Under the Texan Sun

Chameleon

2012-01-30T18:02:00.001+01:00

Brian Rotert has become my best friend. He’s one of the only people who calls me just to chat, just to see how I’m doing and he does it regularly enough that it has really minimized the pain I feel in not being in Ancona anymore.

One of the last times he called me I was telling him about my week, about work and I stopped, realizing how it must sound – so different, so American, so business-owner-in-training, so thoroughly…un-missionary. After a moment’s pause he asked me, ‘Who are you?’

Who am I? I am a cultural chameleon. I am. I learned through some difficult years in junior high and high school to adapt between urban Chilean and rural Nebraskan cultures. During those foundational adolescent years I was heavily involved in role-playing games which emphasize the player’s ability to create and assume the roles of fictional characters and to respond to various situations that are thrown their way. My brother and I played these games for hours, I’m convinced, because there was something intrinsic in those games that hit a cord deep within our missionary kid souls – a cord inscribed with this: the necessity to adapt.

I am a cultural chameleon. I am. I recall the early weeks and months of our time in Italy and the thrill of exploring, learning and the wide openness to adapting. Teammates made comments that it seemed like I wasn’t struggling with culture shock at all and it really was minimized. I adapted, taking on aspects of the Italian culture and learned to thrive there.

Now, almost 12 years later this chameleon is putting on an oversized, Texas-colored skin. This son-of-Americans, born and raised in urban Chile, transplanted to rural Nebraska and then Missouri who then spent a third of his life in coastal, central Italy is facing a deluge of The New: new schedules, new meal times, new paces, new rhythms; new foods, new budgets, new currencies, new rituals; new dialects, new political views, new climate; new home, new car, new furniture, new church, new job, new driver’s license, new barber, new small group, new keys, new school, new routes, new friends, new, new, new.

So I go back to the question: who am I? The more I thought about a chameleon, the more I realized that the essence of the chameleon stays the same. It is a reptile that simply adapts to the environment around it and even though the outside changes, its identity doesn’t change.

I think that is one reason that transition for the mission worker is often so difficult. We set off thinking, even after studying anthropology and culture that we are defined by our behaviors and actions, our habits and rhythms but really, we are not. All those are simply external manifestations of our true identity, of a deeper set of values that is rarely changed and even then only with much difficulty and often in the fires of the hardest pains or the thrills of the greatest joys.

Who am I? I am a cultural chameleon. I adapt to survive and eventually thrive no matter where I am and though some of my behaviors and external characteristics may change, I am Jason.

Wiki-Crazy

2012-01-18T14:43:00.002+01:00

OK, wherever you stand on the bill going before Congress concerning internet censoring, you have to sense that something major is at play...tension on the strands and fabric of how we view the internet...and even deeper, how we view borders and boundaries. If you haven't checked out wikipedia yet today, do it. Impressive statement.

Grammar Matters

2011-10-25T16:24:00.001+01:00

The Domestication of the Great Commission. Matthew 28:18-20

David Mays

When I was studying at Wheaton Graduate School in the eighties, it was said of the distinguished Dr. Merrill C. Tenney that every time he taught the book of Romans, he grammatically diagramed every sentence as he prepared each lesson. I was particularly impressed with that dedication because at the time I was trying to relearn English grammar so I could study New Testament Greek. It wasn’t easy. Dr. Tenney was dedicated to understanding the meaning of the text.

By contrast there is a phenomenon mentioned in the textbook industry where errors in popular textbooks are repeated through several editions and even in other textbooks because no one does the hard work of thinking through afresh what everybody knows.

A similar phenomenon is occurring in the church growth/mega church movement. Many people are writing books on how to “do church” and they often begin with the same mistake. The author looks to the Great Commission as the mission of the church, does a brief exegesis of Matthew 28:19-20, concludes that “make disciples” is the heart of it, and proceeds to write a book about how to get many people like you to come to your church.

Is the Great Commission serving as a true platform of conviction or is it simply an accepted platform of convenience? Are we guilty of the thoughtless “textbook error” or are we using the Scripture like the proverbial drunk uses a lamp post – more for support than illumination? Because we are basing the mission of the local church on this Scripture (the other Great Commission texts are rarely cited although The Great Commandment often is), it is crucial to correctly understand the text.

Let’s look at the text again.

‘And Jesus came and spake unto them saying, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo I am with you always, even unto the end of the earth.”’

Most versions say, “Therefore go and make disciples.” Many authors exegete this as follows:

“Go” is a participle, meaning “as you go,” or “when you go” (or perhaps “if you go” but no one has said, “by means of going”[instrumental participle]).
The heart of the command is the imperative, “make disciples.” The core of the Great Commission is to make disciples.

There is a minor grammatical glitch here that has had large unintended consequences. The word “teach” comes from the noun, μάθητης, meaning learner, pupil, disciple. The verb form, μάθητεύώ, can be an intransitive verb, meaning to become a learner, pupil, or disciple, or a transitive verb meaning to produce a learner, pupil, or disciple.

In this text, the verb is a transitive verb. A transitive verb requires an object to complete the thought. You can’t say to someone, “Go call ….” It doesn’t make a complete thought until you say, “Go call your father,” or “Go call the dog,” etc. Call is a transitive verb.

Similarly, you can’t say “go teach,” or “go therefore and teach…,” without an object. The thought is incomplete.

In this case the object of the verb is “all the nations,” παντα τά εθνη. It goes together. It cannot be separated. You cannot say, Go ye therefore and teach… without …all nations.

However, when it came to modern versions of Scripture, the verb teach seemed too weak for the passage. It is more than teaching; it is helping others become transformed, to develop a whole new life, to become disciples of the Savior. The meaning would best be conveyed by “therefore go and disciple all nations.” But disciple is not a proper English verb. So to maintain proper English, it is translated “Go and make disciples of all nations.” Note that there is no word equivalent to “make” in the Greek text.

Now here is the unintended consequence. In this sentence, make becomes the main verb. It is a transitive verb that requires an object. The object supplied is disciples. “Make disciples,” is a complete thought in itself and “of all nations” is downgraded to a prepositional phrase. A prepositional phrase is a qualifier or modifier. It is subordinate to the main thought and is easily overlooked.

In a recent class of the Perspectives on the World Christian Movement course, the facilitator was reviewing material by asking the class some questions. One question was, “In the Great Commission, what is the main verb?” Because, “go(ing),” “baptizing,” and “teaching” in the Greek are participles, the “correct” answer (from the King James Version) is “teach.” However, one student, familiar with modern versions, said “make.”

There are three things indicated by the text that are often missed. First, the objective of discipling, the “nations,” is a plural noun. It is, if you will, a plural of a plural. The singular, έθνος, means “people” or “people group,” or “ethnic group” or perhaps “tribe.” The plural thus indicates multiple groups, “peoples,” “people groups,” “ethnic groups.” Thus the Great Commission is more about discipling groups than individuals.

Second, the object of discipling is παντα τά εθνη, all the nations, all the tribes, all the people groups, not just our people group, our culture, our neighborhood, or even our country. It is comprehensive.

Thirdly, the word “nations” (εθνη), often translated gentiles, means non-Jews (literally ethnic groups). It was the Jews’ word for foreigners. This is what made it so radical and difficult for the early disciples. They were responsible to take the gospel to all the peoples unlike them, the ones they didn’t like.

Now we might say that we are the gentiles, the non-Jews. But the point is that the Great Commission tells the people who have the gospel to disciple those that don’t, those who are foreigners to them. The Great Commission does not command us to make disciples of people in our own culture. It’s primary thrust is to go and disciple all the other peoples, the other ethnic groups.

But in many of our churches today, and especially in the books on how to “do church,” all the other nations are given a low priority status. In truth, the Great Commission, which we proudly cite for our mission, is neglected, often relegated to a budget item, an annual emphasis, a committee, and/or the denomination mission board. As the twelve disciples must have said, “After all, there is plenty of need right around here.”

Thus the Great Commission has been domesticated. It has become the basis for reaching people like us in our own community. And the clear responsibility to go across language and cultural boundaries to disciple the nations has been neglected. As someone has said, “We have taken the basics for granted for so long that we don’t remember the basics any more.”

To demonstrate the point, let me report an incident that happened as I was preparing for a presentation to which I had given the title, “The Great Commission-Driven Church.” A pastor called me and said, “I have taken training and been doing some teaching on “The Great Commission Church” and I would like to ask you to expand this subject and spend some time talking about global missions.”

When a pastor looks at a workshop on the Great Commission and assumes it’s going to be locally focused, then it seems that modern writers and church experts have domesticated the Great Commission!

A Story

Let’s try to illustrate what this means by means of a story. Let’s suppose that my wife is going away for a week to care for her dad. Before she goes, she asks me in a very kind tone, “Honey, you know your folks are coming soon after I get back and since I’m leaving in a hurry, I haven’t had time to clean up the house. There is one thing I would like you to go while I’m gone. I’d like you to clean the house.” And knowing I’m often not listening, she continues, “I’d like you to go through the whole house and clean all the rooms.” Again, just before she leaves, she sticks her head in my office, gives me a kiss, and says, “Good-by honey. Remember, please go into all the rooms and clean them.” “OK,” I say as she gets in the car, and I continue working.

As the week goes on, I’m busy. I’m working in my office and occasionally I remember my wife’s words, “Go into all the house and clean every room.” And I think to myself, “She really wants me to clean up around here.” I look around at my messy office and think, “I’d better get busy cleaning.” And I start shuffling some papers around and throwing out some accumulated piles of stuff.

In my more introspective moments I think to myself, “the heart of what she’s saying is that she wants me to clean up.” “I’ve got to clean up.” And I throw a little more effort into organizing my office.

I only go in the kitchen to get a bite to eat. I throw the dishes in the sink for later. I don’t even go in the living room or the guest bedroom. While she’s gone I’m terribly busy in the office.

I spend a fair amount of effort cleaning up the office and things look a bit better when one day my wife breezes in the door with a cheery, “Hi, honey, I’m home!” But the smile quickly fades as she looks around the living room with a half-inch of dust and walks into the kitchen where the wastebasket is overflowing and the sink is full of dirty dishes. “What happened?” she moans. “What happened to cleaning the whole house?”

You see, there is a big difference between “cleaning up” and “cleaning the whole house.”

And there is a big difference between “making disciples” and “discipling the nations.”

On Christian Swagger...

2011-10-20T14:41:00.002+01:00

Swagger

by Wye Huxford

The Outsider Interviews is an interesting commentary of sorts on David Kinnaman's UnChristian. Written by Jim Henderson, Todd Hunter, and Craig Spinks, The Outsider Interviews is a collection of interviews that basically tests some of the conclusions in Kinnaman's book. At its heart, the goal seems to be to help readers better understand what Kinnaman describes as "real people [who] embraced such hostile - yet often very nuanced - views about the Christian faith."

Here is a sample of the kind of thing Kinnaman would argue is a serious barrier to young adults in our culture when it comes to taking seriously the message of the gospel: "The primary reason outsiders feel hostile toward Christians, and especially conservative Christians, is not because of any specific theological perspective. What they react negatively to is our 'swagger,' how we go about things and the sense of self-importance we project." In putting that idea to the test, Henderson and his crew heard words like rude, judgmental, anti, and smug when outsiders were describing insiders.

What in the world does that have to do with Christmas? Actually a whole lot!

Isn't it a bit strange that as a follower of what was no doubt perceived to be an illegitimate child who was born in a barn of sorts and laid in a feed trough - all the while being proclaimed King of the Jews - I would ever have much "swagger" about my status as one of His followers?

He was born to a peasant girl who would certainly have not met our standards of appropriate parent material and was to be cared for by an otherwise non-descript carpenter who drug his very pregnant wife all the way to Bethlehem just to sign up for some government program. He apparently didn't get the AAA Trip-tix necessary to good travel planning and had to beg for a place to spend the night the very night the baby was born.

When that baby grew up, He would find Himself turning the economic assumptions of Israel (and the rest of the world including our own) upside down and, more often than not, He enjoyed the company of sinners over self-declared saints. He never made it out of the poverty class, declaring "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." (Luke 9:58, Matthew 8:20, NRSV) He would declare weird things like "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God." (Luke 6:20) and "Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets." (Luke 6:26)

If any of the billions who have walked the paths of this planet have had a right to a little "swagger," it would seem that Jesus would be first on the list. Yet, in reading the gospel stories of His life and ministry, I cannot discover a single incident of "swagger." No doubt the most powerful person ever to set foot on planet Earth, He seems utterly disinterested in power as we know it.

So, at Christmas time this year, I've been thinking a lot about Kinnaman's research and Henderson's research. It is dumbfounding to me to think that as a follower of "the Son of Man [who} came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45) I could ever think "swagger" is ever an appropriate way of bearing witness to my faith in Jesus.

As we head to church on Friday evening and celebrate His birth with our families and loved ones on Christmas Day, may we do so "swaggerlessly." There's nothing about His birth that would suggest room for "swagger."

Sunken Church

2011-07-23T17:56:00.003+01:00

From our final newsletter:

Many of you have heard me tell the story of the sunken church in Ancona, the old church bythe port that fell into the sea and of how I feel God wanting to use that story to challenge the people of that city and of Italy to see His Body differently. That starts with me. We didn’t bring a whole lot back with us from Italy, but one of the things we did bring back were questions; questions about our faith, about the mission of the church and yes, the church itself. As we adjust to our lives in this new place, those questions continue to get formulated, answers are proposed and we move forward. We’re not foolish enough to think that we have to have everything figured out before diving in…but we continue asking.

After all these years spent in Italy, I am convinced of this, though: The Italian people do not need the form of church that we so often see in the U.S. They are looking for real, spiritual answers and will try anything so long as it does not smack of Christianity. THAT they already have. They want something real, something life-changing, something seen and true, something lacking power, politics and prestige, something they can sink their teeth into and something that allows them to experience the freedom that Jesus’ message was intended to give but which has gotten lost in the shuffle of centuries of traditions.

My hope and dream is to see that happen in the Italian churches and that the U.S. church will learn from the Italian example as well. To that end we will continue praying, promoting, encouraging, supporting and sending. You can follow along in the months to come at sunkenchurch.com. For everything you have done over these past years, thank you!

Thank You!

2011-06-19T18:53:00.002+01:00

Thanks to all who contributed for our "Join in for Joplin" efforts. We filled, sealed, packed and sent 624 boxes full of clothing, toiletries, cleaning supplies, toys, books, food and household goods as well as dozens of shovels and tools, 11 wheelbarrows, a wheelchair and lots of other things. There were so many of you who gave of your homes, your time and your strength to see it happen - thank you! We also sent over $6000 to be distributed to the families that were displaced or affected by the tornado. Thank you for being willing to be used as a conduit of God's blessings in your life.

The truck was delivered a few days ago and my father-in-law went up with Al Houk and my oldest, Jacob, with a pick-up load of baby items that came in after the truck left. They volunteered Saturday and our now on their way back home. Keep praying for those in Joplin as they continue the long road of rebuilding...

JOIN IN FOR JOPLIN

2011-05-24T20:02:00.013+01:00

Thanks for your interest in joining us to help the relief efforts in Joplin, Missouri. Several chuches in the San Antonio, New Braunfels and Austin, Texas area are pooling resources and efforts together to see non-perishable and household items put together and shipped to Joplin. Con-Way Truckload, based out of Joplin, has dropped off a 55' trailer at Community Christian Church's parking lot and we are now filling it up!

PLEASE NOTE, WE NO LONGER ACCEPT:

-CLOTHING

-BEDDING

-TOYS

-WATER

But we still need lots more

Here is the updated list:

Hamburger Helper
Cookies
Ketchup
Mustard
Mayo
Ramen Noodles
Chips
Snack Cakes
Coffee
Canned foods (Chef Boyardee type)
Instant Potatoes
Canned Potatoes
Spaghetti
Instant Rice
Jelly
Pudding cups
Canned meat
Canned chili
Canned vegetables
Canned fruit
Baby food
Breakfast cereals
Pop tarts
Breakfast bars
Sugar
Potatoes
Laundry Detergent
Trash bags
Dog & cat food
Flashlights
Batteries
Diapers (esp. size newborn and 5-6)
Soy based baby formula
Pull-ups
Baby shampoo, wash, lotion, diaper rash creme
Baby bottles
Nursing pads, breast pumps, nursing items
Band aids
Antibiotic ointment
Pain reliever
Cotton balls
Hair brushes
Kids' toothbrushes
Kids' toothpastes
Deoderant
Towels
Pillows - all sizes
Children DVDs
All sizes NEW underwear and socks
Shovels, rakes and tools - new or in good shape.

For an updated list from my home church in Joplin, go here: chcchurch.org

We have several drop-off points:

1. Community Christian Church
1750 McQueeney Road
New Braunfels, TX 78130
Drop-off hours: Monday - Thursday, 9-4 (not on Memorial Day)

2. Hodell Window Covering's warehouse:
1140 Lone Star Drive
New Braunfels, TX 78130
Drop-off hours: Monday - Friday, 8-5 (not on Memorial Day)

3. Castle Hills Christian Church
6209 West Avenue
San Antonio, TX 78213
(210) 344-7188
Drop-off hours: Monday - Friday, 8-4 (not on Memorial Day)

4. Southwest Christian Church, Austin
2116 Lynnbrook Drive
Austin, TX 78748
(512) 280-7922
Drop-off hours: Monday - Thursday, 9-5 (not on Memorial Day)

In New Braunfels, you can also place your donation in a box located at any of the three Dollar General stores, the two First Commercial Bank branches, Tractor Supply, New Braunfels Feed & Supply, Hoffman Floors, Brake Solution, Supplize and Dr. E M Perkins' office.

If you have any questions, please email me at jason.casey@hodellwc.com.

Weed Eating on the Bridge

2011-04-22T22:49:00.001+01:00

During our week in Colorado Springs at MTI’s Debriefing & Renewal program, we were encouraged to use the metaphor of a bridge as we faced reentry into our home culture. On one end of this theoretical and yet all-too-real bridge is Ancona, our life in Italy, which we’ll label as ‘settled’. On the other end, off in a nebulous haze is a life in New Braunfels, Texas which we will one day also label ‘settled.’ In between is the actual bridge which has signs along the way marking the phases called ‘unsettled’, ‘chaos’, and ‘resettling’.

So I’m out today in our back yard holding something I’ve never used before or maybe once in Junior High: a weed eater. Just three weeks ago I was hanging with our small group as they talked about the intricacies of lawn care and I was too embarrassed or prideful to say anything, I just soaked it in, hoping their experience would rub off on me somehow by means of some miraculous form of osmosis. So back to today, fumbling with a 50’ extension cord, breaking the trigger guard (sorry Tom), damaging trees, cutting off one of Heather’s flowers and pausing to watch a Youtube video on how to restring the thing because I kept making mistakes. I feel like a fool, a prideful fool who should be able to do this simple task which every red-blooded suburbanite does a couple of times a month.

When you’re learning the cultural ins and outs of a foreign place I think you give yourself more grace because it is, well, foreign. But when you’re ‘home’ or what you keep telling yourself should be ‘home’ or at least looks like ‘home’, it’s all too easy to be short with yourself because you should already know how to do this.

In many ways, I feel like I’m learning a new language, new words, new expressions, new ways of doing things. I’m learning new rhythms, new meal times, new traditions, new holiday schedules, new songs. I still need to learn to let go of my pride and call up my neighbor, my family, my small group and ask for help, even if the question may surprise them in its simplicity.

Some still look at us a bit quizzically when they ask what we’ve been doing this month of April and I answer, “Settling in.” I try to make excuses and come up with things to make it sound like I’ve been doing something productive when in the end, what I’m doing with most of my time, is simply that, settling in. I can’t tell you how blessed we feel that nearly all of our supporting churches and individuals have continued supporting us through June to help us ease back in and set up a home.

In an hour we’re having a party for Jacob who became a teenager today. His big present was a Dad-made soccer goal which he found in the backyard this morning with a big red bow on it, sitting on a freshly mown lawn. The yard looks pretty good. All along the edges rests the cut, green evidence that I’m learning how to handle a weed eater; evidence that I’m taking another step across the bridge.

Ode to the Veterans

2010-11-21T15:40:00.003+01:00

One of the factors motivating Team Expansion to begin recruiting teams to plant churches in Italy was a request by resident, veteran missionaries knowing that they were getting older and that new teams and younger recruits were needed.

Just months before leaving for the field, in 1999, Heather, Jacob and I visited Chuck Phipps who lived less than an hour's drive from Joplin where we were living. Chuck had served as a missionary for years in Italy. A kinder, wiser man is hard to meet. He gently and

warmly encouraged us and challenged us that day as we prepared to leave for Italy. Before leaving his home he handed me a worn and intricately decorated, leather-bound Italian Bible which I still have. Charles passed away in 2001 here in Italy while back visiting.

Another of the veterans was Jessie Lee Troyer who just passed away this week. We had the chance this last June to stop in and visit with Jessie Lee in her apartment in Bari (see picture at right) on our way home from a national gathering of Christian Church brothers and sisters. Always hospitable and sharp of mind to the very end, she was another one of the pillars that saw the current movement of Restoration churches off and running. She sent us off that day, the kids' tummies full of ice-cream, and our car crammed with a heavy box full of kid's Bible lessons.

Times, they are a-changing. Missionaries come and go and we're about to add our name to that list. But as I think about the news of Jessie Lee's death and the effect it has on the work in Italy, two things come to mind:

1. Thank you to all those who have gone before us, selflessly giving of themselves, pouring themselves into relationships, discipling, preaching, organizing, translating, publishing, editing, encouraging, disciplining, praying, leading and serving. We wouldn't be where we are today without you.

2. Lord, please strengthen those who continue on. Protect them, guide them and open up doors for Kingdom growth. Please take the seeds they have planted and watered and bring the Harvest. Please send more workers to the field. Raise up men and women to go and raise up churches to send and sustain them.

Amen.

Living Without Mary

2010-11-10T16:30:00.003+01:00

A little over a year ago I began volunteering at the local Catholic mensa which is essentially a soup kitchen for the poor and homeless only instead of soup, they serve a two-course Italian feast of donated-because-they-are-nearly-expired-but-still-delicious-food. I began volunteering, having been convicted of not walking the talk, and I have learned. So. Much.

The mensa serves up to 68 ospiti, or guests, a day. About half of the ospiti are foreigners and all of them are colorful and unique. One of them is Mary. Not Maria. He goes by Mary. Mary is my age and most often wears skirts and short dresses. He wears big sunglasses over big, puffy lips and his hair is almost always a different length and color. Lots of jewelry and accessories make up the

rest of his outfit. Mary’s mood varies, but he often seems impatient, like he has somewhere else to be. For a little over a year, I see Mary every Tuesday. He shows up and sits quietly in the front office and waits.

Suor Francesca, one of the nuns that runs the kitchen, told me that he doesn’t eat upstairs with the rest of the ospiti because they make fun of him. So without fail they pack him a lunch to go in little, white containers, tucked in a little, white bag with a hunk of bread nestled on a neat, white napkin. He always thanks me when I hand it to him. I smile, which he returns and proceeds to walk off in boots or high heels.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned from the nuns and volunteers at the mensa doesn’t have to do with their delicious recipes or their incredible organizational skills, it isn’t even kindness, for at times they have to be downright mean and loud and direct to get things done. It is grace. It is the living out of Jesus’ words to throw open the doors to everyone. It is the ability to set down a plate of piping hot pasta in front of the Tunisian Muslim just as easily as before the Italian Catholic or the Pakistani Hindu.

None of the volunteers criticize Mary. No one makes him feel bad. They don’t judge him. They ask him to share his story. They give him concrete, tangible expressions of love and acceptance. They protect him. They allow him to simply belong as they give him hope and help him succeed at living.

Mary died last month. The headlines announced in very black-and-white terms that Ancona’s first trans-sexual died on the street, trying to catch a bus to the hospital. Just like that, one of the city’s most unique personalities, what most would consider an eyesore or an embarrassment, is gone and he leaves a void behind in a culture where centuries of tradition are clashing with post-modern ideas about gender roles and sexuality.

And now Tuesdays come and go, almost the same: a sea of faces coming in from the cold for a warm meal; names in a dozen languages, many I can’t even pronounce. Mary’s void simply and yet loudly takes the shape of an empty chair and it reminds me to accept people as they are, to look them in the eyes and see their worth and their need and love them like Jesus did. Only He can give them life and yet we are the vessels he works through. Thanks Mary for helping me see things a little more clearly.

Decisions...

2010-10-06T16:22:00.001+01:00

It is decision time in Ancona. Let’s start off with the exciting one, shall we?

Some eight years ago while hosting a short-term group from the U.S., one of the students invited a tall, lanky Romanian construction worker they met at a park to come to an English party there were hosting. That worker, maybe 20 years old at the time, began attending various activities that our team hosted and we formed a friendship and found in him an openness, a sincerity, and a hard-working spirit that continues to impress us to this day. During the course of the last eight years, he got married to Simona and just recently celebrated the birth of their firstborn, Emanuel, this year. You may remember from previous updates that I’m talking about Daniel.

Daniel has grown in so many ways over the years and been our most faithful participant even though he had never made a public decision to follow Christ. He has been great at inviting others to come check out our gatherings and events. He has shown a natural knack and passion for calling and checking on people. When he sees a physical need he will do everything he can to see it gets taken care of, including getting others to chip in. And most recently, he has helped our community see the need to give and support those in need outside our beautiful Adriatic Ancona area by taking care of a very needy family in Romania.

Last Easter, I believe, was crucial for Daniel. While it is normal for Orthodox believers, even nominal ones, to make it to Mass on Christmas and Easter, Daniel made a decision for his little family. “We’re not going,” he said. He told me that evening that they see things differently and they aren’t going to just keep doing the same religious things because that’s what people tell them to do. He drew a line.

Whenever we talked to them about their walk with Christ, Simona was the one to put on the brakes. Daniel was ready a long time ago but wanted to be baptized together. Simona had doubts and questions. She wanted to be good and mature before deciding. This summer they returned to Romania to visit family and to satisfy their family they had Emanuel sprinkled in the Orthodox Church. As she was at the church she was going to ask her priest what he thought about her getting baptized but as she waited for him she realized she didn’t need anyone’s permission. This was something she needed to do for herself and didn’t have to do with religion or family, but herself before God. She drew a line.

Simona told this story to me and to Brian around their little dining room table Friday night. The Sunday before we had been talking about the characteristics of a disciple and the question was thrown out: have you ever made that public decision to follow Jesus and chosen to make him your Lord? Simona told us she wanted to talk about it which brought us to that conversation on Friday in their home. It was clear that they were ready so we called up the pool and set everything up. Sunday morning at 11:30, Daniel & Simona drew a line together. They confessed Jesus as their Lord and were baptized into Him. It was a beautiful moment, one that validates so much of what we’ve been talking about, one that confirms that disciple-making in Europe requires, to quote our friend Brett Seybold, tenacious patience.

Please pray for them as they continue their walk, that we will disciple them well and teach them to disciple others and that they will continue to find ways to use their gifts to build up the church in Ancona and beyond.

As a family we have also made a decision regarding our future. For a couple of years now, I have felt the Lord releasing us and preparing us to move away from our direct leadership and involvement with the first church plant in Ancona. In the process we have prayed about where God would have us go next. We have drawn this process out for a long time, for several reasons. We desire to honor God with our lives and be where he wants us. We desire to seek his blessing and find a sense of peace about where we head next. We desire to thoughtfully and carefully evaluate our family’s needs. We desire to evaluate the options before us and consider each cautiously and yet courageously. We desire to transition away from the team and church-planting effort well. We desire to be good stewards of what God has given us and taught us.

In the end, after prayer, reflection, tears, and conversations with advisors we have decided to move back to the United States. I will be working with Heather’s father in New Braunfels, Texas and we will spend the next few years processing our experience in Italy, furthering our studies, getting our kids caught up and boosted forward in their education (and specifically addressing Jacob’s special need for educational therapy) and finding ways to use our gifts and experience in the local church there. We are in the process of figuring out how we can continue being a support and encouragement to our co-church-planters here in Italy and hope to continue the relationships we’ve formed after these 10+ years here.

Our hearts are heavy at the idea of leaving this place which has become home. I’ve never lived anywhere as long as I’ve lived here, in this apartment, in this city. For me, growing up without many geographical roots, I find myself confused and somewhat afraid to pull them up, having found much strength in them. Leaving teammates who have become close friends and brothers and saying goodbye to our Italian and Romanian brothers and sisters is something that brings more sadness. Saying goodbye to this culture and this city is hard to even imagine. All this is tempered by a sense of peace that we know does not come from any earthly source. As painful as it may be, as surprising as it might seem, we know that we take this step of faith with the Lord’s blessing.

Please know that we take this step with eyes wide open for God’s leading. Please know that we take this step fully aware and very grateful for your partnership all this time. (Somewhat ironically and yet completely unrelated, just in the two months prior to our decision, three of our key supporting families and churches informed us that for financial and policy reasons they would have to stop our support – this totals $900/month as of the end of this year.) Please know that the team we leave in Ancona is moving forward with both ability and confidence under Brian Rotert’s leadership, committed to see this church community grow and wean itself from any American lifeline. Though they are sad we are leaving, I think it is important you know that they support our decision and the transition has been better than we could have dreamed. Please know that the other two teams (in Verona and Rome), though at the very beginning of their journeys, are also moving forward.

We will continue working with the team until the end of December and spend the month of January packing and saying last goodbyes. February and March will involve much travel as we visit supporters and Team Expansion’s International Services in Louisville. We will also spend a week at MTI’s Debriefing and Renewal program in Colorado. We humbly ask that you continue your financial support while we are getting settled until the end of June. For those of you that are able, we have some extra expenses like airfare and shipping that we could use help with. Please keep the team and church here in Ancona and in Italy in your prayers through this process. And from the entire family, thank you for the part you’ve played in all of this. We really, literally couldn’t have done any of this without you.

For Christ and for Italy,

Jason, Heather, Jacob, Haven, Harrison and Jenova

Church on the Beach or Beach Church...

2010-07-26T15:15:00.005+01:00

I held Jenova and walked around the group quietly, sometimes wandering further off, at other times staying close. I kept a fresh cracker in her hand and her binky in my pocket to keep her quiet. It was a beautiful thing. I honestly don't know why we didn't try it sooner. Here we are trying to plant an indigenous church, praying about and attempting to dissect through the culture around us and in us, helping the believers choose appropriate forms to fulfill the functions of being a church. We've danced around it, oh, we've danced. We moved 'Church' from homes to a rented facility. We've moved it from morning to evening. We've played with formats: shorter, longer, with or without discussion, with or without a meal together afterwards. Maurizio, who is a slowly-growing Jesus follower who was baptized several years ago, has been suggesting it for years. Well, we finally tried it and yesterday, as our Church gathered at the beach I watched several threads of my life come together.

One has to do with language. Ever since 1997 when I did my apprenticeship with a church in Santiago, Chile, I've begun asking questions about Church and the various forms it takes. This has taken me on a fun, crazy ride into studying, reading and traveling to see Church at work in all kinds of contexts. I've loved this. Seeing the northern L.A. believers gather in movie

theaters, the southern Texas believers meet in a horse show barn (complete with iced tea and a country music worship band - and a pulpit made from horseshoes!), getting to visit Italy's only mega-church in Palermo, Sicily (a cell church) and hearing the stories from members of boiler rooms in Europe have been part of this. Reading about cell churches, house churches and the organic church have caused me to think and wonder. Being at the helm of a young team of excited, green church-planters has allowed me the thrill (for me - likely much eye-rolling and lessons in patience for them) of attempting to put some of these lessons and questions to real life tests.

Language. Here I'm not talking about whether we call it Church or Iglesia or Chiesa although that does play a part. I'm talking on a broader scope about how we talk about it. I really believe how we talk about anything defines what we believe about it. Thanks, in part, to Brad Kallenberg for helping me with this. For a long time I've stayed away from using the expression "go to church" as this seems to me to encourage the idea that church is something you get in your car and drive to. Instead I've tried talking about when and where the church will gather, attempting to encourage the idea that the church, in any given week, meets at different places and times, both in ways spontaneous and planned.

The classic, 3-self view of a church (self-supporting, self-governing, self-propagating) is helpful and still captures (I think) what any restoration movement church-planter hopes to see, but it does so in a very American way while claiming to be simply pulling out a very linear, formulaic outline from the letters and stories of Paul and friends.

Working in a part of the world that is spiritually 'hard' has also caused me to think lots about the church and its relation to Kingdom, Big-C Church versus little-c church and especially about the way we measure things. Here, Joe Myers in 'Organic Community' really helps out. In his book he suggests the readers adopt an organic order to things. On his chapter on Measurement he talks about moving from bottom-line to story. He uses the example of baseball cards to show how black and white numbers and statistics don't always accurately measure effectiveness or success, that story has to be what we use to measure. He says that it helps us "measure the life of our communities."

The thread, then, that I am following from yesterday's experience has to do with what we've been working so hard to build (or if you want to use the organic language: to plant, to see grow). Lately, on Saturdays, several members of our little community have joined us on our most-of-the-day beach excursions. The Casey family, often joined by the Rotert family head to Numana to hang out on its beautiful, free beach (about a 20 minute drive away). Lately, Matteo, Silvia, Maurizio, Silla, Cristina, Simone, Mariana and Alex have joined us as well and it turns into this informal gathering, meal sharing time of fellowship and fun. Encouragement takes place and sometimes discouragement. Sometimes we pray and challenge each other. Other times we talk about what we're reading. Sometimes we just dunk each other in the water or throw pebbles at each other.

The jump we made yesterday: merging our informal Saturday gathering with our Sunday evening Gathering seemed to be a natural, beautiful experience. Instead of this isolated gathering in a hot, rented room, we were out in the world, surrounded by beauty and nature with all to walk by and see. The girls took some pieces of wood a fisherman had left by his boat and formed a stage and cross. We sat in a circle on towels and took communion off a plastic plate set on a cooler. Friends who were invited came to visit when they haven't before. Everyone gathered at the shore to watch Brian & Heidi baptize their eldest daughter, Chloe, into Christ. And all of this was preceded by hours of sunbathing, relaxing, swimming, talking and playing. No rented facility necessary. No powerpoint. No electricity.

Language. How we talk about things reveals so much about what we believe about those same things. Yesterday the church gathered at the beach. God was worshipped. The body was built up and encouraged. Stories were shared. We remembered Jesus' sacrifice for us and challenged each other to see Him daily in our lives. There was fellowship. And some of this, yes, some of this, happened between the hours of 19 and 20.

From June to September, most of Ancona spends their Sundays (and lots of other days as well) at the beach. Is there any better way to make this gathering indigenous and contextualized than doing what we did last night?

More on this thread and others to come...

From my journal, Saturday, April 17th, 13:37 pm "Volcanic Ash"

2010-04-21T20:47:00.004+01:00

Wow – what a 24 hours it has been! 24 hours ago I was winding my way through the little Dutch towns of Udem and Veghel, picturing how different it would have been for the 101^st Airborne some 66 years before. Hell’s Highway – I actually drove down the modern version. Crazy. I parked, looked through a grocery store and walked around town looking for a place to eat. I found a little fresh seafood place where you could take stuff home or they would prepare something for you. They made me this delicious plate of fried Tilapia with French fries and two sauces. I chose a mini bottle of Rosè to go with it. Delicious. I spilled half the bottle – but still managed to enjoy the experience. I then wandered back to the car, considered picking up some tulips for Heather but figured they would be destroyed or not permitted on the airplane so opted not to.

It was around 13:00 so I decided to head back to the Dusseldorf-Weeze airport, about an hour away since I needed to check in around 14. The Dutch are meticulous – incredible houses, manicured yards (and trees like I’ve never seen – pruned to grow together in a flat line) and their speed limits and laws are very severe and regulated. As I got on the highway that would take me the last few miles to Weeze, I passed the border back into Germany and before I knew what was going on, a plain brown car flew past me and then got in front of me and put on its breaks. I almost whipped around to pass him but then noticed a little electronic sign in his back window – the kind with scrolling red letters. It read ‘Polizei’ and what I could only guess meant – follow me.

My heart beating madly, I did. I was going between 140 and 150 at the time which isn’t speeding, but I figured I must have missed a sign or something. The car exited and made sure I was following. It pulled off on a little area and I pulled up behind it. Two guys, in plain clothes, jump out and come back toward me very quickly and aggressively. As they do, I notice a second unmarked car pulls up behind me so I can’t get out. Two guys get out of that car as well and stand at either side of my car behind me so I can’t see them. The driver of the front car was standing at my window motioning for me to lower the window. I did and he asked me for my I.D. and license. I told him I didn’t speak German, but was fumbling as I did for my passport. I hesitated before handing it to him, motioning for him to calm down. He flashed his I.D. at me, but it looked worn and I couldn’t really tell it was real.

What was I to do though? Four guys had me pinned. I went along. The two guys from the front car proceed to open both of my front doors and I’m told to shut the car off. I comply. The main guy begins asking me where I’ve been. I mumble and stumble, trying to think of the name of the town. “Uden.” The whole time I’m looking around, watching my things and my passport in his hand.

“Why?” he asks me.

“To eat lunch.”

“Where are you going?”

“To Dusseldorf to catch a flight.”

“And you drove to Uden to eat lunch – of all the places you could go? Did you buy drugs?”

Now it started to make a little sense. The guy on my right grabbed the can of Mountain Dew that was on the floor and check to see if it had a false top or bottom.

He then asked me, “You are nervous, yes?”

Inside I was screaming, ‘Of course I am!’ but I said audibly, “yes.”

I explained that I had been working on an air force base and showed him my pass. I told him that I enjoy reading about World War II history. He asked me if there were historical things to see in Uden. I told him there were.

He then asked me to get out of the car and open the trunk. I did. I opened up the suitcase and showed them the contents. They all looked at each other, shrugged, gave me my passport back and wished me luck. They said that all flights out of Germany were cancelled because of the volcanic ash.

I had checked that morning and my flight was still showing as on time but they insisted that they had all been cancelled as the day went on.

The got back in their cars and sped off to scare the daylights out of some other innocent American who crossed the border to eat some Dutch fish and see the WWII sights. I took a couple of minutes to calm down and then headed on to the airport.

They were right. All flights cancelled. I got in line and waited to get a ticket reissued. The soonest was Monday afternoon – a full three days later. I went ahead and had them issue it and decided to look into the train option. The car rental was still valid for a few hours so I sped off to what the GPS told me was the nearest station.

It took me back across the Dutch border (which is just a few miles away). It took me through a national park, through a little town and as I left the town and went over a little rise, what do I see before me but a wide channel or river with no bridge. A ferry is sitting there with one car already on it. Across the water there are half a dozen cars and several bicycles waiting. I look at the GPS screen which clearly shows the path crossing the water. I gulp and pull the car onto the little boat and pay the guy 1.80 euros. Three minutes later I’m across and back on my way. Five minutes after that, I pull up to a set of train tracks with a sign and a little computer machine to buy tickets – but the tickets are just for little nearby towns.

Back in the car, I head back to the airport and realize it is taking me back to the same highway where I got pulled over so I try to retrace my steps and find the little ferry guy who takes me across. I race back to Weeze, where I had stayed the night and park outside the hotel where I stayed, getting just a sliver of their free WiFi. I used it to call back to the States to see if Heather’s dad’s office can help me find out about the train. It seems all of Europe is rushing to the train stations to get home. I decide to back to the airport to see what I can find out there after Heidi, who was online, saw something about a train that left from there.

Back to the airport. The lady at the information desk tells me my best bet is to pay the 12 euros for the 30 minute shuttle to Duisburg where I can catch more trains. I consider my options, throw the rental car key on the desk and rush off to catch the shuttle. It’s me, a businessman and the German driver – a tall, lanky Scrappy-kind-of guy. We’re in this huge van and he takes off like a madman. Not only that, but I’m sitting directly behind him and I start to observe that, as he’s speeding down the autobahn, he’s either falling asleep and jerking back awake or he’s got some pretty unnerving ticks and shakes. One of the longest, scariest 30 minutes of my life. The businessman was either busy reading or trying to ignore it.

In the end, he gets us to Duisburg safely and I race into the train station to look for the ticket office. I find it easily after rearranging my wallet and phone – pretty scary place. When I get up to the desk, the guy is not hopeful – saying everyone is buying tickets and that to get all the way to Ancona was not likely. I told him any combination would work.

He found a combination that included seven separate trains with six changes over 18 hours that would take me across Germany, through Switzerland back into Italy. I booked it and grabbed a tuna Subway (not what I ordered, but was in a hurry) and found my platform. I stood in a sea of people waiting for the train – in the 30 minutes I stood there, eating, waiting, five trains came and went on my track – I had to pay close attention. So many colorful characters including a guy in a full-length black robe, big black boots. Around his neck hung a goat’s horn. He wore studded black leather greaves on his arm and at his waist hung a long, silver dagger. The crowd spread out to let he and his similarly-dressed girl companion get through. Finally, my train came.

Duisburg – Mannheim. (2 hours) I got lucky and picked a seat that was reserved for someone else but when we got to Koln, they didn’t show up so I got to sit the whole time.

Mannheim – Basel. (2+ hours) I honestly, as I write this in a tired haze, can’t remember a single thing about this train.

Basel – Olten. (30 minutes) Into Switzerland. This train is filled with teenagers and I doze off and wake in time to get off. 45 minutes to kill at the station here. I got a cappuccino to wake me and then stood in the cold, grateful I had thrown in my long-johns and sweatshirt just in case.

Olten – Bern. (30 minutes) Quick, comfortable ride. The train station, however, was scary. Friday night at 2 a.m. in Bern – not my place to be. People shouting, fighting, stumbling around drunk. I walked around nervously. I didn’t have any Francs to pay to use the bathroom so wandered, looking for a hotel I could rent a room for the four hour layover. I found only one and they wanted 110 euros. I held it. As I walked back to the station, I ran into one of the guys that was on the last couple of trains with me and he said several of the Italians had gotten onto the train that we would be taking at 6 a.m. to sleep. I headed that way. Sure enough, there was a nice, big train sitting there and I could see a few people inside sleeping. I found someone else that was getting on and asked if this was the right train or if this one was going somewhere else earlier. I DID NOT want to wake up with the train heading off who knows where. Instead, he made me a proposal. He said he had found a taxi that would drive him to Milan immediately. He had already found 5 guys and needed a sixth. Price: 80 euros. I declined and decided to risk sleeping on the train. I made sure no one was looking and got on, found a nice little corner on the upstairs part (it was a double decker train). The bathroom was locked and I needed to go. I had just finished a liter and a half bottle of cranberry juice. I’ll save you the details – but tried to refill the empty bottle but chickened out. Again, I held it and camped out, fastening my bags to my clothes, hiding my shoes. I slept in fits, woke up every time someone else got on the train. At six, the regular passengers got on and we were off.

Bern – Brig (1 hour) I slept through this ride although I woke at one point to see the Alps through the fog as the sun was rising. Crazy. At the Brig station I had 30 minutes so grabbed another cappuccino and an incredible cream-cherry pastry. I thought the next train would be kind of empty. I was wrong.

Brig – Milan (2.5 hours) I stood the entire time by the door. A poor lady in a wheelchair was stuck next to me because she couldn’t fit down the aisle to her spot. Breathtaking scenery though – Google Image ‘Stresa’ for a glimpse. Crossed the border into Italy and I could now begin using my phone without paying extra.

Milan – Ancona (4 hours) I had 15 minutes to run to my train in Milan. Television crews were there to capture the madness – it actually wasn’t that bad though. Fortunately I had a reserved seat on this train and am now sitting with five others in my little room as we head East and South toward Ancona, toward home…Jenova started walking while I was gone…it figures!

Hungary Trip: Day 7

2010-03-06T00:48:00.005+01:00

Conference Day 5/Travel to Budapest

Just a quick update. The morning included breakfast and dropping the kids off at their classes. The adults had a worship time and then we prayed for our kids. So cool.

We had to be out of our room by 11:00 so we packed quickly and made it in time for the last main session by Dr. Egeler - very moving stories. I was challenged by the thought that the health of our family is the hub of our 'ministry' wheel - and that the healthier it is, the further reach we have. Too often we wrestle with balancing family and ministry when the balancing act is not only useless, it is unhealthy. Family comes first - and out of that comes ministry.

All the kids (not teens) setting up for the performance.

Then it was time for the kids to put on a final performance for the parents - very neat - a final slideshow of the professional pictures taken during the week and a group photo. We ate one final lunch together and connected with an Australian family that made us wish we had had more time! We said goodbye to everyone and the kids, sadly, loaded up in the van and we took off.

Jacob and his rapping buddy.

It took us about three hours to get to Budapest and we followed the GPS instructions to the address of the apartment we are sharing with my brother and sister-in-law only to find out that there are over a dozen districts in the city, each with the name of this street we were on! After some asking around and creative investigation, we finally found it and were able to throw our arms around Chris & Aubri after nearly a year of not seeing them.

The kids are so happy to see them. We unloaded our stuff into a beautiful (and cheap) apartment and then headed out to eat some very authentic Hungarian KFC. The kids are now asleep and we just wrapped up a long session of talking and catching up and are headed to bed.

Thanks so much for your prayers this week. It was more than what we were hoping for - our hearts are light, our heads are full, our spirits are high. God is so good. We move forward into this chapter of our lives confident He will lead us and that He loves our kids even more than we do.

Hungary Trip: Day 6

2010-03-05T09:10:00.004+01:00

Conference Day 4

Last full day of conference started like the others, with a nice Hungarian breakfast buffet. Very grateful. Very good. Very much missing some good coffee though. The kids ran off to their classes and we dropped Jenova off at the nursery and then met up with Cheryl for Jacob’s

consultation – the primary reason we made this whole trip. Going into this meeting our prayer was this: Lord, let Jacob’s be a clear diagnosis.

Cheryl reminds me, physically, of an Italian lady in our ecumenical group named Raimonda. She asked us some background questions based on her time with him. She did the 3-hour

cognitive diagnostic with him the second day. She was very positive, encouraging and yet honest, encouraging us to help him learn to process information better and to reinforce visual as well as audio input of information. She was able to point us to several good resources and put some practical steps into our hands. It was just what we prayed for – thank you Lord!

Heather and I sat in the bar area afterwards, processing and Cheryl came back over to give us

a last minute thought and pray with us (she had had to run make an announcement in the auditorium).

The main session was very emotional. Dr. Egeler spoke on how we handle life’s disappointments and ‘soul pain.’ The man is a good story teller. He reminded us of the

importance of not shying from pain and suffering as it is in these moments we are closest to our Father, that He is working the most on us and with us.

Lunch was good – we got to know a family heading to Siberia – wow. They talked about the Ukrainian culture, where they are studying language, and how they don’t place a high value on taste in their food. Thank you Lord for sending me to Italy, where perhaps the value placed on taste is TOO high.

After lunch there was an Open House of all the kids’ classrooms where we got to meet their teachers and see the space-themed projects they had been working on all week. I had to skip out on part of it to pick up Haven’s achievement test results (she did great!).

It cracks me up when some of our friends have called this trip a ‘vacation’. Yes, it does require staying in a hotel. Yes, it does mean eating out some. Yes, it does mean seeing a part of Europe we’ve never experienced before. Yes, it does imply spending a lot of time as a family. BUT, this is one of the reasons I love my ‘JOB’. This kind of trip is part of it. But, we are mentally and emotionally exhausted.

We climbed back up to our room and crashed yesterday afternoon. There was nothing scheduled so we rested. Jacob and Haven swam. I took Jenova and Harrison for a walk. We then took the kids to McDonald’s to celebrate (and for a break from summer sausage sandwiches!). Then, as has been the norm, to bed early. Tomorrow is the last day of conference. It ends at lunchtime.

Hungary Trip: Day 5

2010-03-04T00:14:00.002+01:00

Conference Day 3

Today was another good day. Breakfast was the same, though our kids seem more and more distracted because they have friends they want to hang out with. They went off by themselves to the kids’ programming and we dropped Jenova off before meeting with the lady who did Harrison’s Early Reading evaluation.

She was so good. Jean talked to us and really seemed to care about not just Harrison, but all the kids. We share some of our concerns and she was able to bring her experience and expertise together to really help and encourage. She started off by telling us that Harrison is a talker! Ha, ha. We were thrilled to get a good report on his progress and took notes on some areas we could help him improve and continue to become a good reader.

We then made it in to the last part of Jeff’s devotional – this time using Paul’s prayer in Colossians, talking about being “Guided by His Wisdom”. It was a good reminder of what, from Scripture, God’s will is. Got to talk to him a bit during the coffee break before discovering they had Nutter Butters! They also announced that one of the children has broken out with Chicken Pox…gulp.

For three hours this morning, Jacob met for his second, three-hour diagnostic session. At lunch, once again, he didn’t say much about it – just that it was easier today than on Monday. Heather and I split up for the workshops in the morning again. She attended ‘Navigating the Curriculum Jungle’ while I sat in on Debra Bell’s fascinating, yet scary, ‘Twenty-first Century Education.’

Next was the main session by Dr. Egeler talking about the Carpe Aeternitatem – Seize Eternity, why settle for a day? He’s an amazing storyteller and had us spellbound by the way God weaves people’s stories together. We sat down with one of the SHARE workers, Cynthia,

at lunch and she was in tears because two of the people mentioned in the story happened to be students of hers at a boarding school in Africa years ago and she hadn’t heard any of it.

It was good to ask her about some of the research she’s been reading and doing concerning learning second languages. We talked about what happens when you put a child into a national school when they are not yet fluent in their mother tongue. She told us that 20% of children in national school situations (where they speak a non-mother tongue) will have language difficulties. She was able to encourage us and give us some good ideas.

At 13:30, Haven returned to the 9^th floor lounge for her 2^nd session of the Iowa Test. At 14:00, Jacob and Harrison returned to their programs. I hung out in the room with Jenova while Heather attended a great workshop called ‘Growing to Read’. After handing off Jenova to the

nursery, I made it in time for ‘Leadership in the Home’ while Heather attended ‘Resources for Supplementing National Schooling’.

When we all came back together, Heather took the big kids swimming and I drove into town with Jenova to look for some things to add to our dinner. I failed, but found a knock-off Hungarian Starbucks…good stuff. We had some more summer sausage and cracker sandwiches.

Heather attended a Ladies’ Tea while the kids and I went to the Magic Show – very entertaining. I gave in afterwards and let Jacob and Haven go swimming again with their friends and I went to the room with Harrison and Jenova. I rented Hair-Bear a movie on iTunes and Heather stayed out a while longer to encourage a fellow mom.

Now, I’m sitting in the hallway, getting just a thread of wifi from the lobby downstairs, sending this off before heading to bed. Tomorrow is our last full day of conference and we have two important consultations. Thanks for your prayers!

Hungary Trip: Day 4

2010-03-03T23:46:00.002+01:00

Conference Day 2

This is Tuesday. Breakfast was the same and the kids went to their respective classes at 8:30. The devotion by Jeff was so good, about Paul’s prayer that we be rooted in God’s love. So challenging to me about what I pray for and what God’s power is to be directed toward…

We each attended half of a morning workshop (Heather on learning styles, me on Third Culture Kids). Curious to know what a TCK is? Here is the definition we used in the workshop, borrowed, I believe, from Sociologist David Pollock.

"A person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside the parents' culture. The TCK builds relationships to all of the cultures, while not having full ownership of any. Although elements from each culture are assimilated into the TCK's life experience, the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of a similar background."

We missed the last half of our workshops to take all three of the older kids to get hearing screenings. They had set up a little desk at the end of a hallway (which kept getting interrupted by a door connecting the hallway to the other wing of the hotel) where a man had a laptop and headphones hooked up. A program allowed him to test each ear at different frequencies and decibels. All three showed some minor loss in their left ears and though not urgent or major, encouraged us to have a more thorough evaluation done soon. Hmm.

We took the kids back to their classes and then sat at the bar and had a Coke since we were already late for the main session. After a quick lunch, Jacob joined a group of kids playing soccer and we didn’t see him the rest of the afternoon. Haven had her first of two sessions taking the ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills) in the 9^th floor lounge. She had a blast and it brought back memories of taking similar tests growing up.

At 14:30, I took Jacob for his eye screening. Now, this is not an optometrist visit, it is to tell if there are any muscular/coordination problems that might be causing reading difficulties. The lady had him take several tests on a computer and said she would email me the results. He quickly rejoined the soccer bunch…cool to see him use some of his moves.

We all went to the pool for a dip. I wish you all could see Harrison. He is a mini-Susan Casey. I think because he isn’t as confident with his Italian and because we’re used to seeing him around our team members, we don’t often see his outgoing side come out. He is AMAZING. Walking up to complete strangers and connecting, conversing, sharing stories, asking questions. In the hot tub he was showing the other kids how to hold his breath underwater and then teaching them words in Italian.

For dinner we ordered three little pizzas and a calzone from the bar/kitchen and ate them quickly around a little round table. I don’t know if it is unique to Hungary or just this hotel, but they used BBQ sauce instead of tomato sauce – good though.

We then attended the annual talent show where the TCKs perform for everyone. These were things they had prepared beforehand. They played the piano, sang, acted out dramas, recited dialogue (The Pee Little Thrigs), rapped and did a Yo-Yo presentation. What a cool thing – to allow these kids a safe environment to show their talents and passions – a place for them to connect with others like themselves.

Hungary Trip: Day 4

2010-03-03T23:46:00.001+01:00

Conference Day 2

Hungary Trip: Day 3

2010-03-03T16:15:00.002+01:00

Conference Day 1

One of my favorite things so far about this conference is that it almost seems the adult programming is secondary to the children’s. In other words, where as normally, kids’ programs and schedules are organized to get the kids out of the adults’ way, this conference seems to revolve around the kids’ needs and programs.

The kids start at 8:30, which means we’re up at 6:30 and down to breakfast at 7:30. There are two buffet lines set up in two dining areas to accommodate what I would guess would be 300 conference-goers. Sliced meats and cheeses, various kinds of bread, cereals, scrambled eggs, boiled hot dogs and sausages, fruit, juice, and coffee. So far, we’ve definitely felt like ‘noobs’. We mostly eat as a family though we are slowly meeting people and the kids are making friends. It seems like most of the people are pretty tight and have been coming for years – it’s neat to see so many TCK’s running around reuniting with friends from conferences past.

After breakfast, we took the three big kids into the main conference room. Each child was shown to the rows marked off for their age group and introduced to their teachers. They were given name tags and seated with their peers. (Upstairs the teens have an entire program of their own.) After a warm-up worship time, a magician (oops, illusionist) did some tricks.

They then all filed out to their respective rooms (Harrison on the 4^th floor, Haven on the 6^th and Jacob on the 8^th) and we took Jenova to the nursery on the 2^nd floor. The theme for the kids this week is ‘Space’ and everything, literally, revolves around it.

The adult session starts at 9:00 with a worship time led by a lay worship leader from Iowa followed by some challenging thoughts by former missionary to Taiwan Jeff Whittaker based on a prayer in Isaiah. Then there was a quick coffee break followed by a time of introducing all the SHARE and conference staff, including the workshop speakers who gave a quick promo for their class. Very helpful. This included a medical doctor there to help and give advice, people offering vision and hearing screenings, counselors and various experts in educational areas. The last to be introduced was the main speaker for the morning, Dr. Dan Egeler. He spoke on

Daniel and modern day heroes, sharing some of his own stories from growing up a TCK on an island on Lake Victoria.

After picking up the kids on their various floors, we headed down to lunch. Harrison had been taken out of his class to be given an Early Reader’s Assessment. He said he did ‘great!’. We meet with someone on Wednesday for a consultation to see how he did. Lunch was buffet style – lots of variety to choose from. I had some authentic Hungarian goulash. Yum.

At 13:30 we met with Sonja Bowden who whisked Jacob away for his first of two 3 hour assessment sessions. At 14:00, the other kids’ classes met up again for the afternoon sessions. Heather and I attended a workshop entitled, ‘Let’s Go Play Trucks: How Preschoolers Learn’

by Wendy Stafford – really good stuff. We then split up and I went to ‘Developing a Family Education Plan’ by Cynthia Shigo and Heather went to ‘Developing Creative and Critical Thinking Skills’ by Debra Bell (the home-school guru).

We picked up the kids at 16:30 and asked Jacob how his went. He said, ‘Fine.’ He didn’t elaborate much. He has his second session on Wednesday and we have his consultation on Thursday morning. We hopped in the car and ran to Tesco – a WalMart type store and bought some more things to eat dinner in our room to save a little money. Found some American goodies (including Cookie Crunch cereal and cheddar cheese). Heather took the kids down for a quick dip and we then had summer sausage and cheese sandwiches.

Afterwards we were able to call Heather’s mom who had just gotten home

from gallbladder surgery. It was good for them to talk – she’s doing fine. They are supposed to fly over in about 10 days to see us! My mom, instead, is recovering from a fall and some cracked ribs…haven’t seen them on Skype though. To bed early again…

Just some of the books and resources we've gotten free or very cheaply!

Hungary Trip: Day 2

2010-03-02T16:04:00.003+01:00

Travel to Sopron

We slept in (until 8) and I ran across the parking lot to buy some pastries and cappuccinos-to-go. We were cleaned up, packed and on the road before 10. We drove under dark, cloudy skies north across the flat plain toward the Eastern stretches of the Alps. Beautiful, snow-capped mountains on both sides, we made our way through the last stretch of Italian highway before passing into Austria just before noon. We stopped at Burger King (again) in Graz and continued on toward Vienna before heading east for the last hour. We arrived in the little town of Sopron (population of around 50,000) around 16:30 and checked in to the Hotel Szieszta.

We saw lots of non-Europeans hanging out in the lobby, (we've since found out there are several Australian and Canadians) many with laptops open and found our way to the registration area where we were immediately asked to pay for the kids’ various tests. Behind the registration desk a large section of used books and home-school materials for sale (many free!) was being set up.

We unpacked the car and explored the hotel a bit, figuring out where the little indoor pool was, discovering the free wifi in the lobby and getting our nametags. The structure is a large, 10-story hotel set on a hill overlooking town. It is nice, clean, and yet every bit of what you would expect of an eastern European, 3-star hotel built in the 60’s. Our room is small-ish – two little rooms connected with an open archway. Our bed faces a big window and balcony with Jenova’s crib next to us. The boys share a foldout couch and Haven has a mini-foldout at the foot of theirs. There is a little bathroom with a half-tub/shower combo. Just right for our family.

We took a little swim and then ate some peanut-butter sandwiches in our room (thanks Roterts for the bread!). Jacob had used some of his itunes dollars to rent the family a movie (the new Willie Wonka) which the kids and I watched while Heather read through the schedule and description of the workshops. Early to bed, big day tomorrow.

Hungary Trip: Day 1

2010-03-01T21:42:00.003+01:00

Travel to Trieste

We ended up leaving town at 10:00 am after making a quick trip to our church facility where we dropped off supplies for the next two Sunday’s worth of craft materials for the little kids’ class.

We just got our car back on Friday and it was clean and ready to go. We took our time, stopping for a Burger King lunch in Ferrara (Matteo’s hometown) and arriving at our Holiday Inn at around 16:00. Nice facility –great price – great rooms.

We cleaned up and headed right back out to check out downtown Trieste. The guy behind the front counter insisted that it was a beautiful 15 minute drive down a coastal, cliff-side highway. It took five times that long…but it WAS beautiful. We could see the very northern end of the Adriatic Sea as it filled the bay that was made up by the coasts of Italy, Slovenia and Croatia.

As it neared Jenova’s dinner time, Mommy’s nerves were getting rattled (as the big kids fought over who found the ‘Q’ first) but Daddy’s determination that we eat in Trieste’s beautiful centro storico won out. We parked at the train station parking complex and walked a mile or

two to the main square. We then walked and walked, looking for a restaurant (reminds me of downtown Milan – tons of shopping and NO restaurants!). Then, finally, the word pizzeria appeared and within minutes we were crammed around a little table and could finally enjoy a nice plate of pasta.

After getting some snacks for the room at a little grocery, we wound our way back to the train station, realizing that the nighttime downtown of Trieste isn’t as kid-friendly as the daytime version. We snapped this quick shot of the family on the way.

Glad to be back in our car, we drove back up the hill to our hotel and crashed for the evening.

Half-way done. Tomorrow we drive the rest of the way to Sopron, Hungary.

Off to Hungary...

2010-02-26T23:13:00.002+01:00

We leave tomorrow morning for the SHARE Family Conference in Sopron, Hungary. Thanks to those of you that helped make this possible. We are excited to learn from those with more experience and to see what God is doing through other families in Europe. The kids are really excited as well - probably for different reasons. Hope to update you soon with news and photos!

Post-Ecumenical Blahs

2010-01-29T10:20:00.003+01:00

Well, last week we finished the annual Ecumenical/Unity activities. These included:

-co-leading a prayer service at the local downtown parish with Don Elio

-participating in the big Saturday evening ecumenical Mass in nearby Osimo with the representatives of the Catholic church (the Archbishop himself), the Adventist church, the Apostolic church, the Anglican church, the Methodist church, the Romanian Orthodox church and the Coptic church

-attending the final closing ceremony

There is quite a range of opinions on our team as to the benefit/fruit of our involvement in this group. Usually it means merely attending a monthly planning meeting where we share thoughts on a passage and pray. We've also done a public reading of Scripture event and are planning to publish a calendar this year with a description of each of our churches.

I'm feeling a bit blah - partially because of the extra activities and meetings (we also were out of town for most of four days for our annual retreat) - but partially out of frustration. I know that we all have things in common - the most important being our belief in Jesus as Christ. But there's always this underlying tension that if anyone were really honest, just for a second, they would be walking around with a red-hot branding iron that reads H-E-R-E-T-I-C.

Out of all of it, as interesting, challenging and thought-provoking as it is - it makes me ask - What does true unity look like?

Bestemmia

2009-12-13T02:01:00.002+01:00

This afternoon, the lady was back. Petite. Short, grey hair. Wry smile on her face and an acid tongue. The expletives and curses came out of her innocent-looking mouth in such well-packaged phrases and expressions that it threw me for a loop; like ordering a Big Mac at McD's and receiving a plate of spaghetti alle vongole. The temperature hovered around 40 and the rain came and went. It was cold and she didn't seem to notice. The stream of cursing went on and on throughout the game; a small, high-pitched voice nearly lost in the sea of loud, bass, masculine chants, whistles and songs. At one point she took a large banner, the size of a queen-sized bed sheet, from one of the youth and waved it around, obscuring our view. Such passion. Such fanaticism. Such a filthy mouth.

Earlier this morning, I sat with Brian in the office of a local pastor. Among other things, this pastor shared some of his views and concerns about the Catholic church. While I don't agree with all of them, I do with most of what he said and find myself in a rickety boat, navigating uncharted waters, attempting to grow an authentic Christian community here amongst the signs and symbols of the sacred.

The dictionary defines the word 'bestemmia' as insulting God or things that are sacred. So as the little, Italian granny cursed, insulted and 'sent the fans of the opposing team to that other place' (as they say here) I found my shock and laughter turning slowly into a startling realization that this was truly bestemmia. She wasn't cursing the church or God himself - at least that I heard - but she was cursing and spitting out lies about people, Creation, things that are, well, sacred.

My dad wrote me years ago some thoughts about the task we face in Italy and in Europe at large. He described what he saw as a land full of religious symbols, asking the question how many literal thousands of statues and churches and chapels and steeples and shrines and paintings and crucifixes and holidays and convents and monasteries fill the landscape around us and yet how do the church bells ring unheard? Maybe part of our call and our task, then, is to give new life and new meaning and new story to those symbols. Maybe we are here to invite people to explore for the first time that which is sacred.

So cheer on, little old lady, cheer on. Cheer the boys of the white-and-red on to victory. But don't tear down your brothers and neighbors. Treat them with love and with respect. Treat them as the sacred beings that they are for in them is the very breath of God.

By the way, we beat Brescia today, 2-0.

Possum or Vampire?

2009-11-19T00:16:00.003+01:00

"Baddy Burrito"

2009-11-18T14:15:00.003+01:00

OK. Totally not ministry or Kingdom related. Most of you probably read the title and had images of intestinal issues conjured up. Instead, it is related to Saturday morning cartoons of old.

My father recently wrote my brother and me (is that correct?) asking what the expression, "Baddy Burrito" brings to mind.

My brother (pictured above biting into the world's best kebab) responded like this:

"Baddy burrito comes from a Saturday morning cartoon when we were kids. I believe it was donkey kong saying something to jr. kong. Or maybe it was jr. kong saying something to a villain that he wrapped up in a carpet role or something. whatever it was i should could use some good mexcian food."

Sigh. Chimichanga, I miss you.

I responded in this way:

"According to my recollection it was Tweety Bird that called Sylvester by this moniker. Boh?"

Does anyone out there have any recollection of the cartoon-phrase, "Baddy Burrito," that might add something to the conversation?

And a second question that has since emerged from the conversation: Is Tweety Bird a boy or girl?

Cristina's Baptism

2009-11-15T12:08:00.004+01:00

Friday, November 6th, Cristina sealed the deal and was baptized into a new life led by Jesus. Enjoy the pictures and please pray for her!

Family News from Ancona via Pictures...

2009-11-06T17:02:00.003+01:00

Jacob's Baptism!!

2009-10-18T21:29:00.003+01:00

Today we celebrated Jacob's new birth into a living hope! After studying for a couple of months he decided Monday to give his life to Christ. The owner of the local pool was happy to let us use it again and Heather and I baptized Jacob while surrounded by his family, team and church. There were 21 people there besides our family to celebrate with him. Several families joined us for lunch afterwards and at our church gathering tonight the men laid hands on him and prayed, he took his first communion and we gave him a sports-themed New Testament with notes and underlined passages from members of the church. It was a full, beautiful day. Thanks for your prayers and encouragement!

Long Overdue Pictures

2009-10-12T16:13:00.005+01:00

'The Boys' after church...

'The Ladies' after church...

'The Men' after church...

I brought back surprises after working for a few days for Heather's dad on the air force base...the kids, needless to say, were happy...

'Arri' - as they call him at school. If you notice his puffy eye, he is allergic to mosquito bites...

The Bean has dimples...

Almost crawling!

Haven's houses of cards...

Jenova is eating rice cereal with vegetable broth,
parmesan cheese and olive oil - just what the Dr. ordered!

Haven is our 'Puzzle Girl'.

It is hard to separate these two!

Is it just me or is she growing WAY too fast?

An overweight dude and his numerous brood...at a waterpark.

Computers stink...but life goes on...

2009-10-11T15:21:00.002+01:00

Well, it has been a LONG time since we have updated this blog. I picked up our laptop yesterday after having been without for five weeks. Heather's desktop has been 'dead' for two months. It has been frustrating to be without but also helped remind us how life DOES go on without technology. :)

We appreciate you all and ask that you continue praying for our family, team, church and ministry here. Please pray for protection, for strength, open doors, energy, wisdom, discernment and for fruit! There is a little church being birthed here, sending concentric circles of life and joy through the Kingdom in the Marche region of this country because of your patnership with us. Thanks!

Breaking News: The Bean Rolls Over!

2009-08-01T19:58:00.002+01:00

The Bean - No Captions Necessary

2009-07-07T17:12:00.003+01:00

Novel in Ninety

2009-07-01T17:54:00.005+01:00

At any given time, I have a dozen ideas for stories, poems or articles in my head and if you catch me with a dazed look, it is likely due to the strain from trying to choose one and pursue it or else the effort it takes to categorize or file the idea for later.

There are a few people in my life, writers, real, published writers who have helped me see that writing is mostly about, well, writing. Writing talent is something you are born with, but the actual act of writing is a skill, or more accurately, a discipline.

So every once in a while I actually sit down and write something - but it usually ends up as a blog post, a poem, or a journal entry. And the ideas remain in my head. I read recently that it is often 'fear' that keeps one from writing...hmm...

My mother-in-law often encourages me to write and occasionally has purchased me writing magazines. In one of these I stumbled across this site: http://community.livejournal.com/novel_in_90/profile. Very interesting...considering taking the dive...hmm...

P.S. The Not-A-FAQ is pretty amusing.

P.P.S. The opening line for one of my most recurring novel ideas is this: "I awoke buried to the waist in an Italian garbage dumb with a smile on my face. I was in love."

Space Camels

2009-06-28T18:50:00.000+01:00

My recent interview with up-and-coming movie director, Mr. Harrison...enjoy...

Are Ethics Subjective?

2009-06-28T10:52:00.004+01:00

In about 3 years I will hit the point in my life where I will have spent 1/3 of it in this beautiful, ironic, historic land of Italy. One of the main things I have learned and been stretched in is to 'embrace the grey', cioe', to let go my death grip on the black & white moorings of preconceived notions and uninformed assumptions and to allow myself to float a bit in the grey, mostly calm, but occasionally choppy waters of life in Italy.

A couple of examples might help. I live, mostly, with the value of honesty. I tell the truth. I don't lie - hardly ever. And when I do, I've discovered, it is mostly by omission, by smoothing over or by avoidance, cioe', by not verbalizing my real feelings or opinions. Anyways, if someone asks me a black and white question, I give an honest answer. If someone were to ask me, "Is your car red?", I would say, "No, it is blue." Early on here, as we began purchasing things we discovered there is a bigger difference between debit and credit cards. Whenever we use plastic to pay for something here, they ask, "Carta di credito?" (Credit card?). Well, in the beginning, I answered honestly - no. It isn't. It is a debit card. But what happens if they run our U.S. debit cards is that they don't go through - our pin numbers don't work. However, if we 'lie' and say it is a credit card, they swipe it, we sign it, and the money comes out of our account (after a heavy hit with the exchange rate.) See, no big deal, right? By simply saying, "Yes", when the honest answer is, "No", we avoid hassle and extra minutes in line explaining, "Well, really, it isn't a credit card. It is a debit card but since it is tied to a U.S. bank, if you will just pretend it is a credit card and treat it as such, it will work." This, a time or two, led to calling a supervisor and checking my I.D., etc. It is jusy easier, more efficient, less hassle to not tell the whole truth.

The next example has to do with cars. If you've been here, you KNOW that the streets are narrow, jammed with parked cars, many illegally. Life here requires you know how to parallel park. (For a painfully funny example - and don't ask me to translate the commentary - check this example out - from Ancona.) Occasionally, it is almost necessary to 'bump' the car in front or behind to ensure you can fit into the spot you're aiming for. If I were to bump a car in the U.S. in any way, the 'right' thing to do would be to leave a note, right? Sometimes, when squeezing through a narrow lane 'one' will bump mirrors (which are all designed here to be breakaway mirrors) with another car - again, under 'normal' circumstances - the 'right' thing to do would be to leave a note or at least make sure that there aren't any scratches. But here, it is very normal and seemingly expected.

So, in my head, there is this little battle that goes on concerning this question. Not that I lose sleep over the little examples, but the bigger question makes me wonder. How much of what we call ethics or our moral code is cultural and how much is Biblical? And if we answer Biblical - is or was there a 1st Century moral code that doesn't always fit with ours? By saying, "Ah, we're in Italy so I don't need to explain that this isn't really a credit card..." - are we missing out on something? Are we glossing over a potential conversation. By overlooking the bumps and scratches are we losing something? Are we giving in? Are ethics subjective?

An Italian Saturday

2009-06-20T12:39:00.003+01:00

Maurizio picked Jacob & me up at 9:30 and we headed downtown. We had said we were going to 'fare un tuffo' later so I was dressed in swimsuit and was carrying a towel. He chuckled as we walked toward his car, saying, 'In this weather?'. Oh well.

We parked by the port, in a little-known free-parking area and walked the mile or more to the pet/fish store. The weather was cool, muggy; some grey clouds were blowing in from the east - obviously carrying rain.

We arrived at the store and interrupted the storekeeper from his sales pitch to another customer. Maurizio explained that we were americani who were used to fishing in lakes and rivers but were trying to learn how to fish the Adriatic. He smiled and returned to the man interested in buying a canary. The store was small, kind of run-down and very muggy. Located on an alleyway, the only air that made it in the door was alley air, which reeked of pigeons, mold and stale pizza.

The other customer talked on and on about the kind of canary he wanted and the shop owner was patient, telling him of the various qualities of the birds. The man was insistent - he wanted white and he wanted to be sure it would sing. Back and forth, back and forth they went. Finally, the store owner shifted some cages, closed the door, inserted a mesh separator and caught one of the canaries - a white one. He inspected it to be sure it was of the right gender - it wasn't. I guess the customer wanted white, singer AND of a specific gender. After several more back-and-forths and cage shifting, the customer left and the owner turned to us.

He was very friendly and very knowledgeable. He told us where the best spots were, the three best bait/lure options and even drew diagrams to show us how to arrange the bait. We decided on a bobber/sardine combination. He sold us some equipment and as we left, he said, "I won't tell you 'buona pesca' as that brings bad luck, I'll just say, 'have fun!' "

From there we walked to an ATM (first three didn't work) and then on to a bar/cafe that a friend of Maurizio's runs. They served in the military together. Jacob and I enjoyed a cappuccino and pastry (Jacob with Nutella, mine with vanilla cream) while we heard stories of their service together. I think the guy looks like Rocky.

After that we made our way up to Patrizia's so he could get his haircut. If there was time, I would get one too as it is time. On the way we talked about God's will. Does God withhold gifts sometimes until we've learned a lesson? Does God wait until we're ready sometimes before giving us what we long for? We talked about the importance of being grateful for what we have today instead of being frustrated for what we don't have. This is the stuff that he really loves to talk about and wishes he didn't have to struggle with. I love his raw honesty - it SO sharpens me.

We got to Patrizia's and were greeted as we approached - she yelled through the open door as she finished up a young lady's hair who was getting a 'do' for her birthday. Patrizia introduced her to Maurizio. Awkward. Her miniature Doberman, Ernie, greeted us at the door. Were I a miniature Doberman, I would be angry to have the name 'Ernie'. Give me something to make up for my miniature-ness, you know?

We sat and waited - continued our discussion and joked as Patrizia continued cutting and styling. Maurizio put on his 'smock' and got his hair washed. Somewhere in there, Patrizia took our order and called the nearby bar to have something delivered. While I waited I noticed Jenova's birth announcement on the wall - Italians seem to love postcards - I smiled...I had remembered late in our furlough. Next, Anna called and asked if we could meet up with her family before our church's gathering tomorrow. Then Lilli called and said thanks for the 'postcards' they had received recently. :)

Half-way through Maurizio's haircut - during which he continued to argue with Patrizia, trying to get her to fit me in after him, before the two women already waiting. - the barista arrived with a tray. She put four espressos and a sandwich on the counter and Patrizia called for a coffee break.

I smiled, which reflected in the mirrors all around the room, as we all stopped our activities and stood around sipping our coffee: Patrizia set down her scissors, Maurizio had his smock on, hair clippings on his face and shoulders, one of the clients waiting patiently and the out-of-place American. The moment was so UBER Italian.

We continued on, speaking of horoscopes and Italian marriages and eventually left, after paying the 13 euros for the haircut. We walked the mile+ back to the car as it began to rain. Maurizio dropped us off around 12:30 after we had made arrangements for next week: a dinner on the beach, an appointment to see a villa in the country for sale, a hike down the cliff to fish at sunset along the coast. I greeted my neighbor as we walked in the building and smiled at how different an Italian Saturday can be.

It's been a good furlough...

2009-06-12T15:59:00.002+01:00

Well, we're packing up and tying up loose ends here in the heart of Texas. It has been a wonderful couple of weeks here - in between meetings, dinners, preaching and preparing - we've been able to spend lots of good time with Heather's family. Harrison and 'Nana' are on a date right now - lunch and the snake farm. :)

We want to say 'thanks' to all of you who made this a great furlough. Many of you have provided housing, meals, encouragement, a listening ear, a vehicle, gas money, coffee, laughs, affirmation, counsel, rides to/from airports, gifts, books, resources...man, if I were a detail person and had kept track...the list would be long.

While nothing like the uber-crazy furlough schedule I remember as a child, we did make it into 10 states, spoke with groups or representatives from eight churches, added a beautiful girl to our family, had a great experience being on campus at Ozark Christian College, saw lots of family and several old friends and were reminded that sometimes (maybe always?) God desires us to embrace the gray ambiguity of his will.

Our church in Ancona has grown a little in number and from the sound of it, a lot in terms of ownership. Our team is spread out - several in the U.S., one getting married. The Crossers are back in Italy, actually moving to Verona today. We leave Sunday morning and fly through Chicago and Munich before landing Monday afternoon in Ancona to what has all the makings of a little jet-lag-fuelled part-ay.

Our intent is to spend the next two (maybe three) years transitioning the leadership of this church to its members. We hope to spend the bulk of our team discipling and training, helping people live, grow and use their gifts in community to build up the Body in Ancona. We SO appreciate your partnership with us in this ministry - whether that be through prayer, financial support or other forms of encouragement. We need you and thank you for your part! We covet your prayers for safety and smooth transitions but if you must choose one thing to pray for - pray for this:

The coming of His Kingdom in Ancona, for the church to rise up, for open doors, for qualitative growth, and for fruit in the work our Father has called us to.

Love like Jesus,

Jason, Heather, Jacob, Haven, Harrison & Jenova (aka Jena-bean; J-Lu; Lucy)

Stories give meaning.

2009-06-08T22:44:00.003+01:00

We made our way into the crowded little room around displays of muskets and flags and other historical memorabilia. We maneuvered our strollers around to let other people in as the tour guide kept pausing his presentation of the history of the room. "It was in this room," he continued, "that the women and children hid when the soldiers breached the doors of the church. You can imagine how the husbands and sons, stationed just outside, fought to defend them...but they were outnumbered and lost. The attacking soldiers opened the door to the room, muskets held at the ready and found a room full of women and crying children. They lowered their guns and backed down and allowed them to go free...the only survivors of the attack on the Alamo."

Then he said something interesting. He said, "It is important that you hear and remember the stories of this place for it is the stories that give this place meaning. Without the stories, this is just another wall of another room of an old decrepit church known as The Alamo."

A heart that is full

2009-05-15T07:53:00.004+01:00

Do you ever have those days or weeks or seasons in life where you feel your heart is so full it will burst? Like it can't handle one more breath - whether good or bad?

My baby daughter, Jenova, laughed at me tonight - nothing like it.

We'll be in three different states the next three weekends - I'm ready to be 'home' - wherever that is.

I love my team and miss 'my church family' in Ancona and I miss the sky in Italy. And the coffee.

I Skyped my brother and sister-in-law today - they are serving God in a closed war-torn country half-way across the world and I wanted so badly to be in that room with them - but grateful for technology that allowed for my kids to 'e-love on them'.

I finished grading papers tonight - glad to be done - regretting not spending more time with my students, several who have become friends.

I find myself literally falling head over heels in love with my wife and don't know why - I think I'm finally (after 13 years of marriage) beginning to learn some things about love...we double dated tonight with some of our best friends in the world.

I'm listening to Bon Iver sing 'Lovins for Fools'...enough said.

Do you ever feel pulled in so many directions and into so many relationships that you feel, all at once, so fortunate to know so many people, and so helpless to know who to say yes to and whom to say no to?

I sense that God is revealing to me a truth about myself that I'm terrified to face and accept, but one that I know is necessary for me in order to grow...

Real Life at Real Life

2009-04-25T17:58:00.002+01:00

Every time I spend time visiting Real Life Church here in Santa Clarita, CA, I leave encouraged.

Their name matches their identity. They are a group of people that fosters this kind of atmosphere where people can truly be themselves - and you see it and hear it - real lives, no pretense, no pretending. (Well, not AS much...they aren't perfect...but that's the point.)

In wrestling with the content of the book TrueFaced and what the authors paint as a healthy community environment, what they call 'The Room of Grace' - I'm encouraged and challenged as I see the church here live it out. It is present in their leadership, in their Sunday gathering and in their Life Groups - it permeates everything.

When Paul writes to the churches, he writes to them as partners, he demonstrates a 2-way-ness and I guess that's why I'm encouraged by Real Life. Yes, their financial support is essential, necessary and their faithfulness and encouragement are helpful. But they challenge me by their example and their commitment to live out the kind of grace the Father shows - the arms wide open, tears in the eyes, dinner on the table-kind of grace, the only kind of grace that will change lives in Italy...

Pictures - Kids...how they grow!

2009-04-08T17:57:00.003+01:00

Well, it has been a while, I know. Here are some pictures and I'll let them do the speaking. These are all taken by Aubri, Master Photographer...she's the best.

Baby Jenova

2009-03-31T23:40:00.001+01:00

Man, I'm behind on this blog! For pictures of our newest arrival - head over to our Italian blog! I'll update this soon.

http://iviaggideicasey.blogspot.com

Harrison's Birthday Party

2009-03-06T00:22:00.004+01:00

Here are some pictures of Heather's creative genius put to work for Harrison's recent birthday party...

The party had a 'Diego - the Jungle Animal Rescuer' theme.

The foods all were 'jungle-themed' - can you figure out what the 'live worms' were?

Isn't he looking older?

Harrison with good friend Hagen at his side, opening presents.

It was great to celebrate with lots of old friends and new as well as family - first time ever for Heather's folks to be at ANY of our kids' birthday parties!

Joyful Noise

2009-02-26T07:30:00.002+01:00

It has been a while since I've posted anything. This is partly because it is hard to write about life 'under the Marchegian sun' when we are so far from it.

Life is good. It really is. We miss Italy a lot. The kids just said it today. Heather is due in two weeks and a few days. We're ready - well, almost. Mentally, almost.

I recently was at a conference and during a moving time of worship, a young man in front of me reminded me of something important. Live life with the face God gave you. Don't hide behind the expectations of others. Sing at the top of your lungs and dance.

Hope you all are OK. More to come...

CampusAmerica - 24/7 Prayer

2009-01-19T07:36:00.002+01:00

Check it out - a new vision from the guys and gals at 24/7 Prayer...Campus America. What would happen? What if?

I pray Freedom.

Intensive Class

2009-01-12T01:36:00.003+01:00

Well, last week I taught a class here at Ozark Christian College on Cross-Cultural Church Planting. It was a lot of work, but fun and refreshing. I was blessed with thirteen great students and was encouraged to hear how many of them were heading into cross-cultural work around the world. We concluded the class on Friday by hosting the group at our house for lunch, talking about the importance of the table in the ministry of Jesus.

I love cilantro...

2009-01-04T03:44:00.002+01:00

It has been great being back in a land where cilantro flows like honey. We've learned to grow our own in Italy, but it is small and takes time and effort. Here you can buy it by the bushel and it is cheap and plentiful. Everything tastes better with cilantro.

Have three minutes to kill? Check out this video. Go to www.highwayvideo.com, click on Visual Illustrations, then Volume 18 and then View the Cilantro video...good stuff...

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T19:25:00.002+01:00

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas! Hope this day is filled with love and joy!

A Gift Idea

2008-12-22T04:12:00.003+01:00

Well, we're heading out tomorrow morning, Monday, at 6 am. Heather's dad is driving us to Dallas and my folks are coming down to get us. It has been a great 10 days here in New Braunfels - it has been great seeing friends and family. The temperature has swung from the 70's down to the 30's. This evening we are sitting around playing the Seinfeld Scene-It. Fun stuff.

Hey, by the way, Heather's sister, Jennifer (Jenny), has recently published a children's book called 'A Match Made in Heaven'. It is a great gift, especially for Christmas. You can order it online or download the digital version immediately. Check out www.tatepublishing.com and search for the book title or click the book link above.

If we don't see you before, have a Merry Christmas!

Our Italian Blog

2008-12-18T00:17:00.002+01:00

While we're stateside we are keeping an Italian blog for our friends back home. We will be putting pictures and things on there that you won't see here. Check it out at http://iviaggideicasey.blogspot.com - you may not be able to read it, but you can enjoy the pictures and video. The last post is about Taco Bell's insane suggestion that we add a 4th meal to our diet...yeah, real healthy...(but delicious)...

On Being Stateside...

2008-12-18T00:00:00.003+01:00

Well. We're in Texas. I'm sitting in my in-laws' guesthouse, listening to Bon Iver, studying and preparing lectures for a class I'm teaching in January. Man, it is a lot of work. It is one of those intensive, one-week classes - five days, 35 hours of class time. I'm reading the book Organic Community by Joe Myers right now - really, really good so far - putting into words things I've been thinking/feeling/experiencing.

Really smooth transition this time around. I miss my team, church and home - but it has been smooth. I feel some timid tendrils of cultural stress already, but different than ever before. Whereas in past trips 'home', I've raced out to buy the food and sweets I've missed or run to the stores to shop and see what latest game or gadget is out, this time I find myself, well, not.

It all seems too glittery. So big, so very, very big. And loud. So much junk, crap. I'm sure it is worse because it is the Christmas, shopping season, but I still feel it. My ears and eyes are especially sensitive to the commercial nature we're surrounded in. I'm not used to having cable. Not used to paying so little for gas, so much freedom, so many options.

I want to retreat to the silence of this little guest house and yet find myself wishing I were sitting at Yuri's caffe at Piazza Roma where I know how to speak and what to order.

I'm sipping a Dr. Pepper, happy to be with family and spending dollars. I'll lay down on this grass for it is green but I find myself increasingly homeless, increasingly rootless...

Go hug a missionary today. We're weird for good reason...

Secret Seafood and Side-by-side Scaffolding

2008-12-03T06:47:00.004+01:00

I ate lunch with Josh and Maurizio yesterday. It was delicious. Maurizio can be temperamental sometimes and yesterday he was...about parking. So we ended up going to a new place - one we had never heard of. It is tucked into the old soccer stadium by the tennis club - a little hole-in-the-wall seafood place. There is no sign, no indication except for a rickety exhaust tube from the kitchen that rises over the wall.

Delicious. Spaghetti with tomatoes and clams followed by a shared fried fish plate accompanied by a delicious local white wine. Maurizio is an enigma to me. I can't figure him out. I baptized him last year and since then his life has been awful. Well, according to him. It hasn't been NEARLY the life-saving event he thought it would be. You know the country song - no girl, no house, no dog...

There are two buildings just down the road from our house next to each other and both of them are being redone - repainted. This is a major process that costs the owners of the apartments thousands of euros and hours of heartache. It happens every 20 years or so and the city is full of buildings that are surrounded in scaffolding as mostly foreign workers are busy stripping, rebuilding and painting. The scaffolding goes up, the transformation takes 2-3 months (or MUCH longer) and then the scaffolding comes down and the building is restored to its pristine, original condition. One of the two afore-mentioned buildings is covered in scaffolding. The one next to it instead has hired a new service for the job. It is two guys with a huge platform truck with a crane that allows them to reach great distances. No scaffolding. They peel the paint, fire the walls and go to town while everyone watches and while piles of crusty, cracking paint form around the base of the building. Bare, naked, patchy walls are visible to everyone.

Two buildings side by side. One covered in green canvas which hides the work, the other exposed, cold, shivering. In the end, the result is the same...I think. Maurizio is the scaffolding-less building. As I listened to him talk and waver between lamenting and laughing I just smiled and enjoyed the moment. He's a good friend. Maybe my best Italian friend and he's just like George Costanza. I'll keep praying for him, keep exploring new restaurants with him, keep sitting with him as the old stuff gets scraped away and the new stuff gets put on.

I'm pretty sure I still have some scaffolding of my own up in some places...

Memoirs of an MK, Chapter 1

2008-11-27T01:30:00.004+01:00

Slipping on Figs

Cat urine, if it is the right kind, reminds me of my neighborhood in Santiago, Chile where I grew up. Our house was in a cul-de-sac, a dead-end street and there must have been eight houses on the street, each with an iron fence and gate, each with a Chilean family but for ours. We were American.

There was a little store on our block, just a three or four minute walk from our house. We would go there to buy basic staples - milk, sugar, or candy. Once I saved up enough pesos to buy a HUGE chocolate bar with a picture of a train on it. It was disappointing. The shaded sidewalk that led there was lined by a kind of cactus. I remember Felipe, the neighbor boy, telling me that if you broke off the tip and rubbed the green juice on a cut, it would heal faster.

Felipe was a skinny child, skinny and short. The day we moved into our little, wooden house, Felipe came out of the yard next door with a hammer and hit my brother, Chris, in the stomach. No. This was not typical Chilean hospitality. It was plain odd. Felipe grew to be one of our best friends and he was there when we put on the play in our backyard.

The walls of our backyard met in the back corner at a sharp angle. Concrete walls, they were composed of cement posts placed upright into the ground with big slabs laid between them three high to form a two meter barrier between us and the neighbors. This far corner was paved and was joined with the front walk by a series of concrete stepping tiles. Built into the left wall was a concrete grilling area that I don't remember ever actually using. On the right was the fig tree.

Rising up to 30 feet or more, it shot up at a weird angle, as fig trees have the habit of doing. Back in this paved area there was often an ample supply of firewood stored for burning during the cold Chilean winters. This area was often slippery because of the bright red, seedy guts of fallen figs. The sweet smell of the fruit would blend with the smell of wet firewood and cat urine and create a unique concoction.

The day we put on the play must have been in summer and it must have been near the end of our stay there, sometime in the mid 80's. Our ham radio antenna that used to tower over our block was down and served as bleachers for the neighbor kids' parents. I don't think I've ever seen 'How the West Was Won' but I think that's what we called our play. At one point, in one of our only stunts, a fake punch was thrown and Felipe spit out rice which was supposed to look like teeth getting knocked out. And Pepe slipped. He was big for his age, and a bit clumsy. He was supposed to climb on the roof of our playhouse and he slipped.

My dad video-taped the play and he must have forgotten to push the AWB button which gave the taping a pinkish hue. We would watch it and laugh when Pepe slipped. I spent a lot of time in that backyard. It was the perfect training ground for my imagination and it was where I learned if you're not careful, you can slip on figs.

Random Video - Picking Grapes

2008-11-25T20:56:00.002+01:00

November Pictures

2008-11-25T20:16:00.003+01:00

Randy Gariss enjoying the view at Portonovo

David and Barbara, the newest family to join our church community

Group shot after our church gathering one Sunday

Halloween 2008 - Flamenco Dancer, Mutant Turtle and Hip-Hop Dancer

Cruses and Garisses enjoying breakfast alla italiana in Sirolo

Jacob at Pian'dell Elmo - Man, he's getting big...

Redcoats & Grass stains

Haven showing off a treasure

Marco & Lucilla - Ancona's Best Kept Secret

Haven's new bunk bed - part of remodeling for the baby's arrival

Corso Garibaldi

2008-11-25T20:08:00.002+01:00

Well, the repaving of Ancona's main downtown street is about 75% done. It used to be a busy, one-way street where everyone would double park and run into stores but the mayor brought an end to all that. He had the street ripped up and paved to make it a pedestrian area. The shop owners all complained about their business decreasing, but they have quieted down. It is now much quieter. People are walking more and it is safe for kids to ride their bikes. It makes downtown Ancona a bit more like some of the more popular tourist centres in Italy. Mayor Sturani, I applaud you.

Tenkay

2008-11-25T18:59:00.001+01:00

Actually it was only a bit over nine...but check it out.

How to run 10 kilometers...

A Random Video - Haven and Grape Juice

2008-11-23T16:53:00.002+01:00

Enjoy...

Shifting...

2008-11-19T08:54:00.002+01:00

As any missionary knows, the closer you get to 'furlough', the more your mind, heart and calendar begin to be filled with the thoughts, concerns and tasks associated with it. I've held off as long as possible, but am now just three weeks away. I'm working on the two classes I'll be teaching at Ozark and am thoroughly enjoying it. I'm reading, researching, writing, planning and finding in the process that it is sharpening my mind, stretching my assumptions, strengthening my faith and renewing my heart for the work God has called us to.

Thanksgiving Party

2008-11-19T00:08:00.001+01:00

Man, I've been dry lately. The Thanksgiving parties this weekend went really, really well. We had 31 Friday and 31 on Saturday. Great conversations. Very relaxed. It was great to see our team and church blend and work together. Thanks for praying for us and thanks to those of you who sent special food and decoration items - hope to share pictures soon!

A Quote

2008-11-13T01:18:00.002+01:00

"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish."

-Mother Teresa

Yes. The Church must take better care of youth and women facing tough decisions and dark situations, but She must also stand up for those without a voice.

Another 24 Hours of Prayer

2008-10-28T21:26:00.003+01:00

Last week we hosted our fourth 'prayer room' in Ancona and were really blessed. We started at 18:00 on Satuday and ended at 18:00 on Sunday, just as our weekly Sunday gathering started. A total of 36 people spent an hour in the room, including two children. Heather and Jen decorated it to a 'Mask' theme to encourage our community to spend time talking to the Father about what we've been studying - the TrueFaced concept of trusting God and others with who we really are. Here are some pictures...

A Long Kiss

2008-09-17T08:15:00.005+01:00

Lately I haven't been reading as much as I'd like from the Bible. I'm reading lots of spiritually-oriented books, but have not been spending as much time actually reading through the Scriptures. So I decided to go back to an old college-days habit of reading through the New Testament in a month. This breaks down to about 9 chapters a day. Now, I'm already behind but I'm finding that I'm spending more time reading, reflecting and actually craving to spend that time in the Word than when I hadn't been setting this goal for myself.

I decided to do it in Italian and it has been really cool. Over the years, I've noticed several little differences between the Italian and English translations: simple nuances that shed a new light on well-known verses and phrases. This morning I came across another.

Text: Matthew 26:49
Scene: Garden of Gethsemane. Judas and his large crowd of guards and thugs arrive and approach Jesus and his 11 disciples.

The Italian version says this: "E in quell'istante, avvicinatosi a Gesù, gli disse: «Ti saluto, Maestro!» e gli diede un lungo bacio."

My literal translation would be this: "And in that instant, coming up to Jesus, he said, "I greet you, Master!" and he gave him a long kiss."

So, you might say, what's the big deal? It's just an adjective. Well, it isn't a big deal. But it does add something to the scene. The Italian translation gives a more human, intimate portrayal of the contact between Christ and Betrayer. We're not talking about a peck or an 'air kiss.' We're talking about a lungo bacio.

The ONLY person I give lunghi baci to is my wife. Here we see Judas giving the sign to the crowd and it makes me for an instant stop and think. Why a long kiss? Did he really care for Jesus? Was he having second thoughts - coming face to face with the man who had called him and taught him so much? Or was Judas really so fake, so blind that this long kiss was meaningless, just a showy demonstration of his position as someone who was close to the Master?

Not sure - but as I read through the all-too-familiar scene this morning, this one word made me stop and picture the scene. I found myself re-reading, thinking through it, asking myself questions I hadn't asked before and getting another glimpse into the life of Jesus.

All Roads Lead to...the Fencing Complex

2008-09-12T09:15:00.003+01:00

This picture is taken from our living room balcony. It captures the reality of living in Italy. Turn right and you will end up at the fencing complex. Go straight and you will end up at the very same fencing complex. Complex. Like so many things in Italy - there are many different ways of accomplishing a single task.

Both Barzini and Severgnini refer to the contradictory nature of Italy. Tim Parks, a British author, does a great job of creating tension in his stories that put a skin on this concept. We live in a land of contradictions. (Check out this post about some examples of contradiction in the city of Verona.) Just this morning, Jen was pointing out how contradictory it is that Italy's military is so small when it's renown for its military machine's place in history during the time of the Roman Empire.

No deep application here - just pointing out that it has often been tough to learn to live with the greyness of living the 'missionary life' in a land that is so very grey. Turn right, go straight, enjoy the ride, you will get there eventually. Think there are any applications here for Italians' spiritual lives?

Bitter Grapes

2008-09-12T00:09:00.007+01:00

The other night our family visited the nearby town of Camerano with our intern, Jen, to take in the yearly Festa del Rosso Conero. The Rosso Conero is a red wine produced in the Marchegian hills that surround Ancona. The festival includes concerts, specialty food stands (piadine, olive ascolane and of course, wine), and craft booths. We had been several years ago but this time it was quite a bit bigger. We had fun walking through the little streets of the city center and taking in the sights, sounds and tastes.

Some of our best Italian friends live in this town. They are, in fact, the first friends we made in Ancona. I was hoping to reconnect with them since we hadn't seen each other in quite a while. Bad news. I called them and found out they separated recently. Kind of put a damper on the evening for me, but we still enjoyed the festa. Wish you had been there!

Check out the pictures and video below!

Haven and Harrison posing in the cantina

Isn't Heather the cutest?

Some of the workers posed for us in their 'contadini' hats

Camerano's central piazza

A little clip of some street musicians...life in Italy is NOT like this every day...

The Death of the Kebab

2008-09-04T01:00:00.003+01:00

Summer of 2003. CIY group in Ancona. I head out with a few of the students one night to see who we can meet. We end up hanging out with some breakdancers and following them to a little hole-in-the-wall joint near the port. We line up and it is hot. The guy in front of the large spit of meat is sweating all over the place. People are standing around eating what looks like a gyro or burrito. We get up to the front and follow our new friends' example and our lives are forever changed by the kebab.

A couple of years later, due to the success of the little place, the owner opened up a new location nearby and it became a regular part of the culture of our team. It was our default place to go when we needed to talk, get away, celebrate or get a non-Italian snack. 3.50 euro got you a delicious wrap filled with grilled beef/pork (not sure really), falafel, tomatos, lettuce, french fries, onions, a spicy red sauce, a cucumber sauce and a lot of mayo. But it became more than that. It became an experience, a haven, a refuge. It became our place. The Cheers bar. Central Perk. Monk's Diner. I even wrote a poem about it.

We were shocked and saddened to discover last month that the owner, Khaled, sold the business. A fresh coat of paint, most of the familiar signs taken down, carrots added to the menu, falafel taken off. It looks the same. I want to believe it is still our place...but it's not. We went tonight after the Finance Party and I'm sad to announce that I may have eaten my last kebab from our place. I won't go into details, but I regret to announce the death of the kebab.

What a difference a point makes...

2008-09-03T13:14:00.005+01:00

Wow - have you been watching the dollar climb slowly back up? What a relief! I was crunching some numbers today, curious to see how much of an impact it was making on our day-to-day living. Check it out.

(disclaimer: I was NOT a math-major...)

Our average monthly budget, including personal and ministry expenses is $5000 U.S. Of that amount, around $3500 gets converted into the local currency, which is the Euro.

When the euro was introduced in 2002, one Euro was worth 0.89 U.S. cents. E 1.00 = $ 0.89 U.S. This means that on a month-to-month basis, we had a spending power, in the local currency here, of around 3,933 euros. $3500 U.S. = 3,933 euros. That was 2002.

In July of this year, the euro reached an all-time high of just over 1.60. This means that the same $3500 U.S. was worth approximately 2,188 euros. That, my friends, is a difference of 1,745 euros. Yes, you read that correctly. That means that in July of this year, we were living on 1,745 euros less than we had 6 1/2 years before.

Since then, the dollar has slowly regained ground and today is hovering near the 1.44 mark which means we're back at E 1.00 = $1.44 U.S. This means we have approximately 2,431 euros this month to spend which is an increase since July of about 243 euros - which is really nice.

If the euro dropped one more point, we would have an extra 17 euros to spend next month and with a 12-gallon tank of gas costing 75 euros these days, it can go a long way!

So, one might ask the ethical question - "In the dreamy situation where the euro fell back down to the $1 U.S. = 1 Euro level - what would you do with the extra 1,313 euros?" :)

God has taught us so much about learning to live on less, learning to trust Him, learning that needs and wants are two very different things. We would welcome the break, the cushion, the breathing room. We would lower our budget and probably save some in case it ever reversed again, which it probably will. Hopefully though, the lessons we've learned would stick with us and we'd be generous as our Father is generous.

And that, I believe, is a good point.

Let the games begin!

2008-09-02T06:58:00.003+01:00

The soccer season started last weekend and Ancona kicked it off with a bang - they tied. 2-2. So we start off in 8th place among the 22 teams in the 'Series B'. This Sunday we play Ascoli Piceno which is Ancona's arch-rival. (Even a newby could guess this by looking at some of the spray paint around the city.) Several of us are planning on going and it should be crazy. One of the things I like about the soccer system here in Italy is that at the end of the season, the bottom two teams get bumped down a league and the top two get bumped up! This means that a seeminly small, unknown team has a shot of making it to the big leagues! It keeps the sponsored teams playing hard just to maintain their contracts and position in the A series. Last season Ancona got bumped up from Series C and they have a shot this year of making it up to A if they play well. Go, Ancona, go!

-photo taken by the very talented Aubri Casey

Paloma on Survivor

2008-09-01T15:31:00.002+01:00

Crazy. I've been a fan of Survivor since the first season. My parents would send me vide0-taped episodes (we're talking VHS here, who has those anymore?).

We just heard that the daughter of a friend of ours will be one of the survivors on the new season, Survivor: Gabon. Our friend is a Chilean missionary working with a church in Los Angeles, Fernando Soto. This is the first MK that I know of on the show and we'll be watching and cheering her on! Oh yeah, her name is Paloma.

McDonalds and Barbed Wire

2008-08-31T20:52:00.003+01:00

The thing that struck me the most about the infamous city of Naples during our recent visit was how stark the difference was between the classes. We stayed at the Holiday Inn which is part of a large downtown, modern, fancy, clean paved island in the city. Skyscrapers all around. Shiny, glass windows. Concrete landscaping. From my view on the 17th floor we could see Mt. Vesuvius, the Bay and of course, the city. The Holiday Inn was on the very edge of the 'concrete island' and the street that formed its border was the dividing line between modern, upscale architecture and the run-down schifezza on the other side. Empty, trash-filled lots. Abandoned buildings. Graffiti.

We ate one evening at the McDonalds there near the hotel on the ground floor of one of the modern, clean buildings. I thought it weird that every 30 minutes or so an armed military police truck drove by and then I noticed the barbed wire that surrounded the Kid's Play Area. What would the McDonalds corporation say if they knew? Is it to keep the children in or the furbi out? And where is OSHA?!

-picture taken by Brian Rotert

Frogs on Crosses

2008-08-29T09:50:00.004+01:00

EPA photo taken from msnbc article - see link below

I found myself rolling my eyes this morning, reading about the Pope's reaction to this piece of art in a museum in Northern Italy. Then I asked myself, "How many times do I waste time and energy seemingly defending something noble or sacred when it really is uninformed and unnecessary?" Guilty. So go ahead dear Benedict, anathematize. It really is quite ugly anyway.

My Next Scooter

2008-08-29T08:52:00.001+01:00

Check it out. Oops...I dropped my keys...

A Profound Difference?

2008-08-29T08:37:00.004+01:00

"Religion, precisely defined, is man's effort to please God. Any human system designed to reach and please any god is properly called a religion. Christianity is not a religion because its focus is not on man reaching God but on the reverse. God reaches out to man in the person of Jesus Christ. When we try to get men to God, then, we have things backward. We are being religious instead of being Christian. That, to me, is a profound difference."

The author goes on to talk about what he calls the 'Immanuel principle'. God with us. God with people, through Jesus, in us.

"That is Christianity - bringing God to people where they are. That means we don't have to get people someplace; all we need to do is get to them. When we reach out and touch them, God does."

-taken from "Love, Acceptance & Forgiveness" by Jerry Cook

Josh sends me articles that talk about having 'Third Places' - I think this guy, Jerry, was saying a similar thing back in the 70's...

Ancona: An Artist's Perspective

2008-08-27T18:21:00.003+01:00

This morning I was having coffee with Marcus in one of the caffe's that we frequent and we were admiring a painting above our table of a very familiar view of our beautiful city. I was jotting down the information of the artist when someone reached over my shoulder and dropped a business card on the table. "I noticed you admiring the painting," said a voice behind me. It turned out to be the artist - Antonio Daniele. Check out this link for some samples of his work. If you've been here before you may very well recognize some of these! My favorite is the one called 'sacro e profano'.

Missions and Surgery

2008-08-20T09:40:00.003+01:00

I think I'm ready to say it. I've come to a conclusion. Like a puzzle, I've put the pieces together over the years but only lately have I really backed up and seen the image.

The Father entrusted the Church with Mission as part of his process of renewing all things. We go to China and Kenya and Italy and Mexico as ambassadors, yes, with the Good News to share. But that's not WHY we go.

I'm going to stick my neck out there and say that whenever anyone says 'I'll go', they are essentially signing the waiver saying that they are allowing God to do surgery on their life. We arrive on the field and are surrounded by new sights and sounds and smells. We learn a new language, a new culture. We begin to see signs that God has been here all along and slowly the strands of the web upon which we rest our faith begin to be tested; shaking, stretching, tearing. And the surgeon begins his work.

At some point in time we arrive at the realization that our Father is aiming for something specific. Maybe it is an area of unconfessed sin. Maybe it is something we need to forgive and let go. Maybe it is simply learning to really, REALLY trust him with who we are, with our dreams, with our mission. Usually it is something deep, dark and hidden; something we desperately want to be rid of but something we tend to learn how to hide in our home culture. And this is where we see the inevitable fork in the road.

The thing about this fork, this junction, is that only we really see it. No one else really does. We're strapped to the surgeon's table, IV already in and the anesthesia ready. We get itchy, we want off the table, we start talking about going home, about transitioning to a different post or ministry.

People say things like, "Are you sure this is the right time to go home?"

"But you are just now able to speak the language."

"You're just now seeing the work take off."

Now you see, these are all valid questions and observations. The missionary who stays WILL get better with the language, WILL understand the culture more clearly and WILL see their ministry grow, but that is not WHY they stay and it isn't BECAUSE they stay. It is because they remain on the surgeon's table.

They trust the Surgeon, they allow him to cut, remove, heal and bandage and in the end transform them. This transformation process is absolutely necessary in the life of the missionary for it is only in this moment of weakness, humility and transparency that we can truly be used. Remember Paul's words about weakness and strength?

It is God who works through us, not the other way around. It is God's message through us, not ours through God. It is every bit as much, if not more, about our learning and being changed as it is about us teaching someone and changing something.

The cool thing about our Surgeon is that he is humble and gentle. When He sends us, He's really calling us.

Sure you want to go?

Pirates of the Colosseum?

2008-08-17T23:52:00.003+01:00

Just read an article about a plan the mayor of Rome has for building an ancient-Rome-themed amusement park. Sounds kind of interesting, but the article made me smile - gives you a little glimpse into Italian politics...and double negatives...

Jen the intern

2008-08-17T23:36:00.005+01:00

Last night, Heather and I went out to celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary. We ate at Old, Wild, West, a new Tex-Mex restaurant in Ancona...actually the ONLY one in town. Heather had the fajitas, I the burrito. Fried jalapenos, stuffed with cheese for an appetizer. Pretty dang exciting. Not my point.

Jen, one of our 1-year-long interns, showed up at our house, after volunteering to watch our kids, with a bag like Mary Poppins. Out of it she pulls a movie (specially chosen for Haven), popcorn and ingredients for chocolate-chip cookies. Not only that, but she was able to create a party-like environment which got our kids SO excited. She's the beist.

This is simply a little post to say thanks to Jen and all the other hard-working interns out there that make a missionary's life easier. You are a true blessing to our life!

August in Ancona and Inflatable Churches

2008-08-13T18:20:00.003+01:00

I'm still surprised after all this time at how dead Ancona is in August. While most schools in the U.S. are starting back up this week, most people here are closing up shops and going on vacation. After dropping Josh off at the airport yesterday, I stopped by four, count them...4, computer stores to drop Heather's PC off and they were ALL closed for ferie. Most are closed for two weeks. Friday, the 15th is the big national holiday where even the bigger stores are closed. The banks and post offices restrict their hours to about half and it is hard to do much of anything except lay around in the heat. It is no wonder that everyone is at the beach here.

Interestingly enough, the other night on the BBC I watched a story on how the Catholic church is addressing this August migration to the beach by putting up mobile, inflatable church venues...check it out...

Europeans Shopping in the U.S.

2008-07-26T01:41:00.001+01:00

MSNBC.com ran this article describing how Europeans are finding great deals on vacations and shopping in the U.S. because of the weak dollar. Thought it was a good way to help understand what it feels like on this side of the pond. Check it out: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25788389/

Slaying a Dragon

2008-07-21T18:08:00.003+01:00

About 6 years ago, Daniel Cormode and I went swimming in the sea at the Passetto here in Ancona. After treading water for a bit, he and I decided to swim out to the scoglio or the rock reef that blocks the waves from eroding the little stony beach nearby. Well, we got 50 metres out and I quickly realized that I wasn't a very fit swimmer and we still had a ways to go. Now, before you call me a wimp, you need to know that it is pretty choppy and that there can be some pretty big swells. I called out to Dan and told him I didn't think I could make it and he quickly swam to my side and helped me get to shore. I may have been able to make it on my own, but Dan pretty much saved my life that day.

We jump in at the bottom and swim to the far right bottom corner over
100 metres to the rocks (not in picture). Mussolini had the monument at the top
commissioned in honor of fallen soldiers in WWI.
The stairs are designed to look like an eagle.

6 years have gone by and every time I go down to the Passetto and I spy those rocks I remember that and it brings back memories of jogging the 199 steps and the early days of exploring our city. I always wondered if I'd be able to make it out there to the rocks someday, if I'd be able to slay that dragon, to face the fear and do it.

The Germans have a saying, "Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is." It is true. Maybe this is the sole reason I have been brought here, the lesson I am to learn and yet which I resist the most; resist because of the very response, the exacting effect which courses through my veins, the way in which it seizes my heart. Maybe I have been brought here to face and embrace the wolf. As they say, 'Crepi.'

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."
-Frank Herbert, Dune

Well, last year, I started jogging 2-3 times a week with Brian and we've kept at it now for nearly a year. A couple of weeks ago we started substituting jogging for swimming/treading - why not, right? It is so nice, we dive off a rock into the deep, cool water and tread and talk and try to get in shape.

Today, there were five of us. Brian and I were joined by Josh, Marcus and Kyle (our newest intern). We had been out for about half an hour and I realized that I was about half way out to the rocks. I looked at the guys and said, 'Boys, I think this is the day!' and started out toward the reef. I made it with no problem and climbed up on top to signal the victory. They swam out to meet me and we had a blast diving off the rocks and acting like teenagers. As Marcus, Brian and I took our last jump in together, the rain and sleet (yes, sleet) came down and we swam back in to shore, laughing and enjoying the cool weather. The people on the shore watched us as if we were illegal immigrants arriving clandestine from the East.

It felt good. It wasn't that I was that afraid to try it again, it was mainly that I didn't want to do it alone. The good feeling was the not being alone. It was trusting them to help me if I needed it. It was that they knew my story, my fear, my dream and my vision. It was their cheering me on and celebrating the little victory together. It was the weaving of our stories together that made it so memorable. We walked triumphantly to our rain-drenched towels and shirts and the slain dragon sunk beneath the crashing waves.

Short-Term Groups

2008-07-11T08:41:00.003+01:00

We are hosting a group of college students from our supporting church, College Heights Christian. As I write this on the couch of our living room, Marcus is getting ready to lead the group on their second 'culture quest' - what amounts to a video scavenger hunt. The group's schedule is pretty busy but I find myself surprisingly relaxed and able to not be overwhelmed by their activities. Not only this, but their presence and the various planned events allow our team to have extra contact with people and more time with our friends. While some might worry that exposing our friends to a group of fifteen college-aged students would be detrimental or 'too American', I find that since we try to frame up these encounters simply as that, encounters among friends, that they are beneficial to everyone involved. Tonight, the group will be participating in a live art project with some friends from the Atopos crowd followed by a picnic together. Tomorrow they will be touring out beautiful city, led by one of Marcus' friends, Angelo. Tomorrow night, the group will be hosting an Encounter Coffee House. Sunday, the group will be hosting and leading our church's Gathering. This is one of the very first times, if not THE first, we've had a foreigner teach via a translator. Monday night the group is hosting a Grill Night at the beach to which we are inviting our friends to come and hang out. Tuesday night we are gathering with some Catholic friends for a fellowship and prayer time followed by a meal together. Wednesday evening they will be co-hosting English conversation sessions. So yes, they are busy. And yes. Many of the things they are doing sound 'fun' - and they are!

Is it worth it? Does our community here in Ancona benefit? Do these students really benefit? Does our supporting church grow through this? Does the mission of the church (on the macro level) get advanced through this kind of 10-day experience? Would there be a better way for these students to use the money they raised and time they set apart? These are all questions I hear others raising and they are all ones that we are trying to answer as well.

The group sitting on top of the port wall at La Lanterna Rossa in Ancona.

Don't be sad Papa...Jake lives on...

2008-07-04T22:47:00.004+01:00

Papa and Nana, we wish we could be there to cheer you up in person. We love you!

24 Hours of Prayer in Ancona

2008-07-04T11:43:00.003+01:00

Last week we hosted our third prayer room in Ancona. This time we shortened the time to 24 hours and moved the location. Our friend, Francesco, let us use his place, ATOPOS, to host it. We used a room in the back where he has some art by a Romanian guy (brilliant) on display. It was so cool to see everyone get involved again. Jen, our intern, and I went out in the city and asked for some prayer requests to bring into the prayer room. It was interesting to see people's reactions. Here are some pictures...

Happy 4th - Italian Style

2008-07-04T09:42:00.003+01:00

May your day be GLORIOUS! Whether at home in the a/c, at the lake getting burned by the sun, gathered around the grill or hanging out at the pool - have a great day and please, PLEASE don't take family for granted! We're heading to the beach for the afternoon and grilling this evening with the team.

This picture, taken from our balcony, has nothing to do with the 4th except for in the distance you can see the beach where we will be (and unfortunately an oil drilling platform...).

Wasps, Overgeneralizations and Clam-loving Three-year-olds

2008-07-03T16:43:00.006+01:00

Want a little peek into our day? Thursday mornings are "Girl's Morning Out" - Heather, Heidi and Jen went out for coffee and accountability and fellowship. Meanwhile, the kids worked on homeschool and chores and we began studying the States and Capitals. For lunch I warmed up leftovers. "Of what?" you may ask. Of Heather's first-ever attempt at fixing seafood. Well, other than tuna fish sandwiches (for me) or fish sticks (for the kids). She made spaghetti alle vongole. (little clams steamed in oil, white wine and garlic and added to fresh spaghetti) Out of the park, delicious. The kids and I love it...it was a kick for us to watch them devour it, especially Harrison.

I picked up my scooter today...grr... It is SO efficient having a scooter here - a gallon of gas ($10 US) will get me by for 10 days' worth of driving and you never have to pay for parking. The seat was torn and falling apart so I took it in a couple of weeks ago to see how much it cost - 50 euros...to be recovered by a guy who normally does seat covers for sailboats. That's quite a bit of money, but we had a little money set aside so I said go ahead. So, I picked it up last week - and was informed that it was time for the bi-annual revision which meant it needed new tires and a brake pad. Gulp. So, I pay my due and drive it home only to find two days later, the back tire completely flat. Where was I? Oh yeah, I picked up my scooter today...again.

On the way home I stopped by the bank to make a deposit and while sitting there I watched the lady who stocks the shelves (they sell all kinds of gift items) get frustrated by a little Ukranian boy who kept walking around and looking at the toys and books for sale. She made faces and even called the mom down for not having control of her son. As I left, I overheard her telling an older Italian man - "It's always the foreigners! Always the foreigners!" Deep breath - keep your calm, Jason.

Then, when I got home, Heather said she thought we had wasps building a nest in our bedroom. Huh? Well, she was right. Behind our dresser we found the beginnings of a wasp nest - Jacob and I destroyed it - crisis averted.

The rest of the evening Haven will be celebrating her Cabbage Patch Doll's birthday. JayLynn is two years old today. Marcus pronounces it, "Jay-lay-en" - Southwest Missouri-style. Chloe Rotert is bringing her doll over for the overnight party. I may make some cookies. Jacob and Harrison made me drag out the old hamster cages from storage and they are putting them together - they have saved up enough to buy a couple.

It is about 90 degrees in our house right now- trying not to use the A/C - but boy is it a temptation. What's going on in your world today?

Beauty

2008-06-30T01:58:00.003+01:00

The lights dimmed making the numerous little, green candles on the steps in front of the altar the main source. A woman in a dark dress had slipped in the back door and as we waited quietly she began to sing to us, sing out to us in an absolutely enchanting voice. Middle-Eastern sound, Spanish words. As she finished a young man with long, straight hair picked up a large, circular metallic object and sat down on the steps. His white-gloved hands began to flash across the surface of the instrument and I was spell-bound. For over an hour these two performed together in the little restored church that stands at the edge of the sea at Portonovo. Literally breath-taking...there were moments I had to close my eyes because I couldn't take it all in. These two were meant to make music together. The young man, sitting on the floor next to the woman who sat in a tall, straight-back chair, looked up at her face as he played, letting her lead him, smiling, loving what they were creating together. She would smile back and motion to him and he knew exactly what each look meant and together they wove an incredible Spanish symphony. It was one of those spiritual moments for me that made me glad to be alive, that made me love this place even more and made me realize that my heart will always be here. Thanks Marcus for suggesting it!

4 Dips on a Trip

2008-06-23T10:10:00.004+01:00

Well, there were two of us: Jacob and I. The conference in Lecce was over and it was Sunday, Father's Day and we didn't have a nickel to spare. "Here's what I want for Father's Day, Jacob," I said as we loaded our things in the little rented Nissan. "We are in Puglia and we have to drive through Molise and Abruzzo to get to the region where Ancona is - Le Marche. How about we stop in each of the four regions today and jump in the sea?"

Jacob was a bit confused, but quickly came to understand and embrace the idea. So we did it. I'm partial to Le Marche - stunning beauty here - but Puglia really is beautiful. We drove away from the 'resort' where the conference was held and quickly stopped at our first Dip.

Dip #1 Puglia
Time: 15:00ish
Location: Torre dell'Orso
Rating: !!!!!
Summary: We parked our car in front of a closed-up apartment and changed into our trunks. We walked about 50 metres and arrived at the point where there was a set of stairs carved or paved into the short cliff face. I asked someone sitting in the sun, "Com'e' l'acqua?". He replied, "Not bad, once you get in." He was right. Down a few more steps into the incredibly clear water onto soft white sand...it was divine. Jacob and I swam around for just a few minutes, looking at a couple of caves in the cliffs around us. Clean, clear, deep - great experience.

Dip #2 Molise
Time: 18:00ish
Location: Termoli
Rating: !
Summary: We stopped and got some fresh bread and mortadella and Jacob made us some delicious sandwiches as we sped along the Italian autostrada - we kept an average speed of about 145 km/h. We finally crossed the border into Molise and stopped at Termoli, quickly making our way toward the water. We finally found a place, near the port and parked near a bunch of campers. We had to hike about a 500 metres to the water which was brown. The sand was dirty and the port was too close. We had to wade out quite a ways in order to get completely wet (that was the rule - had to get our heads wet). The only saving grace was that a ferry passed by as we got in sending some pretty cool waves our way. We hobbled back to the car, feet dirty, shivering and raced on to the next.

Dip #3 Abruzzo
Time: 19:00ish
Location: Pineto
Rating: !!!
Summary: We didn't drive too far into Abruzzo before the highway again came close to the sea. We got off and drove into the little town of Pineto and found the beachfront road. We pulled over in front of a restaurant and ran across the manicured beach into the water. The sun was setting as I coaxed a shivering Jacob a little deeper. The water wasn't very clear, but the setting and depth were better. We ran back to the car, drawing some stares from people out for a pre-dinner walk and were off to our last stop.

Dip #4 Marche
Time 21:00ish
Location: Numana
Rating: !!!!
Summary: Yes, it was dark. Yes, it was less than 30 minutes from home. And yes, we did it. We stopped at one place first, but as we got out, we noticed the neon markers indicating there were several fishermen busy. Not wanting to get tangled in their lines we arrived at a different spot where one lone fisherman was a ways down from us. We parked 20 meters from the water. By this point, we were still wet and our towels were soaked. We walked across the rocky beach and I jumped in. Jacob got in to his knees (it gets deep quick and it was DARK!) and dipped his head under the water. It was quick but beautiful. Sirolo illuminated Monte Conero to the north showing us the way home. We dried off quickly (barely since the towels were saturated) and drove home to our 3 H's - Heather, Haven and Harrison.

Only regret: didn't have a camera!!!

Off to Lecce...

2008-06-11T22:16:00.003+01:00

Tomorrow morning, Jacob and I are heading 7 hours south to the annual Christian Church Restoration Convention in a little rented car. We'll be back home Sunday night. I'll be speaking Saturday evening on 'The Visible Fruits of Grace'. Here's a picture Aubri took while she was here - one of my all-time favorites...

Random Bits - May 31st

2008-05-31T08:25:00.004+01:00

Everything is OK in Ancona. My brother, Chris, and sister-in-law, Aubri, are here with us which has been a blast. Our team is doing OK after the funeral, but still showing little signs of mourning. We're checking in on Rosa and Massi's mom. Today is Haven's school program. The kids' last day of school is a week from today. Sunday we begin our new combined Life Group/Celebration format into the Sunday evening Gathering which will include a little bit of everything - worship, teaching, discussion and a potluck meal during which we will celebrate the Lord's Supper. Monday the Serpilli family is going with us to Castelluccio. The Euro continues to pelt us. God is good, even when He seems to be silent. We appreciate you all!

Massi has died...

2008-05-15T16:55:00.004+01:00

Today our friend and brother, Massi, died and we mourn with his family that he is no longer with us, but we celebrate his upgraded, healed body and are envious of the company he's keeping now. We are sad and hopeful in some weird, strange and somehow sacred way.

Maurizio said it well. Let's remember him like this!

"In Italia"

2008-05-14T07:54:00.004+01:00

The other night we were out celebrating Marcus' birthday and a video came on the screen to the song 'In Italia' by Fabri Fibra, an Italian artist/rapper. It was a remixed video done in collaboration with another Italian artist Gianna Nannini. I was captivated by the words and the images so when I got home I watched it again and was really moved.

Fibra paints a pretty dark picture of his country, something most Italians are not averse to doing. In this song and video he captures things that we've seen and experienced here. It is interesting to me to note that if Fibra were to take my position and go around to churches to raise support for the vision we have, citing the needs he sees in Italy, there would be very little difference. He mentions astrology, mafia, corruption, violence and empty religion.

I suppose the difference is that he leaves his viewers with a sense of hopelessness, emphasized by giving the screen the 'double bird' at the very end. I'm captivated by the imagery, both visual and lexical, of this auto-critical poem about 'la bella italia'. The video starts and ends in a therapist's office - we know so many people here who visit psychiatrists and therapists for personal and relational struggles - the therapist in the end switching with the patient and telling her to come back next week. Also serving as bookends, Fabri is shown walking through a cemetery while choral 'churchy' voices are heard in the background as the lines of his rap break in and fade out. The refrain, sung by Gianna goes something like this:

"There are things no one will tell you...
there are things no one will give you...
you were born and buried here
you were born and buried here
born in the country of half-truths
Where will you flee?"

"Ci sono cose che nessuno ti dirà…
ci sono cose che nessuno ti darà…
sei nato e morto qua
sei nato e morto qua
nato nel paese delle mezze verità
Dove fuggi?"

Ready to watch it? May it open your eyes. May it bring you to your knees and make you cry out with us to the Father for the real church to rise up and bring hope and color and life 'in Italia'.

I dedicate this song to the dance between the euro and the dollar...

2008-05-11T08:29:00.000+01:00

Slow down, baby, slow down
slow down, darling, slow down
There ain't no reason you got to be moving around like that
There ain't no reason you got to be moving so, so fast
Slow down, slow down

Sitting here in this living room
Waiting for you to come home soon to me, to me
Thinking about the times that
We used to rap and rhyme about life

Slow down, baby, slow down
slow down, darling, slow down
There ain't no reason you got to be moving around like that
There ain't no reason why you got to be moving so, so fast
Slow down, slow down
Slow down, slow down

Slow down, baby, slow down
slow down, darling, slow down
There ain't no reason you got to be moving
There ain't no reason you got to be moving
Slow down, baby, slow down

Shawn McDonald, from the Album 'Roots'...

My how they grow...

2008-05-08T07:14:00.004+01:00

Frustration

2008-05-07T17:00:00.005+01:00

Can I vent? I get so tired when I hear criticism of how missions is being done. People talk in lofty terms about their missiology and I even find myself guilty occasionally of throwing words like contextualization and incarnational around tempted to feel like I have to follow the hippest trends. Our missions is too x. The way we view people groups is too y. Short term missions is too z.

Maybe I'm being too defensive, but if you can't work at fixing it, if you're not willing to immerse yourself in the 'problem' you're talking about, if you're comfortable sitting back and dissecting something theologically without getting your hands dirty do us all a favor and keep your mouth shut. Just keep busy loving people more. Don't bring someone down who is pouring their heart out for Jesus, doing the best they can. So what if their methods are old school? I say, if you disagree, just do it differently. Find what works and let your fruit do the talking. Until then, zip it.

Pictures of Youth Retreat

2008-05-07T12:35:00.008+01:00

Thought you all might like to see what an Italian youth retreat looks like...

Sitting around in the dining/gathering room.

Painter friend Alba next to Giorgia who was the co-planner.

Shots from the Youth Prayer Room...

The retreat was held at a converted country villa 30 minutes outside of Bari; it is open to any Evangelical church in the area for concerts, camps, and retreats.

The theme was 'I Believe I Can Fly' and I spoke on 'I believe in the Holy Spirit'.

Group shot. There were youth represented from Latina, Ciampino, Francavilla, Latiano, Bari, Ancona and Bitonto.

GQ shot of Gianni Bruno (missionary working in Francavilla); Brian Rotert and Maurizio, a believer from the church in Bari.

We were refreshed by worshipping together, led by Carlo (co-organizer) at the keyboard.

There was lots of down time to get to know each other, relax and play games.

The moms took turns watching the kids. They all had fun exploring the grounds. It was cool for us to see some of the missionary kids getting to know each other.

Job Description of a Missionary

2008-05-05T09:17:00.002+01:00

Over the past 9+ years that Heather and I have served as missionaries, we've grown accustomed to the GREYness of our job description. I recently was looking over some older descriptions for our teammates, laughing to myself at how we tried to put on paper exactly what do and how much it changes from year to year. My brother is getting ready to head overseas himself this year and it is interesting (and incredible) to watch how he goes from a 9-5 job where you punch in and out to jumping into these GREY waters where in some ways you are ALWAYS on the clock and you have to discipline yourself and prioritize your time. This last week for us was particularly striking - want a peek? Here was Jason's job description for the week:

Sunday: eat breakfast with some of the Christian Church Italian youth in Bari, attend worship service at the Bari Christian Church, drive home to Ancona (5 hours) stopping by to visit one of our church members at his family country home
Monday: eat lunch with staff from local Apostolic church and help translate for 3 Canadian guests; spend 3+ hours translating for Canadian speaker (Graham Powell) during their evening service
Tuesday: go with Brian to visit Scottish family to go over funeral details; return to translate for Graham Powell for 5 hours
Wednesday: accompany Marcus and Brian to the secular funeral for this Scottish family (Brian did the actual service and did a SMASHING job); host Life Group at our house
Thursday: Holiday (1st of May is Labor Day) - spent most of the day fishing with Jacob - not a bite! We then walked around the Patron Saint market with our team, that night was 'Finance Party' at Brian's where we do our monthly finances together (you know, misery loves company)
Friday: went with Brian to meet the pastor of the church in Bologna where Rosa goes when she's away studying, spent some time encouraging, reading Scripture and praying for her; went to dinner at a friend's house
Saturday: this is our normal day off; spent the morning fishing with Jacob (not a bite!) and met up with Maurizio to spend some time talking with him

Around these appointments, this last week I wrote a sermon, maintained email communication, kept in touch with people here via phone calls, worked on figuring out how to transfer money internationally, worked on our intern's schedule and housing and tried to love on my wife and kids.

There are some weeks I absolutely LOVE the pace and the differences and there are other weeks where I wonder what it would be like to have a more 'normal' job or ministry. To those out there preparing to go to the field - it's a wild ride!

What Makes an Italian Man Sing?

2008-04-20T16:31:00.004+01:00

Scene 1: Sergio's barber shop on Via Isonzo Saturday afternoon. While getting my bi-monthly haircut, Sergio, who is in his 80's, slowly worked to make the line on the back of my head as straight as an arrow. We talked about various things like family, Berlusconi recently being re-elected and how furbo Italians are. As he continued clipping and talking, he began to enter, as often happens, into his pessimistic outlook concerning Italy. He talked about how beautifully dangerous Naples is and how it is getting worse. He continued on, talking about how his wife is sick and cries all day, about how bad the young generation is and how no one sings anymore...and in the midst of his lament, he began to croon, in a soft, shaky voice...

O sole mio sta 'nfronte a te! O sole O sole mio sta 'nfronte a te! sta 'nfronte a te!

Scene 2: Stadio del Conero yesterday afternoon. I've been wanting to take Jaker to a soccer game now for months. Today was the day. Ancona is in second place in the C-League and A.C. Pistoiese was in town to play them. Brian and his boys came with us. We sat in the curva nord, which is where the cheap seats are behind the goal where the wild crowd sits. The fans of the visiting team sit in the curva sud. There was a handful of them. We sat off to the side and watched the most passionate fans who stand on their seats the entire game. (There are hundreds of them.) We donned what red we had and watched the scene before the game began. Posters were taped to the bullet-proof glass that separates fans from field, flags were unfurled and the cheer-leaders (middle-aged men with VERY hoarse voices) took their places. At the kickoff the crowd waved their scarves, raised their hands and voices and began to sing...

Ancona ale ooooo Ancona ale . . . Ancona ale siamo sempre con te ..... ovonque sarai io ci saro' Ancona cn te io sempre saro' in casa o in trasferta stai sicura ke . . . prendo la sciarpa e corro da te! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Harrison Got an Upgrade

2008-04-10T22:31:00.003+01:00

It was really cool to read everyone's comments on that last post - got some good ideas for future books. I've been traveling a bit the last week with Heather's father so haven't been online much. I'll write about that soon. Today wanted to share with you some exciting news for our youngest. Papa and Nana took him out today and bought him a new adult-sized bed! He and Jacob are sleeping on it even as I type. We've had a great visit and they will be leaving Saturday morning. More soon...

What are YOU reading?

2008-03-29T10:21:00.003+01:00

I'm just curious to know what you all are reading these days?

Heather just finished 'Christy' by Catherine Marshall. She's now reading 'TrueFaced'. Jacob's reading 'High School Musical' in Italian. Haven is reading one of the Chronicles. (I just found out she's reading The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe.) I'm reading Pete Greig's 'The Vow'. Next on my list is 'Growing Up Catholic' and then 'TrueFaced'.

How about you?