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

Prayer Request

Hey Everyone,

We are writing to ask that you pray for Carli on Wednesday. She has an interview with a Preschool here near our house. It would be a great answer to prayer if she gets this job. It would save her 10 hours a week of commute. Thank you for your prayers and support,

We love you all,

Justin and Carli

Be Still

Hello All! I am keeping this post short. I just want to share a few thoughts with you all from this week.
  
Some days I feel like the world is all turned sideways. I feel like everyone else is going about their normal lives and I am the only one who notices something is off. Then I get a chance to stop and take a step back and realize I was looking at the picture wrong.  That is what this week has been for me (Carli). I was out of work for the latter part of this week because of sickness.  I am so thankful for this break, because it gave me time to think. I think it is easy as humans to get so caught up in things that we have to get done in the day that we sometimes miss what God's purpose for the day is. I know I often get so caught up that I forget to slow down and just be still. This is something that Justin and I both strive to be better at this year. To be still and know that He is God. Everything else fades away in those moments, but what if they were not just moments? What if they were more than just moments and actually began to make up our whole day or week? It is something that we pray for ourselves and for you.  We pray that God will help you to slow down and focus on Him. To take every day captive and through this we could see the bigger picture of our purpose on this earth.

Moving on to my next thought... Justin wrote a little poem the other day and I thought it was very beautiful. (I may be a little biased.) I thought some of you might enjoy reading it too.

"The day shows hints of spring, beauty that has not yet arrived. The light waits on its time. It must wait still until the blossom of the bud. Still those who stay in darkness know not of the grace which has already shown its splendor. It shows not with hints and glimmers; as if to be holding back in secret. The light of this passing world shone brightly but was forgotten. All was but lost and yet the light, yet faint began to grow however many do not see or hear. Spring comes to those who love it, not just to those who enjoy its beauty."


Thank you for reading and praying for us. We are so thankful!
Carli & Justin

A few prayer needs:
*Justin is preaching at Mosaico Church on Sunday
*Carli starts Italian language classes this week
*Continued direction about ministry opportunities here

Winter 2014

Justin & Ryutaro

Hey Everybody,

We can't believe we are over half way through January. We both worked more than usual this week which was good and challenging. Carli struggled at work this week. She knows that she loves working with kids, but ever since she has returned to work she has not had a peace about the situation.  Please pray for direction in this area of her life.  If there is something else she needs to be doing, we pray that it would be made evident.

Last Sunday at church we learned about what church looks like as a community. It was very challenging and insightful.  We as a church hope in the coming months to begin two community groups.  One will be for the large amount of college students that study abroad in Florence.  We have been so encouraged by the steady flow of students each new semester brings.  Most of them have an eagerness to serve and learn. The other group will be for long term residents of Florence.  In both groups we will be going through a series on the basics of the church. Our prayer is that in the coming months our core group will be in one accord and grow in strength.

Now that all of the Christmas and New Years festivities are complete we are beginning to see our friends with have been ministering to on a regular basis again.  Please pray for these relationships to continue to grow and that God would continually give us opportunities to share Him with them. We may have mentioned them in past blogs, but here are four of them: Clotilde (retired lawyer and Justin's student), Sergio (native Florentine who we eat with every week), Ryutaro ( young Japanese believer searching for direction in his life), and Simona (young woman from Romania who is searching for truth).

Thank you for your prayers and love.

Justin & Carli

A New Week

Hello everybody,

We hope that you all had a great weekend and Epiphany. We are back at work and going about our week as usual. Last weekend, we had a great dinner with some friends who aren't believers. They wanted to have us over to recap from before Christmas. We have had some good discussion with them about spiritual things and have made a good friendship with them. We also took our time cleaning our house this past weekend because we have a little mold problem. Since many of the homes in Florence don't have dryers, we have to dry our laundry indoors. This of course, causes moisture and leads to things like black mold. We finally broke down and bought a dehumidifier, (thanks to New River) and hope to have a much dryer house in the coming days.

Carli and I have been searching and praying for a solution to Carli's job problem. She enjoys where she works, except she doesn't get paid on time. I spoke with someone in Florence at another school about Carli's predicament and so we sent her Curriculum Vitae over for the director of this school to look over. Please pray for this job that she potentially may get. We need her to be closer to home and not work so much so that she can devote more time to the ministry needs of the community.

Finally, please pray for our spiritual direction. We feel like we are where we need to be, but we are asking for clarity with how we can be used in this new church plant. We are willing to serve as much as we can, we just want it to be God leading and not us trying to make something happen. Our core group of believers is small but is united when it comes to making much of Jesus in this city. This is our prayer for our neighborhood, communities and nations within these city walls.

We wanted to post a picture of our square near our house. This square holds lots of people each and every day. The "Piazza" is something that we are unfamiliar with in the US but is part of the Italian culture. Tons of people from this section of town meet here throughout the day. Older people come to talk to life long friends in the morning and hundreds of young folks gather late into each night talking and smoking pot. This is where community happens for so many who are lost in Florence. Do we as the bride of Christ have a real community? This is a question every one of us should ponder.

Thank you for your support and prayers as we all work for His Kingdom,

Carli and Justin

Welcoming the New Year

Happy New Year everyone!

Carli and I just returned to home after taking a Christmas break with our families for the last two weeks. We really enjoyed our stay and are grateful to everyone who blessed us with all the good food and company. We are excited to get back to work and ministry here in Florence. The Lord has given us rest and we are praying to stay faithful and obedient this new year with His plans for our lives.

First please pray for Mosaico Church.  It is a recent church plant here in our neighborhood. If you would like to check it out here is a link to the website: http://mosaicochurch.org/ We are praying that the Lord raises up long term leadership in this church plant. Next we are praying for Carli's current job situation. Her contract will end in June, so in the coming months we will begin searching for a new job. Please pray that the Lord shows us where she needs to be working. We ask that you pray for Justin as he starts back work tomorrow. Pray that he can balance both work and studying for his driver's license in the next few months. Finally, we ask that you pray for our visa renewal. We hope all goes smooth this next month with immigration so that we can continue to stay in Florence. We are trying to get better at blogging so expect us to write more often this year and please take note that we have changed the name of our blog.

Thanks so much again for your support and prayers.

Carli and Justin

September/October

We blinked and September was gone. It was a busy month full of challenges, new friends, and new work. We are so thankful for the cooler weather and for changing of the seasons. It is amazing the peace that comes with the leaves changing colors and falling all around you.

Carli began her job teaching preschool at the first of the month. She has her hands full with the little ones. Day by day her Italian is improving, thanks to the kids. It is great to see the potential relationships that could come from Carli's new job. Please pray for strength, patience, and humility as she continues to adjust to working at the school. She knows this will be a stretching, bending, and growing period in her life, and she is embracing it with a smile.

We both have been continually meeting with people, and building relationships. It hit us this past month how crucial community is in a place like Florence. It is through community that people feel accepted and loved. When they feel comfortable, they tend to be more open to ask questions, which is what we are praying for.. Another realization this month came during the Bible study we attend. For the first time we really saw how diverse Florence is and how many nations could be reached with the Gospel in one location. It gives us such happiness and peace knowing that whatever God has us here for, whether it be planting, sowing, or reaping, we are loving being used for His Kingdom.

Please continue to pray for us as Justin heads back to the U.S. for a couple of days for his brother's wedding. Pray that the relationships that we have here will continue to grow and that the Lord gives us clarity with starting a church plant here in our part of the city.

We love you all very very much!

Carli and Justin