Thus We Came to Rome: Following the Leader

"There [at Puteoli] we [Paul, prisoners and guard] found some brethren, and were invited to stay with them for seven days; and thus* we came to Rome" (Acts 28:14, NASB; *see Acts 13-28 for Paul's rugged missionary life). Husband and I are back from our vision trip to Rome and would like to share about meeting the Italian theological Academy (ITA) missionary team, visiting the local church and assessing whether this could be where the Lord would have us relocate to serve.

The ITA team consists of three main leaders (+3 associate professors in Genoa and Florence): Johnny Gravino (missionary), Cesare Albanessi (missionary) and Sebastian Mendez (ITA graduate now pastor). The Gravinos and Alabanessis are in Rome, and the Mendezes are in Messina which is near Sicily in the south. The academy serves to build the church by training and equipping men to understand and properly divide the word (click here for more info), with a goal to plant a church in Rome. ITA classes have been most recently taught via zoom; in-person seminars are held twice a year by region; and an annual conference is held every January in Rome for pastors/leaders. The two missionaries also teach in various local churches, by request. Husband was able to fellowship with each of these leaders plus 15 former students during their summer seminar through the book of Daniel - bonus, it was taught in English and then translated to Italian. He mentioned the men are zealous and passionate for the pure word - a huge encouragement. It was a blessing to witness him use his gifts to befriend the Italians and see how they engaged him before and after class, towards the end of the week. Also, 2 of the men are Hispanic. Adding Husband to the mix, they named themselves the "Latino Connection" - more on this later. While Husband was in class, I was also able to get to know the three wives: Alex Gravino, Melissa Albanessi and Mersia Mendez. We were able to enjoy a group lunch, an outing to the city center and an intimate one on one lunch with one of the ladies at a nearby café. I was blessed by their honesty about ministry, personal prayer requests and interactions with their families. Ironically, I even bumped into one of the women at a nearby market, and she taught me how to order at the deli. 

We were also able to visit two different churches and an evening theology class held in a theater, and we were surprised in two ways. First, as the people were worshipping and praying and the word was preached in Italian, Husband and I were able to understand quite a bit and grasp the main points. Learning the language would be essential and by no means are we willing to cut any corners, but now we know our fluency in Spanish will help expedite the process and have a sense of relief. This will be the priority for at least our first 1-2 years. In spite of the language barrier, the people were warm, gracious and friendly, as we did our best to communicate our mutual love for the Lord. Second, we came to realize there is a sizeable Hispanic population in the city. When at the second church, we used basic phrases, but somehow our Spanish got out, and the members lit up and responded to us in their native tongue. We were able to share our story, and one lady's reply was, "We've been praying for missionaries. Come!" Back to the "Latino Connection," my Husband alongside the other two men, each using their gift of evangelism, their collective impact could be deepened. 

When Husband and I visited Rome in 2017, we fell in love with the City and could not wait to get back. We even talked about moving abroad. Since then, our desires and priorities have been drastically transformed by God's grace. While we still love Roma, we now see it with a new perspective. That which colored its beauty is now revealing a shallow emptiness. The people are so kind and social - they are people people - our kind of people. But there is also a sense of longing for purpose and community. One of our first evening's, still struggling with jet-lag, we went to our hotel's restaurant. We were not the most pleasant with one another, and yet, by the Lord's sovereignty, a door was opened to develop a relationship with the waiter, a sweet young man of 20 years old. During the seminar lunch breaks, Husband would continue crossing paths and engaging in conversation, and one of my outings he and I were waiting for the same bus and had a brief conversation about God's grace. Later, we were able to bump into him as he was leaving the hotel from a work shift, and Husband was able to share his testimony and the gospel. The young man's reply broke my heart: 'I am Muslim. We believe in Jesus. We just do not believe Jesus is the son of God. This is the one little gap. Everything else is the same.' We both had much more to share and even had lunch plans on his day off, but the Lord had different plans, because another lady we befriended came and engaged us in conversation. And later, Husband got COVID. I think to myself, how much could the Lord use us in this one man's life if we had more time and knew the language? This is our vision - to cast the seed to where seed is needed (evangelism) and stir, water and weed the soil where seed is already present (discipleship). We would come to support the pastors, model what it means to live in Christ and come alongside the people, one one one, strengthening the brethren to build the church. Continue to think of us like Aquila and Priscilla. 

Although we were only out of the room for about 1 out of our 2 weeks in Italy, we saw God move in big ways before, during and after. Also, He was gracious to answer each of our prayer requests affirmatively. At present, we are at a place of continued discipleship with our missions pastor, strengthening relationships abroad and planting our roots deep at Cornerstone, trusting the Lord to grow us as He deems necessary, being kept faithful and teachable on the path as it unfolds before us. As we proceed, the prospect that we might be sent is becoming bittersweet. One of the biggest sacrifices would be leaving our church. The very thing I cannot imagine parting with, is one of the very reasons for parting. As one elder recently told us, 'When or where you arrive, do not look back. This is the place at the time the Lord has brought you. You are the one that follows. He is the one that leads. It is not the other way around. This will bring you peace, on the hardest of nights and in waves of doubt.'

Praise Reports (specific to our trip to Rome May 26-June 10):

1. While travel plans changed often, God kept us at peace, clinging to the truth of His wisdom, goodness and power;
2. Husband and I found favor with a few locals;
3. The Lord redirected & revealed MUCH; 
4. While Husband was in the seminar, I was able to get good rest and had plenty of strength; and we both adjusted to the time change there and back within a few days;
5. In spite of Jacob getting COVID before we left and Husband testing positive two days before we came back to the US, the Lord made a way for us to come back home together (ask us the story :); I also did not catch COVID; 
6. We were able to communicate well enough in English, Italian and Spanish, and Husband was able to share the gospel with a young man; 
7. We were fully funded, and both of our flights from January were refunded;
8. Husband and I were able to keep in or get back to unity, quickly;
9. We were able to build honest & strong relationships with missionaries & locals; and
10. We were able to adjust the custody schedule & maintain communication with Zachary.

Praise Reports:

1. Husband and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary via FaceTime on May 23rd;
2. I had a delightful meeting with the assistant director of mobilization from CBU to discuss staff missions opportunities;
3. Our family, my parents and (very Catholic) grandfather were able to celebrate Zachary's 17th birthday and have a lively conversation about purgatory; and
4. I completed formal discipleship training with Cornerstone - it was an enriching and humbling two years.

General Prayer Requests (the Lord's will in all):

1. Husband and I (or another male pastor/leader from our church) have been invited to attend ITA's annual conference in January 2023;
2. Zachary continues touring colleges and will need to make some important life decisions; he is also preparing for his permit test;
3. To pray, slow down, do my job well and seize opportunities at CBU;
4. Continued direction/balance with ministry/missions (+ faith, wisdom & obedience), especially as Husband prepares for year two of bible training;
5. Faithfulness in our current season;
6. Unity in marriage & family; 
7. Peace & strengthened faith, despite ongoing physical testing and inability to conceive;
8. Hacob & Zachary to bear consistent/genuine fruit of salvation;
9. To seek God’s glory & submit to His will, above all else; and 
10. To walk in the gospel & bear fruits of the Spirit.