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.