and the vision becomes reality...

It's 1:30 a.m. the night before I leave for my 4th mission trip in Africa and as I pack I'm thinking about the reality of what's about to take place. For almost five years now, I've casted vision in countless letters, talks, meetings, etc. for Italians to one day be sent out to take the Gospel to the world. I'm realizing that maybe I never 100 % believed that I would see the day when this took place. The spiritual ground is so tough in Italy and tilling up the soil is harder than I could have ever imagined. Over a year ago I began to develop an even more specific vision for ways to foster God's work in the lives of hungry Italians. The Lord has made me with some pretty specific interests and passions. Serving others and reaching out to those utterly forgotten in this world is something I run after for. I believe many Italians have this same heart and I asked myself some time ago how we could connect on this point that would one day lead to them hearing how the love of Christ has changed my life. Though our hearts are driven in the same direction I believe our motivations are perhaps pretty different. Of course serving others and helping them fills me with some pretty unexplainable joy but that's not my main motivation. The love that Christ has poured out in my life is what spurs me on to love and good deeds. I long for those we help and the Italians who come along to see this motivation.

All this to say I dreamt of a day when we as Agape Italia could go with Italians to the nations. In my mind this dream most likely wouldn't be realized during my time in Italy. But tonight I'm thinking about how insane it is that in just over a year from when I first got excited about this idea I'm seeing it take place before my very eyes. All the vision I've been casting to potential supporters and supporters for five years is now, as of today, a reality. Italians are being sent out to take the Gospel to the nations. WOW!! I'm amazed. It hasn't happened in the sequence of events I'd expected or even with the people I'd thought of but it's happening. Five Italians have heard the call and have taken the leap of faith to come with us to Malawi, Africa for three weeks to take part in a humanitarian mission trip. God is so good and faithful. Though I doubted him more times than I'd care to admit and considered quitting more times than you know I'm still here. He's allowed me to be a part of salvation history taking place in Italy. What a blessing and a privilege. Oh that my faith were greater, that I would boldly ask for more of Him and more from Him. Tomorrow begins a new day in our Italian ministry that is remarkably different than each of the others before. Pray with us as we embark on this new step in the journey to see Italians come to know the salvation of Christ.