These last three months have been full of activity and some intense life events. Through it all, I have seen the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord, and I know it is largely due to your faithfulness in prayer. So before continuing, I want to say thank you. Thank you for bearing my burdens, thank you for your intercession, and thank you for your continued support and encouragement. The body of Christ is a beautiful thing.
Remember
Throughout scripture we see this call to remember; to remember the things that the Lord has done. But why are we called upon so often to remember? Simply, because we forget. The weight of our present circumstances crowds out the faithfulness of God. Our perspective shifts and we become consumed by the gravity of the problem before us rather than by the grandeur of our almighty God. We have the tendency to get so caught up in the moment that we lose sight of the bigger picture. Thus, it is necessary that we take a step back, remove ourselves from the situation at hand, and see from a broader perspective. To take time to recap past events, summarize what God has done, and remind ourselves of His goodness and faithfulness.
It really is all about perspective; what we choose to set our minds upon. To choose to see the blessings of God in the midst of hardship. To choose to see His love and faithfulness when hope seems gone. To choose to remember the God that He is when we are struggling with doubts and with the fear of the unknown. Remember. Remember what He has done. Remember who He is. Remember what He has promised. It is when we are ever mindful of Him that we are able to count it all joy, to willingly forsake the things of this world, to rest in quiet confidence in the midst of chaos, and to have peace apart from explanations, answers, or understandings. It is when we remember that we see God's faithfulness to answer prayer. It is when we remember that we are able to continue forth in boldness because we are reminded that He is the One who does the work and the power is of Him and not of us. It is when we remember that we are able to deny the dictates of our lustful hearts because we are reminded of the destructiveness of sin and of the insurmountable love that died to set us free from its slavery.
When was the last time you sat down to remember? When was the last time your remembrance of things past provoked spontaneous worship from a heart overwhelmed with gratitude and awe for the lover of your soul? Will you choose to remember? Will you choose to remember in the darkest of days? Will you choose to remember in the days of ease? Will you choose to remember in the mundane? These questions were originally written not for you, the reader, but for me. They were penned in my journal on November 5th. So, now, I want to take some time to remember. To remember the events from the past few months
October 16th - My grandpa (my mom's dad), known primarily as Gramps in our family, passed away and went home to be with Jesus
October 25th - My apartment was broken into while I was gone and they took a necklace, a pair of earrings, and a bracelet (praise the Lord that nothing else was stolen)
October 28th - Landon and Rachel left for America for 5 weeks
November 7th - I received my Permesso di Soggiorno (allowing me to legally reside in Italy for the next year - I will need to reapply in June/July)
November 10th - I officially started playing on the worship team (we set up the electronic drum set that Calvary Chapel Reno donated!)
November 16th - We had our first official youth group meeting/event for Calvary Chapel Feltre. Luis (a guy in our church) is leading and I'm serving alongside of him as a youth leader.
November 17th - I turned 33 years old
November 22nd & 29th - I attended a civil training class for a total of 10 hours as required by my integration agreement for my Permesso and learned about the Italian constitution, laws, residency requirements, etc.
November 28th - Thanksgiving at the Bible College in Montebelluna
November 30th - Youth event and girls sleepover where I taught a devotional
December 1st - Landon and Rachel returned to Italy
December 4th - I began tutoring 3 high school students in English and Math at the Comunità (a local foster home). I tutor once a week on Wednesday for a few hours and then eat dinner with the kids and staff
December 9th - John, Lauren, and Seth Wolfe arrived in Italy and stayed for a total of 31 days!
December 13th - Christmas Party Outreach at a foster home in Pedavena (the families in our church purchased Christmas presents for the kids and we delivered them on the 13th and stayed and played games, decorated Christmas cookies, sang Christmas carols, and cooked them a meal. We had over 30 people from our church attend to bless the kids and staff)
December 16th - 24th - Traveling with the Wolfe pack! (So grateful that they let me tag along on their family vacation - we had a blast! They were here at a time when I didn't even know that I needed them, but God did and I'm so blessed that they were here)
December 31st - New Year's Eve party at the church (around 60 people in attendance). We ate together, had a time of worship and prayer, enjoyed some fireworks, and played games until 3:30am!
January 2nd - 4th - Youth Winter Camp! 40 kids attended from Calvary Chapel Rome, CC Treviso, CC Montebelluna, and CC Feltre. I was privileged to be one of the youth leaders and Seth Wolfe was able to attend as well! It was a blessed time!
When I look back at all of the things that the Lord has done these past few months, I'm in awe. I'm so blessed to be in this place, to be surrounded by such wonderful people who love Jesus, and to be able to serve the body of Christ and the community. God has been faithful, He has sustained me, and He has remained the One constant in a season of change; He has remained the familiar in the midst of everything that is unfamiliar. I'm grateful for what He has done and expectant of what He is going to do.
Below are a couple pictures of my grandparents, specifically my grandpa. Grateful that they are both now with Jesus! Thank you to everyone who loved on my family and prayed for us during and after his passing.
Building Relationships
Much of this season has been about building relationships. I've formed friendships with people in my language class, met others at my civil training class, have shared meals with numerous families from the church (Italian meals last for hours and I love it!), attended youth camps and youth events with other churches, had game nights and movie nights with the church body, and have spent a lot of one-on-one time with various women from the church. Despite the language barrier, we are developing sweet friendships in Christ where we are able to share testimonies of God's goodness in our lives, share what He is currently doing and speaking to us, laugh and cry with one another, and look forward to the next time we will be together.
I'm beginning to meet more and more people in the community and I'm excited to see what the Lord will do as a result. These people are so precious and I desire for them to know the love and grace of God in a real and tangible way.
The first picture is from our first youth event in Feltre (we have 6 youth: 3 boys and 3 girls)
The second picture was taken at a pizza date with Suzy (a sweet, single woman from our church). Her son, Luis, leads the youth group. Suzy came to my house that night for tea and we exchanged testimonies and then went for pizza afterward (the entire conversation was in Italian). I LOVE this sweet woman of God!
The third photo was taken in front of the new church building in Feltre. A group of believers from Calvary Chapel Ferrara (2.5 hour drive) came to visit us one Sunday and prayed over our city, new church building, and for our church body. It was a sweet time of fellowship!
The 4th photo was taken on my birthday. This sweet family had me over that morning, decorated their house with streamers and balloons, made me a cake, and celebrated my birthday...I was beyond blessed!
The 5th photo is from a tea get-together with a few women from the church. It was a sweet time of fellowship, filled with laughter and tears. We will be doing one again next week and I will be hosting!
The 6th photo is from our church New Year's Eve party
The 7th and 8th photos are from our youth winter camp. The theme was "C'è Ancora Posto" (there is still room - based on the parable from Luke 14:22). The teachings were all from various parables. Four churches were represented and it was awesome to see the kids bond, love on, pray for, and encourage one another. I'm excited to see what the Lord has in store for these youth kids.
What's On My Calendar???
Monday: Italian language class at a local school from 9:00am - 1:00pm
Women's Bible Study (3rd Monday evening of every month)
Tea date with some of the young women from the church @4:00 (once a month)
Tuesday: Missionary Meeting (8:30am - 10:30am)
Church Prayer (Every 2nd Tuesday of the month @8:00pm)
Wednesday: Italian language class (11:00am - 1:00pm)
Tutoring and dinner at the Comunità (4:00pm - 9:00pm)
Thursday: Midweek church service (7:00pm)
(Worship practice begins at 6:30pm)
Friday: Free day
Saturday: Women's Bible Study (1st Saturday of every month @5:00pm)
Youth Group (3rd Saturday of every month @5:00pm)
Sunday: Church Service @10:30am
(Worship practice begins at 8:15am)
Praise Reports!!!
First, here are the prayer requests from my last update, along with the praises for how God has answered them! It's important to REMEMBER!
"My language acquisition, a mind to learn and memorize, and stamina and diligence to study Italian daily"
Although I'm nowhere near acquiring the language, I am progressing and I'm thoroughly enjoying my language classes.
The new church building project. Pray for wisdom in selecting the right people to be a part of the renovation and opportunities to share the love of Christ and the gospel with them
We have selected the people for the work, but continue to pray for opportunities to share the love of Jesus with them!
My Permesso, as it is currently (hopefully) being processed. Pray that it would be done speedily so that I can move towards applying for residency
I received my Permesso on November 7th and will be applying for residency, acquiring my identity card (carta d'identita), health card (tessera sanitaria), and Italian bank account sometime this week (hopefully)
Vision and direction for future ministry and outreach and how the Lord would have me to be involved
In November I started playing drums on the worship team and have loved being able to serve in that capacity.
We officially began a youth group here in Feltre and I am the female youth leader for the youth group. It has been a blast so far! I love these kids!
I headed up the Christmas Outreach to the Comunità with one of the ladies in our church. It was such a precious time filled with joy and laughter. I also began tutoring at the Comunità in December. It has been a blessing getting to know the kids!
Financial provision. I've seen the Lord provide abundantly and faithfully each month already, but I want to be faithful to continue to ask and believe that He will move and stir in the hearts of people to help make the work that I'm doing in Italy financially possible
God continues to supply for all of my needs. I'm constantly in awe of how God works and moves and am so blessed by your faithfulness to heed His prompting. Thank you to those who have given financially...I'm truly humbled!
My time with John, Lauren, and Seth was precious and so needed on my end. They were a comfort and encouragement to me in a time when I didn't even realize I needed it. The effects of culture shock were taking a toll on me emotionally and they were an aspect of familiar in the midst of everything being unfamiliar. I'm so grateful that God brought them here for this time. Also, the church welcomed them with open arms and many made countless attempts to try to convince them to move here! I'm overjoyed that they were able to see and be a part of the ministry here for a short time.
Prayer Requests!!!
My language acquisition, a mind to learn and memorize, and stamina and diligence to study Italian daily
A smooth process in getting my residency, identity card, health card (I pay for the entire year of health care all at once, so it's a big initial expense), and bank account. There are still a lot of legal items to be taken care of.
Vision and direction for youth ministry and outreach within the community
Wisdom in purchasing a car. Pray for the right vehicle and opportunities to share the gospel with those I come into contact with as a result
I will be coming home in March for a couple weeks to be with my family to celebrate the lives of my grandparents. It's a short trip so I want to be purposeful with my time. Pray for wisdom in planning time with family and friends.
My transition and learning to adapt to new practices and a new culture. Please continue to pray for ease in learning these new things.
Unity and vision as a missionary team (Landon, Rachel, and myself)
Salvation for the people of Feltre and Pedavena and boldness for us believers to share the gospel
Unity within the body of Christ here in Feltre and continued discipleship, raising up, and equipping of the saints for ministry
The new church building project. Pray for wisdom for those selected to do the renovations and for opportunities to share the love of Christ and the gospel with them.
Financial provision for the new building project. God has already provided for the full cost of the building, all that's left now is renovation costs.
Financial provision. I've seen the Lord provide abundantly and faithfully each month already, but I want to be faithful to continue to ask and believe that He will move and stir in the hearts of people to help make the work that I'm doing in Italy financially possible
The middle picture is from our Christmas party at the Comunità. The kids were competing in a cookie decorating contest. They paired up (each pair consisted of one kid from the Comunità and one kid from our church). We had a blast!
What's the Lord speaking to me now?
It comes from a message from Greg Opean given last week at the Missions Conference in Murrieta: "Just go and see what the Lord does." That phrase was said to him before he left for the mission field and it became the resounding theme of their ministry. I don't want to be busy "doing" things for the Lord. Instead, I desire to be more faithful to wait upon Him in prayer and watch and see what HE does.
Once again, thank you so much for all of your prayers, encouragement, and support! The body of Christ is so necessary and I'm constantly reminded of how grateful I am for you all!
We serve a great and mighty God!
Jenna
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