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Vision Trip Update
Greetings!
It's hard to believe that it's now been 2 months since our vision trip to Italy! The last 8 weeks have been super busy with work, end of school events, and sports activities as Stephen coached Bryson's baseball team and was assistant coach for Laynie's soccer team. However, we wanted to take the time to update you on our trip and share what we learned during our time in Italy. Below are excerpts from both of our blogs, which will give you a glimpse of our experience there and the incredible things God spoke to us. If you have not had a chance to read our blogs, we would love for you to check them out at the web addresses below and be sure to sign up to follow them while you're there. Also, for more information about our calling and future work in Italy, please visit www.TheVerners.org.
Until All of Italy Hears,
Stephen and Brandy |
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Stephen's View
It's been 3 days since my feet touched back on American soil, but my head is still spinning. Better yet, my heart is still longing for the place and people that I just left. Brandy and I spent April 1-11 in northern Italy. No not for vacation, but for a surveying of the walls. We wanted to see Italy first hand - observe the spiritual climate, see the good work that missionaries are engaged in, and then ask God to show us where we might serve him best advancing his kingdom in the hearts of Italians.
We traveled about 10,000 miles by plane, train, bus, car and yes by foot from the extreme northeast corner in Trieste on the Slovenian border, through 9 other cities before we flew out of Rome last Sunday. It's hard to put into words all that we saw and experienced in the last week and a half.
Italy was in many ways everything we anticipated it would be, and nothing at all what we thought all at the same time. We expected indifference to the gospel, the exultation of Mary, good food, breath taking landscapes, warm & friendly people, etc. In these ways our expectations were on the mark. However, in every way we were taken back at the level to which all those things came to life.
There's so much work to be done in Italy, especially in the north to bring the gospel forward to Italians. Many of the missionaries we met have been on the field 15-30 years. They have labored hard and brought forth fruit that remains. They in essence have been the battering ram against the gates of hell. Progress has been slow, but sure. The battle has given them scars, but their hearts are steadfast, and full of renewed hope as they see new missionaries such as us being raised up to carry the gospel forward to the next generation.
There's a palpable sense that God is stirring more in the hearts and minds of Italians. The missionary work in Italy of the last 20-30 years is equivalent to taking ground from the Nazis on the beaches of Normandy. The landing had great costs, and the progress was sometimes slow, but the result was ultimately the beginning of a surge and momentum shift for the Allies that ultimately spelled demise for Hitler. The walls that have long held back the gospel from penetrating are breaching now. Thank you, God for those who have gone before us. The success we will see and experience is a direct result of their faithful service.
Since our visit to Italy we feel a greater focus to the ministry that God has called us to, and a greater sense of urgency to get there and get started. Once we are through the 1st year that will be spent in the University for Foreigners in Perugia learning the language and culture, we would like to intern and eventually begin our ministry in a suburb of Bologna, a city of over 500,000 and home to the oldest university in the world. The university has over 90,000 students, and many people move to nearby towns to live and commute to work in Bologna. This is a growing area with far reaching influence not just in Italy, but all over Europe.
The evangelistic ministry areas we would like to engage in will include sports ministry through baseball, soccer, etc., music ministry, as well as media training in audio and video. We will lead small group Bible studies and engage in 1 on 1 discipleship, too. Learning English is a huge need and desire of most Italians, so much of our ministry efforts will include teaching English. As always, all of our efforts will be to lead Italians to a relationship with Jesus, involvement in a local evangelical church and training and discipleship that will prepare them for leadership in those churches...
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Brandy's View
In front of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice | Three and a half weeks ago my feet touched Italian soil for the first time. The 10 days that followed were totally life-changing, as Stephen and I saw the country that will become our new home... the people that we will pour our hearts and lives into over the years to come... the place where God has planned His destiny for us. I can honestly say that it was everything I had imagined, but it was also so much more than I had ever dreamed. I expected the breath-taking beauty of the landscape and the awe I would feel on viewing the ancient architecture. The food was as delicious as I had anticipated and we ate lots of it! Especially the gelato! What I didn't expect was the overwhelming grief that came over me in a church in Faenza as God revealed to me the spiritual state of Italian Catholics. I began to understand that Italians never see Jesus as the risen Lord. He is perpetually on the cross being sacrificed for their sins. The work of salvation is never considered complete as they do penance over and over to earn forgiveness, without the knowledge that Jesus offers it freely, with no strings attached. But for the majority of Italians, a relationship with God is a waste of time. They've been to mass and think that it's irrelevant to their lives. Why do they need Jesus? They live in one of the most beautiful and influential countries in the world and they have everything they could possibly need... or do they? As we traveled to each of the 10 cities we visited during our time in Italy, we heard stories of how God is working to draw Italians to Himself. In every place, we met missionaries who are laboring to reveal the true gospel to people who have been deceived. They have forsaken home, family, and everything familiar to be obedient to God's call and their sacrifice is not in vain! The Lord is doing amazing things in Italy! Nuns who have never read the Bible before are studying the scriptures with missionaries and coming to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior! Evangelical summer camps in Forli are miraculously being promoted by the city government and now an even greater number of children are hearing the gospel daily during the camps! God is opening doors for ministry on the campus of the University of Bologna, which is the oldest university in Europe and has over 90,000 students, but currently has no evangelical ministry! And even right now, new churches are being planted in towns where there has never been an evangelical church before! Like candles being lit, one by one in a dark room, the light of Truth is illuminating the darkness in Italy. And as more candles are lit, eventually the light will overtake the darkness. When God first spoke to us in late 2008, we didn't fully understand why He was calling us to Italy. We read the statistics and were grieved by them. We felt God asking us to do something about it and so we embarked on this journey. Because He is our Lord, we have walked this path out of obedience, not always able to see the next turn or even the next step, but trusting that God would make everything clear in His time. In Italy, the fog lifted and we were able, for the first time, to truly see the road before us. While the path is not an easy one, we realize that God is calling us to join Him on a great adventure. We see Him before us, beckoning us to follow Him, asking us to put aside our fears and trust that He is more the capable to make a way. And so we will follow God down this road as long as He leads. It's time for the next step in the journey. |
Looking Forward
While God has called us to go, we know that we can never do this without the support of people here at home. If you are reading this, maybe God is stirring your heart as He has stirred ours. We are looking for people to partner with us in the work we're called to in Italy and there are several ways you can get involved.
Prayer Support
First and foremost, we need your prayers! While living in Italy seems like it would be a dream come true, the fact is that it is very difficult to minister there. Centuries of religious tradition and ritual have distorted the truth and made people very closed to hearing the real gospel. Also, prosperity and materialism make many Italians feel that they have no need for God. The enemy has worked very hard for the strongholds he has there and he is not willing to give them up easily. In order to be successful, we need people to fight this battle alongside us in prayer! If you would be willing to pray regularly for our ministry in Italy, please send an email to Brandy@theverners.org and we will add you to our Prayer Partners list.
On-going Support
As you can imagine, it is not cheap to live in Italy. However, the spiritual need there is great and we cannot allow the cost of living to deter us from reaching Italians! Like most missionaries, we are responsible for raising 100% of the funds needed to get to the field and sustain our living and ministering there on a long-term basis. We feel very strongly that just as God has called us, He has also called people to partner with us in this important work. We are trusting the Lord for 150 people/families to commit financially at a level of $25-$75 per month, as well as churches that can support us financially to see Italians come to know Christ. This monthly support will cover our living expenses, housing, insurance, transportation, etc. and also allow us funds for ministry expenses.
Special Gifts
Along with our monthly support, we must also raise funds for pre-field training and outgoing expenses, which include airfare for our family, costs to ship our belongings, housing deposits, language school, etc. NOTE: Any monthly support received before our departure will go towards these costs.
If you feel like the Lord is stirring your heart to partner with us financially, please see "Ways to Give" in the right-hand column under "Prayer Requests". |
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PRAYER REQUESTS
Some of the missionaries currently serving in Italy are hosting an English and Sports Summer Camp in Bologna from July 5-10. A group of high-school kids from College Church in Wheaton, IL is headed over to serve alongside Youth For Christ Italia and TEAM Italy missionaries. They will be using the Gospel of Mark to teach English.
Please pray for the kids that have already signed up, and for others to register in the next week.
Pray also for safety as the team from Wheaton arrives, and that all the details would come together.
Pray, most importantly, that through the relationships and activities, Italian kids would come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and King. |
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WAYS TO GIVE
Give through Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)
This option allows you to set up automatic bank withdraw for regular monthly giving. Simply download the EFT form, fill it out with an original signature, and mail it into TEAM. This saves time and money, avoiding postage and check costs and ensuring that checks won't be delayed or lost in the mail. It also helps TEAM achieve better stewardship of your contribution by reducing processing time and costs, plus no fee is assessed, as credit card donations have.
Give Online
This option allows you to give by credit card on the TEAM website. Simply select "Stephen and Brandy Verner" in the "Select a Missionary" drop-down menu, and the money will go directly into our account. Please be aware that the credit card company takes approximately 2.5% for their fees.
Give by Mail
You can mail a check to TEAM that will be deposited into our account. Make the check out to "TEAM" and write our names in the memo line.
Mail to: TEAM, PO Box 969, Wheaton, IL, 60187-0969
Give by Phone
To make a credit card contribution by phone, please call TEAM's Stewardship Ministries Office toll free at 1-800-343-3144 ext. 4880 between the hours of 8:15 am and 4:45 pm (Central Time).
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