August28th
It really is a blessing that our kids are getting to experience a new culture. They have really embraced being here, and enjoy dabbling with the language. No doubt, they will probably be fluent before we are. This is a video of Bryce interacting with an Italian friend who is teaching him new words. Enjoy!
*|YOUTUBE:iDwEvf2wM00|*
April20th
It’s Holy Week, and we pray that the reality of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus are new and afresh for you this year! We are doing well, and enjoying this season of preparation. Justin has been continuing his pastoral apprenticeship at CrossPointe Church, while preparing for our return to Salerno to plant a church in the city. This email update is communicating a big change for us, so be sure to read the whole thing!
The decision to plant a church has caused us to make some significant changes. Primarily, this means that we will no longer be working with Campus Crusade for Christ as our sending agency. We have had a wonderful 7 years of ministry with Campus Crusade that we are very thankful for, but we both felt very strongly that the Lord was calling us to pursue change. Planting a church needs to be our full focus, and we didn’t feel that remaining on staff would give us that freedom. We are thrilled, however, that Crusade will continue to send teams to work on the university campus in Salerno, and we are eager to partner together in our efforts.
So, the question is, what does this mean? Read More | Comments
January12th
It’s been a fruitful 2 months since our last post. I’m sorry for the delay. We have been getting settled in with CrossPointe Church in Orlando (details of this here). It was a very natural transition for us, and we already feel very much a part of this church family. So, here is what we have been up to lately:
- We found a great 3 bedroom townhouse 2 miles from the church I am working with.
- Justin has begin meeting with Pastor Chan, and they have both really enjoyed the time together. Chan has taken part in planting over a dozen churches in the past 7 years and has a lot to offer in regards to training.
- God has provided all the necessary vehicles for us during this season (including a scooter for Justin to hop back and forth to the church office).
- The kids are doing wonderful. They have really enjoyed this transition and love being a part of the children’s program here at CrossPointe.
- Justin just preached his first sermon on January 2nd. If you have 35 minutes to spare, you can listen to it here.
So, that’s the latest. We’ll continue to update you as things progress and we look towards our return to Italy. Please pray as we seek to finish the apprenticeship, raise the necessary funding and return to Italy this summer.
October11th
This is a significant update, as I will be explaining in detail the next phase of ministry for us in Salerno. The video is almost 10 minutes long, so wait until you have time to watch it. Please watch it to the end, so that you have a full update on what’s next for us. I will continue to update with more specifics as time goes on, so hang in there. If you have questions, be sure to ask!
Previous Related Posts:
The Church in Italy, Part 1 (the average Italian)
The Church in Italy, Part 2 (evangelical church situation)
Why We Have Hope for Italy (God is at work)
Our Timeline (why we are staying in America for a season)
What’s Next:
Acts 29 Network
Crosspointe Church (where Chan is pastor)
Chan Kilgore (pastor and church planter)
October6th
Hey team. Thanks for sticking with us! We’re honored that so many of you have committed to praying for our family, and ministry. I wanted to update you on how you can specifically pray for us during this next season. As we mentioned in a previous post, we will be transitioning to Orlando for a while before we return to Italy. We are excited for this season as we seek to regain our full financial needs and spend time specifically preparing for our return (more on this in a future post). But, transitioning up there will require certain provisions we would ask you to pray for.
This unexpected stay in the USA certainly comes with its difficulties. But we trust God who always promises to provide for our needs. Particularly regarding the vehicles, if you are aware of anything (or perhaps have something yourself), please be sure to let us know! We’re hoping to secure something in a few weeks. Thank you for your prayers, and we will keep you posted on God’s goodness as He provides.
July13th
We just returned from a long drive to OBX, North Carolina. Abbey’s sister Hanna was married to Corey who we gladly welcomed to the family. Despite the 15 hour drive with a car full of kiddos, we had a wonderful time. Abbey’s family rented a house near the beach for the week, so we were all able to have a great time together celebrating their new marriage and our newest baby. Here a few pics from the week.
June27th
Well, our latest addition to the family came a few weeks ahead of schedule. We are very happy to announce a healthy baby girl. Isabella Grace was born June 25th at 2am. She was a whopping 6lb 7oz and 19″ long. Both mom and baby are doing great, and the kids love her!
Click images to zoom. If viewing from email, I’d recommend going here for a slideshow.
To view more pictures of the first few days, visit our extended web gallery here.
June16th
The Lord provided a wonderful home for us to stay in this summer while we are on Sanibel waiting for the birth of our newest baby girl! The house is way more than we could have ever asked for, or imagined. It has plenty of space, has a pool and is right on the beach! Plus, it is just a few minutes from my parents which is wonderful too. We had a little fun on the beach out front of the house, which I caught on video for your enjoyment.
February7th
We sent this letter out to each of our friends and supporters, regarding our lives. Click on the image to view it in its entirety (or right click to save it to your computer). Please take time to pray for us concerning its contents.
February1st
Well, this is the first installment of a new and substantial part of our communication to all of our friends and supporters. Hope you like it!
PS. The name “eCiao” is pending a better suggestion. Please leave a comment if you have an idea!
