01.19.12
Posted in Ancona, church, ministry, Newsletters
at 2:36 am
Did I really just type “Volume 10” up there? Have we been a part of the team here in Ancona for ten years? How is that possible? The first few years were spent raising funds in the US (that was tough), but Heidi and I are about to hit our seventh anniversary in Italy.
The changes that we’ve seen in those ten years are really incredible. We’ve watched the church go from all-Americans to a mix of Italians, Romanians, and Americans. We’ve seen teammates come and go. We’ve crammed Italian into our heads and I still get excited when it comes out right. We’ve changed ministry roles. Our kids have gone through preschool, elementary, and middle school. Heidi and I (OK, mostly Heidi) have matured and grown through years of difficult ministry. Despite all of the change, one constant remains. God’s presence. We cannot help but look back over these ten years and see how God has been moving and shaping things to lead us up to this moment.
The church here in Ancona is young, but maturing. We pray a lot together. We study together. We’re still working on establishing leadership in the church and we’re praying God brings in a harvest through us soon. But I can honestly tell you that I have never been a part of a community of believers like this one. I am so proud to see how far we’ve come.
Our goal has always been to work ourselves out of a job, and we’re getting to the point where that finally looks possible. As a team we have decided that, with God’s help, we think our work will be done in Ancona within five years. It will require a lot of hard work between now and then, and there are a lot of question marks still, but I’m beginning to see how the presence of the “paid experts” can harm a church after a while. It seems like our church members’ gifts will never mature and develop when there’s never really a need for them. And so we cautiously, prayerfully, begin the process of disengaging.
Thanks to our supporters, some of whom have been with us all ten years. That’s really incredible, isn’t it? Ten years of prayers and donations to see this church plant happen, and now we’re at the “beginning of the end.” Please keep praying and lifting this church up. We need it now more than ever.
Until next month…
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12.23.11
Posted in church, family, ministry, Newsletters
at 2:16 am
Last Sunday in church I decided to take the unusual step of teaching about the fall of man, found in Genesis 3, on the Sunday before Christmas. Typically the topics around Christmas tend to come from passages found a bit later in the Bible. There are angels and wise men and a manger. But something led me to shake things up a bit. I was struck by the fact that just hours after Adam and Eve disobeyed God, a plan was already in place to destroy sin. God cursed the snake (the devil) and said that he may be able to inflict some pain, but one day, one of Adam and Eve’s descendants, will deliver a fatal blow. It struck me that God was ready to do what it takes to fix this problem of sin that affects all of us.
It’s normal to think about Jesus’ sacrifice a little closer to Easter. Christmas is when we focus on the birth of Jesus. We picture the idyllic scene of Mary & Joseph and the animals all gathered around Jesus. And it’s really hard for us to fast forward thirty-some years and see that baby all grown up and hanging on the cross.
But that’s what was in God’s mind just after Adam & Eve ate the forbidden fruit. He was willing to sacrifice his own Son to fix our mistake. The baby Jesus is connected to the crucified Jesus and is connected to the resurrected Jesus.
We’ve been in Italy almost seven years now. And we’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to teach about the real, life-changing Jesus that we read about in the Bible to a nation of people who have spent generations keeping Him at arm’s length. We’ve messed up a lot, we’ve strained to hear God’s voice and see his directions. And after all that work, He has blessed us by using us to lead a small group of believers who are growing by leaps and bounds.
Many of you reading this had a part in the creation of this church. Isn’t it beautiful how the Body of Christ works? It really does cross over all of these silly lines we’ve written on the maps. Thank you for caring enough to sacrifice for a group of believers you probably won’t meet this side of eternity.
May God bless you with a relaxing Christmas, and may we spend some time thanking Him who already knew how to fix this sin problem of ours before we even started sinning.
Until next month…
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11.29.11
Posted in church, Newsletters
at 10:52 am
Greetings! I’ve been reading through Paul’s letters lately, and I love how he sends greetings to everyone in the different churches. It is a fun insight into the lives of the believers. I’ve often thought it would be fun to say things like…
To those at Shively, greetings in the name of our Lord. May you be blessed by Ben and his ministry to you all. We were most excited to spend time with him last summer and see the love he had for you and for our Lord.
To my dearest brothers and sisters at Central. The past couple of years have been hard, but take heart, I see Christ working in you and in Sherm as he leads the flock. What an encouragement and blessing to see those who desire to follow the Lord with all their heart.
To my friends and brothers in Oswego. Oh, how my heart aches for Lisa and Phil. How we in Italy pray for you. We desire to see the Lord continue to bless you with all of the spiritual blessings in Christ. Know that you are in our hearts and in our prayers. May our love for you extend across the miles.
To our dear friends in Joplin. We know that you have become tired, and we see that sometimes it is easy to be overwhelmed. But do not be discouraged. Do not become weary in doing good. You will one day reap a harvest.
To our brothers and sisters in Yamhill County, Oregon. I know it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other, but I think of you often. You are not far from my heart. The church at Ancona sends its blessings. I pray that one of you may come and see the work that God is doing here in Italy. Oh how I long for you to see what your prayers and offerings are contributing to the Kingdom.
I want you to know that each one of you is appreciated. You are not just people who write checks. You are God’s people, people whom we are blessed to know. We think of you often. We pray for you frequently. You are not far from our hearts. We know you by name, no matter if you think you are important or not. And this Thanksgiving, as we count our many blessings, we want you to know that you are high on our list. Thank you for all that you do for us. What a blessing to have you on our team.
Until next month…
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09.26.11
Posted in Ancona, church, family, Newsletters
at 7:48 am
Do you remember what it was like to learn to drive a stick shift? Cars with a manual transmission are becoming more and more rare in the US, but here they are very common.
In high school, part of our driver’s ed course included a few lessons on how to drive a stick shift. There were two of us in the back seat, the instructor on the right, and in the driver’s seat was the poor guy who was the first to try out a clutch. The noises that the car made as we all learned the nuances of just the right amount of gas and clutch were awful. Everyone within a mile knew that someone at the high school was learning how to drive a stick.
I experience a bit of that every time we come back to Ancona after some time in the US. Sometimes the gears grind a bit as I get used to the way of life here. The language comes slower after three months of speaking English. On a good day my sense of direction is bad. Being away from Ancona for a while makes it even worse. Our team has been separated during the summer, and being together again takes some getting used to.
All of these things are little adjustments. Added together and concentrated into a cross-cultural reentry, and you get a little bit of gear-grinding. Nothing that will burn out the clutch.Even now, a couple of weeks later, things seem much more normal. We’ve gotten in touch with most of our friends, even had some over for dinner. Heidi amazes me as she shifts gears into buying groceries over here (a much different chore compared to the US). The kids dove right into school again. Francesca even started preschool and is beginning to remember all the Italian she forgot.
But despite the gear grinding, it’s good to be back. Our few meetings back with the church members have been so refreshing.In a few weeks our team will be having a team retreat (though with the kids in school we won’t actually be going anywhere). Can I ask you to start praying for our time together? Pray that God would speak clearly to us, and would reveal the next step that he has for the church here. More than anything we want to see a vibrant, growing, independent, Italian church! Ask God to show us what He would have us do.
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05.24.11
Posted in church, home service, Newsletters, Team
at 12:03 am
Two weeks from today we will be back in the US. One of our church members was asking the other day what we do for home service. I jokingly explained to her that people in the US think that we’re on vacation when we’re in Italy, and people in Italy think that we’re on vacation when we’re in the US. Unfortunately, neither is true.
Three reasons for us coming home are: 1) To update our supporters on the progress of the work. 2) To see family and friends for the first time in almost two years. 3) To recharge our batteries a bit. This home service will be a bit different, since we are cutting one month compared to last time. The kids’ school schedule is much more demanding now, and having them miss significant amounts of school would be very difficult for them. So we’re trying to cram as much as possible in three months.
Here’s a rough schedule:
June: Louisville, KY and San Antonio, TX
July: Kansas City, MO, Wichita, KS, and Sioux City, IA
August: Yamhill Co., OR
Our “base” where we will return in between visits will be Rockford, IL.
Since our teammate, Kyle Koval, is facing a significant financial deficit, he will also be in the US fund raising this summer. Which leaves the church in Marcus Van Dorn’s capable hands. I actually am excited about the significant reduction in “American Pastors” this summer. I think it comes at a time when the church is beginning to see the need to take responsibility of the church, as well as begin to use their own gifts. Perhaps our absence will be a bit of a wake-up call that our team will not be around Ancona forever, and that it has been part of the plan from the beginning to train leaders to take our places.
Can I ask you to pray? First, pray for Marcus this summer. Ask God to prompt the church to take things over, and also seek to care of Marcus as well. Second, pray for our home service. I feel like we have left out much of the “recharging” part, which concerns me a little, but we really didn’t have much choice. Third, pray for the church. Help them to discover their gifts and use them, and pray for leaders to rise up.
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03.23.11
Posted in church, Newsletters
at 8:24 am
Every now and then the subject of a “guys night out” comes up in church. We usually go to Maurizio’s apartment (which overlooks the Adriatic and is beautiful in the summertime) and order pizza or fried seafood or something else “manly.”
Last weekend we were just sitting around and stuffing our faces with seafood I’ve never seen before, when Matteo said something that really surprised me.
He turned to Daniel, who was recently baptized, and said, “Even if I didn’t believe in the Holy Spirit, after seeing the change in your life since you were baptized I would have to believe in Him.”
I have heard statements like that about Daniel from others in our church as well. The change really has been dramatic to watch. And it’s not like he and his wife were these horrible “sinners” before. They have been believers for some time, have attended our church for years, and just recently decided to show their obedience to Christ by getting baptized. But there is an intensity to both of them now. Their lives have a different purpose, there is something (someone) inside of them that is changing and transforming them.
It’s really an incredible thing to be a part of. To see someone take their first, hesitant steps as a new Christian makes the work “worth it.” And (between you and me) I’m pretty sure it’s about to happen again very soon with another couple in our church!
As summer gets closer we’re starting to think more and more about our home service. The tickets are purchased and we’re starting to fill up the time with visits with churches and supporters, family and friends. We have lost some support since our last time in the US, and need to raise about $1,000 per month. Kyle, our teammate, faces an even larger deficit. If he isn’t able to raise the funds he needs, we will have to seriously consider whether or not he will be able to return to the field. And we need him here!
We often hear from missionaries that serve in other countries who are facing rough times financially. The economy stinks all over. But God’s Kingdom is much stronger than any IRA or stock market index. We believe in the work here, we believe in seeing the people of Ancona experience a change like we’ve seen in Daniel & Simona. And we believe that God will continue to make our work possible. Will you join us?
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03.21.11
Posted in Ancona, church, culture
at 11:46 am
The season of Lent started a week or so ago. It’s a preparation time for Easter, when many will fast by giving up certain foods, hobbies, entertainment, and other pleasurable things. So naturally, to prepare for this season of fasting (which begins on Ash Wednesday), the faithful invented Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday). The thinking is, if we’re going to have to give up a bunch of stuff for six weeks, we may as well live it up the day before.
This guy knows how to party
We went to a Martedì Grasso festival at a nearby town that is known for its yearly parade. It was a lot of fun. Silly string and confetti were everywhere, and there is an annual competition to make the most elaborate float. Some were as tall as the four-story buildings that lined the parade route. Most had kid-friendly themes like Disney characters. But one had the theme of “Italia Sexy Party” complete with topless, 20-foot-tall paper mâché dancers. A really great thing to explain to your 12-year-old.
It really got me thinking. Doesn’t it bother anyone that we have a whole holiday devoted to “sinning” before we get down to business and be serious and fast and stuff? I think seasons where we devote more time to growing in our faith are a great idea, but it sort of shows our true intentions if we precede that time with a bunch of last-minute goofing around before the clock starts.
In our city, the Mardi Gras parade was held last Saturday, a good week and a half after Lent began. If that doesn’t show how unimportant Lent is, I’m not sure what does.
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03.07.11
Posted in Ancona, church, Newsletters
at 9:35 am
Last year I did some studying on the season of lent. I found that even through the cold and nastiness of the winter, I really was enjoying watching God’s plans laid out before me. We’ve heard it all before, I guess. You have to go through the Winter in order to get to the Spring. The cold comes, the wind blows and beats against the house, oh wait … that’s another story.
All kidding and cliches aside, the seasons do happen for a reason. Have you ever stopped to notice the fast pace of life to which we have grown quite accustomed? What happened this year when many were forced to take snow days? Did you feel like you had to practically sit on your hands in order to stop, relax, and enjoy your time?
But, I believe that God made our world this way for a reason. A huge, undeniable, illustration for all of us. The weather changes, the leaves fall, the rain comes, and we are forced to slow down. We long for times in a quiet chair with a blanket, a book, and a hot beverage of choice (coffee, of course). Then, colder temperatures come. We must spend more time indoors. While we are spending time inside, we are watching everything die outside. Flowers and plants are dying. Trees have no leaves, and often dead, dry limbs fall making room for new growth. The ground lays dormant, but something is happening. And, just when we can’t take it anymore, we see it. The first bud on the tree. The first sign that the roses made it through the winter after all. The first truly warm, sunny day. Joy comes to rest for a while. Sunshine and warmth fill us.
I need the winter. I didn’t think so before, and it doesn’t always make me happy now, either. But, I slow down. I look at people’s faces more. I’m less distracted. It is cold. It is even scary. It is often sad. Dreary. But I would never appreciate the spring if I didn’t have to live through the winter. I wouldn’t appreciate the sunshine and flowers if I hadn’t just experienced darkness and death.
Surely we’re all experiencing a little darkness. But, oh what joy comes when God reveals Himself in the Springtime of our lives. May you usher in a beautiful season of growth in your life. Please pray that our little church here in Ancona can experience an Amazing Spring of growth and wonder!
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02.08.11
Posted in church, Newsletters
at 4:11 am
Several years ago, our team decided to join an ecumenical group of pastors and leaders of other churches in our area. There’s a wide range of attendees: several Catholics, a methodist minister, a pastor from the apostolic church, and even some Romanian Orthodox priests. It’s a motley crew, and sometimes I wonder if there is anything at all that we have in common.
An ecumenical week of prayer is held at the end of January each year. This year we were asked to host one of the nights at our church’s meeting place, as well as participate in a modified Catholic mass at a nearby church.
I was quite surprised when the priest who was organizing the mass sent me an email explaining that he had invited two Mormon missionaries to come and speak as well.
Overall, I would say that the average Anconetano looks at Protestants with a little suspicion. There are so many misconceptions, and it seems like a lot of what they know about us is based on a half-truth that they overheard long ago. Opportunities for us to go to them and explain what we believe can only be a good thing.
So when we found out we were sharing the microphone with Mormons, I was concerned. Not because I didn’t want to debate or was afraid of getting backed into a corner. Mostly because I didn’t want any more confusion about what we believe.
The big night came. We talked a bit about our church’s history and how we ended up here in Ancona. Marcus led everyone in a few songs. Kyle shared some thoughts on a passage from Isaiah. The Mormons were invited to do the same.
And that’s when I noticed that the crowd didn’t seem to happy to hear what they had to say. A couple of questions about some of the stranger Mormon beliefs were brought up, and it quickly became clear the crowd wasn’t buying it.
It seemed that I really didn’t have to “debate” anyone. I spoke the truth about what we believed as simply as possible. And somehow God caused the truth to bubble up to the surface.
My prayer is that we can continue to be God’s spokesmen here in Ancona, and for truth to always rise to the top.
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12.21.10
Posted in Ancona, church, family, kids, Newsletters
at 12:42 am
Do you ever wonder where the time goes? Sometimes I ask, and sometimes I don’t. Right now, though, looking at this growing family sitting in front of the Christmas tree, I have to wonder how we slid through this year so quickly? Just last year, the kids still seemed like kids (not the pre-teen mess I often see staring back at me 
). We had a new Christian sister and brother among us (Jacob was baptized in October and Cristina in November). We were getting ready for Christmas, including a fun Christmas Open House that we hosted at church. We were preparing to head off to Germany for the Mid-Winter Rally. So many things lay before us.
Now, I’m looking at all that we have accomplished as a family and church this year. Our own Chloe was baptized on July 25th. I would have to say that that is our biggest thing that we celebrated as a family. We also rejoiced with Daniel and Simona as they were baptized in October. They have been with us for so long, and it is so wonderful to see them really growing in their faith. This year was a real turning point for them. Let’s continue to pray that they can get rid of all of the hindrances (like superstitions and other things from their former ways of thinking).
We celebrated birthdays and beach days. We hosted many in our home. We shared in an awesome Bible Study with our friends Simone and Marianna, and then started a new one including one of the newest members of our church, Sam. Which brings me to the new folks that have joined us. We have a new family. Sam and Roxanna, their daughter (a precious 3 year old) Diana, Roxanna’s 18 year old brother Paul, and her parents, Michela and Stellian. What a joy they have been.
Like you, I can’t always recall each and everything that has happened throughout the year. Fortunately for us, God helps us forget the bad (though I’m getting older and starting to forget the good, too). I know that the kids have grown taller. I’ve noticed less hugs in public, and more heart to heart talks in private. I see a man I married 13 years ago, and couldn’t be happier with that decision. I see a growing community of believers that God has called us here to disciple. I see a blank slate before me. I look out the window at the amazing amounts of snow falling (it never snows like this here) and know that if there is anything I messed up this year, anything that didn’t go as planned, that’s OK. Why? Because His word tells me that he will make me whiter than snow! I have a chance for renewal, for change. So, I look at last year with joy! And I look at this next year with hope! And I’m praying that you can do the same, too.
Until next month…
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