Walk by the Spirit

As I walked about in the city today, a specific scripture came to mind.  I studied it last week, but what brings me back to this scripture again this week is the amount of impatience I have with people. Here are a few examples; I am impatient when people walk too slow on the sidewalk or when they stop in the middle of the sidewalk and take up the whole walkway. These are moments that I do not show the fruit of the Spirit.  Then there are times when I am patient with others, and I expect a pat on the back.  As a Christ follower, I am continually trying to love God and live like Him, but daily I fall short.  Paul writes in Galatians 5:16, "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh."  That's when I realized that if I am walking by the Spirit then displaying the fruit of the Spirit is not something that I am striving to "show", but it is something that shows as a result of abiding in the Spirit. So if I am abiding in God, I am glorifying God by displaying his attributes. Galatians 5:22 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;"

So as this new week begins here in Italy, I pray that Justin and I both abide in God so that we can walk by the Spirit. Living abroad in another country and culture is challenging and frustrating every day, but the beauty is in how we handle these situations.  If we allow God to work through us and display the fruits of the Spirit we are starving the flesh inside of us that wants to come and show its ugly face.  That is what we are working towards here. We want to show the goodness and love of Christ to the strangers we pass on the sidewalk and to the people we meet and develop relationships with.

Specific Prayer Needs:
*Justin had his appointment last Monday with the immigration office and he has successfully submitted his paperwork. Now we wait. Please pray that the red tape of the government here would be removed so that I can be added on to his visa as quickly and smoothly as possible.
*Pray for our ministry opportunities.  We have a few options opening up and we need you to pray for discernment on ministry decisions.
*Last week I had an interview with a preschool and it went really well. If all of our paperwork can get processed in time then they want me to start in September as a Pre-K English teacher. This is a big and exciting opportunity for me. Please pray that my heart would be prepared for this job and the tasks that are involved.

As always we are thankful for your prayers and for taking time to read our blog. The transition here has been pretty smooth, and we know it is because God has his hand guiding our steps. Also because we have the support of so many friends and family.

We Love You!
Carli & Justin