5 More Weeks!

Time is flying by, and it's so hard to believe that I'm only five short weeks away from my August 1 deadline. I recently heard some more encouraging news about exciting things happening in Bologna--three Chinese students in the city received Christ last week.

On another note, I came across a few verses recently that really impacted me...

Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the LORD: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him.

Isaiah 51:1-2

So often it's easy for me to get lost in the clamor created by the different voices surrounding me--other people, the media, my own anxious thoughts, etc. It's easy to allow distractions to drown out the truth. In the passage, the prophet encourages the believing remnant in Israel to remember their spiritual heritage--to remember where God has taken them in the past: how He has guided and provided. Is He not capable of doing so again? God knows exactly where each one of us has been. He knows where He has taken us and why He has taken us to where we are now--circumstantially, spiritually, emotionally. The key in the midst of the chaos is to remember our foundation--the "rock" from which we were "hewn"--even when circumstances and outside voices tell us otherwise. The same God who provided a son for Abraham and Sarah is our provider today. God delights to do the impossible for the sake of His glory.

Here's a recipe for pesto from one of my Italian cooking classes that you might enjoy:

Pesto

• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed, or more to taste
• 2 oz. pine nuts
• Salt
• 2 oz. or more basil (weighed with stems)
• 4 tablespoons grated parmesan
• 5 fl. oz. light olive oil

Put garlic, pine nuts, and chopped basil leaves in a blender. Stir in the grated cheese and mix very well, then gradually beat in the olive oil.

Finally, prayer requests...

• Praise God for students' response in Bologna, and continue to pray that God would be working in students' hearts on the campus.
• Praise God for support. As of today, He has provided 94% of my one-time support needs, and I am on target with monthly support goals. 
• My biggest request is still that God would provide committed monthly supporters. Please pray that God will supply all support needs by or before August 1. I know that I list this request every week, but these prayers are still so needed and they are working. 

Mom and I in Lucca, Italy
Fall 2010

More Encouraging News

I'm going to keep this post pretty short, but I want to share more encouraging news with you about what God has done in the last week. As I've mentioned in some of my other posts, college students are on summer projects right now in several different places throughout Italy, including Bologna. Last week, I got a message from the director of the ministry in Bologna with some very encouraging news--an Italian girl prayed to receive Christ! Praise God for what he's doing in Bologna, and please continue to pray for staff in Bologna as they work with the students there.

Also, I wanted to include a link to the website for Agape Italia. They recently updated the site, and it has a lot of interesting information about the ministry and Italy. The Jesus Film Project (part of Campus Crusade) introduced the Maddalena Film in Italy in April 2010. Agape Italia and Jesus Film staff have shown and distributed the film through churches, special events and other Christian ministries. I think I might have misinformed some of you about Agape Italia locations throughout Italy. Here's some more information on the Bologna ministry specifically, and a map of the cities throughout Italy with Agape Italia staff. 

Personally, this week I've been continuing to meet new people, contacting extended family who live in different parts of the country and connecting with people in the Little Rock area. I've also had a few conversations with several of my parents' friends from staff--it's been wonderful to hear their encouragement and hear more about their lives. Not too much different from the usual routine, and again, thank you for all of your prayers.

A few prayer points for this week...

Florence
December 2010

• Praise God for what He's doing in Bologna and for His provision!
• Continue to pray for students and staff in Bologna and throughout Italy. Also pray for my STINT team as we prepare for the upcoming year. 
• Please continue to pray for full support in-hand by or before August 1 for me and my STINT team. Pray that we would all reach 50% of our support by July 1. Please continue to pray that God would provide committed monthly supporters and more contacts. 

A Very Encouraging Week

Hello all (Ciao tutti)! First of all, I want to apologize about the delay in posting over the last couple of weeks, but here's a quick update.

The biggest lesson I've been learning lately is the importance of separating my emotions from the reality of what God is doing throughout this process. I'm still learning more and more that I simply cannot approach conversations about Italy or support with any expectations. God is truly the one in control of everything taking place, and He is the only one with the power to move people's hearts. My role is simply to make people aware and present them with an opportunity.

Over the last few weeks, one of my primary prayer requests has been for more committed monthly supporters. I've said it so many times before, and I'll say it again--your prayers are working! Thanks to those of you who have been faithful in joining me to bring this request before the Lord. In the last post, I mentioned that I had more monthly support come in during that week than I had seen come in all summer. I can say that this week, I had more than double that amount of monthly support commitments come in-- God blessed me with over $500 in monthly support commitments. I hesitate to get ahead of myself--there's still a pretty big financial gap between me and Bologna, Italy, but I tell you this so that you'll know that God does provide and He does answer prayer. I know that not every week will have such encouraging results, but I don't want to miss an opportunity to give glory to God for His blessings. Please praise Him for these wonderful gifts. It astounds me how some people will suggest monthly support amounts--exactly what I'm prompted to ask for--before I say a word about numbers. This isn't always the case, but it has happened more than once. And His blessings extend beyond finances to the conversations I have with the people He places in my path and the prayers friends and family have prayed with me over this experience. Please remember that God has used you to speak into my life in specific ways.

It's amazing to look back over the last month or so and see where God has taken me--how He's grown my faith in ways I wouldn't have expected and answered big prayers I tentatively prayed. Last semester, as I was praying and wrestling through the decision to apply for STINT and other opportunities to pursue after graduation, I read a quote in a devotional that captured my attention and convicted me of my tendency to place limits on God. The devotional dealt with Joshua 1:3 and essentially discussed claiming God's promises--and many of God's promises are very big commitments. The devotional ended with this quote, "The Marquis of Salisbury, an English statesman and diplomat, upon being criticized for his colonial policies, replied, 'Gentlemen, get larger maps.'"So often I reduce my "map" of what God can do or His plans for my life to my previous experiences or limited human understanding.

Though I spent most of my week in Little Rock, I've been able to spend some time in Fayetteville and tomorrow I'll be going to a wedding in Fort Smith. I'm eager to catch up with a few friends I haven't seen in awhile and to have a little change of pace.

Here are several prayer points:

Siena, Italy
Fall 2010

• Please praise God for His gracious provision, and continue to pray for His abundant provision in upcoming weeks. Continue to pray for more committed monthly supporters and for full support by or before August 1. Pray for appointments and positive responses to letters and phone calls. Please also remember the other members of my STINT team in these prayers.
• Please continue to pray for students on summer projects throughout Italy. Pray that God will work both in and through them.
• Pray for the students in Italy--that God would be softening and preparing their hearts.

Elizabeth

John 10:10

Goals and Accomplishments in Bologna

Over the last week, I have continued to adjust to raising support in Little Rock. I have had the privilege of meeting with several former teachers, old friends from high school and friends from church. Every conversation has been an absolute blessing. The beauty of this process is that, through conversations that are focused on God and ministry, I am able to get glimpses of people's hearts that I wouldn't otherwise see in daily interaction. I want those of you reading to know that God has used you to speak to and encourage me in specific ways. Each and every one of you is an answer to prayer.

I had my first major support deadline today, and, while I won't get into details, I do want those of you praying to know that God has been very gracious, and He has allowed me to exceed these goals. I still have a ways to go, but I do want you to know that God is answering those prayers in tangible ways. Please continue to praise Him for His goodness and faithfulness.

I'd also like to share some more information about Bologna, just to continue to give you a clearer picture of how to pray. 

Here are the goals for Agape Italia's ministry in Bologna:

• To build a full time team that will share their faith on campus and see Italians that will in turn reach their country and the world for Christ.
• Build partnering relationships with the local churches in Bologna in order to reach more Bolognese for Christ. Also to be a testimony to the unbelievers who only see infighting amongst churches.
• Language learning along with the culture for our team.
• Build relationships at the university with professors, administrators.
• Build relationships in the community using the Family Life Ministry of Agape.
• We pray Matthew 9:37-38 that we would eventually see laborers raised up from Bologna to go to the world.

And here are some of the ministry's accomplishments thus far:

• Family Life was launched in February of 2011. The church some of the staff members in Bologna attend, Nuova Vita, was involved. As a result, they are now beginning to make plans for another conference involving other local churches in Bologna.
• We have good ongoing relationships with students that we hope to become studies which result in ongoing discipleship.
• As a result of the outreach this year with the astronaut Charlie Duke, we opened doors in the Astronomy faculty. This gave us credibility with the professors and administration. Currently we are in the process of opening doors with the Agriculture Faculty with a unique outreach we are doing in Afghanistan.
• Youth for Christ saw the doors opened to new high schools that has never allowed any Christian influence in their school.

Before closing out this post, I wanted to let you know about a talk that a man named Christopher Coleman gave at my church a couple of weeks ago. It was a great message--very different than any message I'd heard before--and it definitely brings life into perspective. If you have some time (it's about 40 minutes long), I'd highly encourage you to listen here. I think we've all encountered circumstances that have left us to question how God is working, but the truth is that, though we may not understand, He is truly doing something beautiful. 

Here are a few prayer points:

• Always continue to praise God for His provision. Also praise Him for the work He's already done in Italy.
• Pray for the points listed above. Also pray for the students who are currently on summer project in Bologna--pray that God would work both in the lives of the Italians they interact with and in their own hearts. Also continue to pray for the staff working in Bologna and in Italy as a whole.
• Pray for my STINT team and I as we prepare for the next year--pray that God would continue to provide.
• Please pray for more committed monthly supporters, and praise God for the committed monthly supporters that have joined my team in the last two weeks (God's been answering this request!). Also pray that I would use my time wisely, work diligently, and that those I contact would find time to meet. Continue to pray for full support by August 1.

Rome, Italy
Fall 2010