Venire a Vicenza

Last weekend I visited the church in Vicenza (in the Veneto region of northern Italy, about an hour from Venice)! I had never been there before but knew some of the children and adults from working at camp, and I enjoyed getting acquainted with the church and its work. The structure of the Avanti program is for workers to spend their initial months in Florence and then have the option of being sent to a church in another part of Italy, and I have decided to accept Vicenza's invitation to come work with them for the remainder of my time here. Though my time at the Bible School this spring and summer has been valuable, I am very excited about this wonderful opportunity and plan to move around mid-September.

At the end of August we will be welcoming to Florence two new Avanti workers, Emily and Jill! Katy, who has been working with the church in Milan, is finishing up three years with Avanti and will be returning to the States next week. Pray for all of us as we make our transitions to new cities and countries!

Vicenza, Ponte degli Angeli (Bridge of Angels):

the back of the church building is on the right side

To see some more pictures from the youth camp and read an inspiring report by one of the directors, please visit http://www.aspettandoilsignore.it/luglio2009/inglese.htm

Momenti sul Monte

Camp was incredible! I hardly know where to begin or how to describe it all. Getting to know 91 kids (divided between the two weeks) as well as my fellow staff members was such a joy. We were way up in the mountains (hence the name, which means "Moments on the Mountain"), and it was beautiful!

The first week I co-taught the nine-year-olds, and we had lots of fun with our various crafts. The second week I co-taught the seventeen- and eighteen-year-olds. Upon returning home, one of the boys from our group (who lives in Paternò, near Catania) decided to be baptized! He had been attending the church there for about a year, and we are so excited to welcome a new brother in Christ. Another girl in our class, also from Paternò, has decided she wants to be baptized and is planning to do so next Sunday. None of her family members is a Christian, so this is a very hard decision for her, and we are proud of her faith and courage.

Also, on Monday Chad's former landlord was baptized! He had been attending the church in Catania and studying English for a few months after having been invited by co-workers who are members of the church. Praise God for all these new births!

The campers were a combination of Christians, kids who have grown up in the church or started attending more recently but have not yet decided to become Christians, and their non-Christian friends. Thus the camp, and even the youth in the churches in Italy, are huge mission fields.

Hopefully I will have the opportunity to work at camp again next year! Lots of the kids asked if I would come back, and it's hard to think that it will be a year until we can all be together again.

Throughout the week we were able to see transformations in some of the kids, and in others we may never know how this experience affected them, but we know that seeds were planted, life-changing ideas contemplated, friendships forged, and memories made. Being able to participate in and observe God's work was such a blessing!

nine-year-old Bible class

the 17/18 class