October-November 2007 Newsletter

“Ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” - Ephesians 1:15-16

Greetings from the church in Pistoia! We pray that all is well with you and yours. The verse above expresses the sentiment that we have for you all. Thank you for your concern for the church here, for its growth, for its maturity, and for its well-being. We constantly thank God for the opportunity you are providing us through your support in prayer, in thought, and in donations to the work.

As I'm preparing this newsletter, I'm noticing the number of updates to give. A good deal has taken place since our last letter and we give God the credit for all of these developments. Due to the length of this letter, I will postpone family news and give a separate update on us personally at the beginning of next week.

English Study

The English study has been one of our biggest works with year. In October we began meeting twice monthly for group English studies. Heather teaches children, I teach the parents, and two of the workers from Prato come over to help with reading level children and to direct the pre-reading children in class. After the initial week the numbers dropped a bit but, in the following weeks the numbers have remained more steady. The scheduling is proving to be a challenge with holidays and such, but we are happy with the way things are moving. In the last parents' class, we studied pronunciation of the letter C. It is difficult for Italians because the rules of pronunciation are opposite of ours. “Chicken in the kitchen” becomes “kicken in the kitcken.” Before we got to that point, however, I was given the opportunity to speak with one of the parents for almost 30 minutes about the church and Jesus. She had lots of questions and the opportunity to respond to those questions would doubtfully have existed without these English studies. Absolutely, we want to be able to help people in areas such as English if they feel the desire to study it, but we always have the hope of being able to break into discussions of Jesus and devotion to God.

Another such opportunity was a night when all of these English students were invited to meet together at the church building for pizza. Initially, we expected two families besides our own. Instead there were four. This also provided us the opportunity to talk about our faith in Christ. Seeds are being planted. We will remain attentive to opportunities to water them and wait for the growth which God provides.

Mid-week Study and Children's Classes

The mid-week study of Hebrews is still moving along. It feels as though people are being forced to think a little more profoundly about what maturity in Christ consists of. The number one question we hear from our friends and acquaintances is “what is the difference between your church and the Catholic church?” I see Hebrews as a great response to this question. With the Catholic church deviating from New Testament teaching and basing many things upon Old Testament teaching and practice (like the ten commandments), responding with answers of the superiority of Christ's nature and teachings is a cause for pause. Each week the idea is to challenge the members to look at these studies in terms of how they answer their friends when asked about the difference.

Children's classes have been going well since the switch to a teacher rotation. Three teachers now trade off for a month of teaching each. The teachers have different strengths, so when the rotation comes each month, it offers the kids a nice change for a while.

Visiting Ex-Missionary to Pistoia

Jay Young recently passed through Pistoia, spending about a week with the church. The Youngs spent 10 or more years in Pistoia and have maintained contact with many friends in the area, as well as the church. Jay offered to speak for a “meeting.” He delivered two talks on Saturday and then also the sermon on Sunday. We were encouraged by the turn out for the Saturday sessions, as one of our English class families attended. On Sunday, a fellowship meal was held after worship and there were 55 in attendance. It was a good day of fellowship and encouragement in seeing other Christians from the various congregations around the region.

Apprentice Missionary Retreat in Prato(AIM)

The Adventures in Missions program held their annual European retreat in Prato this year over the Thanksgiving holiday. It was an encouraging weekend with devotionals and fellowship. We were not able to be there for everything since Noah was in school, but I spoke for one of the sessions on avoiding temptation and we were blessed to be able to participate in some of the devotional times. The other speakers were Mike Mahan, Kris Smith, and Ben Walker. There were more than 30 present.

Thinking of Next Year

The time has come and gone to start thinking about next year, and so we've already been thinking about goals for 2008. Some exciting possibilities are in the mix. We hope to share some of those with you in the next couple of weeks. 2008 will be a year for us to head to the States for a furlough, to see family and friends. Of our initial 5-7 year commitment to this congregation, we are 3 years in. From that point of view, it already seems that our remaining time is very limited and we still have much to do. If your congregation would like to have a presentation of the work please let us know of their interest. Within the next few weeks we should know approximate dates for our visit to the US.

Financial Support

We are still in search of additional support for our remaining time here. Overall, we are running 350-500 behind each month. The primary concerns are my Social Security liability and the exchange rate. We are not asking for an indefinite commitment. Even small one time contributions help. We are hopeful to keep from going further into debt and to break even. No matter what, we know that God has provided for us up to now, and we trust him to continue to do that.

Conclusion

The work here in Italy is a slower work than many places, but that does not make it any less important or valuable. At times it seems that things drag along without much change, but even the time I have spent this afternoon writing the update has encouraged me. I see the way God is using the congregation to plant seeds of thought. I see the way that members of the congregation are willing to help with what needs to be done in the church and how they sometimes stretch themselves to new and different lengths. We pray that God is glorified, that Christ is proclaimed in our lives, and that you too find God's blessings in your life.

Picture update

It has been a while since we last put up pictures so I figured I would get some up. These were all taken after the beginning of October.















At the beginning of October we made a quick trip to Milan to meet up with some friends and supporters who were passing through. The above picture is of the Catholic Cathedral.














This picture is also from Milan. One of our rare family photos where everyone is in it and they are relatively happy.















The last week of October and first two weeks of November we had Grandparents visiting. This is Saint Mark's Square in Venice. Noah didn't much care for the pidgeon that was on his head.














He was much happier with them on his arms.















We give you Elaina! A couple of more teeth and that smile will be complete. That look is what we see right before she heads for something she is not supposed to have. Of course, every look she gives is a look we see right before she heads for something she is not supposed to have.

August-September 2007

August and September

Greetings once again from Pistoia. The church here greets you all and we are excited to tell you about some of the recent progress we have seen in the church here.

Before telling you all about what has been happening lately, we want to ask that you pray for one of the members of the church, Carmelo. He has been through a great deal in the last month. Without going into all the details of what has happened, suffice it to say that their family has been on an emotional roller coaster as Carmelo's father's health deteriorated. Early this week, he passed away. He was not a Christian and Carmelo is a relatively young Christian. With all that has happened he has had to be away from work for over a month and with that comes other difficulties. Please take a few moments to pray for his strength and his example to the rest of his extended family during such a horrible time.

Evangelism

Evangelism by way of friendship is critical to the work in Italy. More often than not, Italians want to know who you are and what your life is like before they will listen to anything you have to say about Jesus. Our opportunities to reflect Jesus are beginning to flourish in a more deliberate and clear way now that these relationships are growing. We see ways to speak about Jesus and the difference that He makes in one's life. Because of that, we thank God for the recent progress we have experienced with friendships that are forming.

At the beginning of the summer Heather started going to the new library with Noah at least once a week. Now that school has started up she has also invited a couple of Noah's friends, and their mommies to join them. One of the moms was telling another that they went with Heather and laughed a bit while telling the story. She said, “it took a foreigner to get us into our own library.” The two moms that have gone with Heather and Noah are parents of some of Noah's closer friends. They are also the families with whom we have had more outside contact. Their names are as follows: Gianluca, Francesca, and Lorenzo; Maurizio, Stefania, and Arianna.

My opportunities have also increased as of late. The plan was to go on bike rides regularly (once or maybe twice a week) with Giovanni, but then I had my accident at the end of July. Much of August seemed wasted for me due to the shoulder injury. It was uncomfortable to even sit at a table or desk with my arm raised. All typing related tasks were difficult and my restricted movement meant I could not drive or ride a bike. Translation? My modes of transportation were eliminated and I was stuck at home.

By the end of August I was finally able to start getting back on the bike and since then have been trying to ride regularly with Giovanni and his friends on Saturday mornings. The group has been as many as seven guys of whom, I am the second youngest. We don't get into much of a hurry so we can always chitchat while covering our 45-60 miles. These are friendships that are forming and that are providing the potential for evangelism.

Paul wrote in Colossians 4:6, “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Ministry in Italy is a constant exercise in this task. Conversation about Jesus Christ is often scarce, therefore it is critical that we try to season our conversations with Jesus so that He is glorified above all else.

Church studies

Upon everyone's re-entry from vacations we began a study of the book of Hebrews. The demonstration of Jesus' superiority to angels, to the Old Testament, to priests, et al. is essential to church life here. When the Catholic church places so great an emphasis on angels, the “saints”, Mary, and the pope, you can imagine how important conversation about Jesus becomes. The book of Hebrews is helping us to understand the superiority of Jesus to everything and we are also discussing how we can relate this superiority to our friends and acquaintances.

I have taken to giving a simple exercise for homework for the following week's study and everyone has received it well. A key word is given for the following chapter, and everyone is to make a list of where the word appears. The result has been enhanced discussions. Not only is the exercise being done, but the wheels start turning as the significance of the word is considered and how it might apply to Christ's superiority.

Sunday School

For the last few months Heather has been working on getting a curriculum together for the children's Bible class. Now a rotation among three ladies has begun. This lightens the load for Heather and Dina, but it is also beneficial for the children. The children can benefit from the differing teaching styles and the teachers can benefit from staying in the worship assembly for the message that is delivered (the Bible class is held between the opening prayer and the beginning of the Lord's supper).

Group English classes

On the first Friday of October we began an English class for children and their parents. Heather teaches one group of kids, a couple of the apprentice missionaries from Prato babysit and work with another group of kids, while I teach the parents. We had a great start with seven parents, and ten kids for our first meeting. All of the feedback was good and we are excited about the opportunities that this provides. We will be continuing this class on the first and third Fridays of each month.

Financial

We owe a great deal of gratitude to those who have recently responded to the increased need for the work here. The dollar is at its weakest against the Euro. We find ourselves with about $8 out of every $100 having disappeared immediately. Beyond that the 15% of our salary which goes immediately to Social Security consumes a great deal of the support which we receive. We have a long way to go to cover these expenses, but we are thankful for the additional support that has recently been sent to help cover these deficiencies.

Family

Heather has been very busy lately with the Bible school curriculum, and has been doing well. She is getting busier with play dates for Noah and spending time with the other mom's from school. And Elaina keeps Heather pretty busy as well. In addition, this month Heather will be starting an Italian class provided by the community of Pistoia in order to improve her Italian. She is very excited, as this will increase her confidence when talking with others and will provide another group of people with which she can interact. In fact, she has already started talking to one person from her class that is interested in English lessons.

Noah is glad to be back to school. This year he is not as badly outnumbered as last year. In a class of 24 there were four boys. This year there are six. He constantly comes home speaking more Italian. He loves to sing and it is humorous to listen to him as he makes up new songs. Interestingly enough, the tunes he makes usually follow some structure that sounds correct. He isn't just sliding through the scales, but he actually sticks with a key.

Elaina has recently become more outgoing. She smiles at strangers and walks up to some of them. Although, this morning we took her to get a vaccination and when we let her down to walk, she just stood there with her hands crossed and her chin to her chest. Her lower lip was sticking out a little bit and she kept looking out of the corner of her eyes. We concluded one of two things. Either she was acting shy because of the two boys that were in the waiting room, OR she recognized the place where she gets shots. Right now Elaina wants to master everything, so she does it over and over again. Repetition is the key, right? So Elaina gets a toy from her room and carries it to the living room and then returns for another, and another, and another... She has not decided to reverse the process yet and it leaves A LOT of cleaning to be done throughout the day.

As for me, I still have some discomfort and limitations in mobility with my shoulder. I expect that to last 6 months to life. I've had some people tell me that I'm getting older so I may just have to live with it (not the getting older, though it is true, but the occasional shoulder discomfort). Ha! I have really enjoyed taking another look at the book of Hebrews and its specific applications to the life of the church in Pistoia. It is always very fulfilling to see easy and direct applications of scripture being accomplished in your life and in those with whom you serve.

In closing

We are constantly reminded by God that our presence in Italy is made possible only by the generosity of our supporters. Thank you for giving us this opportunity! Thank you for standing behind the need for the message of Christ. Too often His name is left out of daily discussions. People think of themselves first. What they have done. What they are doing. And, often they think that God owes them salvation. Thank you for remembering Christ's significance for this life and the one to come.

August in Italy

Since practically everyone is gone for the majority of August, we had a little time to get out and see what God has made. Giovanni, one of the men of the congregation, took us on a day trip about 20 miles outside of Pistoia.

In a town called Cutigliano, an enclosed ski lift will take you from 700 meters above sea level to 1500 meters. The ride is all of about 7 minutes long, but when you arrive at upper station you are just below the tree line and it is a beautifully refreshing view.

This picture is from 1700 some-odd meters above sea level and you can see the trail stretch across the mountain to a small Hotel/Cafe on the second peak(It might appear as a white dot in the picture). The hike from the lift to the Cafe took us an hour and thirty minutes and we topped out at 1775 meters above sea level. Noah walked the whole way up and back. He didn't hardly stop moving even when we stopped for lunch at the top. Elaina, on the other hand, literally, slept as I carried her up and back down.

It was a wonderful day of physical exertion and a bit of relaxation. We are incredibly blessed to be able to serve God in such a beautiful part of the world.

Picture update

Noah, Elaina and Mom having fun around the pool.

Elaina now carries everything from one room to another. She can be a good little helper.

Noah had a VERY long day and just fell asleep on the tile floor.

Health Update

First of all, I want to thank everyone for the comments and notes that they have left. And to the Richfield church, thank you for the card. Thank you all for your prayers for my healing and for Heather's sanity now that she has to deal with me all day long(my bum shoulder keeps me from driving and from going to the building on the bike).

The last two days have been health care days for me. Yesterday I spent a couple of hours waiting in the ER to have my staples removed and today I had a follow-up appointment with an orthopedic. Everything went well. The doctor said that the connective tissue might have been strained or stretched but it doesn't appear to have separated. My shoulder is still pretty sore and another 7 days of rest was prescribed along with 15 days of rest from cycling. As for my knee, the doctor checked my kneecap because it is still pretty sore. She said that it is probably just bruised but if it still bothers me in a week I am supposed to go back. Thanks again for the prayers! Things could have been much worse.

PS. In the next week or so, we will post more pictures of the kids. Heather and I still look pretty much the same.

May-June 2007

May and June, 2007

PISTOIA, ITALIA NEWSLETTER

Wow!!! Time has really passed quickly recently. My apologies for the laps in communication lately. However, we do have a number of exciting experiences to tell of how God is blessing the work in Pistoia.

Since the beginning of May we were very busy until the beginning of July. At that point our activities began to slow down a bit due to the Summer break. Vacations and people trying to wrap up work projects before vacations have taken their toll on our activities. We are looking forward to a slow down in the work so that we can catch our breath before getting after things in the month of September.

Within the church a while back we had discussed creating opportunities to fellowship with one another in the community (i.e. eat a meal together at a restaurant instead of at the building.). It is an aspect of our church life that has been greatly lacking. By always eating, gathering, and fellowshipping at the building we partially limit our visibility in the city. As a solution, an evening was organized to eat together at a Spaghetteria. Eighteen were present for the gathering and we had a wonderful time. It was very nice to be able to have the Christian fellowship in a slightly diverse setting.

Our campaign this year was from June 21^st until the 26^th. It was a great encouragement for us all. The group was a bit smaller as far as the number of campaigners themselves, but we were also blessed to have all of the AIMers (apprentice missionaries) from Prato helping us. The time seemed short but it was also hard work. It seemed that I was up and busy every day by 6:30 and then we wouldn't get in bed until midnight or 1:00 A.M. each night. Needless to say, we were all pretty well exhausted when all was said and done, but God kept us moving and He accomplished some wonderful things in the 5-6 days.

As usual, we did puppet shows in the park. While the turn out was very low compared to other times, we still enjoyed the opportunity to interact with some children and their parents. Unfortunately, it was a couple of weeks after school had ended and the first week of hot weather in Pistoia. After a mild Spring, temperatures were in the mid to upper 90s and the park which almost always has 10-20 kids had only two when we arrived on both days. Two things were learned from the experience: 1) we will always try to have puppet shows before school ends or after it starts in the fall and 2) offering bottles of water to the kids and parents is warmly received (no pun intended). There had initially been some concern that skeptical parents might not look kindly on drinks being offered to their children, but we only experienced positive feed back.

As was planned, fliers were distributed in mailboxes and on cars on two days. In the matter of 3 hours 5,000 fliers were gone. The approach this time was a little more direct. The fliers gave a general introduction and explanation of the church of Christ. Some of the members were very pleased with the timing as a news report was made around the same time where a Catholic scholar and an evangelical preacher discussed the true church of Christ. Obviously, their terminology was not intended to reinforce our distribution but the similar terminology may have raised some eyebrows.

Two new efforts were added to our repertoire during the campaign. One was an activity to get the church's name into the community and the other was a children's English festival. The first activity was distributing automobile air fresheners on the street corners near the church building. Labels with the church's information and a Bible verse were placed on each air freshener and about 400 deodorizers were handed out in a little over an hour. It is an activity from which one expects very little return input. The campaigners and AIMers have some fun stories about their experiences. One involved the police and another involved a car that drove past each corner to get more. A couple of days later, one of the members had already had a few of his friends asking him about it since they recognized that is was from the church where he attends.

The English festival was also well received. Stations were set up for kids to look at books, do color and activity sheets, and play with children's games and puzzles that used English. The festival was supposed to last from 5:30pm until 7:00pm. We were greatly encouraged when one lady stayed until about 9:00 and another family stayed until around 10:30. These are contacts for which we request earnest prayer. Fedele and Donatella are the parents who stayed until 10:30 and Carmella is the mother who stayed until 9:00. PLEASE pray that contact can be maintained with them and that the seed that we can plant in their hearts will grow to maturity.

As a continuation of this activity, we announced a children's English class that will start in September. Fedele and Donatella have already confirmed their daughter's involvement with this class when it begins. In addition, Fedele, a prominent member of the state police and university instructor in Florence, has asked us to let him know if we ever want help with our Italian, so we will be trying to take advantage of that as well.

Within the church itself, things have been running pretty normally, except that attendance is down a bit for the summer. Heather has been working diligently to prepare the children's curriculum for the next year two years. She and Dina have been co-teaching the class, but in the Fall they will add another teacher. Valentina will join them and they will start a monthly rotation, which will allow each of the ladies the opportunity to be present for the lessons during worship.

Now that July is over, the midweek studies have been suspended until September and my sermon preparation load has been at least doubled for the month. In the end, lesson preparation balances out and the summer load is the same as other times.

I have recently dedicated a little time to preparing a way of being in better contact with you all. Many times we have wanted to update our website. We have decided instead to go the way of the blog. http://pistoiacdc.blogspot.com/ It is a nice way to keep in touch with people more regularly and after reading newsletters, etc. comments can be left. Drop in and leave us a note!

In family news, most of us are doing well. I had my first personal experience with socialized medicine on Monday morning. I went for a bike ride on one of my normal routes and as I was returning home a car turned in front of me. I was unable to avoid it and ran into the fender. After two staples in my knee, a tetanus shot, two x-rays of my shoulder, and an evaluation by an orthopedic I got back home at around noon. I go back to have the shoulder re-evaluated after 10 days of resting it. The result could have been much worse and for that we thank God. Someone also said jokingly, that at least I struck back and dented the fender. Heather has a bit more work with the kids as a result of me not being able to help as much with diaper changes, lifting them, playing, etc. She is hanging in there though.

The first year of school ended at the end of June for Noah and, as is expected/normal, he has been wanting more attention. Without seeing his friends I think he feels a bit isolated, but he is learning to get along with his sister. Elaina is moving all over the place now. She may have started walking a little later than we thought she might, but now she cries if we are keeping her from walking. She wants to do everything her brother is doing and she wants to do it by herself. She has been keeping us extremely busy. Needless to say, we are trying to enjoy the time we have together as a family.

In financial news, we are indebted to God for always providing for us through you all. Your generosity is a tribute to your commitment to spreading the gospel in all the world. We have, however, been made aware of a deficit in our support this year. Partially this is due to the dollar being at the weakest it has ever been against the Euro. In addition to this deficit, we have found it impossible to be able to cover the cost of taxes along with our monthly expenses. The main reason for this being because we are not eligible for many of the tax deductions/exemptions that we would qualify for if we were living in the states (i.e., rent, child deductions, school costs, etc.) and Roger is ineligible to claim exemption from Social Security. Due to this, we have found ourselves trying to make up $4,000 of debt for each of the last two years. If you know of someone who would be interested in joining our partnership in this special way or a congregation that would be willing to take up an annual special collection on behalf of this work, please contact us with the information or pass our information on to them. Or, if it has been a while since your last contribution to this work, we ask that you give consideration to this.

In closing we want to thank all of you for the support and encouragement you continually give us. We know that we could not be here serving God without you. We covet your prayers regarding the church here and how we can be of assistance to them, as well as our own personal wellbeing.

In Christ's love - Roger, Heather, Noah and Elaina Mahan

http://pistoiacdc.blogspot.com/

rogermahan@juno.com

Mar-April 2007

March and April

PISTOIA, ITALIA NEWSLETTER

The Lord Almighty sustains us with his continual blessings and encouragements. The work in Pistoia is progressing by his blessing and we give thanks for the prayers and support which you all offer on behalf of Christ's kingdom.

Since our last update we have confirmed the arrival of a campaign group which will spend a week with us in the middle of June. We again request your prayers for God's blessings upon this effort. We pray that the local church will jump behind the effort and be actively involved. We recently studied from Luke 10 the event when Jesus sent out a group of 70 to prepare the way for his coming. Before he sent them out he warned them of dangers, calling these dangers wolves, while these disciples were to be as sheep. Defenseless. Vulnerable. Trusting their shepherd for protection. Near the center of our discussion was the way it was necessary for those disciples to go out in order to participate in the joy of the results of the work. We want to experience the joy of God working through us and for this we pray that the church be highly involved with the efforts during the campaign week.

During March and April we began distributing information in mailboxes and on doors of houses. The fliers say, “All roads lead to Rome, but only one leads to God.” We will continue distributing those fliers when the campaign is here, but we have also again begun advertising English classes using the Bible as a source of discussion. Permission still needs to be obtained from one of the larger schools to distribute the information among the students. Our hope is that some of them will take the opportunity to study during the summer so that they retain what they may have learned in during the school year.

This year's campaign will only be the second that we have had in Pistoia. The last was two years ago and was about twice as big as this group. For our small congregation the number will be more manageable. We have a number of activities that we are hoping to complete. As always we will have puppet shows in the park (most likely performed by the AIM students from Prato). We will pass out cold water at a local park one day, and on another pass out air fresheners for cars at stoplights. These are the two more costly activities but we are praying for a good impact. On the water bottles and the air fresheners we will place a sticker with the churches name, address and a catchy verse and phrase. The leading suggestion is: “Let Jesus refresh your life.” Beyond these two activities we will keep busy with picking up the trash at a couple of parks.

Of late, the church in Prato has been preparing for more apprentice missionaires(AIMers) to come. I have gone to help a couple of times with taking apart, moving, and reconstructing furniture. The AIMers have been a real blessing to the church in Prato and Pistoia. Members of the church are encouraged by their enthusiasm and others are impressed that young people would give a year and a half of their lives to serve God very specifically.

Here in Italy, two holidays passed within a week of each other and that brought the total up to three holidays in the matter of a month. It wouldn't be so disruptive if the last two had not fallen in the middle of the week. The holidays were enjoyed very much. For two of them, we were able to spend almost full days with Carmelo and Dina. It was a nice encouragement for us and hopefully for them as well. One of the days we spent up in the mountains behind Pistoia and enjoyed the cool air.

Speaking of Carmelo, we have recently been studying things that will help him with his devotional life. As a taxi driver, he has periods of time when he has no clients and so he has time to read, or study, or meditate, or pray. He commented just the other day about how he has already observed that when he takes the time to read from the Bible on breaks he is more relaxed while driving. We enjoy seeing how he is maturing as a new Christian, how he is more comfortable reading the Scripture on Sundays and how he has improved with public prayer. We thank God for opportunities like these when Spiritual growth is easily seen.

On the homefront, things are going well. Elaina has started displaying the teeth that she has kept hidden for a while. For almost 5 months the doctor said he thought her gums were swollen because the teeth were about to come through. Some of them have finally shown themselves. Her smile is a bit crooked but it is a beautiful smile nonetheless.

Noah's Italian is constantly improving and he is making friends well at school. I have a feeling he will really miss it this summer but we will still be able to make play dates with his friends at the park where we normally do our puppet shows.

We recently finished getting all our plants in the ground for the garden. We had a garden last year as well, but since we were in the US for 2 months we only planted things that could pretty much be neglected and still grow. This year we will remain in Italy and have time to tend to the gardening so we planted tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash and some herbs. Noah has enjoyed helping plant the seeds and Elaina sits in the sun and watches. It is one of our family activities for the moment.

As I finish the letter, Heather's mom is on her way to Italy for a brief two week stay. We are looking forward to spending time with her and at the same time it reminds us of all our family and friends back in the US. We are tremendously thankful for you all and miss you. We thank God for sustaining us through the contributions that many of you make financially and that all of you make in your prayers.

Jan-Feb 2007

January and February

PISTOIA, ITALIA NEWSLETTER

Greetings from Pistoia! It looks as though we are coming out of a very mild winter as the trees begin to bud and the flowers begin blooming. The signs of new growth are always welcome and we continually pray that new growth in the church will be seen as well. The start of spring reminds us that it is God who causes the growth and that it is our responsibility to be faithful in planting the seed, cultivating the soil, and encouraging maturity.

With the start of the new year, a new series was begun for our midweek studies. Several had expressed interest in studying the personalities of the Old Testament and in making connection from one to the other. We set out to study the chronology of the Old Testament but were sidetracked by a question that was jokingly posed at the end of the first lesson, Creation. This question that was intended to be 2 seconds of discussion resulted in a 30 minute discussion. From that point we studied some Christian evidences for a relatively young earth and the importance of taking God's word at face value. The same issues resurfaced in studying the universal Flood in Genesis 6-8. We have now, after 8 weeks, completed the life of Noah and are moving forward. It will be necessary in the future to continue reinforcing principles of understanding/interpreting the Bible.

On a more positive note, we had been having some difficulty finding efforts which the congregation as a whole would get behind. Our New Year's Eve party was a bit of an eye opener for us as to the interest of the congregation in Pistoia. While we did have some interesting reactions to the visitors who were present, the congregation is now expressing an interest in reaching out in similar ways. In Italy, the day after Easter is a holiday and typically a day to spend with friends and/or family. It was decided that we will organize a meal at the church building for people who may not have family or who may be far from family. All the members are being encouraged regularly to be aware of those around them who may be lonely and who may enjoy such an effort. We request your prayers for the organization and attendance of this event as it could be pivotal in the growth and encouragement of our congregation.

At the beginning of February we also began distributing fliers to the houses near the church building and near the homes of the members. The flier is one that was designed by my brother several years ago when he was working in Naples. It is a simple invitation to study the Bible. A picture of the Colosseum is in the center with an inscription above and below saying, “All roads lead to Rome, but only one takes you to God” and then a reference to John 14:6. We do not have Kinko's or anything like it in Italy, but we were able to get around 1,000 copies and took them to a typesetter to be cut in half. I was thankful to find a way to quickly cut the sheets so that I didn't have to spend an hour or more cutting them by hand. Then, on top of that, the typesetter was very nice and charged us nothing to do the cutting.

In February the ladies also had another study which Heather led. They have been following the book, “The Power of a Praying Woman.” Dina has led the discussion section with Heather doing the summation and teaching portion. The ladies are pleased with the lessons and have been very encouraging to Heather regarding her preparation and growth in the Italian language. We pray that the participation will continue and increase. The ladies were also encouraged by a non-Christian who has shown interest in attending future classes.

We are beginning to make a few more contacts and have opportunities to share our Christianity with the Italian people. Recently at Noah's school one of the teachers asked me to speak to her class when they do a section on different cultures. We also met a man who lives in the apartments behind our house, when he fell from his wheelchair as a result of an uneven sidewalk. We are hopeful to see him again, especially as the weather warms up and makes it easier for everyone to spend time outside. Heather has also been pushing herself to interact with others when she takes Noah to the park, especially the mothers of Noah's classmates.

Soon, we will be preparing ourselves and the congregation for a campaign group coming this summer. We will put on puppet shows at the park, distribute materials in town and try to organize a few more activities to accomplish while they are here. Two years ago the church got their first taste of campaign groups and learned a bit about hospitality. We anticipate the congregation's participation and interaction with the group to be increased this time around.

In family news, Elaina just got her first tooth a week before her first birthday. The pediatrician has been saying for over 3 months that she would have teeth any time. Otherwise, she is doing well. She doesn't move much as far as crawling or walking, but she wants to stand more of the time now. She gets a kick out of her big brother and laughs for him more than anyone. Noah has also been doing well with school. The teachers comment from time to time about how his Italian is maturing. His circle of friends seems to change about every two to three months. The other day I asked him what he would be doing at school and he responded, “I'm going to build with blocks.” I asked if he was going to draw and color too and he promptly informed me, “Drawing is for girls. Boy's play construction.”

Heather and I are both plugging along. The flu finished it's course on our family just prior to my parents coming, thankfully. My parents have arrived and will be with us for about 3 weeks (half the time at our house and the other half at my brother's). We thought Elaina might take a little longer to warm up to them since she is more selective about going to people, but she was in their arms giggling before we knew it. We are very thankful for that.

In closing we want to thank all of you for the support and encouragement you give us. We know that we could not be here serving God without you. We covet your prayers regarding the church here and how we can be of assistance to them.

Nov-Dec 2006

PISTOIA, ITALY

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2006

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We trust that you all had a safe holiday, whether at home or on the road. And we pray that as the old year passed and the new year began, everyone was able to recall the numerous blessings we have received from our Heavenly Father.

In Italy, our holiday season doesn't end until January 6^th (the epiphany) and then things return to normal. Last year we went to the center of Pistoia for the event and ended up being seen on local television. This year we enjoyed watching a parade in Florence with the kids. We have enjoyed having Noah home from school during the holidays, but we were quite pleased to see him go back to school on Monday and resume his normal routine.

RECENT HOLIDAY EVENTS

Our November and December schedule was a little fuller than last year, since we participated with the Prato church in a singing event. They had decided to go to a couple of nursing homes to sing for the residents. It was a great opportunity for them to be able to make a demonstration of the church's presence in the city of Prato. It was also enjoyable to see the faces of the residents light up as we sang about Jesus and as Noah, Miriam (Noah's cousin), and Luigi (Miriam's cousin) played together after the singing. We have also already discussed attempting this with the church in Pistoia next year. The idea was warmly received, but will take a bit of planning and probably, much more practice than that which the church in Prato required.

This year we planned our second New Year's Eve party with the church members in Pistoia. This year we had several visitors besides our normal visitors for fellowship meals. It was an encouragement to see each of them. For a congregation that does not see groups of non-Christian visitors on a regular basis, it was also an opportunity to see how we interact with those outside of our little circle. We sometimes get into habits of whom we speak with and need reminders to extend ourselves for the purpose of drawing others closer to Christ. Our visitors have helped us to look more closely at our comfort zones. We ask for your prayers concerning the seeds that were planted with these guests, as well as growth and maturity for our members in dealing with visitors from outside of the body of Christ.

CHURCH STUDIES

Our mid-week studies came to a transitional point during the holidays. For most of December, we made a shift toward asking God's guidance and blessings on the activities we will undertake in 2007. We finished our series on prophecy and fulfillment at the beginning of December and this month (January) we started looking at an Old Testament Timeline. Many members showed interest in having a better understanding of the interweaving of the individuals and examining their character.

Attendance at worship recently has suffered a bit, but it is almost entirely due to work schedules that cannot be changed. Heather and Dina are now guiding a children's study during the time that the sermons are being presented. The children are benefiting from lessons at their level and the adults are benefiting from a reduction in distractions.

The sermon rotation among three men continues to go well and the congregation benefits from the insights of three rather than just one. On my part, the sermons are taking a look at practical Christianity. If we want to make a real impact on our community we have to show that we will practice what we preach. We have to be more than just nominal Christians who attend worship and Bible study. In a recent sermon we looked more specifically at Jesus' teaching in Luke 6:30 regarding our generosity. Beggars are more common in Italy than the places where I lived in the US. After a while, one begins to develop a common reaction to them, especially when stories circulate about some of them driving Mercedes SUVs. We rationalize many ways to refuse and then we run the risk of caloused hearts towards those who are really in need. Jesus said simply, “Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.” We are not encouraged to enable sinful living in which we suspect some of them may habitially participate, but we can be generous and help in many ways.

At the end of December the ladies had their third monthly study. Heather has been leading the discussions from the book, “The Power of a Praying Woman.” The preparation is helping Heather with her Italian and the participation of the ladies in Pistoia has been good. One young lady, in particular, has been regular in attendance for both this and the mid-week study. She was baptized years ago but has since stopped attending worship. Any encouragement to righteous living she receives is a blessing. We pray that one day she will return to worship and a more active commitment to God. Please keep Silvia in your prayers.

2007 PLANS AND EXPECTATIONS

In December we took time one night to discuss 2007 and what the church would like to see accomplished. Among the more passionate discussions were the topics of more efficient usage of the building, becoming more visible in the neighborhood, and opportunities for fellowship.

One effort that surfaced was the organization of a meal for individuals who may be seperated from families at the time of traditionally family focused holidays. So we will be considering an organized traditional meal around the time of Easter. The purpose behind it will be simply to provide companionship for some who are feeling lonely.

Near the end of January we will distribute materials near the church building. It is a bit less confrontational than door-knocking in the United States because we can place the information in the mail boxes of the houses and apartments. One never knows how this small seed may spark interest. And before we know it, we will be planning more puppet shows in the park and will meet some of these same people. In addition, with Noah being in school close to the church building, we are having more opportunities to meet parents and become more recognized as individuals in the area. We pray that God facilitate and increase these meetings.

FAMILY NEWS

Our family is doing well. We are continually thankful for how God provides for us through many of you and we know that we are blessed by your prayers as well. Noah is doing well at school. We've found that he can be quite sly and independant at times. When he does not want to do what the teachers at school are asking, he will sometimes act like he doesn't understand Italian. Sometimes it may be the case, but more often he is exercising and testing his boundaries. He is also an exceptional big brother giving toys to his sister and making her laugh.

Elaina also doing very well. Everyone says that the second child will be the opposite of the first. Elaina shows us the truth in that statement in several ways. She is not quite the eater that Noah was at her age. She does not sleep near as much as Noah did. And she is very selective about giving out smiles, although she will smile at herself in the mirror every time we hold her in front of it. In addition, we are still looking forward to the day she sleeps through the night.

Heather is glad the holiday season is over. She was cooking for two full weeks in preparation for cookie baskets for the church families. Now she can recover from that and get back to her other responsibilities.

I have been keeping busy with study preparations and continue to study the language. Each day I spend half the day at the church building studying. Usually, I'll spend about an hour with Giovanni visiting or sometimes going on a little errand. Other days I will also go to see Nedo at his warehouse, drink a coffee and visit with him, his brother, and sometimes one of their workers.

IN CLOSING

The church in Pistoia sends their greetings. It is a tremendous blessing for us to be here working alongside them. We pray that our partnership with them and with you will be an asset to the Kingdom of Christ. The support that we recieve from the US shows us God's generosity and faithfulness through you.