May & June '22 ~ Walking in the Will of the Lord

A beautiful aspect of each semester is being able to participate in the Women’s Disciple course that the girls are required to take. It is a sweet time of community among a few of the women here and the students. Each week a different woman teaches, and often these women are other missionaries from across Italy. It’s such a joy to see the mutual edification, instruction, and discipleship that occurs during this class. This semester, one of the missionaries from Calvary Chapel Feltre, Jenna Wirshing, spoke on “Walking in the Will of the Lord.” This teaching brought up much in regards to having contentment and the right perspective. Over these past two months, I believe that God has been continually using every circumstance in my life to work these concepts into my heart. Through everything, how do we maintain God’s perspective, not our own, and walk out His will with confidence and contentment?

CCBC Spring 2022 Semester

As we close out another semester here at CCBC Italy, it is wonderful to reflect back over what God did in and through the students’ lives. Between their classes, service opportunities, trip to Hungary, and much more, I have seen God continually grow the students and work such valuable lessons into their lives. To me, it has been an honor to be even the smallest part of the process. I am so thankful that the Lord has placed me here in this ministry and has allowed me to grow alongside the students. My life has certainly been refreshed by knowing each one of them, and I cannot wait to see what God does in their lives in the next season.

Top Left: Sports Outreach in Montebelluna / Top Middle: Learning to make focaccia with a family from the church / Top Right: Outreach to CC Ferrara

Middle Left and Center: Mountain Trip and Alexa serving by cleaning our dirty shoes! / Middle Right: Worship Night with various churches in the Veneto area

Bottom Left: Easter lunch preparations with Chiara / Bottom Middle: Seder meal on Good Friday / Bottom Right: Eating the tagliatelle and ragù the students learned to make!

Ukraine… Round Two!

One incredible blessing over these past two months was the opportunity to go back to Hungary to help out with refugees from Ukraine! The first trip I was privileged to go on had such a great impact on me, and I prayed much since then for an opportunity to go back and serve again. At the end of May, God pieced together a trip at the last moment that I was able to join. A need arose, and thankfully we were able to respond and go. A small group of us from the church went to Debrecen, Hungary, for a week to run a program in the afternoons for refugees staying at a Christian camp sight.

This was in all honestly such a beautiful trip to see God overcome so many obstacles on our behalf. We had practically no preparation time for the program, yet He enabled us to piece together sports, worship, Bible stories, and crafts for each day with the kids. We had about 50 children from 2-yrs-old to 18-yrs-old that would come and go throughout the days. The Lord also brought some incredible people into our lives there who were able to translate for us. Just as I found on my last trip to Hungary, I saw God overcome the language barriers and speak His love into the lives of these kids. Sweet relationships were built, and we had many incredible times of sharing the gospel and the hope of Christ with them. We continue to pray for Bodi, the pastor in the area at Golgota Debrecen, that he and his church can continue to reach out and minister to these families.

Calvary Italy Conference / Outreach Week

June 1-4 we took the students to Tuscany to help serve at the annual Calvary Chapel Italy Conference. For them, this served as their outreach week for the Bible College. They spent the sessions providing childcare for the families that were able to attend the conference. This is always such a sweet blessing for the parents to be able to come and be refreshed by the worship and teachings. For all of us across Italy, this conference was such a wonderful time of fellowship and reconnecting. God truly spoke through our guest speaker, Rich Chaffin, and the men and women who spoke for our divided sessions. We are so thankful to God for His growth and discipleship of the church here in Italy.

God’s Will

Another encouraging development that occurred this month was the opportunity for my friend Roberta and I to officially start a ministry for the young adult ladies in our congregation. This has been an area that she and I have prayed much over for the past few months. As we continued to place it in God’s hands, He opened the door for us to start. Our first meeting went really well, and we look forward to just building up this small community over the summer!

It has been moments like this that have occurred multiple times these past few months that have continued to stretch me and encourage me to rely on God and His timing. Often there are many wonderful ministries and opportunities that we desire to serve in or be apart of within the body of Christ. However, it can also be difficult to discern which areas God truly wants us to step into or focus on. One thing that has stayed with me from the teaching mentioned above is that God is powerful enough to keep us in the center of His will. As we continually trust Him and seek His heart, He faithfully guides us and fulfills in us His plan.

Prayer Requests

• Students – Please be praying for all of our students as they head home and will be moving on to new phases of life. Each are seeking the Lord diligently in regards to their next steps. Pray for their transitions home and that they will continue to live surrendered to God’s will. My prayers for them are that the fruit that God has been cultivating in their lives here will continue to grow and increase abundantly in the years to come.

• College Ministry – As I updated above, Roberta and I have had the privilege of officially starting the ministry for the young women who attend the college ministry. Please pray that we would be able to provide and space in which they feel safe to grow and share. We deeply desire them to be able to get connected and grow discipleship relationships with one another. Roberta and I ask that you be in prayer over our teachings and the topics that God has placed on our hearts to share with this group.

• Hungary – I ask specific prayers for Hungary and for the Calvary Chapels there that are continually aiding with the refugees from the Ukraine. Please be lifting them up that the Lord would continue to give them the strength and ability to serve those affected by this war. Also, there are many orphanages in Hungary that have lost much support and care during this time. I do ask that you would be in prayer for these children that the Lord would continue to provide funds and people to minister to them as well alongside those who are needing help in this time of crisis.

• Calvary Montebelluna – Over the summer, we may have more opportunities to send teams to Hungary. We could use prayer for these trips and that many individuals from the church body could get time off work to go. We will also be having two weeks of summer camps in July! The first week will be for the elementary aged kids, while the second week will be for the middle and high school aged students. We ask that you pray for the preparation that is going into these camps over this month. There are many details to be worked out. Further, we most greatly desire prayer over each of the students that will attend the camps. Our hope is that God will meet them in this time in a new and powerful way. For those who already have a growing relationship with Him, we pray it will be a time of refreshment for them.

• Myself – I first want to thank all of you for your continual prayers and support for me. I have felt it in very powerful ways even just this past month. I do want to ask for prayer for my health. There have been a few complications occurring for which I am seeking answers from the doctors. I ask simply for prayers for my peace of mind through it all. I have also been blessed with multiple new areas in which to step up in my service at church and take on some more leadership aspects. Please pray that I would be able to balance and steward each area well. May Christ be seen through all I do. All of Him, and none of me!