First Sunday back...

Hey Guys,

We were so blessed to be back with Impatto Budrio last Sunday. The Lord is blessing our family here with so many new contacts and families who want to know more about the Gospel and who Jesus really is. Carli and I are praying that through this time of transition we can still take rest in the work that Christ is doing amongst His people here in Budrio.

Please continue to pray for these relationships and for deeper conversations in the coming weeks.

Justin and Carli

Good evening with Family...

Tonight Carli and I had the chance to share with our church family the last 6 months of our lives in the US. It was refreshing to give them an idea of how much they are loved by our partners and that Budrio, even though it is small on the map of Italy, it is big on the hearts of Christian brothers and sister back in America. Carli and I are so thankful that we get to play a small part in the role of God bringing His people to Himself.

We love you all very much!

Justin and Carli

Resting in the midst of impatience...

Hello Everyone,

This past week as been full of joy and also frustration. As far as our return to Budrio, we couldn't have asked for a better welcoming from our church and loved ones. At the same time, we are having to jump through a lot of hoops in order to get our visa's in order as well as Carli's maternity leave.

We are currently staying in a temporary apartment for the next month as we are looking for a long term place where we can settle in. We have an appointment set for Monday afternoon with a real estate agency here to look at three apartments. Please pray that the Lord gives us peace with the upcoming decisions that we need to make as well a smooth transition with the baby's arrival 5 weeks out. We know the Lord's plan is the best plan so we want to make sure that we don't rush into anything in these next few weeks.

On a positive note, We both went to Sant Orsala Hospital in Bologna for Carli's checkup and everything is going great with the baby. We have to go back next week for another screening and then  a week after that. Once those appointments are completed we are on standby for going into labor.
The midwives and doctor were very nice and explained how the process works here in Italy. We both felt at home with them and are thankful that when our baby is born our environment should be just fine.

We love you all and ask that you continue praying for us.

Justin and Carli

Praise!

Hello Everyone,

Just wanted to share a something that we are grateful for this past week. For those of you who don’t know, we have been using Carli’s first car while we were living in Houston these past 6 months. During that time, the car has brought us everywhere that we needed to go. About a 2 weeks ago, we started to hear a sound in the suspension of the car but didn’t know why it was making that noise. I thought that we would take a look at the car and make sure all was ok once we got back to Georgia. Last week my dad and I took the car around the block to see if it was still making that noise. To my frustration, no sound could be heard from the under the car. When we got back to my dad’s house we thought about driving it around the yard to see if  the soft ground changed anything. At first nothing happened that wasn’t usual until we were coming back from behind the house and we heard something drop from under the car and the left wheel and tire of the car shifted to the left, permanetly motionless. I couldn’t believe the grace of God to let this happen in our yard and not the last 6 months that we drove the car on interstates through 5 states! Our friend Terry towed the car for us and fixed the car’s problems free of charge.

So thankful to the Lord for watching over us and our unborn son as we drove the car all of these miles. It is amazing for us to see His mercy in situations like these.

Finishing Our Time in Houston

These past 6 months have been an incredible journey. We never would have thought that there could be so much love and encouragement shown to us from all our family in Houston. When we first came to Houston in August, Carli and I were concerned with how the Lord was leading us. Houston was new and strange to us because of our time spent in Italy and there were times where we doubted the plan of God. We were dead wrong. During this time we have had the opportunity of a lifetime to get to know some of the most genuine people.  Folks who put the kingdom of God first and with grace live in their communities knowing that they themselves need the grace and mercy of Jesus every day.

When the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Phillipi, his sentiments and love for that church can speak into how we feel for those of you who have been with us during this time. Paul writes, "I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace..."(Philippians 1:3-7)

It is that same community that we have seen these past months, that inspire us to live out the Gospel in Budrio and not just "do" things for the kingdom. I myself have a problem with doing too much and trying to perform in the face of mission. This is not what we are called to do. We are called to love Jesus with our lives, families and finances. The love that we have for Him will show the world where our treasure is. The Lord has shown Carli and me that it doesn't matter where we live or what our job may be, our treasure is Jesus.

Thank you all who have showed us that your treasure is in heaven and not on earth.

Need for a Savior

Hello Everyone,

We hope that you are enjoying your New Year and that you are learning and growing in your faith and love for God. As many of you know we are expecting our first son in early April. We are so thrilled about the opportunity to love and raise our Son. As new parents we are both nervous and thankful for the changes that are taking place in our lives. In preparation for him coming we have been studying and reading about being parents. Which in turn can make you feel even more unprepared for parenthood. So as we are about 11 weeks away from his arrival we are beginning to focus our nervous thoughts into prayers. One of the prayers we have been praying of our son and any future children the Lord may give us is for them to see their need for a Savior.  This means that their lives will be full of challenges and that they will have to find their way through troubling seasons. They will have to venture through their own unique stories of sin and repentance. Through all of the seasons in their life that may bring them pain, our prayer is that they find their hope and their joy deeply rooted in their Savior.

As we pray this prayer for our children, we also pray it for our family and friends.  That we would all be like the woman in Luke 7:47, who washed his feet with her tears. She saw her need for a Savior and she loved much. Because she saw the depths of her sin, she could hope in his forgiveness and righteousness. We pray this same prayer for the people of Italy. That their eyes and hearts would be open to the Gospel and that they would see their need for a Savior. Our hope is that in seasons of hurt, but also in seasons of great joy that we would bring the light of the Gospel to those around us.

Three prayer requests:
-prayers for ease of transition back to Italy (renewing our visas, finding a home, & setting up doctor visits)
-prayers for our family as a whole as we learn what it means to be parents
-prayers for our family in the states that their faith would be refined and their love for God grown as we are far away


With love,
The Mcghins

New Year, New Light

This new year we have been looking at the Gospel of John with our church Sojourn Heights. Every year it is refreshing to take a look into this Gospel because it shows us the historic reality of what Christ accomplished and the implications that John is talking about for our daily lives. Look at this passage from John 1.

"The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him." (John 1:10-11)

The Scriptures say that Jesus, the true light came into the world. This historic fact has something to do with us whether we want it to or not. The lives that we live each and every day have been affected by this one event. This event has changed the world completely. This light that John speaks of is the "true" light of the world. Now, I don't know about you, but there are many "lights" out there that promise us hope, happiness and success. This is why the Jews did not recieve Christ because they put their hope in the Law and tradition for their light. John is calling us back to what and who the true light really is. John goes on by saying...

"But to all who did recieve him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."(John 1:12)
Will we recieve Jesus as the true light of the world this year or will we look to other lights for our joy?