I apologize for the span of time between my last update, but I just returned to my internet connection in Ancona. This last week, I was visiting a church in Latiano, near Brindisi, for a few days before the ‘Restoration Movement Convention’ in Lecce. This is the same church I had visited a few months back and wrote about. It was great to see them again. I could really tell that they missed me and that to the degree I was blessed by them, they too were blessed. I found out that they had given me a nickname, Pollicino, which literally means, “Little thumb” but the name correlates to an Italian fairy tale which probably is based on “Tom Thumb.”

The convention went really well. This is my third time to attend this annual convention. The first time was on my internship three years ago, and last year I went, but I had a bit of a hard time because I understood nothing. This time was a blessing to me because I could understand a lot more of what was going on, and I could appreciate what was being said. The sermons of the week were taken from the sermons preached in Acts and they were preached by various leaders from the churches of Christ in Italy. It was a good chance to meet old friends and see what God is up to in the other churches.

Now I am back in Ancona and while I was gone, our interns arrived. Team Expansion organizes summer trips in various parts of the world, and there is a small group of four here in Ancona to help us with our coffee house and English outreaches. It is neat to see them already diving into language school and meeting people around town. Starting next Thursday, I will be leading the group in the same materials we are going through in our Italian cell group on Sundays. I am also co-writing the lessons for the next six months for our Sunday teaching times. We are going over the fruit of the Spirit from a great book by Philip Kenneson called, Life on the Vine. It is a great book and I highly recommend it for this subject.

Please be in prayer these next few weeks for:

  • Our team’s transition into the summer; it is a busy time for us and hopefully God will guide our efforts.
  • Our team’s relationships with each other and with the Italians; we are constantly wanting to embody the life of Christ here in Italy to each other and to those who may not yet know Him.
  • Our team’s protection; since summer is a busy time for us, it would be convenient for the Enemy to attack
  • Our team’s intimacy with Christ
  • Our team’s language ability; that it would continue to increase for His glory!

Thank you for being such a vital part of this ministry!