ITALY  FOR  CHRIST  MISSION  

 

(SPRING  2015)  

italyforchrist.org  

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Dear Prayer partners, “We thank our God every time we remember you. In all our prayers for all of you, we always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now…” (Adapted, Phil. 1:3-5) On June 18, 1971 we arrived in Italy with a very limited vocabulary (we could say “pizza”) but an unlimited desire to serve Christ. During our two-year internship, a young girl and several of her siblings attended the children’s Bible study. Eventually they all went their separate ways to marry and raise their families. Last year that “young girl,” Clementina, started attending church again and asked to be baptized. The seeds of faith planted forty-four years ago finally brought fruit. She has become a fervent prayer warrior and a tireless Gospel seed planter herself. Her life is an example of how important it is to persevere for the Gospel in Italy. Your partnership “from the first day until now,” has enabled us to stay the course to share God’s grace with people like her. Thank you for persevering with us. Please pray for six individuals who regularly attend services, but who have not yet accepted Christ.

Pray unceasingly also for the major losses and changes in the Francavilla church since late 2011: 26 members have relocated to find employment; 10 members have died or have serious health issues; 4 members transferred back to their home church; 14 members have left due to doctrinal and/or relational issues; and 2 have left for personal reasons (total loss: 56). We have returned to a traditional style of worship services, prayer meetings, and weekly Bible studies to meet the needs of those who now attend. Jim created and prints a church bulletin that we use for worship and the weekly prayer group. Some members take the bulletins home to share with their family and friends. Join us in prayer that the church will not grow weary in well doing. The Lord has answered that request in part by sending different encouragers. IFC recruits Ross and Megan Najmon progress rapidly with language school in Lecce. They frequently participate in our worship services, IFC meetings, and leadership training at the Center. They will return stateside at the end of August to finish raising support. John and Marcy Wolsieffer (Jim’s brother and wife) visited us from March 4-12.

Both have retired from Bob Jones University but remain active in their missionary trips to Spain. Marcy made friends with the owners of a coffee bar in our neighborhood and we gave them a Scripture calendar. Dave Thurman and his daughter, Courtney, (Church at Mt. Gilead, Mooresville, IN) came for ten days from April 17-27. Dave and Courtney helped with our services, taught leadership courses at the Center, visited in homes, and became very visible in the main square of town while enjoying the culture. Pray that what all these partners have planted will give increase in God’s kingdom. The opportunities for the counseling ministry continue to amaze us. Stephany has been seeing clients (including a child with autism) as part of her studies with the Art Therapy / Dance Movement. She and Gianni have also been doing pre-marital counseling. Two professional counseling schools invited Caranita to teach some course work to their third year students. She presented an overview of Counseling, Family Systems and Genograms at Bari on March 21 and Counseling and Grief Work at Taranto on April 16.

Ross  giving  communion  meditation  in  Italian  

Clementina  (baptized  by  Sergio)  

John  &  Marcy  Wolsieffer  

 

Dave  &  Courtney  Thurman  

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Ø The Italian Corporate Board of Recrea will meet on May 25. Several of our board members will travel from northern Italy at their own expense. Our accountant will also come from Bologna to present the official financial report. Please pray for their travel safety and for our discernment for effective programming. Caranita presently serves as president of the association.

Ø Gianni and Caranita will fly to Wisla, Poland to attend the European Leadership

Forum (ELF) from May 29 to June 4. Caranita will participate in the Counseling Track while Gianni will study with leaders in New Church Planting. Pray that they will be able to network with European leaders.

Ø The Brunos’ will be stateside from July 1 to August 5. They will participate in the

Vacation Bible School at the Church at Mt. Gilead in Mooresville, IN and visit a few supporting churches.

Ø Mark and Elaine Angermeier (Church at Mt. Gilead, Mooresville, IN) will come to

encourage and help us from August 29 – September 3.

Ø After a 22 year personal journey, Caranita has completed a devotional workbook in English on God’s Names. A pending copyright should be confirmed by August. Please pray that she will find a publisher and/or a way to go digital on the web with it.

Ø Pray that we will not have to move from our apartment. Our current contract needs

to be renewed in the name of the association so that living expenses become a benefit. Due to bureaucracy, our current contract is locked up tight. If we can’t pass it under the association, we will have to pay about $20,000 in taxes, or move!

Ø Pray for Jim’s health, just like you have done so faithfully through the years. In

addition to his cervical fracture and the painful neuropathy in his hands and feet, he is further challenged by these rapidly accumulating issues: a “superbug” infection following the surgery for the suprapubic catheter, increasing a risk of sepsis; a tear in his right retina; possible pre-cancerous spots on his leg which cannot be removed at this time; an insufficiency in his mitral heart valve which forces him to sleep frequently in a recliner or a hammock. We want to thank Dick True for giving his time to talk and pray with Jim almost every Saturday afternoon. Dick (hospital chaplain in Anderson, IN) performed our marriage in 1970. He and his wife Sheila have partnered with us in the Gospel all these years – from the first day until now. What a blessing!

Only because of His Grace, Jim and Caranita