Waiting, Dissapointment, Discouragement

This week has been really hard. Many reasons, mostly God is just working on my heart.

My heart is breaking. As I learn more from the team about Christians in Genova and the existing churches here, I am near tears every time.

As Tim told me today, if I were to go out into the historical center of town where many, many people are and asked 500 people if they were born again believers, I would probably not find ONE! Not ONE!

There is such a bitterness here towards church. Any Italian in Genova who hears 'church' thinks of Catholic church and religion.

The existing Evangelical churches in this city are made up of primarily internationals and not lead by Italians. This breaks my heart. There are no Italian churches! Why? And for this reason Avant is in Italy, in Genova. The ministry here is all about people. Plugging into groups of Italians who are influential and have an impact on their social circle. The vision for these groups is to see them come to faith in Jesus and then begin to train others to practice the principles of a church/body of believers. This is a huge challenge, and everything the team does here is based on people and building relationships naturally with people of influence.

As I hear more and my heart breaks more for not only Genova, but Europe in general, I cannot help but desire to be a part of what is happening. As I sat listening to Tim today and Dustin on Monday, I realized how God can use me in this type of ministry because of my love for people. And not only my love for people in a different culture who need Jesus, but my love for working on a team of people. One of the greatest experiences in my life so far has been my job at Moody on the dish crew, that group of people is so diverse with personality, nationality, and backgrounds and yet the 22 of us are able to connect in a way that no other person not a part of our team can understand. We have been called a cult before, maybe we are, but most importantly for me being a part of that group God has taught me what it means to work problems out and be forced to live with the differences of others all striving for one common goal and purpose. The love and the bond that we share is deeper than anything I have ever experienced.

I share this because I see similar qualities in the team members here in Genova. I like the idea of joining a team to be encouraged, challenged, and to work along-side others with the same goal.

Thanks for your prayers. I look forward to sharing more about the trip in general with as many of you as possible when I return. The end is approaching rapidly! Pray for my attitude and to finish strong.

Please email me if you have specific questions or input. I would love to hear from you!