Winter 2022-23 ~ Endurance

The end of the Fall 2022 Calvary Chapel Bible Institue Italy semester came and went faster than I anticipated. Time always moves forward more quickly than I expect it. I was re-reading my last update before writing this one, and it honestly caused me to pause and meditate for a long while on what God was doing in my life and the ministry at the time that I wrote it and what has transpired since. It is beautiful to have this thread of tangible evidence of God’s work and faithfulness to refer to when discouragement attempts to overwhelm me. In the midst of all the changes and business ~ the end of the semester, a quick trip home to visit family, the new year, our youth/college winter retreat, and settling into the non-semester routine ~ God began to solidify for me a significant work He is doing in my life: building endurance.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12:1-2

In this race that we have to accomplish, we have a perfect High Priest who has gone before us and endured the impossible so that we could live and also endure whatever we are called to face. It is not based on our own strength; it is accomplished by His. When we fully trust in Him and rest upon Him, we are able to endure by His strength. Throughout this update I will be placing scripture verses that the Lord has been using greatly in my life these past few months in regard to building my spiritual, mental, and emotional endurance.

“…we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:3-5

CCBI Fall 2022

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

Galatians 6:9

The last month of the 2022 Fall semester included an outreach with the students to help serve at the Ladies Tea in Calvary Chapel Ferrara, discipleship days with the female students and young adults in the church, Thanksgiving, birthday celebrations, the end of classes, and a wonderful trip to the mountains. The students worked incredibly hard this past semester, and it was a privilege to see the growth that occurred in their lives from the beginning of the three months to the end. We pray that God utilizes that work immensely as they transition into a new season of life. Often times, I know that I can get easily discouraged about the ministry with the students. Sometimes it feels like you invest everything you have, but it is never quite what you wish you could give. However, the Lord continues to remind me that it is His work and not mine. I simply have the task of not giving up and watching the Lord produce the harvest.

Ukraine Relief

“Fear not, for I am with you; / be not dismayed, for I am your God; / I will strengthen you, I will help you, / I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”

Isaiah 41:10

As the time passes, it is perhaps sadly easy for all of us who are not immediately affected by the war to forget about the devastation that is still going on. In November, we had the privilege of gathering another round of supplies and utilizing donations to take more aid to the Ukrainian refugees, this time directly over the border into the Ukraine. We praise God that we have been able to continue to participate in these efforts and pray that He continues to provide the monetary support from faithful givers around the world so that we are able to take even more trips in the future.

Christmas Break

“I wait patiently for the Lord; He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.”

Psalm 40:1

Directly after the students left, I had the privilege of heading over to Calvary Chapel Ferrara and spending a few days of refreshment with the Gemma family and the church body. The church held a Christmas celebration, and the children put on a pageant. It is always so encouraging to witness firsthand the work that God is doing all across Italy. I love every opportunity I get to see what the other churches are able to do in their communities and for the Lord!

I also was able to fly home for two weeks to celebrate the 2nd birthday of my twin nieces and to spend Christmas with my whole family! Baby snuggles, family traditions, and lots of good food. This time was so incredibly precious. There were many tears and rounds of laughter; but most importantly, there were many conversations about the work that God is doing in all of our lives. These moments were crucial. God has blessed me abundantly with a family that builds one another up in the Lord. I needed this to be ready to step back into the ministry that God has called me into. One can easily grow weary and unsure of the work he or she is doing for the Lord. Is this truly what God has called me to do? Am I listening correctly to His will for my life? Yet, I know that I can wait patiently on the Lord and that He hears me. He truly makes my steps secure when I trust in Him.

Winter Retreat

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

James 1:2-3

I returned the day before New Years Eve (which made for a grand adjustment with jet lag) and jumped directly into preparations for our Winter Retreat for our youth group and our college/young adult group. 5pm touch down; 7pm camp meeting. What can I say? I adjust better when I don’t give myself time to get too comfortable! The next day I rang in the New Year with sweet fellowship, worship, and prayer with the church family in Calvary Chapel Feltre. It was a joy to start 2023 in prayer before the Lord.

Then, we headed up the mountain a bit to take three days with the youth group and college group to study God’s word and adventure around together. We had an incredible time. The students had the privilege of both studying, playing, and serving alongside one another. We took these days to study the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30 – “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” God really spoke to the students there, and the Holy Spirit worked to tear down many walls.

Settling Back into Ministry

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

1 Corinthians 15:58

Since the fall, God has been doing a lot to train me up in a lot of unexpected ways. It has been a joy to see small steps of progress in lots of areas. Over the past few months, I have grown a lot more confident in what He is guiding my hands to in the ministry here in Montebelluna. There is so much to constantly learn, but I am so thankful for this season of life in which I have to learn it. I have been so excited to see the Lord answer many prayers in regard to the college ministry, the individual relationships I am building, and even with the language. God has been prompting me to take lots of little steps of faith, and it has been amazing to see Him answer these small steps in abundance.

On a practical side, I am learning many various skills through our workdays in the building. I am so grateful for these hours dedicated to working in the church building because they not only help the church, but they also instill in me so many invaluable lessons. Through them I am able to learn how to turn every piece and moment of my life into service and worship.

Prayer Requests

· CCBI Italy – We ask for prayer that the Lord would guide our team here with the Spring 2023 semester. We pray that the Lord would bring exactly the right students that He desires to be here learning and growing during these three months in Montebelluna. It is such a beautiful and unique opportunity for individuals to come study here and serve on the mission field, and we pray that God would use it powerfully in the lives of the students that He brings. Pray for the students and for the staff to be guided step-by-step by the Holy Spirit.

· Calvary Chapel Montebelluna – I ask for your continued prayers as always for our church here in Montebelluna. It is such a joy to be a part of this body of Christ here. There has been immense growth in the various ministries here, and it is so encouraging. I ask that you would continue to pray for our youth to truly be enriched in their relationships with the Lord and to grow immensely this year. We have begun doing music lessons with several of them and pray that the Lord would use this to keep building deeper discipleship relationships. Be lifting up the College / Young Adult group. We have the exciting privilege to walk out life alongside of these individuals, and God has been unifying the group in such beautiful ways. Please pray for opportunities for all of us to serve the community and the Lord alongside one another. Please continue to lift up our pastor and that the treatments would continue to work as they have been so far! We give God so much glory and praise for what He has already done!

· The Churches Across Italy – Please lift up also the other churches scattered across Italy that preach the true gospel of Christ. It is often lonely and hard work for these churches. We pray for refreshment and encouragement in the lives of every believer. It is our prayer that people would continue to catch God’s heart for reaching the lost and training up the saved. We praise Him for ministry that He has enabled here so far and cannot wait to see what He will be doing across the nation of Italy in the years to come!

· Myself – Can one ever ask too much for wisdom? I praise the Lord for the work He has done and continues to do in my life. He truly is a refiner. I ask that those who pray for me would ask the Lord to continue to sanctify me and use me despite myself. I also greatly covet prayers for my mind as I continue to study the language and now all of the information for driving school. This will be a bit of a long process, so I definitely appreciate the prayers as I work towards completing it. I also ask that you all would pray for me to have confidence as I follow the Lord’s leading in my life and that I would be ready and willing to step out in faith.