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Greetings!
In our last newsletter, we mentioned that life was about to get exciting. We just didn't realize how quickly that would become a reality. It turns out that things are really going to kick into high gear in just a couple of weeks. As of August 12, we will officially be full-time missionaries!
The Lord began to impress upon us a few months ago that we needed to step down from our jobs during August, so that we could raise our missions support full-time and also homeschool our kids. We took a step towards that in May when Stephen went part-time at work, but it soon became apparent that there were still not enough hours in the day for everything. We began to pray that God would make a way for us to provide for our family's needs while also allowing us to quit our jobs to raise support full-time.
A couple of weeks ago, we received a generous gift to pay our living expenses for a few months until we are able to draw a partial salary from TEAM. This was an amazing confirmation from the Lord that it was time to take the next step!
We are in awe of God's provision and live in expectation of what He is going to do next. It is an amazing place to be and we're so grateful. Thank you for your continued prayers and support as we follow God's leading!
Until All of Italy Hears,
Stephen and Brandy
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This is a copy of our new prayer magnet.
Let us know if you would like to receive one. |
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90 x 40 Challenge Update
Did you know that there are only 1,500 evangelical churches in the ENTIRE country of Italy, which has about 60 million people? To put that in perspective, there are roughly 1,500 churches in metro Atlanta, which has almost 6 million people. So that means Italy has the same number of churches to reach 10 times the amount of people! That's why we feel such an urgency to get there - so we can help plant churches! During the last month, God has brought us 10 more monthly partners! With each new commitment, we move ever closer to our goal of reaching 70% of our monthly support. This is an important number because we must have that amount raised in order to apply for visas. When we launched the 90x40 Challenge in early June, we needed 90 new partners to commit to $40/per month in order to reach 70%. Since that time, we've had 25 partners come on board and now we only need 65 more to meet our goal! However, our deadline is Sept. 1 and the clock is ticking. Would you pray and ask God if He would have you be part of the team that He is putting together to help us plant churches in Italy? |
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Training Recap
Earlier this month, we traveled to the TEAM home office in Carol Stream, IL (west of Chicago) for our LAST required training! Since we are getting close to our departure time, this training dealt a lot with transitioning out of our lives here and into a new culture. We talked about issues such as spiritual warfare, crisis preparedness, finances, intercultural competency, and parenting missionary kids. It was an incredible amount of info and we tried to absorb as much as possible! In between classes, there was also time to build relationships with other TEAM missionaries going to places all over the globe. We met 12 families going to 5 different continents! Bryson and Laynie made new friends with kids that have been living in Taiwan and will soon be moving back.
Overall, we had a great time and are so thankful for everything we learned and everyone we met! |
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Praise Reports
God made provision for a few months of living expenses so that we can quit our jobs next month to raise our missions support on a full-time basis and homeschool Bryson and Laynie!
Since our last newsletter, the Lord has brought us 10 new monthly partners for a total of $420 in monthly support!
In the last month, we have received $7,100 in special gifts!
Our Miche Bag fundraiser brought in $114.05 that will go towards our outgoing expenses! Also, one of the ladies who attended booked another fundraising party for our missions work!
We had a safe and productive trip to Chicago for our last required training! |
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Quick Prayer Points
With just a little over a month left of our 90x40 Challenge, we still need 65 more partners at $40/month to meet our goal. Please pray that God would lead us to the people He has already selected to be part of our team.
Please pray for our family as we venture into the world of homeschooling. This is a new experience for all of us, so pray that we will adjust quickly to the change of routine. Also, pray for Bryson and Laynie to thrive in their new learning environment and for Brandy as she takes on this new challenge.
We will be transitioning in a couple of weeks from working at our church to full-time support raising. Pray for a smooth transition as our schedule adjusts once again and for focus as we raise our remaining funds. |
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Upcoming Events
August 11 - Last Day at Jobs for Stephen and Brandy
August 15 - Bryson and Laynie Start Homeschooling
September 1 - Last Day of 90x40 Challenge
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Fun Facts
In honor of the transition from working at our church to becoming full-time missionaries, we thought we'd share a little about work in Italy:
There is actually a law that requires employers to provide pranzo (lunch) for their employees. Large companies will often have cafeterias where the employees can eat for free. Smaller companies will give all the workers coupons worth 6-7 Euros to use at nearby restaurants.
Another benefit that many companies have is called the 13th or 14th month salary. A 13th month salary means that in December, all the employees get paid for 2 months so they have extra money to spend for Christmas. The 14th month salary is an extra month of pay in the summer to be used for vacation. |
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Stephen and Brandy Verner
TEAM Missionaries to Italy
PO Box 466154
Lawrenceville, GA 30042
Stephen: 706-201-5570
Brandy: 770-837-2846
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