End of February

We can hardly believe February is almost finished and March is quickly coming. As we have written previously, February was busy but very fruitful.  We have had so many opportunities to meet new people and open our lives and home to encourage them.  Justin has had several opportunities through his job to share the Gospel and we are so thankful that the Lord is opening the relationships. We ask that you pray for continued opportunities to share the love and hope that we have in Christ Jesus with the people we work with and see weekly.

We are excited that as the Spring comes we will have more daylight and warmer days.   We are hoping to use this time to learn more about the city we live in through our friends.  It is also a great time for Justin to prepare for taking the Italian drivers exam.  The exam is very intense and difficult even for Italians.  This is something that everyone can help us with. Please pray that Justin has the discipline and concentration to study for the theory part of the test. It is a forty question true/false driving theory test in Italian.  He is only allowed to miss four questions. His test date is set for April 23rd. Over the next few months please pray for Justin and for all of the red tape involved to be removed.

Lastly our visa renewal appointment is quickly arriving. On March 7th we will go to renew our visas.  We are thankful for God providing jobs and resources that should make this process go smoothly. We will keep you updated on how it goes.

Thank you for your love and support!
Carli & Justin

Update from January

Hello Everyone,

I just wanted to update everybody on how the month of January was for us. First of all, we are thankful for how we were able to transition into the New Year. This past month, we both have been sick because of the viruses that have been going around. Carli, more so than me. I am still getting over a cold but Carli seems to be feeling much better. Thank you for all of your prayers while we have been getting over our sickness.

The weather has still been pretty rainy and cold. We know it's not as cold as the States, but when it rains everyday 35 degrees is feels cold. We are still fighting our humidity problem because of how rainy it has been. Our dehumidifier is working really well though. The humidity has dropped from 95% to 65% in the house so it is able to stay dry. We ask that you guys pray that our landlord can fix our ceiling this week and the other leak that has started. Don't worry though the house isn't falling apart : ) It's just maintenance.

On another note, Carli had her interview on Wednesday and she will be going back for a second interview on Friday afternoon. Please pray that the Lord gives her clarity with her job change because of how it will affect our future for the next couple of years.

The church plant is going really well. We are praying over the next weeks of how we will transition into Italian in the services. This morning there were 41 of us. The Lord is really showing us His grace through each and every day. Please pray for the Lord's guidance with our small group and how we should go forward with Italian.

We also sent out our Visa Renewal Packet. Thank you Union Baptist for your help in this matter. We sent out our request for a two year visa and are waiting for our appointment with the immigration office on March 6. It will be great to have our visa renewed for two years so we don't have to worry about the process.

Carli has also started Italian private lessons on Monday and Thursday. One of my students is an Italian teacher and is a blessing with helping our Italian. Pray that Carli can have an impact on Anna's life as they meet twice a week.

This Saturday I am going to Rome to pick up a car. We have some missionary friends from Rome who have to return to the US for 6 months. They have asked us to help them watch their car for the following 6 months while they are stateside. This is a big blessing for us because while I am studying for my Italian Driver's License I can practice with this car on the roads. We also are able to go out the big market to stock up on food for cheaper prices. My American License will expire in May so I will let you know how the process starts with my new License. It may not sound like much, but an Italian license usually costs about 750 dollars and takes about 2 months to complete. The test is all in Italian so that doesn't help. Pray for this guys so that I am prepared.

Carli and I are continuing investing in the friendships that we have. Please keep a couple in mind when you think of us. They are Francesco and Eliana. He is Italian and she is Brazilian. As far as we know, she is a believer but he has some reservations with church. We had them over Saturday night and we had a really good time.

Thank you all for your love and support as we have gotten back to routine. Please keep in touch with us as you are able. It really does help hear from you all.
Love You all,
In Christ,
Carli and Justin