That’s what’s so wonderful about this missionary live that we lead. We get to be a part of such wonderful things. Sometimes people treat us as if we are sacrificing some big thing to be missionaries. Honestly, sure I love my country and my family and my home and even Mexican food. A lot. But as Jim Elliot, famous missionary to Ecuador once said, “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” I don’t really want to be a fool. There’s nothing here on this earth that really matters that much to me compared to the glory that awaits us in heaven (not even Bath and Body Works or Ranch dressing). My family, of course, but things? Experiences? Trips to Disney like other American families? Meh. Not really all it’s cracked up to be, in my opinion.

The thing is, you’re a part of this journey, too. And we thank you for working with us. A more modern author, John Piper, says, “Go, send, or disobey.” I love it. So true. So, we work together you and I. We go. You send. And the Kingdom (including all of us) reaps the benefits. Benefits way cooler than a big portfolio or 401K.

We also celebrated an anniversary this month. We have now lived in Italy for seven years. We used to approach our arrival anniversary days with excitement and maybe a little party with our teammates. But this year’s anniversary came and went without a big to-do. We actually hardly even remembered. I think that means we’re doing OK! Thanks for sticking with us!

And if you think that, you would be wrong. Fear is a constant enemy, it’s something that the enemy uses to try and cripple the ministry here in Ancona.

Let me give you an example. I was working on the finances for our church for 2011. I was zooming out to try and get a look at the big picture. Where did our money come from? Where did it go? Where do we need to spend more / spend less in 2012? One observation was very clear: most of our funds came from foreign sources. Churches back in the US, individuals who love our church, and even us missionaries have given to keep up the payments on our church building.

Our biggest goal, the one that drives everything else, is to leave Ancona. We want to leave the church in the hands of the members that God has given us. We want to train leaders and trust the Holy Spirit to guide them in the same way He has guided us. Financially, however, we haven’t been doing a very good job.

No minister likes talking about money. No one (OK, maybe a few people) likes looking at spreadsheets. And no one, me especially, likes looking out at our church members – many of whom are un- or under-employed – and telling them that it is time to step up to the plate. It’s time to start giving not because the church needs the money, but because they need to give.

So I faced my fears … and was amazed at how I saw God moving. Our conversation last Wednesday night didn’t focus on euro signs and how to tighten the budget. It focused on how to have enough faith to give to God the first 10% and not the leftovers. It focused on the joy that is found when even our bank accounts are submitted to God’s will, and how freeing it is to remember that nothing physical is really ours anyway.

So I am slowly learning to face my fears. We can’t allow ourselves the luxury of not saying “the hard things” that need to be said. We can’t ignore opportunities to spread the Gospel for fear of what others would think. Because in many ways, the whole ministry is depending on it.

Until next month…

Sure enough, there was snow! And Lance running into my room telling me we were late for school. There was no school that day, I told him. And, as it turned out, for the next eleven days! That’s right. We just had eleven snow days. There was no way we could get our car out, and the bus that comes near our house didn’t run for most of that time. When we got desperate, Trey and I hiked down to the grocery store with backpacks to haul some milk back up the hill. The store looked like war times, with so many empty spaces and not even a bag of flour on the shelves!

We played in the snow, and drank endless mugs of hot chocolate. We stilled our lives and listened to each other.

Yes, it was a little annoying that what we call “winter” in northern Illinois was a “snow emergency” in Ancona. Sure, it was hard when no one could get to church because of the roads. But, I must say, we did reap the rewards of “together time.”

I love how God fashions this season of Winter. The trees are bare, the sun goes down early, and things are still and quiet. We stay in more. We rest more. And just when we don’t know what to do with ourselves, He brings us spring. The trees start to bud. The flowers poke out of the still cold ground.

Isn’t life so like that? We have down times. A dry spell. Tragedy. Difficulty. Whatever you want to call it, really. The bottom line is we’re forced to be still. And in that stillness we hear it. That still, small voice calling us. Bringing us closer to Him and to each other. Then comes spring. The warmth, the flowers, the joy of it all. And we see that the winter really was worth it.

This year we are eagerly looking forward to spring, that’s for sure. But the little surprises of winter still make us smile.

Want to see photos of Ancona Sotto la Neve (Ancona Under the Snow)? Click here…

Until next month…

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…

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…

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…

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!!

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.

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.

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!