Hello Everyone, MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Now almost a year in, our life in Italy is finally getting some definition and we're very excited for all that God is doing and all the potential that is here.
The video above is about what is happening in our lives here and how we're settling into our lives in and near the town of Feltre. If you can't watch it now, here's a BRIEF summary of the video:
We have been welcomed into the church community wonderfully and have received great support from everyone. It makes the job of leading even easier.
There has already been some church events, evangelical and fellowship focused that are beginning to lay the foundation for what is next.
We are learning the languages much faster now that we are completely immersed in a church where we are nearly the only ones who speak any English.
We are so grateful for the love and support of all of you this last year! Thank you for praying for and financially supporting us so faithfully!
Please write us if you have any questions or prayer requests. We love hearing from you.
Much love,
Landon, Rachel, Avila, & Holden
--------------
FINANCIAL TEAM
We're so grateful for you the faithful people who make the ministry here possible financially. It is encouraging to see God answer our prayers so practically through you.
People have asked if we still need support now that I'll be pastoring in Feltre. Valid question and the answer is absolutely yes. We will be serving a very small church. Their giving keeps the lights on and pays rent, but not much more than that. We're so grateful that we can devote our time fully to discipling, teaching the word, learning the language, and our prayer is that God raises up these local Italians to reach their people in cities surrounding us in Feltre. The journey is just beginning!
If you have been praying about giving and haven't yet, you can check out our donate page for more logistics or click here to give online now or set up automatic monthly payments.
PRAYER TEAM
Thank you for praying for us... please send us your prayer requests so we can be praying for you too.
Praise Reports
We live in a small town called Pedavena, only minutes from the church and we ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. We feel so blessed to live in a small and safe community with our babies.
A friend of ours has been praying for a while about joining us in the ministry and has decided to begin taking steps toward that next year! There's a lot of need here so we're encouraged.
Landon's parents were able to come and visit us and we all had an incredible time. It was the most relaxing and refreshing week for us when they were here. We all stayed in our apartment and simply spent time together, it was especially fun for our kids!
God is blessing our church and the believers with a sweet unity!
Prayer Requests
For our family as we continue Italian immersion as we move to a church and town that doesn't speak hardly any English. We are making progress, but this will be a big focus for our family the next few years.
Pray for a dear friend who decided to minister alongside us in the work in Feltre. Pray for God's leading as they prepare and seek the Lord.
Pray for our marriage to be blessed and filled with God's presence, grace, and unity
For our financial team that the Lord would lead people to be part of making the work in Italy financially possible. Keep praying for this are, we've seen God provide and want to be consistent to continue to ask.
Continue to pray for unity within our church and the churches in our province (within forty minutes of ours)
Answered Prayer (from previous lists)
✓ We praise God for His direction in our lives and for leading us to Feltre to serve Jesus with those people. We are so excited!
✓ We found a great car to purchase with the money from the cars we sold before we left. It has already changed so much of how we do things and all the documents lined up so we purchased it three days before we really needed it... after a six month wait.
✓ We received our Permesso di Soggiorno (permission to live) in Italy. This makes us legal here for till 2020.
✓ For our last car to sell. It is on the lot at Downtown Auto Sales in Bakersfield. Believers bought both of our cars before we moved!
✓ For the transition as our family lives with family and friends. We had such amazing hosts, thank you to my fam, Rach's fam, and the Librings!
✓ The perfect apartment and neighbors for our family once we move to Italy. We show a short clip of our place in the video! We love it and its beginning to feel like home.
✓ God has really blessed the class Landon has taught this spring '18 semester. His students were very engaged and worked hard.
Hello friends!
A man's heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. This verse in Proverbs 16:9 leaves out all the panic, stress, and chances to trust Him caused somewhere between the plan we have and God's direction doesn't it! This verse has become our life verse.
The video above is about what is happening in our lives here and a big move that will happen in just a few weeks. Here's a summary of the video:
We have received our visas and are legal until 2020!
There has been a major building project we've been able to help with here at the Calvary Chapel in Montebelluna!
Lastly, Landon has been asked to take the role as pastor at a church that started about twelve years ago. It has been pastored by Craig, who also pastors the church in Montebelluna, runs the bible college, and has been going through a battle with cancer for a few years. Needless to say, he needs the help and we feel strongly that this the way God is calling us alongside the believers here in Italy.
Please write us if you have any questions or prayer requests. We love hearing from you.
Much love,
Landon, Rachel, Avila, & Holden
--------------
FINANCIAL TEAM
We're so grateful for you the faithful people who make the ministry here possible financially. It is encouraging to see God answer our prayers so practically through you.
People have asked if we still need support now that I'll be pastoring in Feltre. Valid question and the answer is absolutely yes. We will be serving a very small church. Their giving keeps the lights on and pays rent, but not much more than that. We're so grateful that we can devote our time fully to discipling, teaching the word, learning the language, and our prayer is that God raises up these local Italians to reach their people in cities surrounding us in Feltre. The journey is just beginning!
If you have been praying about giving and haven't yet, you can check out our donate page for more logistics or click here to give online now or set up automatic monthly payments.
PRAYER TEAM
Thank you for praying for us... please send us your prayer requests so we can be praying for you too.
Praise Reports
For an apartment to move to in Feltre and a smooth exit so far from Montebelluna . We sign the contract tomorrow for our new place.
For the people who were baptized a few weeks ago in Montebelluna and one of our friends we serve with was just ordained as a pastor. God is working here.
For Alyssa, Carolyn, and Jenna, dear friends who have now all come to visit us here in Italy. They've been such a huge blessing to us and have made our adjustment so much easier. Thanks to everyone who sent goodies with them.
God is building fruitful relationships with us and our neighbors!
Prayer Requests
For our family as we begin complete Italian immersion as we move to a church and town that doesn't speak hardly any English. We have a lot to learn!
Pray for a friend who is considering coming alongside the work in Feltre with us, that God would lead them and speak into their life.
Pray for our marriage to be blessed and filled with God's presence, grace, and unity.
Quick understanding and retention of the Italian culture and language as we're starting language study consistently in September.
For our financial team that the Lord would lead people to be part of making the work in Italy financially possible. Keep praying for this are, we've seen God provide and want to be consistent to continue to ask.
Answered Prayer (from previous lists)
✓ We praise God for His direction in our lives and for leading us to Feltre to serve Jesus with those people. We are so excited!
✓ We found a great car to purchase with the money from the cars we sold before we left. It has already changed so much of how we do things and all the documents lined up so we purchased it three days before we really needed it... after a six month wait.
✓ We received our Permesso di Soggiorno (permission to live) in Italy. This makes us legal here for till 2020.
✓ For our last car to sell. It is on the lot at Downtown Auto Sales in Bakersfield. Believers bought both of our cars before we moved!
✓ For the transition as our family lives with family and friends. We had such amazing hosts, thank you to my fam, Rach's fam, and the Librings!
✓ The perfect apartment and neighbors for our family once we move to Italy. We show a short clip of our place in the video! We love it and its beginning to feel like home.
✓ God has really blessed the class Landon has taught this spring '18 semester. His students were very engaged and worked hard.
Ciao tutti! (We are told that means hello everyone!)
We have to start by saying that it is incredible for us to have a group of people like you all who are praying for us, you are such a support to us. Just knowing you're there is so comforting. We are finally adjusting to life here in Italy now that the sun is out, our children have recovered from a string of sicknesses, and we're beginning to get the hang of our new ministry and language study schedule. Thank you for praying!
The video above gives you a peek into our lives here.
Here's the main summary...
We've been in Italy for four months now and our children have been sick about six different times in six weeks. After hospital visits, doctor appointments, antibiotics rounds, and breathing treatments... we've never been so grateful for good health.
The bible college is in full swing and going quite well! Landon has great students in his Genesis class and has been loving teaching, even though the time needed to study has been intense!
Rachel has been blessed by a local lady who is coming to our house in the evenings to teach her the language.
Please write us if you have any questions or prayer requests. We love hearing from you.
Much love,
Landon, Rachel, Avila, & Holden
--------------
FINANCIAL TEAM
Our monthly supporters are so faithful, few but mighty! We are so grateful for God providing last month's necessities as He continues to lay us on the hearts of people and we see enough come in every month. We are learning about depending on God's faithfulness, it is so good to trust in Jesus.
If you have been praying about giving and haven't yet, you can check out our donate page for more logistics or click here to give online now or set up automatic monthly payments.
PRAYER TEAM
Thank you for praying for us... please send us your prayer requests so we can be praying for you too.
Praise Reports
The team who serves at the church we're helping at have been so supportive with our string of illnesses in the house. They even drove us to the hospital at crazy hours of the night... AND would translate for us. Thank you Lord!
For healthy children and warm weather which has freed us up to be more active and available for ministry.
God is building relationships with us and the locals here!
Answered Prayer (from previous lists)
✓ For our last car to sell. It is on the lot at Downtown Auto Sales in Bakersfield. Believers bought both of our cars before we moved!
✓ For the transition as our family lives with family and friends. We had such amazing hosts, thank you to my fam, Rach's fam, and the Librings!
✓ The perfect apartment and neighbors for our family once we move to Italy. We show a short clip of our place in the video! We love it and its beginning to feel like home.
✓ God has really blessed the class Landon has taught this spring '18 semester. His students were very engaged and worked hard.
Prayer Requests
Pray we would receive our Permesso di Soggiorno (permission to live) in Italy. This would make us legal here for the next two years. We had some extra documents needed for our application so it was held up. We've been told we have no reason to worry as everything takes long here, but please still pray.
Once we get our residency, we can buy a car and this would make our lives dramatically more efficient! Please pray God provides the perfect car for us.
Please pray for wisdom as we are beginning to see some opportunities to church plant in different cities. We don't want to move ahead of God, but we are very encouraged at the amount of opportunity.
For our family as we continue to try and adjust to the thousands of different things we need to learn and figure out here. We have a lot to learn!
Pray for our marriage to be blessed and filled with God's presence, grace, and unity.
Quick understanding and retention of the Italian culture and language as we're starting language study soon. Keep praying for this, we're needing wisdom on the right way to order our summer with class and also other responsibilities with the church we're coming alongside here.
For our financial team that the Lord would lead people to be part of making the work in Italy financially possible. Keep praying for this one, we've seen God provide and want to be consistent to continue to ask.
