At the beginning of May we went to a family retreat in Aprilia, which is a city near Rome. It was for all the families of the Churches in Italy. There were a lot of people there, which was really good to see. The retreats always seem to be a good thing for the Italians. I think they crave events like this to see and encourage each other.
Tonia and I. She is a very strong member of the Church in Rome.
Marta and I. I have mentioned her before. She is also a very strong Christian. Marta is one of the most encouraging people I have met here.
Singing "Father Abraham"
Official classes with our students ended for the summer so
we had an end of the year cookout. It was a lot of fun to have all the students
in one place. I like events like that too because it gives the Italians a
chance to meet and get to know each other.
I am still meeting with a few of my students that are able
to do so. I have been praying that the
Spirit will move in some way to touch their hearts. I have one in particular
that asks a lot of questions. I love talking and reading with her because she
always brings up some good questions. I pray she continues to search.
After talking to her and others, a common theme I am seeing is that religion here is so much tradition. People are just told "this is the truth" or "this is the best for you," yet no one ever questions it or looks to see if it's actually true. I found myself getting frustrated with it and then realized that I have done the exact same thing. Sometimes I hear things and then leave it at that. I never search to see if it’s true. I always tell my students to make me show them in the Bible what I am telling them. I so badly want them to see the truth, and I can tell them about it, but I want them to discover and decide for themselves, not just because I said it. I pray that they have the desire to read the Bible on their own and that they come to know Jesus.
I know that in any kind of ministry work you don't always
see the fruits and you don't always see results or what God is doing, but I
pray that the students not just find truth but that it changes them. I hope
that they give up their lives to God. I hope their lives are different for it.
I hope my life is different for it, which I know that isn't always the case.
We are reading a book right now about the Holy Spirit and it
has been so eye-opening. There is a part in it that asks the question,
"would your life look different tomorrow if you decided that everything
you believe today is not true?" That hit me hard. Would my life look
different? Does my life look different everyday because I believe in God and I
have let Him change me? The book also brought up some discussion about fear of
God and how do we actually fear God. (Which if anyone has any comments about
any of this I would love to hear...) One comment that was said that really
stuck with me was, "Our lives would look drastically different if we lived
in true fear of God." If we actually took God at His word. Learning to
fear God in a "healthy," for lack of a better word, way. Doing this
study of the Spirit has helped me become so much more aware of the Holy Spirit
and the power He has. It's a power that
I cannot wrap my mind around; it scares me, but it also comforts me so much of
the time. The only way I can do anything is through the power of the Spirit.
Whether talking with people and having the right words to say, or something as
little as just being able to live in a community situation which can be very
frustrating and stressful at times. I can see the Spirit working here in so
many ways; with the students, the people I live with, and with me.
I have been encouraged lately because there are some people here who seem to be getting it. They believe in so many things that I believe, they just haven't totally understood or discovered why. I love to see them when they start to realize new things. The other day a student asked me about Jesus having brothers and sisters. She has been told all of her life that Mary was the mother to only Jesus and that she had no other children. I showed her a few verses that talked about it and it was exciting to see her face when she understood it for the first time. Because of her question we talked about how some arguments are about things that don't matter. This has caused me to realize that so many arguments end up doing nothing more than taking away from the clear message of the Bible and what Jesus did for us. The message is the love God showed us through His Son. That is the message that changes lives.
The longer I'm here and get to know people the more I want
them to know the truth. Not that I didn't before but now I so badly want them
to know it and know Jesus and the Bible.
It’s easy to get caught up in religion and arguing, but that's not what
it’s about. It's not religion or tradition or a way of thinking. I think it has to be more. It has to be your
life.
Last weekend we had a dinner that was a benefit for the Bible
School. Elizabeth Whatley, a former Avanti Italia worker and also the director
for Pepperdine University campus here in Florence, hosted the event. She had
the idea to have a free dinner, where people could come and eat and play
games and make donations if they wanted.
All the money from the event went to the Bible School. She is always so
generous to us and the work we do.
The men and...
the women.
We have many more things coming up this summer such as
Vacation Bible School, work on the Bible School, movie nights, etc. I will try
to keep everyone updated as much as possible. Thanks for your support, prayers
and encouragement. I know I always say that and it sounds so cliché, but I am
genuinely grateful for everything. It helps more than you realize.
Random Pics....
For my birthday my students took me to me to an American Diner...they had donuts!!
Learning to make pancakes...we have started having, what we like to call, "brinner." Breakfast for dinner. The students love American breakfast food.
