Summer Update

 The last three months have been busy and very productive. We have been blessed by many visitors and look forward to more visitors in the next months. It has been so encouraging and refreshing to have friends and family come and see our home here. We have been able to share with them face to face the relationships that the Lord is building here. We hope that our visitors are able to experience more than just the beautiful art and history. Our desire is that they are able to go back to America with a heart that is burdened for the lost here in Italy and that they pray for God's Gospel to be spread globally. 

Last week Carli finished her job at the preschool and she is searching for a new job. She has seen the Lord's hand in her work at the school and she is ever grateful that God provided that job for her. In the meantime she is working hard to improve her Italian. In addition to taking lessons she is doing something called language exchange.  During these exchange sessions she meets with two ladies and "exchanges" English for Italian and vice-versa . As you can imagine it is also a great way to build friendships. 

The church body that we have been meeting with is continuing to strengthen as a core group of believers. We are weekly encouraged and challenged by this diverse group and we pray that the Lord will continue to mold this body.  Please be praying for Justin as he is preaching the last two weeks of July. Pray that the Lord would continue to use us a vessels for His kingdom.

Yearly Update

Hello Everyone,

We just wanted to let you all know that our ministry video is finished thanks to our dear friend Giosue. We hope that through this, you are able to see how the Lord is using us here and also to pray for the ministry here in Florence. We have uploaded it to youtube, but we ask that you do not upload the video to Facebook for right now.

Thank you all for your support and prayers,

Justin and Carli

link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE0L4yoEWIs&feature=youtu.be

March Update

These two pictures are from last weekend in a little city outside of Florence. We spent the weekend with our friend Clotilde. She is like an aunt to us and we are always so thankful for her kindness towards us. Our hope is that through our time spent together she would be curious to know more about this amazing hope we have in Jesus. It was refreshing as a couple to breathe in the fresh air that we often miss living in a city. We were also able to spend time in awe of the beauty of creation. As we looked at all of the trees and flowers bursting forth with new life we were reminded of our hearts' desire to see that newness of life in the people here as well.

Hello Friends and Family!

Wow March is quickly flying by. We are so thankful that the weather is starting to feel more like Spring. We are both staying very busy with work and language study. Carli is already beginning to see improvement with Italian and it is very encouraging for her to be able to communicate better. Justin has been studying very hard for his Driver's Theory Exam that is quickly approaching. Please continue to pray for him as this test is frustrating and difficult, but we know that with the Lord's help he can pass. On to the issue of immigration. Justin was able to send in all of his documents for immigration, but we had an issue with Carli's. It is a long story and we won't confuse you with the silly details, but we hope that by the end of this week we will have everything in order and we can send off for Carli's renewal also.  Through all of our frustration we know that we serve a God of faithfulness and He has promised to care for us.

We feel like in this season we need a lot of prayer in all aspects of our lives. That being said please pray for the spiritual warfare here. We know that our God is not a God of confusion, so please pray for us to have direction in our ministry here. Please pray that we would stay in His will and in His word.  We are thankful that we are seeing signs of a small community of believers growing from the church plant we are a part of. Our hope is that through our community we would always be focused on building God's kingdom here in Florence. That is our challenge for you as well. As you read this we hope that you are encouraged to step out of your comfort zone right where you are and search out ways to build His kingdom. We know that no matter how difficult and frustrating life can be at times we are here to have joy in God. We remind each other daily to live in the moment of today and give thanks for everything.

Lastly please pray for this country and its people. We smile because we are often asked, "Don't you feel like you are living in a movie in Florence, Italy?". Sadly it is quite the contrary.  We do not deny that it is a blessing to live in such a beautiful place rich in art and history.  However once the newness of these things fade away your heart is burdened for the people who live here.  They are in desperate need of the truth of the Gospel.  It is our hope that as Easter approaches their eyes and hearts would be opened to the freedom and grace found at the cross.

Thank you for your support and prayers,
Carli & Justin

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

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