Some Interesting Statistics...and a Recipe!

The first week back in Little Rock has gone well. I'm still working on getting organized after moving home, but I've enjoyed some time to catch up with family before things get busy again. In this post, I'd like to share some more statistics about the spiritual situation in Italy, just to give those of you reading a better picture of what the ministry looks like and what to pray for. Once again--thank you SO much for your prayers. God has continued to work over the last week, and I know those prayers have played a huge role everything He's doing.

I'm going to steal and repost some information from one of my teammates' websites to give you a better idea of what's going on spiritually in Italy right now : )

Why Italy?

This is a question a lot of people ask. Italy's close connection to the Catholic Church leads us to believe that this country is not as critical of a mission field as other areas of the world. However, this is not the case. The spiritual climate of Italy is surprisingly bleak. Italy has one of the worst economies in the EU. Every time a new president is elected, the government completely changes. This has happened 62 times since World War II. Corruption is so rampant that in a study on the "happiest" countries in the world, Italy ranked last.

• Population of Italy: 57,592,000
• Percentage of Protestants: 0.82%
• Percentage of Atheists: 20%
• Only 5% of Catholics practice their faith.
• There are 616 official religions in Italy. Jehovah's Witnesses are as numerous as all Evangelicals put together.
• Number of missionaries: 464 (1:124,000)
• Number of full-time magicians: 100,000 (1:575)
• Only 10% of expatriate missionaries on average return for a second term.
• Out of 33,000 cities in Italy, 31,000 have absolutely no evangelical witness.
• In northern Italy, there are 4.4 million people and only 400 evangelical Christians. That's one believer for every 10,000 people.

More about Bologna...

• The University of Bologna, Alma Mater Studiorum, is the oldest university in Western Europe.
• Bologna has a population of 500,000. This includes the 100,000 students from the university.
• Before Crusade established a presence in Italy 4 years ago, there had not been an organized Christian ministry on the campus in over 20 years.
• My team and I will be partnering with a few local evangelical churches in the city as well as TEAM (a church-planting organization) and Youth for Christ.

Here is another video about the ministry in Italy created by some students on summer project in Bologna.

Just for fun, here's a recipe for eggplant parmesan that I learned in one of my Italian cooking classes last fall in Florence. I've been able to make it with friends a couple of times over the last few weeks, and we've really enjoyed it. Try it some time and let me know what you think!

Parmigiana di melanzane

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Salt

1.5 lb eggplant (about 1 eggplant), thickly sliced

1 clove garlic, crushed

Olive oil

1 lb ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1 tsp sugar

Pepper

2 tbsp chopped basil

8 oz mozzarella, diced (use fresh mozzarella if you can find it)

5 tbsp grated parmesan

Salt the eggplant slices and leave on paper towels for 30 minutes to let the juices run out.

Fry the garlic in 2 tbsp olive oil until the aroma rises. Add the tomatoes, sugar, a little salt and pepper adn the basil. Cook vigorously to reduce to a thick sauce.

Rinse and drain the eggplant slices. Dry them and deep-fry in hot oil, turning over once, and drain on absorbent paper towels.

Arrange the slices in a baking dish, cover with the tomato sauce, sprinkle with the cheeses and bake in the oven at 350 degrees fahrenheit for about 30 minutes.

Finally...keep praying for Italy! Here are a few prayer points for the week:

• First and foremost, praise God for his provision!
• Also, pray for the points listed above--especially for the students in Bologna, the staff team and my STINT team.
• Continue to pray for my transition to raising support in Little Rock. Pray that God will provide committed monthly supporters, that He'll create time for people to meet and that He'll bless conversations.

Elizabeth

John 10:10

Transitions

After a weekend filled with family, friends, and graduation celebrations, I'm back in Little Rock. There were so many wonderful moments this weekend--it's always such a treasure to spend time with my family because it seems we're rarely all in one place. My Grandma Bostwick from Arizona even made the trip to Fayetteville for the event. I'm going to take a moment here to brag on her because she's such an inspiration to me--if I'm able to become half the woman she is, I'll consider myself a success. She raised five children single-handedly after her husband passed away when her youngest children (my dad and his twin) were two. She then returned to college and pursued a degree in art education. She's now a fiber artist and her work has been featured at the Butler Institute of American Art in Ohio. Check out her website if you're interested. I am so grateful for everyone in my family--I'd brag on all of them if space allowed. I love all of you who are reading!

Me and my two wonderful friends, Sarah Griffis and Katie Russell, at Sarah's graduation party on Saturday.
We met on a study abroad trip to London after freshman year of college.

Mom, Grandma, Dad and I after the Honors Commencement on Friday.

God has continued to bless the support-raising process. Again, I don't have the words to express how much your prayers are appreciated, and I wish I could just write pages about all of the amazing conversations God has blessed me with over the last week. I already have so many wonderful stories of unexpected generosity. I am learning so much about God and His character through these conversations and experiences--even in just the last few weeks.

Something I've realized about myself, especially in college, is that I really love to be in control. I'm one of those people who loves my planner (and, yes, I do sometimes use pens and sticky notes and other things to color-coordinate). I like to have a plan and to know exactly how that plan will unfold. I love the security of stability. However, surrendering your life to Christ means surrendering control, and I'm beginning to learn what this means in a very tangible way. God is my provider and He will meet my needs according to His plans, not my own. Though I might, at times, feel that I have control over a given situation, the reality is that I do not really have much control at all...God is a very big God, and I'm a very finite person. Many times in making appointments to meet with people about prayer or financial support for Italy, my schedule has been rearranged. I'll wake up with my agenda, expecting to talk to certain people, and my plans change completely. And yet, despite all of the changes, God provides. He doesn't need me to do His work, He lovingly allows me to join in the process. Why not just rest and lean on Him, glorifying Him by enjoying His goodness? Control is, I'm beginning to realize, overrated.

Another lesson I'm learning has to do with being fully present in the present. In other words, living where I am right now and not viewing the time between now and going to Italy as a means to an end. The process is a crucial part of the experience. God has so many things to show me and others here and now, and preoccupation with the future will rob me of sweet moments here in the present. A Jim Eliot quote on this topic has always impressed me-- "Wherever you are, be all there! Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God. "

Again, your prayers are an incredible blessing and they are working. I recently heard a sermon about the importance of prayer and I'll never forget one thing the pastor said--"Preparation without prayer runs ahead of God."That being said, here are a few prayer points for Italy:

• Praise and thank God for His provision!! Support has continued to come in. I have a little over 25% of my one-time needs in hand!
• Pray that God would continue to provide--pray for full support by August 1. Pray especially that God would provide committed monthly supporters. 
• Pray for my transition from Fayetteville to Little Rock. This week, I'll begin contacting and meeting with people in my hometown. 
• Continue to pray for my STINT team (two girls from LSU, two girls from England, and a couple from Oklahoma) and for the students in Italy--especially those in Bologna. Pray for the staff members who are already in Bologna (Jesse and Tricia Marcos and the Phipps family).

Ciao, and know that I am praying for you! Also, here's a video about ministry in Italy that you might find interesting. And, I think I've told many of you about the documentary, Beyond the Gates of Splendor....watch it here : )

Elizabeth
John 10:10

Blogging, graduation, Italy...is this for real?

Hello all and thanks for stopping by the blog! I've never been much of a blogger, but I'm excited to start and glad to have a reason to write. Make sure to keep checking back--I'm going to do my best to keep you posted (no pun intended) on everything God's doing, especially through the support-raising process. As I've told many of you, the path to Italy for me has been a little indirect and unexpected, though I'm thrilled about this opportunity. Sometimes, as I hear myself talking about how God directed me to where I am now, I catch myself thinking...is this for real?

As I've told many of you, God has been so gracious in his provision for this year so far. He is constantly revealing more of Himself to me and surprising me with encouragement from unexpected places. I'm beginning to fall in love with this process, though it's hardly started. Thanks to everyone reading for your support and encouragement. Your prayers are SO valuable to me. They are powerful and they are working-- I can't emphasize that enough.

Graduation is this weekend, which is also hard to believe. These last four years have flown by, and God has grown me so much as a person throughout my college career. Last week, I was able to attend the CRU Legacy Dinner (a dinner honoring seniors involved in CRU). It was surreal to be sitting in the UARK Bowl again, four years older and just a little wiser--I still remember attending my first CRU weekly meeting as a freshman. Had you told me at the beginning of college I'd be going to Italy as a missionary after graduation, I probably would have laughed. But God does have a sense of humor, right?

My prayer upon entering college in making life plans has been Proverbs 3:5-6..."Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight." Many of us have heard this verse so many times before, but it never loses its impact.

Just wanted to close this post with a few prayer requests:

• Praise God for his provision so far! As of right now, I'm on target with support goals, which is an incredible encouragement and blessing.
• Pray for the remainder of the appointments I have in Fayetteville--God's blessing on conversations and continued provision. 
• Pray for my team as they continue with the support raising process--that we would all reach full support by August 1. And, more than anything, pray that God would both prepare our hearts for our time in Italy and continue working in students' hearts in Bologna.

Ciao and more posts coming soon!

John 10:10