve moved! =)
Happy Thanksgiving!
We have so much to be thankful for this year….
We are most thankful for God’s faithfulness. He has been so faithful to us in so many different ways over this last year. He has provided in miraculous ways in many different situations and circumstances. He has taught us so much through both trials and triumphs. And He has opened doors that we never dreamed of.
We are also so thankful for each of you! Thank you so much to everyone who faithfully prays for us, who gives sacrificially, and who sustains us through phone calls, emails and visits. We appreciate you all so much! You are a huge part of the ministry here!
I stand in His grace. My hope is in you Lord!
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TopicIndex/74/1096_Let_Us_Exult_In_the_Hope_of_the_Glory_of_God/
National Youth Conference- D+
This year was the 9th annual national youth conference hosted by GENS (generazione scelta) hosted by Il Rifugio (the center owned by the church). Gianluca had the opportunity to help with the set up and construction of the stage and backdrops as well as running all the legistics for the center itself. GENS, is as an organization run by youth with the purpose of uniting the young people in Italy and challenging them to be involved in their churches and to reach the lost. GENS also has other subministries that are, or have become, a part of it. GBU is a ministry whose purpose is to reach the universities in Italy through campus ministry. Mission i6:8 has the purpose of training young Italian people to go out into the world and save the lost through full-time missions. Cristiani Animati is a ministry that is using communication and media to reach the lost and to help churches be more effective in reaching their communities.
This years conference was called D+, which is a play on words that means “di più” or “more”. It was a challenge towards unity and prayer. God is doing great things in and through the young people here in Italy and we are excited to see Him work and to be a part of it!
For more pictures or information you can visit www.generazionescelta.it (You’ll notice a picture of a group of people dancing, and although highly unfathomable for many, Gianluca is in it!)
The work goes on!
The work at the new church facility is moving along! It has been great to see the church united toward accomplishing the task of preparing the building for us to enter it! The whole church body has been involved. Things are going well and we are hopeful to move in this month! It will be a great change for us and we are excited to be at the center of town and to be more visible to the community.
Another huge praise!!!!!!! The raccolta miraculosa went amazingly well. This was the first time the church did a similar offering and the body gave 14,000 euro in offerings and 19,000 euro in promises (to be given over the next 2 years). God is so good. He provides in every sense and we are so thankful!
Nico and Alice Wedding
Our dear friend Nico got married on Monday and Gianluca got to be both the best man and to translate for the wedding (Alice is English and Nico is Italian). They are an amazing couple who want to serve God by going into full-time missions and we are honored to know them and be part of their lives! Congrats you guys!
Happy Birthday to my amazing wonderful husband!
Auguri Gianluca! You are so amazing! Thank you for sacrificing your birthday in order to let me go to the conference!
Gianluca with the baby chicks that we recieved from a friend!
Our great friends planned a wonderful surprise party for Gianluca since I was out of town for the weekend. We are so thankful to work with such amazing people!