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!

This was really driven home to me last Sunday in church. During the prayer time, the man who led the prayer listed the soldiers to pray for and mentioned the care packages that would be sent to them. No matter what a person’s opinion about the war, praying for the safety of the soldiers overseas is a good thing. Then the man leading prayer talked about how glad he was to live in the “best country in the world” and how blessed we are to be in this country. It was the Sunday before Independence Day, so patriotism was high.

After church, my kids brought up the man’s prayer time, and how he said the US was the best country in the world. They told me that they didn’t think Italians would say the US is the best country in the world, and asked us why he would say something like that in a prayer time. It showed me how much my kids really do see things from a broader perspective. The world to them, as well as God’s Kingdom, is bigger than whatever country they happen to find themselves in.

The man’s prayer time, while certainly well-intentioned, pointed out a danger for mixing patriotism and faithfulness as a Christian. We may be Americans or Italians or South Sudanese, but our real citizenship is heaven.

After a record-breaking trip of only 13 hours or so, we made it back to Chicago to the smiling faces of Heidi’s mom and sister. After a few days of rest while our bodies recovered from the time difference, we headed off on our first trip: Louisville, Kentucky.

Shively Christian Church is a wonderful church that actually decided to begin the work in Ancona about 14 years ago. It was our privilege to meet with them during our stay in Louisville. It’s not an exaggeration in the least to say that the church in Ancona wouldn’t exist without the visionary members who listened to God’s prompting years ago. They pray for us, support us financially, send us notes and packages, and just care deeply about the church in Ancona. We met with missions committees, elders, the staff, Sunday school classes, and others who are interested what God is doing in Ancona. Plenty of talking and sharing about how we see Him working and what the next phase of ministry is.

We also spent time with the home office of Team Expansion. As Team Expansion missionaries, we are a part of a network of over 300 other missionaries all over the world who are all doing what we are doing: planting churches in places where there aren’t any. It’s great to head back to the base and see what God is doing all over the world.

We’ve spent a little time catching up with family and friends. Our short visits can’t make up for the many months spent far away, but they do help take some of the “edge” off of being overseas.

We miss Ancona, especially the church. We think a lot about Marcus and our Life Group and friends from the kids’ schools and neighbors and how hot it must be there. We’re praying that God will keep working on their hearts and maturing the believers while we are apart. God loves the church in Ancona more than we do, and it’s good that things don’t always depend on our physical presence.

Can I ask you to pray for us as we travel this summer? Pray for us to remind people of the need in Ancona. Pray for Marcus and the church. And pray for us to stay strong as a family during stressful car trips and long meetings.

Until next month…

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.