| | We're leaving today to go to Italy!!!!!! :o) We're so excited! It has been almost three years since we've been there and we can't wait to go back.
Most exciting, this trip, is to lead 14 UCF students - most of whom have never been on a missions trip - with us. These students are taking huge steps of faith to go and I know God is going to grow them. In fact, He's already started to do so just with the support raising process. There are tons of examples, but one is a girl named Rachel.
Rachel is a freshman and hasn't ever been on a mission trip before. She is terrified but feels like God is calling her to go so she said she would. Raising support was so hard for her. Most of her family isn't Christian so she didn't have very many people to turn to. Anyway, a few weeks ago we encouraged her, as scary as it is, to make phone calls to the people she sent letters to because she hadn't gotten even half of what she needed to go on the trip yet! We invited her over to our house, along with a few other students, and they all made phone calls together. She was shaking the whole time, but did a great job and trusted God for the results. Well, last Thursday all the students had to pay for the trip in full in order to leave with us tomorrow. Rachel still hadn't seen any money come in from the people she had called. In the end, she had to write a personal check to cover the cost of the trip in the amount of $550 - money she doesn't have as an 18 year old! We told her we'd hold the check until after we got home in case any more support came in. Well, yesterday she calls us so excited! She got a check in the mail for $500 from one of the people she had called that night at our house - one of the least likely to give! She was totally not expecting anything like that. She stepped out in faith and saw God meet her...and it has totally changed her view of her walk with the Lord! I have no doubt that that $50 will be here when she gets home, as well.
When we go to Italy and share Christ with Italian students in Salerno, I know our American students will be scared. It is always scary to sit down with a stranger and bring up spiritual things, then share Christ with them! However, I also know that God will meet them and show Himself. He will reveal that He is in control of our lives and of the Italians lives. He will show all of us His glory and, hopefully, prayerfully, bring Italians to Christ!!!
I know this trip will be fun - Italy is beautiful, the food is good, etc. But what will be most awe inspiring will be to see God move in the lives of students on our trip, Italians and in our lives! I can't wait!
Some prayer requests:
*Pray for the students coming with us on the trip: CW, Chelsea, Jon, Kelle, Lindsey, Nelly, Sal, Sarah, Ross, Tiffany, Krista, Rachel, Katy, and Rachael - there is a wide variety of needs there. We have a girl who has only been a Christian for four months, people who have never shared their faith before, a girl with a torn ACL (pray that she'd be healed), mature Christian students, etc. Pray for all of them!
* Pray that we would all be safe, healthy, and that no one would get anything stolen from them during the trip.
* Pray that our lives would be changed and that Italians would see Christ for who He is and come to know Him personally.
* Pray that Ross and I will get a good vision for ministry in Italy, as it looks now, and that God would continue to impress on our hearts where He wants us in the future.
See you when we get home! :o) |
| | Posted 3/10/2007 8:40 AM - 39 Views - 6 eProps - 3 comments
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