La Piazza Press

La Piazza Press is our monthly newsletter that we use to keep our friends, family, and supporters informed of our progress towards our goal of becoming missionaries to Italy.  We will be updating this newsletter with current pictures, stories, prayer requests, and anything else that happens along the way.  We named our newsletter La Piazza Press because the piazza, or what we would call in America, a courtyard or town square, is where life takes place in Italy.  It is where friends encounter friends, relationships are formed, and meetings take place.  It is where one goes to shop, hear a concert, or relax after a hard day’s work.  It is the center of activity.  If you were to visit a city, town or village in Italy you would find a multitude of piazzas.  If you went to a piazza it would be easy to meet new friends as the Italians are a friendly, outgoing people.  However, if you went to the piazza in search of Christian fellowship, you would have difficulty finding a brother or sister in Christ.  The piazzas, and Italy as a whole, have very few evangelical Christians.  Our vision is to see that change.  Our vision is to see the piazzas filled with evangelical Christians.  Would you be willing to share in that vision with us?  If so, please click the register button above to receive our monthly newsletter.  For more information, you can visit our website at www.littlesitaly.com

Current Happenings

September 1, 2006 

August has been a whirlwind of activity for us.  The beginning of the month we had the wonderful opportunity to go back to Jacksonville, Fl and visit our old church, Sunrise Community Evangelical Free Church.  It was so good to be with old friends.  We also traveled to Quakertown, PA where we have a cabin to spend time with our children and grandchildren.  Between these two trips, we had tons of travel for our jobs.  The most difficult thing for us at the moment is trying to juggle our work schedule, family schedule, and support raising schedule.  We have a new appreciation for all of our missionary friends who have been down this road before us.  Without the Lords presence in our daily lives we would be overcome with the busyness of it all.  We heard a sermon on the Lord's Prayer while in Quakertown and have been clinging onto Matthew 6:11, "Give us this day our daily bread", ever since.  The pastor shared that Jesus often reminded his followers not to worry.  He told them not to be anxious about tomorrow's needs or problems but stressed a daily reliance on the Father, who provides for his children day by day.  We are striving to live are lives in accordance with that scripture, but not without a struggle.  It always amazes us how Gods word is so relevant to our everyday life, even in the short verses! 

Preparations

We leave September 3rd for San Lorenzo, Italy and will return on the 15th.  While there, we will be looking for potential living quarters near the Bible Institute.  Valvazone is one of the villages we will look closely at for housing as it is only 5 minutes away.  This village is also very open to us teaching English as a Second Language. A few years ago S.E.E. held E.S.L. classes there.  The mayor was so excited about the offer of free E.S.L. courses in his town that he supplied a free store front and sent over pizza every Friday afternoon.  We pray that we will get the same reception.

We are still plugging away on our language studies.  This trip will be a true test of how much we really know and can apply.

We will join a team from McGregor Baptist Church arriving in San Lorenzo on September 8 to complete a construction project at the Bible Institute.  The plan is to renovate bathrooms, complete many needed repairs, and do a lot of painting.  We've had the opportunity to build friendships with many of these team members already and feel very blessed to be able to work alongside them for a week.

Between now and February when we leave for Italy permanently, our schedule continues to be hectic.  Our jobs require extensive travel and we are always going in two different directions.  In spite of this, we must find time to meet with churches and friends to share are financial and prayer support needs.   

September Schedule

Tom            

    September 1-7       Working in Florida

    September 7-15      Mission team in San Lorenzo, Italy

    September 15-30    Working in Florida   

  Maureen    

     September 1-3      Quakertown, PA

     September 4-15     Mission team in San Lorenzo, Italy

     September 16-21   Working in Florida

     September 22-30   Mission team in Chipel, Guatemala

Praises and Prayers

Praises

• There is nothing better than hearing our grandsons prayers when we put them to bed.  We thank our Lord Jesus that they want to pray.
• Thank you Lord for the team that is going to San Lorenzo to do construction on the Bible Institute.  They are a great blessing.
• Praise the Lord for the mission team that Maureen is going with to Guatemala.  They are also, an incredible blessing.

Prayers

• Travel mercies for us and the mission teams that span two continents this month.
• God's will to be done in and through both mission trips.
• Pray that the Holy Spirit will touch the hearts of the people we will encounter in Italy and Guatemala and that they would be open to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• God would continue to raise up sufficient donors in order to arrive on the field by 2/07.
• Maureen has numerous medical procedures coming up.  Pray for positive outcomes and the finances to cover the expenses.

Support Update

We are at 48% of our outgoing expense and 24% of our monthly expense.  Our Lord continues to surprise us with his blessings as we journey down this path.  Raising support feels a lot like riding a roller coaster.  We certainly don't feel like we have any control over the situation.  We know that we must be obedient and do the work, but it is very clear that God is in control.  Everything that we thought would happen, hasn't.  We thought people would think we were too old to go to the mission field.  Nope, didn't happen.  We thought it would be an arduous process.  It has actually been a time of blessing.  We thought we knew who would be supportive of our call to Italy and who wouldn't.  No, we really didn't know anything.

God has taught us that this is His mission and not ours.  Praise the Lord!  It is His money, His talents, and His everything.  We, being willing to join Him in his work but knowing very little, are being supplied all our needs, in His way, on His schedule, and with His resources.  Therefore, we stand before Him, humbled but not humiliated, fearful but not frightened, broken but not broken hearted.  Thank you Jesus for the lessons you are teaching us.  May we be found faithful!