April- May 2011 News

What an encouraging weekend!!! We have just returned from the nationwide retreat for the Chiese di Cristo in Italy. More than 100 brothers and sisters from around the country were present to encourage one another in fellowship and in the study of God's word. It was an event that our family personally needed for some time. The only negative thing we can say about the entire weekend is that we are sad that it is over and we'll have to wait almost a year before the next opportunity.

The work with the church in Pistoia continues to move ahead. While we are having our struggles and difficulties, our spirits are also being refreshed by evangelistic studies. We also remember the prayers that you all offer on behalf of the church in Pistoia and for our family, and we thank you immensely for that encouragement.

Contacts and studies
One afternoon while I was in a teacher meeting for Noah, Heather took the kids to the park near the school. Noah, our social butterfly, played for an hour and a half with a boy and as a result Heather ended up visiting with the boy's father, Antonio. They spoke about the church and before leaving Heather invited him to visit us one Sunday. The following Sunday we were overjoyed to see him standing in front of the church building when we arrived. He has begun reading the Bible that the church gave to him and is excited to read it cover to cover. In fact he has already arrived at I Samuel after having started in Genesis about 3 weeks ago.

We have also received great joy from Barbara. She is the wife of one of the brother's here. While we have had many opportunities to visit and chit chat about the Bible, the church, and Christ in the past six years, a scheduled and organized study had never been established. In an answer to many prayers, she has expressed interest in deepening her knowledge and drawing closer to Christ. We pray that God's word will continue to grow within her heart.

2011 Italy Retreat
I mentioned earlier the national retreat for the churches of Christ in Italy. It has been held in Velletri for more than 10 years and last year was the first time we went as a family. This year I was invited to be one of the ten speakers as we considered the theme, “The Economic Crisis and the Providence of God.” It is good to be reminded of the promises of God and the ways in which He has provided for His people throughout history. Times are tough, but it often requires times like these to bring people to the point of searching for something greater than material wealth. As Christians, we must demonstrate our faith in God's providence and make the most of the opportunity to share Him with those who may be more receptive now than they have been at any other point in their lives.

Family happenings
In April, the kids enjoyed a traditional Italian Easter, with giant chocolate eggs and lamb for dinner. Noah and Elaina both enjoyed their time off of school, despite Noah's 20 pages of homework for the vacation. Both of the kids are continuing in mini-basket, which has allowed us to have continued contact with families outside of our normal contact area, as well as giving the kids an opportunity to have focused play time with others. We are still waiting for Elaina to begin speech therapy, and pray that she will being in June. Her language has improved but, as said in the past, she is still well behind her classmates. Heather is currently studying for the CILS exam (an exam for certification in the Italian language for foreigners) which she will be taking in June. In addition, Heather has been asked to participate as part of the planning committee for the 2012 Women's Conference. This will be her third year to participate with the planning committee and she is very much looking forward to the fellowship required during the planning process.

Summer plans
This summer we look forward to seeing many of you for a short visit. Heather's mother will be getting married and it will be a reunion for both of our families, since it will be the first time that our children and my brother's children will be in the United States at the same time, as well as the first time for Heather's family to meet the family of her mother's soon-to-be husband. Words cannot express how happy we are for our families. We are certain that the time we have there will not seem sufficient, but when we return to Italy, I have been invited to speak at the End of Summer Retreat hosted in Florence at the Harding Villa.

Prayer request
Among our other requests for prayers, we ask you to include one of the evangelists from southern Italy. Massimo Resta is being forced to consider secular work due to lack of financial support. He has been a tremendous help to the church in Mesagne, but with a wife and two children to support he has arrived at a critical point. Times are tough and I do not believe I have ever heard of a church or of individuals that were LOOKING for a work to which they could contribute; however, I believe this is a very worthy cause. With all of the difficulties that the churches in Italy are facing, loosing one of it's few Italian full-time workers would be a depressing blow.

We also covet your prayers for the church in Pistoia. Sometimes the road is difficult but we know of your concern for the Lord's church here and it encourages us. We cannot say “thank you” enough to express our gratitude for you all and the partnership we have with you in the work in Pistoia. The Lord bless you and keep you!

In Him,
Roger, Heather, Noah, and Elaina Mahan