Fine Tuning

Hello Family & Friends,

Another week has passed here in Italy. This past week has been like a roller coaster for both of us.  We have hit a few bumps in the road with the legal system in regards to acquiring a work visa.  We have found plenty of work and we both have went to interviews with possible employers.  Through these meetings with employers and new contacts, we have learned so much about the work visa process.  The bad news for now is that the work visas have been put on hold.  Any immigrant that is not part of the European Union is unable to get a work visa at this time.  The country of Italy is in the middle of electing a new prime minister.  The election is at the end of February and after the election, the ban on visas will hopefully be lifted. So sadly for now we will be returning to the States.  We spent many hours in prayer about what we should do and we feel that it would be best to return to the states and wait for the ban to be lifted.  Once it is lifted, we will go to Miami, to the Italian consulate, and we will turn in our paperwork for a work visa.  Until then, we will Lord willing, find temporary jobs, continue learning the language, and prepare spiritually.

Although we expected this trip to be much longer, we know that the God of the Universe has our lives in His hands and ultimately His timing is perfect.  So during this "fine tuning" stage please continue to pray for us and the country of Italy.  There is plenty of work to be done for His kingdom here and our prayer is that we would be used as vessels for Him in these coming days. We will continue to share our updates on this blog, so please keep checking it. Again we appreciate all of the prayers.

Until next time, I will leave you with this quote that has really encouraged me today: "The Lord is still calling on me to move forward in faith-loving, serving, discipling, and leading. All of ministry is a faith marathon, not a sprint. Daily He asks for my heart, that He might cultivate it, so as to produce fruit in and around me." -Christine Hoover

We Love You!
Carli & Justin