August 2023 ~ Peace in Uncertainty

To begin this update, I first want to thank anyone who takes the time to read it. I apologize that I have been incredibly inconsistent in sending these out. However, I am extremely grateful for those who take the time to read them when I do. I pray that these posts help bring even a tiny bit of understanding to the ministry going on here in Italy, what the Lord is doing in my life, and how you can be praying for all of it.

Much has changed over the past several months. This is certainly not new news for anyone considering that life is simply full of changes. However, for us in Montebelluna, these changes have been quite significant. At the beginning of June, our Senior Pastor (and founder of CC Montebelluna) went to be with the Lord after a 10-year battle with cancer. He had been in and out of the hospital frequently over the past two years, but the last few months leading up to his passing were very difficult. We celebrate his passing into eternity with the Lord, but he certainly leaves behind a grieving family, church, and friends all over the world. We have ordained our new Senior Pastor, Tyler Johnson, who has faithfully served in Montebelluna as a missionary for many years. There are many changes to come this year as he transitions roles and he and his wife welcome their first child, so I ask you all to join us in prayer for them.

The Past Several Months

CCBC Italy

23 CCBC Italy semester brought us three precious students. We had one young man from India and two sisters from the States. I cannot express in enough words what a joy it was to get to know these individuals. I firmly believe the Lord brought them not only for their own lives and growth but also as a sweet blessing to those of us serving here in Montebelluna. It was a joy to see the girls really integrate into the lives of those around them and to continually pray for and encourage all of us. The evidence of the Lord in their lives shone continually.

During the semester, the students had the opportunity to serve the various other Calvary Chapels in Italy, to learn about the life of Paul and the history of the early church in the Naples area, and to serve at the Calvary Chapel Italy Conference at the end of the semester. It was a joy to disciple them and serve alongside them during their time here in Italy.

My Family

In April, my parents and my grandma came to Italy for the first time to visit! It was such a joy to get to share with them my life here and introduce them to all of the wonderful people God has placed in my life. They got to come along with me in my daily routines as we had Women’s Discipleship, Community Worship Nights, and normal church services. Yet, because they came around Easter, they also got to celebrate their anniversary here, participate in a Sedar dinner for the students, enjoy Easter Sunday, and experience Pasquetta. My dad loves to cook, so we spent time with some wonderful families and individuals in the church who taught him how to make very specific Italian dishes. The time with these individuals was invaluable and made such an impact on my family.

The Ukraine

This past April, after much prayer, we were able to take another trip to the Ukraine. This time, our small team took a van of supplies directly across the border and served alongside Joel Brown in Mukachevo, Ukraine. He is the pastor of a church there, and he and his family have done much to help provide support and relief for the refugees during this war. They have been able to open several homes to house those escaping the war-torn areas of the country. They have provided beds, clothes, meals, and much more. It was our privilege to get to spend time with the people currently staying at the shelters. We also had the opportunity to help out with their church service that Sunday. For me, it was such a blessing to get to meet people and learn about the war, their lives, and their faith directly from them. It has given me such a different perspective and understanding of how to pray for them in this time.

English Camp

This June we got the opportunity to put on our very first English Camp for the communities around Montebelluna! We did it VBS style with three major sections: sport, Bible, and English. Our church did a phenomenal job stepping up and learning how to put this on. We are looking forward to refining our program for next year and being able to offer more to the community. This year we only did a half day, but next year we would prayerfully like to extend it to an all-day camp so that more children are able to attend.

Something I found incredibly special for our camp was that we were able to offer a curriculum that originated here in Italy. Denae Downs, who serves in Torino, Italy, has created a kids’ worship album in Italian, and their team went on to write a curriculum that went with each of those songs. You can check it out here to learn more about this fantastic ministry: Più Forti Project (piufortiproject.com)

Summer Camps

The first two weeks of July we also hosted our Elementary Camp and then our Middle/High School Camp for the Calvary Chapels in Italy. Our theme for the camps this year came from Nehemiah 8:10 – “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” It was absolutely exhausting, but a blast to serve at these two camps. The first week, I spent most of my time as a cook. I did also have the privilege of helping with worship and teaching one of the bible studies. The second week I was able to spend more time with the students and also had the opportunity to teach a session for the middle school girls. This was my first time teaching fully in Italian, and it was a very significant milestone for me to hit!

Home

Right after the second camp ended, I took a 3-week trip to the States. The first week I flew to Boston and had the privilege of spending a week with my mom on a mission trip there. We spent the week doing work with

various organizations in the community and then hosted a Family Fun Night for the community in which we served. The second two weeks I spent with family and re-connecting with the churches and individuals who so faithfully have been supporting me through my ministry in Italy. It was a joy to speak to my home church, Calvary Chapel of Charleston, about what the Lord has been doing over the past year and to share with the women of the church at their Women’s Brunch. I felt so refreshed and encouraged by them.

Looking Forward

The Ministry in General

As I have been settling back into routine here in Italy, the work begins. We have decided to place the Bible College on pause for this year. It is our hope to spend the year refining some details for our program here in Montebelluna and to re-open in the Fall of 2024 with fresh energy and concentration on training up servants of the Lord to be equipped to minister to the country of Italy. Thus, the month of September, rather than full of a new school semester, will be a month of adjusting, refinement, and preparation. In October, we will be hosting our annual Calvary Chapel Association Western European Pastors & Leaders Conference. I get to do a lot of administrative work for this, so I will be focusing on this as well as maintaining and growing the other areas of ministry that I am blessed to be a part of – mainly our coffee bar, the worship team, the college ministry, the youth ministry, and our building workdays.

My Life Personally

This is the beginning of my third year on staff with the Calvary Chapel Montebelluna. It truly has been a growing experience in my life and my walk with the Lord. As I look forward to this next year, I have been spending a lot of time in prayer before the Lord seeking His will and work in my life. There are many things that have been pressing on my heart, and I am continuing to seek Him diligently in these. I know He will guide me through the uncertainty I am feeling. I was given the opportunity to take five days at the end of August to get away and truly devote time to seeking the Lord in prayer. I can honestly say that God was so gracious in how He spoke to me. There is still a significant amount of uncertainty in my life, but I hold onto these words:

Trust in the Lord, and do good;

Dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the Lord,

And he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;

Trust in him, and he will act.

He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,

And your justice as the noonday.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.

Psalm 37:3-7a

And this is what I am committed to do – to dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness, to delight myself in the Lord, and to trust in Him. I can truly say that I have received such peace and consolation from Him in these verses. My prayer each day is that the Lord would continue to build my endurance to live from such a place as I rest under His banner over me, which is love. I ask that you pray for me as I seek to simply grow in who the Lord is calling me to be and less on what I do.

Practical Things

With that said, there are many practical things that I would like to update you all about and ask prayer for. As I have grown in my ministry here and the Lord has affirmed a long-term call for me here in Italy, there are some very practical next steps that I need to take to keep growing and serving here. A significant area is that of my driver’s license and owning a car. As an American, my driver’s license does not transfer over. Because I declared residency here in Italy this past February, I have less than a year before I cannot utilize an International Driver’s License. So, now begins the intensive process of studying for my permit (yes, the test is in Italian), doing my driving hours, and taking my practical test. It is an expensive process, and at the end I will prayerfully take the next step of also purchasing a car. However, this will open up so many more avenues of ministry. Until I am able to do so, I am significantly limited in how I can serve.

Another step of faith I would like to work towards in addition to getting my Italian driver’s license and a car is finding a place of my own to rent. The church has been very gracious in providing low-cost housing as I served as a dorm steward for the Bible College, but it also involved a lot of moving from apartment to apartment as the needs of the Bible College changed from semester to semester. I would like the opportunity to have a more stable living environment in order to develop some ministry that God has placed on my heart.

In order for the above two changes to occur, I would definitely need to increase my monthly support. I do not love addressing finances here, but it is very important to do so as part of taking those steps of obedience to what has been placed on my heart. The Lord has been so faithful in providing the amount that I have needed to live as I have been here in Italy the past three years. However, to move forward into new stages of life and ministry, I am praying and trusting that He will provide the increase necessary to afford to make the changes I have written about. As an individual on a missionary visa in Italy, I am unable to work for money here. So, it has been by the faithful and generous support of individuals back home that I have been sustained to live here. I simply ask that those who read this would join me in prayer over this area. I trust that the Lord will work in His timing to provide for the next steps He desires me to take.

Prayer Requests

· Pray for the church in Montebelluna as we continue to grieve and transition into this new season. Pray for Tyler and those who are in leadership roles to shepherd and direct well the body with which we have been entrusted.

· Pray for the areas of ministry to continue to grow. We have many new people attending the church, and our hearts’ desire is to see them grow in their faith, get relationally connected, and to join us in the ministry of serving one another.

· Pray for me as I study for my license. It is a hard test, so please pray for my ability to understand the language, to learn the new terms and concepts, and to pass the exams.

· Pray for my finances so that I can afford the licensure process, a car, and eventually a new living situation.

· Also, please pray that the Lord would continue to direct my steps as I seek His will for my life and ministry here in Italy.