New Year Newsletter

PISTOIA, ITALY
Buon Anno a tutti!


Buon Anno a tutti! Happy New Year everyone! We want to wish you all the best for this new year and we pray that God can be glorified all the more in the service we offer as Christians.

After returning from the US the last week of August, the month of September was hectic due to getting back into a routine. The kids both finally got back to school and Noah started back to basketball. Heather had her Italian class twice a week provided by the city. And, I continued with my one English student twice a week. Beyond these normal familial activities/responsibilities, the work with the church was also very busy.

The ladies study began in September and was scheduled for the fourth Saturday of each month. The month of December required a schedule change so that the study was not held on Christmas day, but it has been good to get an established date to keep things on track. The ladies are rotating as hostesses and leading the study as well. This way everyone has the opportunity to share their thoughts from scripture and it serves to stimulate some of the ladies to prepare a lesson for the first time, or at least for the first time in a long time.

What was once called our young couples study began in September. Since one of the young ladies of the congregation is no longer together with her boyfriend, we renamed it. I suggested the “Second Generation” since neither the youngest children, nor the older couples are participating. Let's just say that it ranges from ages 18 to 45. The focus of this study has also changed. It no longer focuses on improving relationships, etc. Instead, it has an evangelistic focus. Once the study portion is completed, we order pizza and eat together at the church building, enjoying each others fellowship. Of the 12 present at the first study, five were non-Christians and we are hopeful that this number will be somewhat consistent as we move forward.

Here in Pistoia, as in most of Italy, grocery stores are closed most Sundays. One store, however, has a sign that reads, “Open each second Sunday of every month.” It often brings a smile to my face because there is only one second Sunday in any month, and because at least in the month of August it is closed on the second Sunday. After being here for 6 years, we are now ready to print a sign of our own at the church building that reads, “Fellowship meal every third Sunday of every month.” It is likely to be skipped around certain holidays, but at least we have a set Sunday with a goal to spend more time together as a congregation.

The rainy season officially arrived in November. During November we might have had 3 whole days without rain. That's not to say that it rained all day, every day, but we were definitely ready for it to stop. For accuracy sake, the internet reported 23 days of rain for Florence. The temperature also began to turn cold and floated between 32 and 55 degrees. The temperature inside the house gradually fell and we eventually turned on the heat for which I'm sure our landlord was happy. He lives on the floor above us and when our heat isn't on I imagine he notices a difference in his heating cost.

This year, Heather was again invited to participate as one of the committee members for the women's conference, which will be held in February, with the topic of the beatitudes from Matthew 5. She traveled with Anto, our sister-in-law, to Fregene for the planning meeting in October. Last year, Heather was also part of the planning committee but, unlike this year, all of the planning committee was located in Tuscany, where the conference was held last year. This year the conference will be held in Viletri, a small city close to Rome. In addition, Heather has also taken on the responsibility of being a small-group leader with Dina (from our church) for the conference, focusing on verse 7. This should definitely put her Italian language skills to the test.

The month of December almost killed us. Obviously, that is an exaggeration, but it was incredibly busy. It was also full of God's blessings, as always. Between the two choirs with which we participate and church activities, we were singing almost every day for more than two weeks straight. We had 8 different concerts during the holiday season and, after a break of 2 weeks, the practices are just now beginning again.

A while back, the congregation in Prato, with which my brother works, invited me to preach. The first Sunday in December was that opportunity. It was very encouraging to spend some time with them. In the past we had habitually attended their mid-week Bible studies, but as Noah's school became more time consuming, along with other difficulties in our schedules, we had to limit ourselves. We still regularly attend their fellowship meals each month, but it was encouraging to worship together with them.

Our own mid-week Bible studies have taken a turn. For the previous three months we had considered the Spiritual Disciplines such as prayer, Bible reading, memorization, service, and a number of other disciplines we employ to train ourselves in godliness. We looked at how these tools can be used to exercise particular traits we should all have as Christians. As of the beginning of the year, we are now looking at Ephesians 4, while keeping these disciplines in mind. For example, if the trait we study is meekness, we make a conscious effort to pray for meekness. We can memorize verses on meekness, meditate on those verses, and choose an act of service which would demonstrate that meekness. In this way, the traits we discuss can be aided by concrete applications.

The children's classes continue to be led by three of the ladies. Heather, Dina, and Valentina have a monthly rotation. One element has been added for the children. At the beginning of worship, the children sit on the front row and together we recite the memory verse for the month. The adults are encouraged to recite the verse as well. Once the verse has been recited we sing a song with the children before starting into our time of worship.

During December we had a 4-5 inch snowfall, which I have been told is somewhat rare. However, last year we had a 6-7 inch snowfall at almost exactly the same weekend. The majority fell during the work day on Friday while the kids were at school, and when it was time to get Noah at 4:30, there was a line of traffic past our house heading toward Pistoia. We managed to get to and from his school without problems, but we also used all the back roads and avoided the bridges. We later heard that almost everyone was on the main roads and traffic was terrible all over town, but for those who chose the more narrow, less traveled roads, they had fewer problems. As I write about it, I'm reminded of what Jesus said in Matthew 7:14 - “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” I'm not saying that this verse applies to that snowy day, but I don't think we are going to just happen upon a relationship with God by following the masses. We need to honestly search for it, and the rewards for those efforts are great!

We again want to thank you all for your prayers and support of us. It gives us encouragement to know that so many care for us and are concerned about how we are doing and what is going on. Please keep the church in your prayers.

In Christ,
Roger, Heather, Noah and Elaina Mahan