08.25.10

Where is Everybody?

Posted in Ancona, Newsletters, culture, family, friends, ministry at 1:42 am

August. I know that over the years we have told you about August. The most dreadful most wonderful month of the year. In church planting work, seeing and having fellowship with your little congregation is very important. Especially since we have adopted an attitude that living life together is something that helps us grow as Christians.

But when everyone is spread out all over, even in other countries, it makes getting together pretty hard! I’m starting to think that God wants this time to be a time of Sabbath and renewal. We have church members in two other regions (like states) and one other country. We have people who have to work Sundays during the summer months, and join us in the evening exhausted but happy. We have a hard time getting together with people because they are at their beach homes or on vacation. Sometimes, even I say “I’m bo-oored.”

Then, I think of it another way. I can use this time to concentrate, really concentrate, on the people before me. Tonight we are having two families over for dinner. They don’t really know each other, but one is from church and the other have expressed interest in coming to church. I’ve been wanting to introduce them for a while. The more relaxed schedule of August makes dinners like this much easier to plan. And no one has to rush off and get the kids in bed for school the next day. Conversation is relaxed. People seem to let their guards down a bit, giving us an opportunity to bring faith into the discussion.

Tomorrow, we are headed about an hour away to the water park with this same family. Since it is hard to take our whole family on a vacation, it is nice to be able to take a vacation day here and there to spend some concentrated time building relationships.

This weekend we are hosting a missionary couple from the Rome area, and I really hope it can be a time of growth and encouragement (and rest, too!). This couple is in the very beginning stages of church planting in the Rome area, and the topic of building the Kingdom here in Italy always comes up. The following week another missionary will be staying with us for a few days.

When all is said and done, I want to look back on my summer knowing that we made many memories. I want to really know that we have used all of the opportunities that God had given us to share and encourage. When school starts, I want to see that we’ve all grown up a bit, not just the kids.

Until next month…

07.30.10

An oasis

Posted in Ancona, church, ministry at 1:43 am

There are perks to being a pastor in a city surrounded by the Adriatic Sea. Although Ancona itself isn’t known for its beaches, a 20 minute drive up or down the coast will get you to some of the finest places to spend a day off you could imagine.

We usually head to the beach before lunch, and take sandwiches to eat when we get hungry. The walk from the car to the beach is pretty far, and the uphill climb on the way home seems like it will never end. But fortunately for us, we have an oasis. One of the Romanian families that attends our church live just about half way between the beach and the parking lot. And they get offended if we don’t stop by and say hello.

One Saturday, quite a few of the church members organized to go to the beach together. There were maybe 15 or 20 of us there, and as the sun went down we all packed our stuff up to head home. I was lagging behind, arms full with the cooler and beach toys. As I got near the Romanian’s house, I noticed their front door open. And inside was … everyone! They were busy making espressos for everyone. The kids were already playing Playstation. People were laughing. At some point a watermelon found its way to the table.

And I was struck by how hospitable these friends were. They thought nothing of inviting 15 people into their small living room and serving coffee. We were all salty from the sea, and yet they invited us to sit on their furniture and chat. If anyone would have passed by their house, I truly think they would have been upset. So we sat practically on top of each other and recharged ourselves for the second half of the walk to the car.

Isn’t this how the church should be? Not just on beach days, but every day? Shouldn’t we always be ready to fling open our doors and invite in whoever happened to stop by? Shouldn’t our house look like an oasis to thirsty people passing by?

07.20.10

Drenched in Prayer

Posted in 24-7 Prayer, Ancona, Newsletters, church, ministry at 2:51 am

When the alarm went off at 6 AM on Monday, I wasn’t thinking good things about Kyle, my teammate.

Mondays are usually a slower day for me. I don’t have any regular meetings scheduled, and I spend part of my day planning out my week and thinking through conversations that took place on Sunday during our church service. The introvert in me takes some time to recharge on Mondays.

But this week was different. Kyle had the idea to do a Jericho prayer walk. Remember how the Israelites marched around Jericho one time a day for seven days, and on the seventh day they marched seven times? And as they finished the last lap, God miraculously brought the walls of the city down.

Ancona’s physical walls are long gone, but the spiritual walls here seem stronger than ever. The church here is making efforts at knocking them down, but sometimes it seems we have a long way to go.

We met at the monument at 7:00, walking along the Viale until we got to the port, and then we turned around and went back the way we came. It took about an hour every day.
We prayed for anything and everything: our church, the church members, our neighbors, spiritual growth, our leadership, maybe even world peace. We prayed for big things and small things.

That weekend, our church hosted another 24 hour prayer room, and this time the one-hour slots filled up very quickly. It seemed as though many went into the prayer room desperate for some time with their Creator.

Sunday morning, we finished the prayer walk with seven laps, though I couldn’t be there until the very end since Heidi was taking her turn in the prayer room. It was a week completely drenched in prayer.

It was also the hottest week we have had here in Ancona. Many of our activities take place at night when it is cooler, which made for a long day when the prayer walk starts at 7.

But I can’t think of a better reason to be tired. Despite my selfish bad thoughts when the alarm went off, a jump in the amount of time we spend talking to God can only be a good thing.

Because it really is up to Him, isn’t it? We make sure we’re the brightest possible light, and the saltiest Christians we can be.

So now we wait for the walls to come down.

06.25.10

Spiritual Retreats

Posted in Newsletters at 6:47 am

Some of you know that I recently (last month) accompanied a lady from our church down south to a Christian counseling center. The only Christian counseling center, really, since I know of no other here in Italy. She became a Christian in November at the age of 37, and has some extra baggage that is really weighing her down. She would love to be completely and totally free in Christ (which ultimately she is), but there are many things from her former life that she must overcome. She is single, and so there is no one at home with which she can share some of these burdens.

This brings me to the Counseling Center. What a beautiful place. After six hours of train travel plus an hour layover, we were tired, but in good spirits. We were glad to be there. From the moment Caranita (the counselor and, along with her husband, proprietor of the Counseling Center) met us at the tiny station, I was hooked. I knew that this had to be a place ordained by the Lord for the growth of His people. This was actually my friend’s second visit. She went the first time with another young lady from our church community, and I could tell that her intense counseling sessions were having an impact on her life. Caranita requires that no one comes to the center alone, and so I offered to come along on this adventure.

I must say that from my point of view, I was nervous. Not for her, but for me. What was I going to do for four days? I would be out in the country, completely “unplugged” from the world. I don’t remember ever doing that, really. No internet, no computer, no TV, nothing. But, from the moment we arrived, I felt at ease. She showed us where we would be staying, various things around the kitchen, and the outside grounds where I could take a walk. Cristina would be “working” from 9-12:30, with a short coffee break, then from 3-7. So, for most of the day, I was on my own. Those two days went by so fast. I spent time reading the Bible, studying, praying, listening to sermons, and just being outside among nature. Oh, how I recommend it. I know it’s not exactly practical for a mom to leave town and have a spiritual retreat, but you will never regret it. What about an hour drive to the lake? Or a train ride out of the city? Or an afternoon spent at a nearby park? Even a half a day away from it all is enough to give your walk with the Lord a real boost. Even if you’re scared that you won’t be able to fill the time, make the decision and just go. The time will be filled, trust me. And you’ll be better for it in the end.

05.30.10

Fish dinner, diesel fumes, and friends

Posted in Ancona, culture, family, food, friends at 2:21 am

Some good friends of ours invited us to attend a fish dinner down by the port. The area of town is called Gli Archi (The Arches), and all of the buildings have a large sidewalk in front and are covered with huge arches.

The dinner was a benefit for some non-profit organization. They spread out picnic tables underneath the arches and everyone mingled around until the boy scouts hurried by to take tickets and bring the food.

There is a street right in front of the arches, and it’s one of the main ways into town. Traffic tapered off as dinner went on, but the occasional bus or streetbike roaring by quickly reminded us to hang on to the kids.

When people think of Italy they often think of a fancy restaurant or a big plate of pasta. They picture wine glasses and pizza. And to be sure, the big fancy Italian dinner is something we enjoy about living here.

But as I sat, scrunched on a flimsy picnic bench with family and friends on either side, I realized that I would much rather have dinner sotto gli archi than in some fancy restaurant. The seafood pasta and fried fish was great, but not nearly as great as the company. I found myself smiling as Trey chatted with Maurizio, as Silla grabbed Francesca to take her for a walk, as Marco brought over a huge dessert that he bought before the pastry shop closed. Dinners like this are just as much for the company as the food.

But … the food was delicious, too!

05.24.10

Volatility

Posted in finances at 9:57 am

There something that I’ve never been quite able to explain to people when we go back home: the effects of the exchange rate. I think most people don’t really get it because it is just completely unfamiliar. How can a dollar not be worth a dollar? I ask people to try and imagine that over the course of two years, your paycheck decreases by 20%. And the cost of living increases during those same two years. And somehow you have to find a way to pay the bills and support the ministry.

This chart shows us the dollar/euro exchange rate from today all the way back to the day we’ve moved here in April, 2005. Recently, the exchange rate has dropped down to about where it was back then. But those two big humps in the middle are what make life pretty interesting.

It’s a helpless feeling. I honestly don’t even understand how the exchange rate gets decided. I know the banks are involved, and there’s something about investor confidence, and possibly a dice role and the phase of the moon. But it means that sometimes my rent payment is $1,232 and sometimes it’s $960. Sometimes the grocery budget is $158 a week and sometimes it’s $123. Sometimes a tank of gas costs $113 and sometimes it costs $88.

We also hate it because we see our supporter’s money, the people who make such big sacrifices to see a church planted in Ancona, worth less and less and no one can do anything about it.

Except for God. Sometimes he has people send a little extra support one month. Sometimes someone in Italy surprises us with a gift. Sometimes we find something we need on sale at just the right time. And sometimes … he has the banker whose hand is on the dial marked “dollar/euro exchange rate” shift things in our favor so that we can pay the light bill.

05.21.10

Milestones

Posted in Newsletters at 1:34 am

Last month we hit a milestone in our ministry here. Five years ago, we were a scared little family of five, getting on an airplane with thirteen rubbermaids full of all that we owned, ready to conquer the world, but not having much of a clue about how to do that.

We struggled through language school. We fought against the differences in the way of life here. We watched our kids battle brand new schools where Italian is the only language spoken. We got a little beat up along the way. We’re different people than we were when all of this started. Our teammates may have even taken some of the punches we threw when times got difficult (but like good teammates, they stuck around and pulled us out of the pit). And here we stand, five years later, content to be working with this great little church in Ancona, Italy.

Well … mostly content. We still have our ups and downs – more ups than downs for sure. God isn’t finished molding and forming us. The team is different than when we started, but it is still there for us and helping us press on. And the more we get to know the people in Ancona, the more we long for them to experience the grace and love that God gives us every day.

In these five years, I’ve learned to relax a bit. I’m pretty high-strung. I get stressed easily. I learned quickly that if I didn’t stop trying to control everything that we wouldn’t make it here. I had to learn to make little jumps of faith – trusting that God would be there to catch me. We’ve faced financial difficulties, problems with our legal status, misunderstandings in the church, even the stress of a childbirth overseas.

Lots of people in Italy know about the Bible, and many could probably recite a story or two. They may know about Jesus or about some of the things that he did. But making that jump from knowledge to faith is a big one.

So I feel like I can kind of relate to those around me. Getting friends to talk about spiritual things with me is like asking them to make a little jump of faith. Challenging people to read the Bible to see if what they believe holds up to what is written is a little jump of faith. Me trusting God to take care of us day by day is a little jump of faith. A jump here, a jump there … isn’t that really what life as a Christian is about?

Sometimes I wonder … did God call us to Italy just so that He could work on some of my issues? Can the changes He’s making in me be an example for others?

Thanks for sticking with us for these five years.

05.18.10

Nostalgia

Posted in culture, ministry at 9:31 am

It’s spelled just like the English word (I’m guessing we stole it from Italian). But it’s pronounced a bit differently: no-stal-gì-a. And it has about the same meaning: longing for the past, wishing for things that once were. But the Italian word has a nuance that we don’t have in English. It also means homesickness.

Every now and then I get hit by a little no-stal-gì-a. I find myself spending time on Facebook looking up people back home. I call people for no reason just to chat. I wonder what so-and-so is up to right now. Cultural things that are normally just differences become irritating. The line in the post office seems longer, the cash register at the grocery store less organized, the bureaucracy even thicker. It’s easy for me to work from home instead of forcing myself to be out. I find myself retreating into my little introverted world and I have to force myself out (or maybe find the right people to coax me out).

I wish I could find a cause for the occasional outburst of no-stal-gì-a. I think it seems to come after a certain length of time in Italy. Sometimes a particularly stressful event with the culture sets me off (there’s another blog post cooking about this very thing). And then it just kind of goes away and life starts to feel a bit more normal. But then, when you live with your feet in two different countries, with family and friends on both sides of the Atlantic, surely a little no-stal-gì-a is normal, right?

05.02.10

Life without Grandparents

Posted in church, culture, family, kids, parenting at 2:49 am

One thing I have been struck by lately is how involved Italian grandparents are in their grandkids’ lives. Italians seem to have much less of a desire to leave home to find jobs or an education, and so extended families living nearby is more common. In many Italian homes, the husband and wife both have to work to make ends meet. And so the kids head to grandma and grandpa’s house after school. There is a lot of gray hair as I wait to pick up the kids after school or as I drop the kids off at soccer or swimming.

But it’s more than just free babysitting. Italian kids seem to enjoy a closer relationship with their grandparents. And it’s made me realize how little contact my kids have with theirs. It really does make life harder. I know my kids miss out on that special bond with grandma and grandpa (and it’s our fault – we’re the ones who moved here). They miss getting to know adults who are less busy and have more time to focus on kid-stuff. Heidi and I miss having someone who can watch the kids for date nights (which hardly ever happen when the going rate for babysitters is $15/hour). I think even our church misses out on the wisdom that grandparents bring. The internet does allow a bit more of a connection than would normally be possible via letters and phone calls. But the distance is still there and still changes things.

And I have yet to find a way to fill that gap.

04.28.10

The Joys of Preaching in Your Second Language

Posted in language at 6:39 am

What I wanted to say:

Posso incoraggiare, e posso scoraggiare. I can encourage and I can discourage.

What I said:

Posso incoraggiare, e posso scoreggiare. I can encourage and I can fart.

What a difference one little letter makes.