Italy Gospel Trips

 

We are full of praise and thanksgiving that our Lord continues to move throughout Europe! At this present time He is moving in Italy. The ground here is soft, the field is white, and the harvest is ready! Now is a critical time for the Lord to spread and strengthen His testimony in this country. We are reminded that we are here to cooperate with the Lord on the earth today and to participate in His move. As described in Ezekiel, we should be “The wheel within the wheel,” meaning that the Lord’s move is in our move. When God’s people move, God moves—this is a mingled move. The Lord is waiting for His people to move; without our move, He does not have a way to move. He is within us and is simply waiting for us to move. At such a time our response as God’s people should be, on the one hand, to show strength and take action, and on the other hand, to pray, “Lord, these days are the consummation of the age. Lord, in these days, rekindle my love toward You.”

Prayer Burdens for the Lord's Work in Italy

Milan 

 

Highlights from the Gospel Team

1) Milan
Days 1-3:  We had our initial coordination meeting together, after which we were divided into two groups for gospel outreach. On Saturday evening some of us went to local saints’ homes for dinner, while others joined the gospel dinner, where we had the opportunity to meet several new ones.

 

We also enjoyed the Lord’s table meeting in Milan, joining the local saints along with others from the previous teams. It was a rich and joyful experience to see saints from different parts of the world gathered together to enjoy the Lord.

 

Day 4:  Following the morning coordination, we were divided into two teams and went out to different university campuses for gospel outreach. We spoke to quite a number of students who were open to conversations and gave us their contact details:

 

A second-year student at the university, who is studying tourism and immigrated from the Philippines and has a Catholic background, met with two of the sisters and wants to receive an English Bible and hopefully will have a follow up appointment this Thursday.

A middle-aged Italian man observed our banner and came over to encourage the saints to continue the work at the university. He read through Rev 1:11 with a brother and fellowshipped about one city, one church, and then he had a follow up appointment with the brothers.

 

We had a long conversation with a second-year psychology student, in which she expressed her desire to seek for something real and eternal. Her family comes from a Muslim background, but she realizes that they are just following empty forms and practices without any reality. She is open to meeting with the sisters for coffee.

 

We met a psychology student who grew up a Christian but is tired of religion. Some sisters spoke to her about Christ and how He is different from religion. She prayed to receive the Lord!

 

We invited a second-year student at Bicocca University who is studying Psychology to join the gospel dinner on Wednesday. She is Catholic and seeking. We exchanged contact information

 

Day 5:  In The World Situation and the Direction of the Lord’s Move we were enlightened again to see that God is a speaking God. The spreading of the Lord’s recovery is through those who speak for God. Every member of the Body of Christ can and should speak for the Lord. In the Lord’s recovery today there is a strong call to translate, interpret, learn, and spread the interpreted divine truths throughout Europe. After our meeting we went out again to the two campuses that we visited yesterday and met a few more new ones. In the evening we joined the prayer meeting with the saints in Milan.

 

Day 6:  After coordination we split into two groups again to go to the two universities. In addition to speaking to many students, some of us had follow-up appointments with new ones from the TR5 team and from previous days earlier in the week:  

 

Two brothers met for coffee a middle-aged man from the university who stopped by our table earlier in the week. He said that he wants his 18-year-old son to meet with a faith-based organization and would like him to meet us.

 

A master’s student who was contacted during TR5 had lunch with two brothers and is open and is asking many questions about God.

 

Two brothers had a follow-up time with a physics student earlier in the week, who also brought two friends. Although they are not yet saved, they are open to know more. One of the friends said, “I don’t believe in God, but if I am wrong, I am willing for my mind to be changed.” They were all invited to the gospel dinner on Saturday.

 

A student who was contacted during TR5 is very open and met with one of the brothers every day during TR5. Some sisters bumped into him again on campus, and he also came to a home gathering on Wednesday evening.

 

We had time with a master’s student who comes from a Muslim background but is open to talking about Christianity. He asked, “How do you know that Jesus is God?” and the brothers had the opportunity to share their experiences of receiving the Lord. They exchanged contact information, and 15 minutes later he messaged to ask if they are free for coffee. He brought a friend and met with the brothers again that same day.

 

We met a first-year American student who is studying Italian. He tries to read the Bible daily. He is looking for a Christian group to meet with.

 

In the evening some of us went to the homes of the saints, while others joined a gospel/welcome dinner at a pizzeria. Two new ones joined the gospel dinner. One who was a student was contacted during TR5 and is already a believer. He joined this past Lord’s Day for the prophesying meeting and also joined the gospel dinner on Wednesday. We are praying for him to be solidly connected to the saints.  

 

The other new one was the father of a family that is hosting a brother in Milan in an exchange program. He has prayed to receive the Lord and has been reading the Bible with the brother. Although he grew up with a strong Catholic background, he is open to the ministry and has come to some of the meetings.

 

Day 7:  In the morning we enjoyed reading The World Situation and the Direction of the Lord’s Move and had fellowship about the way to spread the Lord’s recovery in Europe not by a movement but by emigration. We appreciated seeing that we all need to function as priests of the gospel and that many can go by serving full time, taking a job, doing a business, studying in a school, etc.

 

In the afternoon we went to the two universities again. We had some positive conversations with students and also had follow-up appointments:

 

We met with a new one from Monday who is studying tourism. Two sisters met with her in the afternoon for coffee and to give her an English Bible. She also brought two friends, who are both believers. We are praying for the new one to stay in touch and to read the Bible together.

The brothers had lunch with a student who is a psychology major. The brothers shared about the three parts of man, and he prayed to receive the Lord!  He had a big smile afterward. They exchanged contact information and are hoping for a follow-up appointment.

 

We met with three people, and all three prayed to receive the Lord! One is from Peru and wants a Spanish Bible. The sisters will meet with her on Monday to give her a Bible. She is also open for further contact.

 

Currently, we have a few new ones who are in regular contact with us that need cherishing as well as nourishing. We are planning a hiking day trip near Lecco to bring these new ones (primarily college-aged or young working professionals) and connect them with the saints, especially those in the similar age group. May these new ones find a community and a home in the church!

 

In the evening many of us joined home gatherings to blend with the local saints, and some gospel friends also joined. One was a friend of a college sister who called on the Lord and has been to a home meeting. At the home meeting the saints shared about baptism, but he has been hesitating. Pray for his baptism to be released this weekend.

 

Day 8:  After coordination we once again split into two groups to go to the two universities. In addition to speaking to many students, some of us had follow-up appointments with new ones from the TR5 team and from days earlier in the week:

 

A new one who was contacted by a student brother came to the small group, and he prayed to receive the Lord! Pray for his baptism.

 

The sisters shared their testimony with a law student who wants to practice English. She is a seeking one and is willing to meet again on Monday.

 

Day 9:  We had fellowship this morning regarding certain ones whom we have met:

 

An Italian university student wants to take the sisters around Milan today. One sister from OL-2 also is meeting her. Please pray for continued follow-up and further contact with her.

A physics student brought two other friends. They are all unbelievers. One of them has struggled with believing in God, because of the negativity he has seen related to the Catholic Church. The brothers had meaningful conversations with them and drew diagrams to explain that God desires to enter into man. One of the friends asked a seeking question on how God can enter into man, but before the brothers could answer, they had to leave to attend their exam and were unable to set up a third appointment. Please pray for a third meeting with the three students and for their salvation.

 

We met with a believer who understands about the Spirit and that God can enter into her. She is not a student but works at the University. She is not currently meeting with other believers and lives about 20 minutes away from a sister. She has a desire to read the Bible. Please pray for her continued growth and connection.

 

The brothers had a good conversation with one in the cafeteria. He willingly prayed with us and had a big smile afterward. We exchanged contact information. He lives outside the city but comes in for classes. Please pray that he will be able to meet with us next week.

Tonight some of us will be attending the gospel dinner with a few of our new ones, while others will be having dinner in the saint’s homes.

 

 

The OL1 subgroup is composed of 8 saints from the US, Taiwan, and Spain, and the burden for this group is to go to cities for follow-up visitations. Over the next 8 days we will drive to Prato, Rome, and Naples, and we will return to Milan just in time for the final overflow meeting with OL1.

 

There are more than 100 saints in Prato and nearby Fucecchio who are primarily Chinese-speaking. Many of them have been in Italy for 10-20 years and come from Christian families in China, some from the recovery. This is a clear burden: establish a lampstand in Prato and raise up the children and young people as the next generation in Italy.

 

We are the second group to come to Prato. Serving brothers from Europe with a burden for the saints in Prato overlapped with us during the weekend. We truly felt like we were the continuation of the book of Acts, continuing steadfastly in the teaching and the fellowship of the apostles and in the prayers.

 

Days 1-2:  We arrived on Saturday afternoon for the young people’s meeting in Prato, which actually ranges in age from 6 years old to 30 years old. Because of the burden for the next generation, who are Chinese-Italian, the saints resumed this meeting one month ago. They shared their burden with us and asked for advice on how to care for the 30-40 children and young people, especially when there is such a large age range.

 

On the Lord’s Day we had team prayer and coordination in the morning and joined the saints for their Lord’s Day meeting. The saints from Fucecchio come once a month, and they joined this Lord’s Day, so there were about 60 people in the room. We sang, shared from the morning revival book, and overflowed, and two brothers spoke a short word. The saints in Prato and Fucecchio are so open and desperate for the Lord to move in their cities. They asked for some to come and shepherd them to raise up their next generation in the Lord’s recovery. The brothers shared that in the meantime, the saints as stones need to rise up, consecrate themselves, and be set up as pillars in the house of God, bearing responsibility for God’s building (Gen 28:18). The brothers also urged the parents and families to pay the price for the young people to go to the Poland Conference and Winter School of Truth to pursue the Lord with companions.

 

During the love feast after the meeting, we spent more time with the saints and the young people. We learned that the young people in Fucecchio have their own young people’s meeting on Saturday night in Italian because there is a serving sister from India who doesn’t know Chinese but has been in Italy for about 15 years. The saints and young people help translate for her from Chinese to Italian on the Lord’s Day.

 

After the love feast the saints shared their testimonies with us. Many are second and third generation Christians. They shared about their going on in the Lord in spite of hardships. Some work long hours almost every day of the week. Yet they fight to have prayer times, read the Word together, go to the meetings, and open their homes. Some shared about how they’ve been shepherded by saints in other countries through regular phone calls for years. Many also talked about their household and household salvation. May the Lord bless these saints through continual blending and shepherding, gain a lampstand in Prato, and raise up a generation useful to the Lord in Italy.

 

On Monday we continued from Prato to Rome to join the full-timers for coordination. We were very touched that the Rome full-time team is full of sent ones from different parts of the earth to labor together so faithfully. From our subgroup four out of eight of us have been to Rome before; and we can testify that the situation in Rome has finally changed, and the ground is now soft. We were able to join the full-time team in their daily routines, benefitting from the lessons they’ve learned from years of experience. We also witnessed the fruit of past gospel trips going on in very encouraging ways through repeated times with the saints.

 

On Monday and Tuesday we spent time with the full-time team, fellowshipping and having dinner in their homes. On Tuesday two of us joined a Rome sister to visit three Chinese-speaking saints who can’t make many meetings because of work but have a heart for the ministry. The rest of us tabled at La Sapienza and sang hymns together in Italian and English. Some students we had previously met stopped to say hello. We also met a Christian student from Africa who is new to Rome and looking for believers who will support each other in the Christian faith. He and the brothers had lunch together, and he said he wanted to continue to have fellowship in the future. One of us also joined the full-timers to meet a cluster of three students who were contacted in TR1. Two of the three students are fluent in English and Italian, and all three are dear believers who love the Word and enjoy being with the saints.

 

On Wednesday we left Rome for Naples, and some of the full-time team joined us. We were very touched that although the needs in Rome are great, the saints in Rome have a heart for Prato, Naples, and Sicily and commit time to pray for and shepherd contacts in these cities. The Lord’s move in Europe is truly a Body matter; and it is in this situation, full of fellowship and support, that the Lord is gaining ground in Italy.

 

After our time in Rome, we continued on to Naples, and some of the saints from Rome joined us. There is no core in Naples, so the saints have picked up the burden to shepherd some seekers and see what the Lord will do. The burden for this trip was to follow up with some of the new ones from the previous cycles. We also discovered that the people in Naples are very friendly and very seeking. We prayed for the Lord to give us two more new ones in Naples, and He gave us five! Several approached us at the table, and we even spoke to a restaurant owner who gave us his contact information.

 

We were able to meet new ones where they were comfortable, from a restaurant to a tour of a city, or by having them come to our Airbnb for dinner. Some requested Asian food, so on Saturday evening we made Chinese food, and four of these came for dinner. We were also very glad to be able to coordinate with and support the saints in Rome by being built and blended with them during these past few days as they shepherd the new ones.

 

Day 10:  On Lord’s Day we drove eight hours from Naples back up to Milan to join with the rest of OL1 and overflow from the trip.

Giving

Saints who are burdened to give for the Bible distribution and other expenses can give through LME by following instructions at lordsmove.org/offerings.html. Designate offerings for “Gospel Move in Italy.”

Archived Reports