November 2011

With the smells of turkey and all the fixings from our Thanksgiving meal still lingering in the house, the holidays seem to be upon us. The kids are eagerly counting down to Christmas, with the next Italian holiday next week, the Immaculate Conception on December 8.

Church Update
Some of you know of the difficulties the church has been experiencing over the past year. It cannot be said that the best-case scenario resulted, but we seem to be on the mend. There are still some wounds that need time to heal and some wounds that need further care, but the church seems to be moving in a positive direction. Our small group is more unified than it has been in a long time, and that gives us encouragement. Of course, prayers for the church, its health and its healing are always welcome.

Mid-week Study
The month of November has come and gone without much news out of the ordinary. Our mid-week Bible studies have had sporadic attendance, mostly due to the cooler weather. Even if it has not been extremely cold, it tends to be easier to stay warm at home than to get bundled up and get out in the cold air. Or it may be related to the topic chosen by the church for the mid-week study – Revelation. We have ventured beyond the half-way point in the book and I am hoping to finish it very quickly. Although all scripture is good for teaching, there are so many more things that can be beneficial to the growth and encouragement of the church at this time.

Upcoming Events
For the past two years the church has hosted a conference around March or April. This year the same project is being organized with a slightly different format. The church expressed a desire to shift away from the theme of the past two years. No specific topic has been chosen, but among those being considered are: “Jesus for all nations” and “Who is God?” My preference would be on the second, with attention given to the character traits of God that are less often considered. We will solidify the topic within the next few weeks, and then move forward with the planning.

Family Happenings
As some of you know, we will be moving back to the US at the end of the 2011/2012 school year (end of June, beginning of July). It has been a difficult decision but, after much prayer and consideration, we believe it is the course of action we need to take. Noah will be entering into fourth grade when we return and, other than being behind in his written and spoken English, he should have no major difficulties with the transition. Even with her continual improvement, Elaina, on the other hand, continues to struggle. We have seen several different child psychologists and Elaina started speech therapy, but all agree that this transition to the US needs to take place sooner, rather than later. Elaina's recent appointments have verified what we already knew: she is a perfectionist who is reluctant to try new things; she takes much longer than other children her age to adjust to change; and even though her spoken language has been Italian, her understanding is based more in English. Of course, leaving the field will be difficult for the church here as well, and we ask for prayers for them and for us in preparing for this move.

Conclusion
As the month of November passes, we want to give thanks for all of your support and prayers during our time in Italy. We pray you never feel that we have forgotten this important aspect of our service here: giving thanks for the generosity we receive from you all.