Hello all!
in case you didn't already guess it, we have been in Italy one year now (well...almost, July 17 to be exact) and it has both flown by and felt like we've been here forever at the same time. So much has happened in this past year that Paul and I have been reflecting on and just have been amazed how much different it has been than we thought. In fact, as I sit here writing this with Violet down by my feet and Paul across the table working on care insurance, the doorbell rang and what would you know, Violets report of a birth abroad and her passport have arrived!....every bit of that sentence is something I didn't expect to be saying one year ago.
We're so thankful that the church we joined this time last year has been one that is honestly just such a joy to serve and comforting to be around. I would say we've had our ups and downs (because that's what you say when you're serving right?) but I have to be honest...it's been a lot of ups and very few downs (I honestly am having to sit here thinking hard to think of a down aside from the basic culture differences and the occasional homesickness). The Lord has been so good to us and has provided everything we need before we even knew it, He truly has gone before us everywhere He has called us. Which continues to be our prayer for the next year & and we're so excited to see where we will be then!
The last month and a half since the last update has been so wonderfully busy, and also very tiring lol. We had a team from Reno NV out here to help with VBS and pretty much everyone who came in contact with them was blessed beyond measure, including Paul, Violet and I. Together, the CC Feltre and the team put together an amazing VBS and English night, both with the more amount of people attending than times before! July is also set to be the last busy month before August which, as those of you who remember our updates from last year might know, is a very dead month because it's basically the "vacation month" for all of Italy. Which will be a nice little month of rest before we then jump into the Holidays! This month my mom is coming out for almost 2 weeks which we are beyond excited about for the fellowship and the help, and because of this there are a few weekly events that he doesn't usually attend because he's kind enough to not leave me alone with Violet for 14 hours most days! But with my moms help he will be attending a new church gathering that our church has been helping with up in the mountains and a few other things!
Anyways! I know this is a long update and if you've made it this far, we appreciate you! Below I'll go ahead and share our praise reports, prayer requests, and ways that you can support us financially:
Praise:
-Violet is officially a U.S. citizen and has her passport!
-That my mom is able to come out to help us
-VBS was a huge success in that so many kids were open to The Lord and his working, and got to hear the gospel.
-English night is bringing a lot of opportunities where people want to talk about the gospel.
Prayers:
-For the growing group of Christians up in the mountains
-A few kids from VBS come from rough homes, so we would love to keep them in our prayers and that the Lord would just grow any seeds that might have been planted during VBS week.
-We still have to get our car insurance which is a doozy financially and until we do we can't drive. So just that we can have wisdom in the best route to take.
-We would love to come home and visit at the end of summer, but again, want to use wisdom in all that we do.
-Eventually, we would love to move to a larger home/apartment so we can grow our family, host friends/family/visiting missionaries and friends from the church more often. There may be an opportunity for this in the next year or so, so just that if God see's fit that He would open that door.