Jacob and I have been working the last few days to help him catch up with his Italian homework. In the course of one month's time, he has hopped from one country to another, from one language to another, from one city to another, from one school to another, from one teacher to another, from one set of textbooks to another...you get the picture.
I am so proud of him for facing the challenge and sticking with it. Tonight he was introduced to the difference between vertebrate and invertebrate animals (vertebrali/invertebrali) and definite and indefinite articles (articoli definitivi e indefinitivi). His grammar homework involved reading a two-page story and underlining 20 article/noun combinations (all of this in Italian) and then in his notebook to label each one. For those of you who are going, 'huh?', let me illustrate. This is what he had to write for each one:
la fata (the fairy)
la = articolo definitivo, femminile, singolare (the = definite article, feminine, singular)
fata = nome comune di cosa, femminile, singolare (fairy = common noun, feminine, singular)
___________________
I'm so proud of him. After eight long hours of school, he still has the strength, the stamina, the willingness to hammer out a long assignment and learn in two languages the words and terms for indefinite articles and vertebrate animals.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Neutral
Jacob says, 'Yes!'.
Haven says, 'No!'.
Harrison says, "I want a cookie."
Heather and I both think, "Well...maybe we could..." or "But there isn't a...".
We had been hoping and praying for more - more clarity. As it is, if we drew a line, it would be right down the center.
The house we looked at, the one about which we got a phone call out of the blue after nearly a year of not hearing anything, is quite a bit smaller than ours. It doesn't even include a garage or cantina (storage room) in which to store the things we have here.
The yard is small, say 6' x 25' with a terrace that is only slightly bigger. I love the location, ground floor on a quiet, little main street, just meters from a little grocery store, butcher, panetteria, tabaccheria, bar (caffe) and post office. It is directly across the street from a school and a 3 minute walk from one of the main Catholic churches in the area. There is a park and ancient fort just a 5-minute walk away.
But...it is smaller, substantially smaller. We'll keep praying, but for now, we are content where we are and hoping that God would show us when, if ever, to shift out of neutral.
Haven says, 'No!'.
Harrison says, "I want a cookie."
Heather and I both think, "Well...maybe we could..." or "But there isn't a...".
We had been hoping and praying for more - more clarity. As it is, if we drew a line, it would be right down the center.
The house we looked at, the one about which we got a phone call out of the blue after nearly a year of not hearing anything, is quite a bit smaller than ours. It doesn't even include a garage or cantina (storage room) in which to store the things we have here.
The yard is small, say 6' x 25' with a terrace that is only slightly bigger. I love the location, ground floor on a quiet, little main street, just meters from a little grocery store, butcher, panetteria, tabaccheria, bar (caffe) and post office. It is directly across the street from a school and a 3 minute walk from one of the main Catholic churches in the area. There is a park and ancient fort just a 5-minute walk away.
But...it is smaller, substantially smaller. We'll keep praying, but for now, we are content where we are and hoping that God would show us when, if ever, to shift out of neutral.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Long Time No See
Davide is one of the first people we met in Ancona - and certainly the first to show us any semblance of hospitality or kindness. He was our real-estate agent and found the apartment where we currently live. He initially took us out to coffee near the passetto and after the contract was signed, took us out to lunch at our current favorite restaurant in Ancona - Da Nazarre'. Davide is married to Alessandra and they have a daughter, Giulia, and a dog, Peggy.
We hadn't seen them in several months and today after our morning gathering, we drove out to Camerano to see them in their new apartment. We hung out for an hour or so, got the tour of their new home and talked about getting together again soon. Davide works for an electronics store and is only home about twice a month (he works about 3 hours south of Ancona.)
He seemed down, nervous and distant. Only being in town a few hours a month, it is hard to continue a friendship - but I'll keep trying.
We hadn't seen them in several months and today after our morning gathering, we drove out to Camerano to see them in their new apartment. We hung out for an hour or so, got the tour of their new home and talked about getting together again soon. Davide works for an electronics store and is only home about twice a month (he works about 3 hours south of Ancona.)
He seemed down, nervous and distant. Only being in town a few hours a month, it is hard to continue a friendship - but I'll keep trying.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Dreaming of Moving Vans
Saturdays are typically 'work days' around the Casey home - it is how we interpret the word Sabbath - thank you very much. This morning we got a late start, but quickly got into gear, organizing the kids' rooms and toys, washing windows, straightening our portion of the garage (we share it with 7 other neighbors) and doing other leftover 'settling-in' things like hooking Heather's photo printer up.
Around 11:00, I took the trash down and drove up the road in front of our house (Via del Conero) to the next little neighborhood, Pietralacroce. I knew the guy living in the apartment we are supposed to look at on Monday was supposed to be moving out today so I drove around on my scooter, praying and looking for moving vans. I saw one, but wasn't sure if that was the place. We are anxious to see this apartment (with a yard AND a terrace) and are praying that the Lord would give us wisdom. Heather has always said that living in Ancona would be SO MUCH EASIER if there were an IKEA and we had a yard - well the IKEA opened up last Fall - so it appears that God is working on her prayer list.
After stopping by to visit the Crossers, dropping Jacob off at Alessandro's house and getting some groceries, we are now home, getting the house ready for dinner guests: Alessandro, Michaela, Oscar & Marco. We are looking forward to catching up with Michaela and of course the kids enjoy having other kids to play with.
Tonight we will sleep well and if I had to guess, I'll be dreaming of moving vans...
Around 11:00, I took the trash down and drove up the road in front of our house (Via del Conero) to the next little neighborhood, Pietralacroce. I knew the guy living in the apartment we are supposed to look at on Monday was supposed to be moving out today so I drove around on my scooter, praying and looking for moving vans. I saw one, but wasn't sure if that was the place. We are anxious to see this apartment (with a yard AND a terrace) and are praying that the Lord would give us wisdom. Heather has always said that living in Ancona would be SO MUCH EASIER if there were an IKEA and we had a yard - well the IKEA opened up last Fall - so it appears that God is working on her prayer list.
After stopping by to visit the Crossers, dropping Jacob off at Alessandro's house and getting some groceries, we are now home, getting the house ready for dinner guests: Alessandro, Michaela, Oscar & Marco. We are looking forward to catching up with Michaela and of course the kids enjoy having other kids to play with.
Tonight we will sleep well and if I had to guess, I'll be dreaming of moving vans...
Sunday, September 12, 1999
Moving/Shipping
Hey gang,
We are moving in 149 days!! Just over 21 weeks!! I am waiting on responses from 10 shipping companies. Please pray that the Lord will provide the best one. I'll let you know what kind of prices we are getting, etc.
Jerry, Craig and Harold if you know of any specific ones or any ideas, please feel free to contact me or the team.
Pray team. Let us pray fervently that God will go before us. Pray everyday. Pray continually, that God will hold back the tide of darkness and make His Light shine in Ancona and Matelica and Perugia. Christ is taking Central Italy as His own and we MUST PRAY!!
For Christ and for Italy,
Jason
We are moving in 149 days!! Just over 21 weeks!! I am waiting on responses from 10 shipping companies. Please pray that the Lord will provide the best one. I'll let you know what kind of prices we are getting, etc.
Jerry, Craig and Harold if you know of any specific ones or any ideas, please feel free to contact me or the team.
Pray team. Let us pray fervently that God will go before us. Pray everyday. Pray continually, that God will hold back the tide of darkness and make His Light shine in Ancona and Matelica and Perugia. Christ is taking Central Italy as His own and we MUST PRAY!!
For Christ and for Italy,
Jason
Friday, August 27, 1999
Led by God
Dear Friends and Family,
It is a wonderful thing to be led by God!! A year ago, we were planning on enrolling in Russian language school, learning Kazak history and culture and traveling to Central Asia with a team of three families. Today, we are enrolling in Italian language school, learning about Italian history and culture and plan on traveling to Italy with a team of five families. The Lord has opened many doors for us to show us that this is where He wants us. It is so wonderful to be led by God!!
In the last ten months, the Lord has:
-reminded me to focus on my family
-shown me that His plans are greater than my plans -demonstrated his faithfulness over and over -provided a caring, passionate sending church to train and direct us -answered our prayers by bringing opportunities to us -raised up a strong team of five families in an amazingly short amount of time -provided a possible living link situation for three of the five families (including 56% of our monthly committed support goal) -opened numerous doors for ministry in Italy
I could write a book on the details behind the above provisions, but I will refrain. Suffice it to say, we are going to plant churches in Italy! Based on the Lord’s direction, advice of the few missionaries presently in Italy, and our observations from our survey trip in June, we are formulating a ministry plan. When the Lord first introduced us to the idea of going to Italy, I chuckled thinking, “Italy, I might as well stay here in the U.S.” My desire has always been to plant churches in areas of the world where there was no work being done. But as I studied, I found out that there are only half a dozen Christian churches in Italy, most of them in the far south of the country. We talked to one of the missionaries in the south who told us that in all her years of counseling Italian women, she can’t remember one who hasn’t had an abortion. It is a VERY commonly used form of birth control there. Lamaze classes are offered by hospitals for up to $800 making it very difficult for most people to afford. Being able to speak English and use a computer are coveted job skills in the part of Italy where we will be. As more and more mothers seek to work outside the home, the Italian culture is seeing the need for quality childcare and for emotional encouragement. Based on all these and more observations, out initial outreach plan is to try to provide for these needs as you will see below.
We have a tentative departure date of February 8th. We will move to Perugia, Italy and study language and culture at the University for Foreigners, which was highly recommended by most people we talked to. We will study language there anywhere from six months to a year before moving to our target city of Ancona. Ancona is a major port city on the Adriatic (east) coast of Italy located on the elbow of the coast (the Greek word for elbow is ‘ankon’). The population is around 100,000 and is about 15 kilometers from a major airport. There is a very nice university in town and its location is very central. About a four-hour drive from Rome, Venice or Pisa and a ride on the train from any other major city or most European countries, Ancona is the ideal place to start a church planting movement in Italy.
Upon our arrival in Ancona, we will begin a storefront ministry where we will rent a building in a prominent location and offer English classes, computer classes, Lamaze instruction, counseling, a Children’s Reading Room, and other various practical lessons. The goal is to have a building and a structure that is very flexible that is easily adaptable to change or to meet new needs as they arise. We also will offer Bible courses for those who are interested. The goal however, is really to just meet people and through interacting, teaching and living with them, to invite them to our homes for Bible study. As these Bible studies grow in the homes of the missionary families, we will begin to incorporate them into a larger, corporate group. We are calling this ‘An Anchor in Ancona.’ We are praying for twelve leaders to arise among the believers that we may train them to take over the work so that we may leave the church after five or six years in the hands of native Italians. That’s it in a nutshell; we have more literature available if you are interested.
This team is a PACE Project in cooperation with Team Expansion and Shively Christian Church, both in Louisville, KY. I am the team leader and so my responsibilities will focus on the health of the team. I am responsible for meeting with team members monthly, resolving conflicts and serving whatever needs arise. If you would like to see my job description, please request one. The various other couples are filling other roles such as Youth Minister, Worship/Counseling Minister, Campus Outreach Director as those areas evolve. All five families attended Team Expansion’s Pre-Field Orientation this summer and I am so excited to see the diverse personality and gifts the Lord has brought to His team! Only by depending on Him, will this work be accomplished.
Here is our appeal to you. We ask for your help in reaching these two goals:
1. 100 Daily Prayer Supporters. We are looking for 100 people to pray daily for us and for the work in Ancona. You would be our prayer warriors at home, preparing the way for His Name to be known in that city. We will send our daily prayer supporters regular updates so you are always praying for a current need, for people by name and in preparation of events to come.
2. $1500/month in financial support. We already have around $2230 in committed monthly support raised We are asking you to help us raise the remaining amount. This means 20 people committing to $25/month and 10 at $50/month and 5 at $100/month. We only need 35 more people who are willing to commit to giving monthly for us to reach our goal. This financial support will pay for our living expenses as well as ministry expenses. For a detailed breakdown of our budget, please write or email us. Thanks!
Whatever the Lord lays on your heart to do, please accept our earnest “Thank you!” The beauty of this work is that it is a partnership between you, us and the Lord for people we have never met but that He is longing to be in relationship with.
For Christ and for Italy,
Jason, Heather and Jacob
It is a wonderful thing to be led by God!! A year ago, we were planning on enrolling in Russian language school, learning Kazak history and culture and traveling to Central Asia with a team of three families. Today, we are enrolling in Italian language school, learning about Italian history and culture and plan on traveling to Italy with a team of five families. The Lord has opened many doors for us to show us that this is where He wants us. It is so wonderful to be led by God!!
In the last ten months, the Lord has:
-reminded me to focus on my family
-shown me that His plans are greater than my plans -demonstrated his faithfulness over and over -provided a caring, passionate sending church to train and direct us -answered our prayers by bringing opportunities to us -raised up a strong team of five families in an amazingly short amount of time -provided a possible living link situation for three of the five families (including 56% of our monthly committed support goal) -opened numerous doors for ministry in Italy
I could write a book on the details behind the above provisions, but I will refrain. Suffice it to say, we are going to plant churches in Italy! Based on the Lord’s direction, advice of the few missionaries presently in Italy, and our observations from our survey trip in June, we are formulating a ministry plan. When the Lord first introduced us to the idea of going to Italy, I chuckled thinking, “Italy, I might as well stay here in the U.S.” My desire has always been to plant churches in areas of the world where there was no work being done. But as I studied, I found out that there are only half a dozen Christian churches in Italy, most of them in the far south of the country. We talked to one of the missionaries in the south who told us that in all her years of counseling Italian women, she can’t remember one who hasn’t had an abortion. It is a VERY commonly used form of birth control there. Lamaze classes are offered by hospitals for up to $800 making it very difficult for most people to afford. Being able to speak English and use a computer are coveted job skills in the part of Italy where we will be. As more and more mothers seek to work outside the home, the Italian culture is seeing the need for quality childcare and for emotional encouragement. Based on all these and more observations, out initial outreach plan is to try to provide for these needs as you will see below.
We have a tentative departure date of February 8th. We will move to Perugia, Italy and study language and culture at the University for Foreigners, which was highly recommended by most people we talked to. We will study language there anywhere from six months to a year before moving to our target city of Ancona. Ancona is a major port city on the Adriatic (east) coast of Italy located on the elbow of the coast (the Greek word for elbow is ‘ankon’). The population is around 100,000 and is about 15 kilometers from a major airport. There is a very nice university in town and its location is very central. About a four-hour drive from Rome, Venice or Pisa and a ride on the train from any other major city or most European countries, Ancona is the ideal place to start a church planting movement in Italy.
Upon our arrival in Ancona, we will begin a storefront ministry where we will rent a building in a prominent location and offer English classes, computer classes, Lamaze instruction, counseling, a Children’s Reading Room, and other various practical lessons. The goal is to have a building and a structure that is very flexible that is easily adaptable to change or to meet new needs as they arise. We also will offer Bible courses for those who are interested. The goal however, is really to just meet people and through interacting, teaching and living with them, to invite them to our homes for Bible study. As these Bible studies grow in the homes of the missionary families, we will begin to incorporate them into a larger, corporate group. We are calling this ‘An Anchor in Ancona.’ We are praying for twelve leaders to arise among the believers that we may train them to take over the work so that we may leave the church after five or six years in the hands of native Italians. That’s it in a nutshell; we have more literature available if you are interested.
This team is a PACE Project in cooperation with Team Expansion and Shively Christian Church, both in Louisville, KY. I am the team leader and so my responsibilities will focus on the health of the team. I am responsible for meeting with team members monthly, resolving conflicts and serving whatever needs arise. If you would like to see my job description, please request one. The various other couples are filling other roles such as Youth Minister, Worship/Counseling Minister, Campus Outreach Director as those areas evolve. All five families attended Team Expansion’s Pre-Field Orientation this summer and I am so excited to see the diverse personality and gifts the Lord has brought to His team! Only by depending on Him, will this work be accomplished.
Here is our appeal to you. We ask for your help in reaching these two goals:
1. 100 Daily Prayer Supporters. We are looking for 100 people to pray daily for us and for the work in Ancona. You would be our prayer warriors at home, preparing the way for His Name to be known in that city. We will send our daily prayer supporters regular updates so you are always praying for a current need, for people by name and in preparation of events to come.
2. $1500/month in financial support. We already have around $2230 in committed monthly support raised We are asking you to help us raise the remaining amount. This means 20 people committing to $25/month and 10 at $50/month and 5 at $100/month. We only need 35 more people who are willing to commit to giving monthly for us to reach our goal. This financial support will pay for our living expenses as well as ministry expenses. For a detailed breakdown of our budget, please write or email us. Thanks!
Whatever the Lord lays on your heart to do, please accept our earnest “Thank you!” The beauty of this work is that it is a partnership between you, us and the Lord for people we have never met but that He is longing to be in relationship with.
For Christ and for Italy,
Jason, Heather and Jacob
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