Whoever said that “all roads lead to Rome,” probably had a better itinerary then we do…. Driving to Seattle today… first flight from there at 11:30pm… next flight tomorrow just before noon… then boarding our final leg tomorrow evening and arriving in Rome on Wednesday morning. Not the best itinerary, but the destination is worth it!
Final packing check: Hulk hands – check; Ironman masks – check; Thor hammer – check; bulk bag of Smarties – check; 150 plus ring pops – check; bags of chocolate – check; 27 Gesu (Jesus) t-shirts – check; toothbrush – check! We’re good to go!!!
We are so excited about returning to Rome! We were able to use air miles to buy our round trip tickets to Rome, so we’ll be leaving today and returning on November 16th. From the beginning, planning for this short-term trip has been unlike any trip we’ve ever made. For one thing, it’s the smallest team we’ve ever taken. There will be four of us, Elisa Scharze (who has been praying for a chance to serve in Italy for 3 years!), our 12-year-old granddaughter, Kerenna (happy dance!) Michael and myself. We’ll be teaming up with Calvary Chapel Rome to help with their Fall Festival – Festa di Autunno, as well as some construction projects at the church. As we have prayed for this trip, our plans have been changing as God has gradually revealed more of His purpose for this trip. One of the changes includes helping our friend, Jen, get ready for her move back to the States after serving in Rome for three years. You can read about how God directed her to this decision in her blog.
PRAISE!
We’re happy to report that Michael is still cancer-free! It was a bit over a year ago that we received the awesome news, that God had answered our prayers by removing his pancreatic cancer! I still can’t get over how amazing it is, that our God would give us such a sweet gift! When we moved back to the States, I was bracing myself for the very real probability of losing him. We are so grateful that God had other plans! Each time we are blessed to return to Italy, it’s a celebration of God’s healing power and the wonderful way He answered the prayers of His people!
PRAYER REQUESTS:
- Please pray for travel mercies as we travel with our granddaughter and spend two days in planes and airports each way! (Cheap air-mile tickets can have pretty lousy itineraries!)
- Pray for the plans and preparations for the Festa on October 31st – for a good turn out and many open doors to build relationships and share the Good News!
- Pray for unity and sweet fellowship between our team and the Calvary Rome team
- Pray for our granddaughter to experience the joy of serving the Lord and that He would surround her with His grace, presence and protection during the mission trip, as well as the Roman history visits that we are planning as part of her homeschool year
- Pray for Jen’s heart (as I’m sure she will leave part of it in Rome, just as we did when we moved back to the States) for her ministry, her preparations and provision for her remaining 3 months in Italy
- Pray for God’s financial provision for the construction projects we’ll be working on
- Always, the spiritual warfare in Rome is intense! Please pray for a protective covering over each of us and that God will move mightily to disarm the forces of darkness in this place that has been an enemy stronghold for many years!