We were out of touch for quite a long time after coming back from the US. Our internet connection was too slow for our VoIP telephone to work well. NOTE: WHAT FOLLOWS IS THE STORY OF GETTING OUR INTERNET SERVICE BACK UP. IF THAT INFORMATION IS OF NO INTEREST TO YOU, FEEL FREE TO SKIP TO THE NEXT PARAGRAPH. We started the process of changing to a new company, which should have taken 10 days. After two months of waiting, one of which was full of calling and being promised that it would only be a couple of days, they informed us that it would not be possible to receive the Internet service in our area. So I immediately contacted another company (about a week before Thanksgiving). Two days later, the first company called to inform us that the phone service that was packaged with the Internet service was ready. I informed them that they would have to cancel their contract. We also ran into the same delays with the second company. Each time I called, they said it would only be two more days until two days after Christmas, and then they said it would be two weeks before the advertised speeds would be attainable and the service would then be started. At that point I asked if we could have an inferior service in the mean time. This evidently is the magic question. They said yes and the service was up and running on the next business day. Their advertised speeds were 7meg down and 1 up. The first day while downloading I saw download speeds near 700Kbps. I guess that wasn't good enough for them, but it certainly made us happy.
HOLIDAY SEASON
This year the holidays were a little busier than the last. We have been participating in a choir that is more or less an extension of the group from last Spring, when we sang up in the mountains. This time four concerts were held within a 2 week period just before Christmas. Between practices and the concerts, we had a pretty full schedule. Each concert provided a different atmosphere. For two of them we dressed in tunics. One concert was at a nursing home. Another was in a lounge at the hospital. And two were in church buildings, with a couple of songs also being sung outside in the cold. The hospital concert was probably the most notable. One of the members of the group is a surgeon from Nigeria who works for the hospital in Pistoia. He organized a concert for the purpose of raising funds to build a library in his home region (€1500.00 was donated). I have always enjoyed singing, but more important was the opportunity to meet others. Our participation has provided many of these opportunities, and allowed us to demonstrate and to talk (or sing) about our faith in Christ.
MID-WEEK STUDY
Our mid-week study is continuing well after a brief interruption for the holidays. The study continues to focus on discussions of evangelism. We are placing special emphasis on how we can engage our families, friends, and acquaintances in discussions that lead to conversations about God. Too many people say they believe in God and yet only talk about him when life takes an unexpected turn. We are constantly trying to find ways to emphasize God's worth and to help others see and feel a need for him. In our studies, we are now turning to the questions that Jesus asked and the impact upon the recipient or hearer. In times of economic insecurity, such that we face today, instead of lamenting the difficulties, we ask, “What is the value in all of those things if when I die I my life is void of a relationship with my Creator?” Our time is much better spent nourishing our relationship with God and trusting Him to provide us with our necessities while we seek Him and His kingdom first. This is a hard lesson for those who have lived in relative luxury for the majority of their lives.
ENGLISH CLASS
Our English class outreach has now picked back up after a brief pause. Two of the mothers from Noah's class are very interested in learning English and they have come to each meeting. Due to age differences in children, whom Heather teaches, we now meet two nights during the week of English classes. The number of children has been steady this year. These opportunities continue to provide invaluable time to discuss our relationship with Christ. Since the studies are held in the church's building, any Catholic person who steps inside will immediately notice differences. Those differences, (the absence of statues, candles, a crucifix, and many other things) provide a springboard for discussions that might not come up when speaking in other settings.
LESSONS FROM THE PULPIT
Since the writing of our last newsletter/report I have finished preaching through the book of Ephesians. We continue to have three men preaching in a rotation, where I peach every other week. For my part, we will now be moving into a period of focus on Jesus' relationships and interactions with others. If we are going to call ourselves Christians, we should probably know how He acted towards others so that we can mimic Him.
I was recently talking with two ladies about the church of Christ. Both of them are Catholic. One asked about “my religion.” I said, “we are Christians.” She responded, “So are we.” The other said, “No we aren't. We're Catholic!” And with that statement she convinced the first lady that she was indeed Catholic and not Christian. The discussion regarding Christian and Catholic is interesting, but the fact that one could be so quickly convinced that they are not Christian is more telling of the state of things. Yes, I realize the ladies were not saying they did not believe in Christ. What they were saying is that they are firstly Catholic and then Christian would be a secondary explanation of their belief. Even in that fact, here in Italy it is sad to consider how many people do not know exactly what they believe (or what their accepted religion teaches). It can be disheartening to see so many talk about God and go through motions of traditions they have been taught for generations, and yet not know God. In Hosea 4:6 God said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” For this reason we push ahead in our attempt to make God's word visible to others. We do this with the hope that someone will begin to notice the importance that God should have in their life. That the seed of God's word will fall on fertile soil and that healthy relationships with God through Christ will develop.
CHILDREN'S CLASS
Heather is continuing to lead the children's Bible class on Sunday mornings, preparing the lessons and crafts for each Sunday. She and two other ladies from the church are teaching their way through the New Testament, one lesson at a time. She is currently on a monthly rotation with the other ladies, allowing each of them to participate in the worship service two out of every three months.
OTHER STUDIES
God has provided some opportunities for us to serve Him in different ways. When we had returned to Italy after our summer in the States, Heather was excited to begin a ladies' Bible study. Unfortunately, with the different schedules and busyness that comes from weddings and births, we were unable to begin the study. However, with the New Year came new resolutions. For Heather, she determined that she would use the material to study with Dina in a one-on-one Bible study. This has also given her material to share with other members of the church elsewhere. Heather has been encouraged by the response that she has received from the study with Dina and is hoping that at some point in the future it can still transition into a ladies' class.
I have a Bible study in the making with Barbara, the fiancé of one of the members of the church. We will start our study in March since she will be traveling for the next two weeks. For a long time she has been regular in her attendance to worship and we are finally getting a study established with her. Please pray for her as she is searching for her relationship with God and also struggling with her father's poor health.
FRIENDS
We have been spending more time with the families of Noah's friends at school. Maurizio, Stefania and Arianna, as well as Gianluca, Francesca and Lorenzo, are the families that we spend more time with. We had received a huge compliment from Maurizio and Stefania the last time that we were able to have them over to dinner – they said that they felt at home in our house. This is a big thing since we are clearly not the Italian family and our ways of hosting vary from an Italian's way of hosting. It also has been encouraging to us to see how open Maurizio and Stefania are to discussing God and faith. We ask for your continued prayers on their behalf. We are still praying for Gianluca and Francesca as well. Our relationship with them as a family is not as close and Gianluca seems reluctant to ask anything about the church or what we believe. Francesca is willing to discuss differences, but typically only when she is alone with Heather, probably because they are the “traditional” Catholic, attending church only two to three times a year. Please, continue to pray for them as well.
IN CLOSING
We are thankful for all of you who contribute to these efforts in Pistoia. It is a very slow work, but we see that some impact that is being made. Thank you for your prayers for us and for those with whom we work. Please continue to bring these things before our heavenly father in prayer.
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