twelveStone Nov. 2009

September and October were crazy busy! After weeks of bouncing between meetings and cities I was pretty tired. Some of you have heard rumors that I was unable to return to Italy on October 27th as scheduled. That is true. I have been detained in the States until my monthly support level reaches a higher level. My trip to the US from late August to late September has been fruitful. I found several new supporters and found several prayer warriors along the way too. It has been good to meet with some of you and share about what God is doing in Italy and to meet others who weren’t aware of the great need Italians have to hear the Gospel message.

At the moment I am not sure how long I will be in the US. I hope to return to Italy sometime in January. A friend was kind enough to bless me with a buddy pass so I wouldn’t have to purchase a ticket with a set date, and so I could save a lot of money as well.  The 27th was hard when I looked up at the clock on the microwave over my sisters stove, as I finished preparing lasagna for her birthday celebration, and realized I should be waiting in the terminal at Dulles International to go back to Italy. But I had to remind myself that for whatever reason that wasn’t where the Lord wanted me to be right then. And for what ever reason I need to be in the US a little longer. I am at peace about all that is going on. God is in total control. I am not at all worried or concerned. But At times my heart hurts because I miss my friends and church family in Italy.

Prayer Requests:

Praises:
- new monthly supporters!
- many special gifts!
- more prayer covering!
- a greater awareness about the spiritual situation in Europe and Italy!

Prayers:
- more monthly supporters
- faithfulness of supporters who have made commitments (continued faithfulness of those who regularly give, faithfulness for those whose giving has become somewhat sporadic)
- my time with the Lord
- my time in the US to be fruitful in relationships and support raising.

twelveStone September 2009

August was a busy month to say the least! Every moment was filled with packing, goodbyes, hellos, flights, car rides… and the list goes on. God is good through it all and answered countless prayers for safe and healthy travel. Thanks so much for your prayers especially concerning motion sickness. The medication worked well and the side effects didn’t affect me this time! The long travel from Europe actually felt like it passed by very quickly which was a huge blessing.

It has been so good to see family, friends, and supporters my first few weeks State side. I have been blessed catching up with everyone and even meeting a few new friends. My work schedule to raise lacking funds is well under way and will kick into high gear this next week. Here are some ways you can be in prayer:

1. 7-14 individuals to make commitments to support regularly (to equal about $50-$100 monthly per individual)
2. A greater learning of resting in the Lord in all areas of life
3. Grace in communicating God’s ministry through me to the Italians and how others can partner with me
4. God to work in the hearts of all who would hear about the ministry God has me in to partner with me in prayer and finances
5. Time/energy to really reflect and examine some things before the Lord to seek His wisdom and direction

There were a number of people who were unable to hear the ministry update I gave a week ago. If you are interested in hearing an update there will be several occasions to do so at my sending church, Messiah Lutheran in Charlotte, NC. These are as follows: 20 Sept. during the Sunday School hour at 9:45 am; 27 Sept. at either worship service (8:15 am or 11:00 am). If these times aren’t convenient for you or you would like to speak with me one-on-one please let me know. Also know that I will be making trips to the D.C. area as well as to GA in Oct. If you are in these locations and would like to set a meeting with me please contact me.

Many blessings!

Amanda

Video Update July 27, 2009

I decided to try a video update. Please give me your feedback and let me know if you would like to receive video updates in addition to written ones.

Here’s a recap on the prayer requests mentioned in the video:

Preparation for leaving Italy and arrival in USA- please pray that the Lord would expand my time that is left here to get everything done. Also please pray that the Lord would prepare the hearts of people in the U.S. to respond to partnering in ministry with me as well as to requests for networking help.

Annual Conference (Aug. 5-10)- this is a time with all GEM missionaries in Europe. We will have the opportunity to learn more through seminars and encourage each other through fellowship. Pray for my co-workers and myself that this would be a time a refreshing and a great resource for this coming year

Car- God’s provision for a vehicle while I am State side. (If you know of anyone who may be able to help in this area please contact me)

Flights- I will be flying a lot in the next few months and I don’t do flying well. I get really sick on planes. Over the past few years I have used a medication that helps significantly but has uncomfortable side effects. Please pray for good flights with no sickness and minimal to no side effects from the meds.

twelveStone July 2009

It has been quite a month! There really is no other way to describe it.

But before getting into it let me start by announcing that I will be making a short trip to the States this August through October! That’s right, I am coming home for a short visit and to raise more funds for this ministry! I am so looking forward to connecting with friends and supporters and meeting people who can participate in this ministry with me! (I will send out an e-mail in a few days with more specifics.)

Here’s the breakdown of what happened in June:

- Evangelism:

• All year we, Monterosi and Civita churches, have prepared to use our voices as a choir to share the Gospel in our communities. These events are held in the main piazza (town square) of each town. We saw some great results! In Monterosi some important people in the community came to both events, and in both Civita and Monterosi there seemed to be more people listening as well as present! Praise God for this! I had the privilege to share my testimony in Monterosi, in Italian. When I was asked I was a little hesitant as I was concerned about the language, but God totally blessed me, the believers present, as well as members of the community who came to see the program. The Gospel message was shared very clearly through each testimony and speaker! It was awesome.
• Children’s outreach. In Monterosi, for two days, we held puppet shows in the park for the kids. We played games, sang songs, and shared the Gospel with the kids through a series of stories. I was one of the three clowns, which was fun. We had face painting and balloon art… the response from the kids and the parents was wonderful. We saw willingness from the families to take literature which hasn’t happened as often in the past. The Lord is really moving in our town!
• GBU (Intervarsity College Ministry in Italy)- through English conversation with several students at one of the Rome Universities I was able to share some of the Gospel message with two of them.

-Relationships:

• God is really working in relationships! In Monterosi the Lord is really opening our eyes to some opportunities and we are praying and seeking the Lord on in regard to this.
• The wedding in Palermo was beautiful and in some ways an experience I didn’t expect. The Lord brought me closer to friends I already had and brought into my life a number of new friends (from Monterosi and Rome). From this there were some really awesome opportunities to share the Gospel with one family in particular. Federico and Roberta enjoyed their wedding and had a good experience on their honeymoon in the US (thanks for praying for that).
• I meet regularly with another girl, who is a believer, for accountability. It has been really wonderful for both of us as well as a learning experience for us both. We will be asking 2 other girls we know well to join us; which we are both very excited about!

Before a recap on prayer, something that has really been pressing on me is the need to praise God for what He has done and is doing before bringing other requests to Him. Jesus teaches us to do this through the Lord’s Prayer and it is stated many times in Scripture that we should praise the Lord for who He is as well as His works. Please join me this month in praising the Lord for the POWERFUL things He is doing through our ministry in Italy. He is indeed at work and it is incredible to see.

How to Pray:

GBU:

• on July 15th we will hold a day of evangelism on one of the bigger university campuses in Rome.
• I need others willing to help with English conversation starting in Sept. Please pray for 3-5 volunteers. Also that the Lord would prepare the hearts of the students to receive His word, and opportunities to share the Gospel during conversation.

Monterosi & Civita:

• Pray for clear direction as we pray and ask God for fresh, new, and improvement ideas for evangelism this coming year.
• Pray for the launch of The Case For Christ in the town of Monterosi. The idea was presented to the library and the community is willing to promote it! Pray for Eugenio (elder) and myself as we plan to talk to the priest about possibly supporting this too. (This would start in Sept.).

Relationships:

• Prayer for direction in ministry in this area for myself and other believers in Monterosi
• Prayer for continued opportunities with the family I’ve had the opportunity to share the Gospel with and that the Lord would move in their hearts to accept His word
• Prayer for the Lord to work in the hearts and bring opportunities to share the Gospel with new friends
• pray the Lord would continue to bless and grow our accountability group in a healthy way so we can multiply and start new ones over the next year. And that we would be able to do this with new believers.

Coming Home:

• Prayer the Lord would give me a good time with my family, friends, and supporters as well as a time of rest
• Prayer the Lord would go before me and prepare the hearts of those He wants to partner with me financially (individuals and churches). Prayer that He would supply all that I need in this area in the time that I am in the States.
• Prayer that I would be able to complete all preparations for this trip quickly, fully, and with NO OPPOSITION from the enemy. My time is very short with ministry and other obligations, thus this is VERY important to be prayed over.

I cannot say enough how grateful I am for your prayers. They are SO IMPORTANT! Thanks!