01.19.12

Ten Years?!

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…

Permalink 1 Comment

12.23.11

The Fall of Man and Christmas

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…

Permalink Comments

11.29.11

Greetings…

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…

Permalink 2 Comments

10.28.11

Re-Entry

Posted in 24-7 Prayer, culture, language, Newsletters at 8:49 am

Re-entry. I suppose that’s a fancy name for returning to the mission field after an absence like our furlough this summer. We’ve been back about six weeks now. Some days it feels like we just returned, and others it seems like we’ve been back forever. Last night, for example, I went to the theatre with some friends, and though the play was in a bit of Naples’ dialect (the worst!!!), I understood what was going on!! My friend sitting next to me said that at times she couldn’t keep up because of the dialect. These kind of days make me feel right “at home.” Another time, though, I felt myself struggling to get the words out while speaking to some parents at Frannie’s school about how they felt about one of the teachers. Talk about embarrassing. “Hi nice to meet you. Listen to me stumble and speak like a third grader.” Oh, the life of a missionary…

My favorite part of re-entry? I have loved getting reacquainted with each church member and seeing how they have grown over the summer. What a blessing. With Francesca now in pre-school, I have a little more time in the mornings to go calling on the ladies in the church. Our new mom, Simona, really has a need for company right now. I’ve been able to go to her house and spend time talking and praying with her. What a joy to be able to pray together.

Two weeks ago I was blessed to be able to go to a 24/7 Prayer Conference called the Eurogathering in Frankfurt, Germany. I know that we just got back to Ancona, but I couldn’t pass it up. It turned out to be a great decision. We really had a great time praying for the continent of Europe and all of the countries represented there. How wonderful it was to see how big God’s church is, and also what great need there still is to bring the gospel to Europe.

What’s next? Well, next week Brian must return to the states for two weeks. He will be attending the Team Leaders’ Summit at Team Expansion, as well as heading off to the Joplin area to visit with churches there. Since this summer was cut quite short, we didn’t have time to visit that area. If you could pray for him as he travels, that would be appreciated. If you want to add the kids and I in there, we’d love your prayers as well.

Thanks for all that you do for us. We couldn’t make it without you!!

Permalink Comments

09.26.11

Grinding Gears

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.

Permalink 1 Comment

08.26.11

Heading Back

Posted in Newsletters at 2:40 pm

I can hardly believe it. Summer is winding down. Most of you would probably say that summer is over. The kids are back in school, there is a little more routine to your routine, and the days are getting shorter. Labor Day is approaching fast.

I must say, I am a little envious. We’ve had a whirlwind of a summer, and are enjoying many “lasts,” but I am definitely ready to walk around my own house. I’m looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. The kids, though they deny it, are ready to go back to school. Francesca starts school this year. I can’t wait to take pictures and meet her classmates.

So, in two weeks, we head home. We have had a great summer sharing with you all. Because we had to cut it by a month, it has been pretty fast paced but very enjoyable. We may not have seen everyone, but you are always in our hearts. We appreciate you so very much. Thank you for a great summer. Thanks for being so encouraging. Thanks for welcoming us. I hope that this relationship continues into the coming years. Being far from “home,” we really appreciate your ongoing encouragement.

As I look forward to returning, there is always a little nervousness. I’ve already been asked to accompany a lady from our church down south to the counseling center. Brian will be needed to jump right in with preaching. I will be looked upon to teach the children. Though we love it and wouldn’t want to do anything else, there is always a little difficulty in the whole start/stop/reverse of it all. We would appreciate your prayers as we settle into life back in Italy.

As I think about the transition, it reminds me of how I was feeling shortly after Francesca was born. With four children, sometimes it feels like I’m always on the go. Like there’s no personal space. Like someone is always touching me and asking something of me. But then I realized something. Jesus knew exactly how I felt. He was being followed. People were trying to touch him and asking things of him. And he gave me an excellent example. He intentionally pulled away from the crowds and went to a quiet place. He spent time praying and just being with the Father. For me this summer has been a little of both. Please pray that our transition time back to Italy would allow for God’s peace to rest upon us.

Permalink 1 Comment

08.04.11

Are we there yet?

Posted in home service, kids, Newsletters, travel at 1:54 pm

I just went outside and looked at the odometer on the van we’ve been using. Total miles traveled since we’ve been in the US: 5,985. And we’re not done yet.

That is a lot of time in the van with the kids. Lots of corn fields in Iowa. Lots of hunting for a Redbox to entertain the back seat. Lots of sermons and NPR podcasts listened to. Lots of breaking up the fights over who is on who’s side.

And there have been times when I have thought, “What on earth am I doing? Is the travel worth all the headache? Does anyone really care if we’re in town or not?”

Once my pity party is over and I settle down a bit my mind wanders back to the many conversations we’ve had with our supporters all over the place. I remember the churches we’ve visited and how they’ve went out of their way to make us feel at home. I think about the little bit of time with my nephews and my mom and my sisters and brother and Grandma Cierpiot and cousins and aunts and uncles and maybe even my in-laws*. And all of that really does make all the miles worth it.

I love talking about the church in Ancona. I love bragging on all the great things that God is doing. I love talking about the eight people baptized since the last time we were in the US. I love dreaming and praying about the future and what God might have in store for us.

But I miss home. The kids miss their rooms and their stuff. I’m so tired of digging through luggage to find clothes for the day. I miss Marcus and Kyle, my awesome teammates. I miss the church, and how Italians hug and kiss hello and goodbye. I miss the smell of the Adriatic and how it reminds me of Beach Church.

Can you tell my emotions swing back and forth when I come back to the US?

I think every missionary who had ever written a newsletter while on furlough has said something about the difficulty of defining “home.” All of this (Ancona or Rockford, Illinois) is temporary until we are all united together on the New Earth. So true, isn’t it? It’s great to be in Ancona, making sure the Anconetani are invited to the party.

Until next month…

*Just kidding. I like my in-laws!

Permalink 2 Comments

05.24.11

The Opposite of Vacation

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.

Permalink 2 Comments

04.18.11

Tomorrow…

Posted in Newsletters at 10:22 am

Tomorrow. Tomorrow is a day we have prayed for for quite a while. By the time you read this, it may be over. But Saturday April 16 at 7pm (12 noon CST), Simone and Marianna will be baptized into Christ at the local swimming pool. Tears are brimming even as I type. I can’t help but to be overjoyed at how the Lord is at work here in Italy. We are growing. Our little, budding church is growing! Right now in profondità, as we say in Italian (depth for you English speakers). Next, we need you to pray that these new believers will start sharing the Gospel so that we can grow and reach others, as well. “Deep and wide,” as the children’s song goes, right? Please pray for Simone, Marianna, and the Chiesa di Cristo La Via this month as we all grow together.

I must admit something. I love to write to you and tell stories and say flowery things to try and inspire all of us to care just a little more about world missions and our role in it. But, right now, I’m thinking about this summer. So many things need to fall into place for our furlough. Because our kids are even older this time, and school is very important, we are shrinking our home service even more. We now have roughly 3 months to do and see what could reasonably take twice as long. We must jump from place to place this year. We hope to see as many of you as possible, but are unsure of how it will all work. I, the “fly by the seat of your pants” person in our family, made a color coded calendar! Brian asked me the other day, “Who are you?” As Mom, I desire everything to be calm, happy, fulfilling, joy-filled, and the list could go on. So, here I am. I’d like to throw out to you our most pressing need.

We are in need of a car. There are 6 people in our family, so unfortunately we need something relatively on the big side. If you or anyone you know can lend us a car for 3 months, or even a part of this time, please let us know. If it would help you or your business, the mileage put on the car is, in fact, a tax-deductible donation to the ministry.

Please pray about how you can help in this way.

Thanks so much for all you do for us. Lately, I have been overwhelmed with such a sense of gratitude. God really is at work, and I have been able to see it with my very eyes. Thanks for your financial support and prayers. We appreciate you.

Permalink 1 Comment

03.23.11

Hanging out with the guys

Posted in church, Newsletters at 8:24 am

Permalink 2 Comments