Missions Monday - The Race to the End

Running ... some of us like it .... some of us don't.

In our family, hubby does a lot of running. I personally have never felt a strong desire to complete a race.

I think of the verses in 1 Corinthians chapter 9 that talk a lot about running..... running to win .... running to complete the race. Hubby can relate a lot more with this chapter than I can.

Here we are, three months later. We can't say that we have a big metal to show for what we've done. We don't even have numbers of souls saved, as some people would like to hear us say. What we do have is a race.... a race that is still being run. A race that MUST still be run even as we start on a different path. The race is still the same no matter where we are.

This is a happy and a sad time for us. As we prepare to go back home, some of us are more sad than others. Some of us are more happy than others. What we truly want to do though, is to keep running the race until the end. Maybe we will come back here some day, maybe we won't. Maybe we will see some of the fruit of our labor, maybe we won't until heaven.

May God give us the strength to continue....

Missions Monday

I remember the first time we ever met some Italians ... and we were invited to their house! To us, this is what we looked forward to! We were able to see more than what the average American usually saw when visiting Italy. That was eight years ago!

Now, we feel incredibly blessed. We are in awe at what God has done since then. We are still friends with those people eight years later and now we have added to our list of Italian friends. Each time we return we are grateful to build deeper relationships with the neighbors around us.




Our friends in Venice - 4 years ago


It is one thing to be able to pass out tracts. We pray God will use this immensely in the lives of the people we give them to. It is a much deeper experience to develop friendships with the Italians that we can. It is a much harder thing to share the Gospel with them. We can talk to them about Christ, but we must also show Christ's love to them through our words and actions. When they don't accept His Gospel, it becomes a very sad thing ... a more personal thing.

Not sure how to convey through words the difference, but I'm sure if you have family members that you have tried to talk with and yet, they don't accept what God is so freely giving... then maybe you understand a little bit.

We were able to go and see some of our Italian friends this past week. It is always so good to see them and to share this fellowship with them. Italians are so hospitable!

We continue to build these relationships ... but .... what if something happens to them in the meantime? what if we don't get another chance to tell them more truth about the Gospel? We pray we are planting the seeds and that others may come and water.

Please pray for Alina and Pino ... for their children Marco, Marta and Eliza. Pray for Gabriella and her husband, Allesandro. Please pray for our friends in Venice... Attilio, Luciana, Francesca and Giovanni.

My Italian Garden

I have had such a blessing from God in being able to have a garden while here in Italy. It's very small, but it was such a gift to me from my Heavenly Father. I wrote more about it on my other blog. I've included the link here, if you would like to go and read. There are also a few pictures and a recipe.

Missions Monday

It is hard to believe there are just a couple more posts for Missions Monday. At times, we look back and think that our time has flown by. Other times, we think that time seems to be at a stand still! Here we are, faced with just two more weeks of being here and we want to use our time very wisely!

This past week has been a fun-filled and very busy week while having mom here from Texas. She has been all over Rome now and has seen, first hand, what we do, where we are and the people that need Jesus!

Please pray for these dear people. Pray for people like the little, old lady that I met on the bus. I gave her a tract. She read it cover to cover and then told me that her family was very much in to their traditions of "the" church. I pray that the verses she read would come back to her and remind her of what the Bible says. Please pray for another lady, maybe in her 40's, that I met on the train. I gave her a tract and after reading it cover to cover she said that she no longer went to church because her husband, who she is now divorced from, never went to church. I asked her to please keep the tract and to read it in her home. I explained that we are not "religious". We just want to follow Jesus and only the Bible. With a language barrier, it is sometimes hard to know how to encourage them to trust Jesus. I am reminded that it is not my words that they need to hear, but God's words!

When we returned from Germany, we found a few extra German tracts left over. God has been faithfully leading us to German people around town! .... Four on the train in the morning .... a few more on the street .... Four more on the train that evening .... We listen for them speaking German, and then we give them a tract!

We will be going to the V*tican this Wednesday and then again the next Wednesday to pass out the remaining verses that we had printed up. These are in Italian, German and English. Wednesday seems like a good day because more people come that day to hear a special m*ss from the P*pe. Please continue to pray for these people and that we might be "in the right place, at the right time".

As we return home, we really don't know where "home" is! We are praying for clear direction! We want to be right where God would have us be. Your prayers are so appreciated! You are a blessing to us!

Missions Monday - What God Didn't Have To Do, But Did

Here are some answers to prayer this week, and the true blessing is that God didn't have to do any of it. He did though! and we are so very thankful!

First, I'll share a guest post from our son. Here is a testimony of God's Grace in our son's own words....

Hello all. I am doing a guest entry on our family’s blog. First, let me tell you a bit about myself. I am a nearly thirteen year old and I like cars, fourwheelers, dirtbikes, (pretty much anything with a motor) climbing on anything, playing in the snow, doing anything on a computer, electronics, legos, airsoft wars with my friends, passing out gospel tracts in Italia, and riding my bike.

NOW. This is the actual story.

A few days ago, we took a bus ride to a town about 20 minutes away from our apartment. One of the reasons we were going was because I had crashed my bike ....(another story)....and we needed a new tube. Another reason was because we were going to pass out tracts. So anyway, we were on the bus and I had my wallet in my back pocket of my cargo shorts. Now, these shorts were new so I didn’t know that the back pocket was EXTREMELY too small for my wallet. So we were getting off the bus and some how my wallet fell out. We went about our business and then I noticed that.. huh? huh? what?!? (I pat all my pockets....) No wallet!!! I was so upset!! ( I look through my backpack ....) No wallet!!! we finished up in town, then waited an hour for the bus.

an hour later................................

We got back home, then dad and I waited at the bus stop to see if the bus we were on would come back. About one hour (more or less) passed and the bus came. Dad asked the driver if someone had turned in a wallet. The driver didn't understand him at first, then she said, “oh! si!” then showed us my wallet.

I was so happy! Thank the Lord for the little things!!!!! Thank you for reading.  the db

Last week, we asked you to pray that we would be able to locate the conference that we found out about while in the States. Last Monday morning, Hubby got up early and turned on the TV to see if there would be anything on the F*tima station. Yes, there sure was.... lo, and behold, there was the name of the hotel written on the podiam they were using! Well, that sure narrowed down the search! Hubby did a little research and located the location of the hotel. He was able to go over and check it out for himself. It ended up being a conference of about 100 people. He went three days and was able to learn more about what they truly believe. We are not sure how God may use this in someone's life one day or even our own, but we try to be faithful.


Now, as we are starting the last leg of our trip, we continue to pass out tracts in mailboxes and to people that we meet. We also printed out more tracts to pass out at the Vatic*n. We are getting a little antsy to be home, but we will press on. Please continue to pray for us and as you pray, please include the time when we arrive back home. We need God's leading in knowing where he would have us and what we should be doing.

Italian Way of Life Wednesdays

Notice: The better name for this post should be "Not an Italian Way of Life Wednesday"


Pasta is really, really good and there are so many ways that you can fix it. Not to mention, there are so many pastas made in all kinds of shapes and sizes.

But ....

Sometimes a person can get just a little too much of pasta!

This is why I have lovingly decided to treat my family with a special dinner tonight. Did I mention this was a treat?

When our friends came over from the U.S. a few weeks ago, they so graciously brought us a packet of taco seasoning. To you, this may be such a little thing, but to us, it was like putting gold in our hands! It has sat in the cupboard, just waiting for that special moment ... not to soon before we leave ... and not too late either.

It's really hard to get taco shells... I've never seen them here... and the tortillas just aren't the same. So, I've opted to have Taco Soup.

The beans are soaking ....

Later, I'll cook up the meat ....

and I've got all the other ingredients ready to throw in the pot.

For an appetizer tonight, I've decided to treat my husband! It's been a looooong time since he's had a bowl of salsa and some chips! Now, this may not be the prize winner for the county fair, but it will be a welcome taste, I'm sure.

For the salsa, I started out with a can of diced tomatoes since I don't have a blender available. Next, I added some cumin and some dried cilantro that I brought in our suitcase. I diced up some fresh garlic as best as I could. The peppers will have to be peperoncini from Italy. I have yet to see some good hot peppers, let alone ... jalapenos. These peppers will give it enough kick, but they'll also add a little different taste. A little salt... sale (pronounced solay) and we're done.

Did you notice the tortilla chips? Yes, we can get them here. They cost me about $2 each for a 6 oz. bag.

Did I mention this was a treat?

I am thoroughly looking forward to dinner tonight ... mostly because I just love to see those smiles on the dear people I love!

Update :  We were able to figure out where the F*tima Conference is located! Praise the Lord! This is the second day that my dear husband has been able to go over to it. Please continue to pray for divine leading. More updates coming on Missions Monday!



Missions Monday - An Update

We are now back in Italy after about 3 weeks of travels. It is nice to be able to get back in to a school routine, but it was sad to leave such a great time of fellowship. We needed it! We are very thankful for the opportunity to see friends from the U.S. and friends here in Italy. Both are families that we continue to pray for and be a witness to. We are also very thankful for the opportunity to help a pastor in Germany and to attend church there. Refreshing! We were able to make more friends while there and spend some time with them out side of church. Our whole family was very grateful for the time spent in Christian fellowship ... adults and children!

As we start this new week, we are preparing for the F*tima Conference that will take place all week here in Rome. This was a conference that we first learned about in the U.S. before we left and the information came to us in a very unique way! What we learned helped us decide to stay in Rome specifically for this time. There is one catch .... and we hope you will pray with us about this ..... we don't know where it is! Every piece of information, including the internet, has not mentioned a location, except to say that it's in Rome. We look forward to seeing how God will work this out! We will continue to search, even if it means going to certain areas of Rome to see if it is there. Rome is a big place, but our God is bigger!

To give you a little insight in to this conference, here is a quote taken from the F*tima website ...

" .... In any event, it is hard to share the Holy Father’s optimism (or is it a desperate hope?) that the loss of the Faith worldwide will be stemmed by the Church in the United States. There is only one hope, only one Person who can help the Church now: Our Lady of Fatima. We must pray that the Holy Father will look to Our Lady, and not to the United States, for the means to revitalize the Faith worldwide. The Fatima Prophecy makes no mention of the United States. Our Lady names Russia as the key to world peace, or the agent of world chastisement. It is Russia, and not the United States, that will revitalize the Faith, after Russia is converted to Catholicism. And this will happen only after the Pope and bishops do as Our Lady requests and consecrate Russia to Her Immaculate Heart. We are going to Rome from May 13-18 for “Fatima: Your Last Chance!” to remind the Pope and the bishops they have but one option to save the Church and the world. There is no alternative to the consecration."

Please pray that we would be able to get the truth of the Gospel in to these people's hands ...

Missions Monday

This last week has been very busy with lots of traveling. We have been blessed to see many things and experience life in very unusual ways. Beyond all that though, we have been able to see God working. That brings so much hope!

One of our travels took us to Trier, Germany. In a prior post, we mentioned how this was one of the "little" things that God worked out. Now, having been there and experienced it for ourselves, we are able to see even better how God worked!

To get a little bit of background, please read the prior post on Trier, Germany. You may also want to read the article that was included. It will give you some history.

Praise God, this is the first time we have brought German tracts with us and while we were in Trier, we passed out all 2,000 that we had. Please pray that these people's hearts would be forever changed because of the Truth they read in these Scriptures.

Tour busses brought people young and old to view the alledged robe of Jesus. The last time it was seen was in 1996. During that time, 700,000 people came to view. We went to the church during one of the evening prayer services. Even IF this was the actual robe of Jesus, it was very sad to see people put more emphasis on this earthly thing than on the saving grace of Jesus. It was made to be more of a "good luck" charm. Maybe there was one person there who will receive the free gift of Salvation.

One news article described this event as an ecumenical christian event that needed to bring religions together. Can we truly link arms with each other when such heresy exists with in this particular church system?

As we enter this new week, we will be helping a pastor pass out tracts in a different area of Germany. Please be in prayer that we will know where to go in this city... that God will direct our steps to the people who He has been preparing.

Thank you so much for your prayers. Be encouraged! God is good all the time and is still in control!

Relaxing

Our past week has been filled with lots of travel, lots of walking, and lots of trains! We have enjoyed it all and have been blessed in many ways because of it, but our Saturday was spent Relaxing! On Missions Monday, I'll tell you all about the ministry God has done. For now, here is our Saturday in pictures.

My Prayer for a Friend

She makes us lasagna and invites us to dinner. She kisses my children as if they were her own.

We don't speak the same, but our hearts understand the language.

She gives me her kindness... more love than most.

and yet she searches....

What is life? What more can I do? Will it help me win my soul?


I say goodbye. Pain in my heart over this lost soul cries out.

Will she understand my heart's language this time?

I give her truth... as best as I can. I pray. I must trust.

She must trust....


Heavenly Father, please speak the language she needs to hear... the language that will change her heart for yours.

So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us. 1 Thess. 2:8

Our Week in Pictures

We have been traveling around Italy this week. We have seen history, walked in the footsteps of Renaissance greats, enjoyed nature and met with long time friends. We have shared Jesus with the locals, passed out tracts to the neighbors and talked with new friends on the train. Here is our week in pictures....

The home of Galileo in Florence

Our meandering walk took us around the city walls

of Florence to the Piazza del Michelangelo

A side trip to Pisa, birthplace of Galileo

Visiting C*tholic Churches

On to Venice

Cultural Week in Venice and Free Entrance to Museums

We didn't plan that, but God did!

Passing out Tracts in the Mailboxes

Discovering a New Flower (Fiora)

We are visiting with friends from the States, who are not saved. We are also visiting with our friends in Venice who need salvation as well. Please pray for these dear people. We will continue to travel on to Germany in a few days. Please pray for our travels and for wisdom and direction as we continue to seek the lost. We greatly appreciate your love and prayers!

God in the Little Things

He sat reading a book. A very big, thick book that would take me days to get through. He loves history, loves to research. Right there on the page, he reads about Trier, a city in Germany we have already made plans to visit... weeks ago. What he reads makes his face glow. He's excited. He tells me all about it. I share in the amazement.

What is known as a tunic of Jesus was first put on display in Trier in 1844. Millions made a pilgrimage to come and see. The next time it was brought to Trier was in 1996. Reportedly 700, 000 people made there way to this small area to view it. Now, for one month... during the time we will be in Trier... they will once again put this tunic on display. http://www.thelocal.de/society/20120413-41931.html

How is it we will be there? What does God require of us? What is the eternal significance of this? We are just people... insignificant sinners. Our heart desire is to follow, to serve, to walk faithful. We are overwhelmed, in awe. We have truth... real truth. Will they hear?


Side Note:

Praise God, we received our tracts in the mail! The very interesting part is that out of 6,000 tracts, about 2,000 of them are in Swahili. Why Swahili? We ask the same question. We eagerly wait to see what God's answer is. Please pray with us, so that we will know how to use them!

Italian Way of Life Wednesdays - Our Field Trip

It has been amazing watching God work in the little things!

Who orchestrated our textbook to line up with Ancient Rome while we are in Rome?
How is it that we are able to study the Renaissance while in this part of Europe?

I can tell you it wasn't me! I feel like we're behind in where we should have been this time of year... and yet, this is right where we needed to be! I could not have known this while ordering curriculum just a year ago. Needless to say, we are taking advantage of it.

Tuesday was field trip day! I could give a history lesson, but I think that I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.

The Colosseum

Sitting on a pillar? Who else sat on this pillar? Who sits on pillars?!

Looming over the city

The Arch of Titus - Built to commemorate the Roman Victory over the Jews

Overlooking the Roman Forum

Which way should we go?

Contemplating Life?

Ruins of the Emporers Palace

The cost of going on a Field Trip in Rome = Too much to mention

Spending time learning together = Priceless

Yes, I realize this is Missions Monday, on Tuesday! I am beginning to see that our internet is much slower in the evenings, so it makes it more difficult to post. I should plan ahead next time and put it in my schedule to write on Monday mornings and not wait until the evening.

This last weekend was bittersweet. Anytime you are going to do a great work for God, you can just about be reassured that Satan will try to stand in your way. This time was no exception. We are fragile human beings and we fall way to often. Having come through ... and persevered, we can now look back and praise God for His grace! His strength is perfected in our weakness... 2Cor 12:9

Three of us were able to go to the Colisseum on Friday. Guards eyes were closed while we passed out several hundred tracts and many Bibles. It is amazing to think that we were doing this in the very place where thousands of our brothers and sisters in Christ were martyred so many years ago. Did Paul think about any of this as he possibly watched this great place being built? ...

We exhausted all our tracts on Friday, so this left us with a wonderful problem. What to do about the upcoming Sunday Easter M*ss? Saturday turned out to be a busy day preparing. We decided to buy a printer/copier. The morning was spent going to get this. We printed out several tracts and then ran out of ink way to soon! My determined husband then spent the next several hours going from place to place trying to locate the correct ink cartridge! He was told more than once that it was not possible and that he would have to wait until Monday. Praise God he finally located a place that had one on it's shelf! We are also praising God for a bike to get around with. Without it, this process would not have been possible. More tracts were then printed until we ran out of ink again.

Sunday morning three of us went again to Rome. All of our tracts were passed out AND all of our Bibles. We are now left with our German tracts that we will take up to Germany and maybe 30 Italian tracts that we will pass out as God directs. We ask you to please pray that the tracts we have had shipped here will arrive soon and without harm! The Italian postal system can be inconsistent when it comes to good service.

Thank you again for all your prayers. Our main hope and prayer is that the seeds that were spread this last weekend would take root and grow! If just one person comes to know Christ, it will be well worth it.

Italian Way of Life Wednesday

I'm very positive that the Italians LOVE birthdays.... so today for Italian Way of Life Wednesday, on Thursday, we will celebrate our oldest daughter's birthday! In Italian, when you are going to wish someone a Happy Birthday, you say .... Auguri!

Our day was very exciting and lots of fun! We put a big emphasis on birthdays in our house and this was no exception. You only turn 11 once in your life, you know!


Our day started out at the zoo! The children were all very excited to be able to go. We have never been to this zoo before and for many of them, it had been a couple years ago since we had been to any zoo. This zoo was soooo big and so interesting! There were so many animals and from all parts of the world.


We all agreed that our favorite animal was the monkeys. I'd say there were at least 50 different monkeys... all in different areas, some big and some very small, and extremely fun to watch. This little monkey was very expressive with us and had us laughing so hard. He was just a little thing but his momma was very close by. He would come run to the window, play with us, and then run back to his momma. At one point, he even gave a big grin to one of our daughters! So fun!

These were definitely my favorite monkeys!!

After the zoo, we grabbed a quick bite to eat at everyone's favorite place for a birthday, McDonald's! Except, here in Italy, the food is actually better! No offense McDonalds USA! We were now ready for the long trip back home.

When we got home, there was a cake, a jelly roll type thing and ice cream waiting for us. We had gone to the bakery... pasticieria... the day before. The birthday girl got to pick out her own cake and settled on a jelly roll filled with Nutella! Momma also picked out a little cake, although more like a pie, that was filled with cream and covered with roasted pine nuts on top. Very interesting, and just had to try it! It was actually very good!

Another day filled with memories!

This week is a very full week, but we are all in good spirits and healthy! This is a testimony in and of itself, but Praise God, there's more!

Palm Sunday, the Mister and the two older children went in to Rome and were able to pass out a few hundred tracts to those who were exiting the subway at The V*tican stop. They left the house early and were able to get there safely before the first Mass that morning. Bibles were also given out to those who spoke English.

This last Saturday, we spent some time getting ready for this busy week by stamping our email address on the tracts and Bibles that we will pass out. Here is one of our many volunteers, hard at work!

Monday, the Mister went in to Rome again and was able to pass out more tracts. He had finished passing them out and was standing ready to board the train, I believe, when one lady came up to him, saw what he had in his hand and asked if she could have one. As he was retelling the story to me, his comment was, "That's never happened before!" What an encouragement that was for him!

We greatly appreciate your prayers! Keep them coming! God is so good!

Italian Way of Life Wednesdays- Our Courtyard

We are so glad you could come and visit our courtyard today. We've been expecting you, so the gate is open! Come on in! Benvenuti!

Our courtyard has been a fun place for our children to unwind. Momma likes that it is enclosed! If the gate had been locked when you arrived, you would have had to press a small button on the left that would ring up to our apartment. There is a little speaker that allows us to talk with each other. You would announce yourself and then I would press a little button on the phone that opens the gate.

We have had some fun times at the Mare, or sea! It is so convenient to come home and clean ourselves off before we go inside. Sometime you'll have to take a little walk with us to the beach. For now, just make sure you don't get sprayed! The children can get a little crazy with the water!

We have collected quite a few little treasures from our travels to the beach. Here are a few!

Getting around our town is quite easy, but what makes it even easier and alot more fun is our newly aquired bicicletta. A little earlier, you may have seen our son going for a little ride or possibly, Daddy, on his way back from his morning jaunts.

Thank you for coming and visiting our courtyard today! It has been nice having you! I must say goodbye now and head up to our apartment. On my way, I may even stop to say hello to our neighbor, Gabriella, as I pass by her kitchen window. Arrividerci!

Missions Monday - A Busy Time Ahead

There is a big reason we are here in Italy this time of year. We've always tried to go during the Christmas or Easter season for the main purpose of trying to reach, literaly, the world as they come to the V*tic*n searching for some spiritual truth. For sake of time and space, we won't go in to what kind of truth the C*thol*c church is giving people, but we urge you to really take a look in to that. Does it line up with Scripture? We really don't have all the answers and we definitely do not want to claim to, so we hand out Scripture to these people who are in one small way or another, seeking. We claim the promise that God's Word will not return void.

During the next week, please, please, please be in prayer for us. We have already begun to see "festivities" and pageants etc... that are not in line with Scripture. Just flipping through the channels on TV bring us to THE C*th*lic channel where there are things that would scare your children. Ours were. We will begin to travel a lot in the next couple weeks to pass out these Scripture verses and to share with people who have made the pilgrimages here. Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter will all be key dates in the next few weeks. We're sure that our adversary will be trying to keep us from doing all of these things, so please join with us in prayer to fight these Spiritual battles.

Fun with Family

Our Saturday was a fun one. We started it out with some cleaning. It's amazing how fast cleaning can go when you don't have a lot of clutter or a big house!

Everyone was very excited to go to the next town over and get some pizza from the woodstove. Unfortunately, we found out when we got there that the pizza is not served until around 7pm. The stores all close around 1pm, so we walked around trying to find a little place that was open. After what seemed like an eternity to the children, we were able to find a place that had food to go. We took our food to a little park and waited for the park to open around 2pm.

This park was very nice! The children all had a great time! There was even a basketball hoop for the older ones. It was a very nice day and there were several families out enjoying it.

After the park, we finished our afternoon by putting tracts in the mailboxes along the roads. Everyone divided up in to pairs. One group took one side of the road and another group took the other side.

We are so grateful for this time together and for many memories made!

SIDE NOTE : Some people have mentioned that they would like to leave comments, but haven't been able to in the past. I did a little bit of changing, and now you are able to leave comments. If you have a google account, you can do it that way OR if you don't have an account, you can leave a comment as Anonymous. If you go this route, just leave your first name or initials so that I know who you are and can post your comment. I have had some issues with spam, so if I don't know you or if the comment doesn't make sense, I won't post the comment. Thanks!

Italian Way of Life Wednesday - Hospitality

Every Wednesday, we hope to bring you just a little tidbit of the Italian Way of Life. Just for fun, we'll call it Italian Way of Life Wednesday....

This week we have had so many opportunities to see what true Italian hospitality looks like! It is fun getting to interact with our neighbors and meet them. Just saying hello to them as we see them on the veranda is neat enough, but this week we have been able to really spend time with them. That has been amazing!

Saturday we greeted our neighbor, Gabriella, with a customary Buon Giorno. We began "talking" and asked if she knew where a supermarket was. "Dove il supermercato?" we asked. She began to tell us that there was a small supermarket near the house, but that if we wanted a larger one it could only be reached by car. She kept repeating a certain word that we didn't understand, but finally after hearing it several time, we realized she was telling us that she would be our companion and take one of us to the store. We agreed to go on Monday morning. What hospitality! I'm sorry that I didn't get any good pictures, but I had a great time as she took me all around town and showed me several different places. We stopped and shopped. She even took me to a paniceria (bread and sweet store) and while I bought bread, she bought us both an extremely yummy treat! Remember, this is a person that I had just met just 3 days before! She doesn't speak ANY English, and she had to listen to my very poor Italian, but we had a great time and I am so very thankful for it!

Today, we were on our way down to the beach with the children. I had met another neighbor who spoke some pretty good English. As we were heading down, I was able to introduce everyone else to Marco. Marco has a very nice bike and so we were looking at it and asking if he knew where we could find a used one to buy. Right away, we were loading up into his 1986 Chevy Suburban... yes, a Chevy Suburban... and heading to his friends bike shop! Marco introduced us as his family to Peppe, the man who owned the bike shop. He was very friendly and had a few bikes that we tried out. What an experience!

As we are developing these friendships, our main desire is to be able to communicate Jesus love to them. There is no greater hospitality than for a man to lay his life down for a friend! Please pray for Gabriella and her husband, Alesandro, as well as for Marco.