FBC Missions

The past week has been a very productive one for our team!  Last Saturday was the event we’ve been planning for three weeks: an evangelistic outreach Youth Group Music Night.  We invited the youth from the Ostia church and it’s two sister churches (which was, in itself, a feat, since these three youth groups have never yet put on a joint program!) to come and invite all of their non-believing friends.

Over 40 youth turned out, many of whom were non-believers who had never heard the Gospel.  Mark, Dan, and a local friend, Claudio, put on a fantastic Jazz concert that brought down the house!  Claudio is not a believer, and so we praised the Lord that he agreed to also help play the worship songs, too!  Then, after some contemporary U2 songs, Dave gave a testimony focusing on how we are broken and sinful on our own, but if we give ourselves over to God for transformation He will make us useful and complete.  He also shared some verses in Italian, stressing his experience of how powerful the Word of God is, especially when it is memorized by heart.

The wonder of God’s power is that we can continue to pray for the effects of that night, praying that He lit some long fuses that will someday explode some of these youths into repentance and a relationship with our Savior.

We have been encouraged to serve with Chris and Erma, a missionary couple that is also working with the Ostia church. For a long time they have been hoping to make some headway into ministering to the Ostia youth, and so they were so excited to put on the youth night with us.  The best part is that they will continue what we began on Saturday, as they continue to serve the Lord in Ostia long-term.

With only two days left, we are busy making time to say goodbye to all of the friends that we have made here.  Italians are a very relational people, and we must concede to having meals at 5 different households (at least) before we depart.  Not all of missionary life is a sacrifice!

These are 3 of the 4 elders at the Ostia church: Giulio, Michele (nationals), and Dan Simmons (a First Baptist missionary).  These are amazing men of God who have been able to pour into us while we have been here, but have also each told us that our presence has been a blessing to them, too.  We are simply humbled that God has been using us in ways far beyond ourselves, so that we know that the power is from Him, not us!

Thank you so much for your sacrifice, mission partners, in sending us to be a blessing to our Italian brothers and sisters, and also, we pray, to those who have not yet come to know our joyful Lord. Thank you so much for your prayers!  They have been deeply felt.  Italy is a difficult mission field (one of the lowest missionary-retention rates in the world), and so let us continue to pray for our fellow laborers who remain here in the battle.

 God bless you, First Baptist.  God willing, we will see you soon!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 12th, 2006 at 8:01 am and is filed under Italy 2006. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.