Gospel Trips in Rome, Vicenza/Padua, Sicily, and Naples – May 2026
In these trips trainees in the FTTA-XB (FTTA Boston Extension) joined together with a number of serving ones from the Paris team to visit these places.
Turin
May 1 to May 3: On Lord's Day we went to the morning meeting in Turin. We gathered in a hotel event room (the regular meeting place is far from where many of the saints live). There is a burden to find a more central meeting place, and the saints are actively looking and praying for this. The saints in Turin have been praying for a lampstand here for many years and are overjoyed to see what the Lord is doing in these days. Our team went to visit local saints in the evening. Some also went to visit nearby families in Aosta.
May 4 to May 8: In our time in Turin this week, 23 people received the Lord and 609 tracts were distributed. We had very good follow-up appointments with contacts from previous gospel trips and many first-time contacts that were Christians from the area who were interested in meeting with us. We tabled in an area that had a lot of traffic of students flooding to and from classes. We spoke to many of them and were able to share something of the Lord with them. A highlight from our trip was visiting saints in Cuneo and Biella. There was much fellowship over dinner and wonderful release of our spirit in our singing together with the saints. Even on the train as we travelled to visit the saints there was a glorious atmosphere of enjoying the Lord and testifying Him to others.
Prayer Burdens:
- For the ongoing shepherding of the saints in Turin and the saints who live in surrounding cities such as Biella, Cuneo, Genova, Alba, and Aosta, and for the raising up of the church in Turin.
- For a centrally located meeting place for the saints to meet together in Turin.
Rome
May 1 to May 3: Historically, Rome is called the city of seven hills (Rev. 17:9) and has a population of just under 3 million. The saints in Rome resumed the table meeting in 2012, and around 40 saints are currently consistently meeting. This past Lord’s Day there were around 65 saints, including visiting saints. We spent our time mainly tabling in the community and visiting the saints. Our times with the saints in the small group meetings were a real testimony of God’s sovereign hand and each one’s consecration and cooperation with the Lord. We also met with several new ones who have been attracted by the living Christ. The burden for many of these new ones, some of whom have come out of Catholicism, is that they would be baptized and begin to see more concerning the church.
We joined the labor at La Sapienza University, Rome’s major university, which has a student population of 120,000. According to the local saints, there has been unprecedented level of openness from the students since the beginning of the shepherding trips. Today in two hours, the saints in Rome passed out 200 tracts and had 18 meaningful conversations.
May 4 to May 8: We tabled on the La Sapienza University campus with the burden that students would not only pray to receive the Lord but that we would have continued contact with them and they would be added to the church in Rome. We have 11 new ones, 5 of whom have already had a first appointment with the saints. During our time we had a home meeting that was composed of 6 students and several community saints. Overall, it was a very sweet atmosphere in which it was easy to get to know one another and enjoy the Lord together. We read a short portion on the morning star rising in our hearts and had some spontaneous sharing of enjoyment afterwards. At the end of the time the students lingered for over an hour.
Prayer Burdens:
- For the university students to be added to the church in Rome.
- For the Lord to burden saints to come in a more long-term way to strengthen the shepherding of these new ones.
- For the Italian translation work of the NT Recovery Version (NTRV). This is the last Western European language for the NTRV to be translated into. That the Lord will cover all the practical arrangements, fellowship, and coordination related to this project.
Milan
May 1 to May 3: We arrived in Milan and had dinner with some local saints. On Saturday we had coordination in the morning followed by a gospel time in a park. We had a short tour of the city with the saints, and then we had a small group meeting with students and working ones. On Lord’s Day we joined the Lord’s table meeting, with 41 saints present, including some who spoke in Italian, English, Chinese, Portuguese, and Spanish. We then headed to Lecco to eat lunch with two families who live there, and afterward we regrouped to walk around the town with the saints.
We had a gospel time at one of the leading technical universities in Italy. At night we split into two groups, with one group going to visit a sister and her family for dinner and the others joining a group of sisters who read a Life-study in Italian together. On this trip we noticed that our times with the saints have been especially beneficial for the young people and young working saints. There were a number of opportunities to be all together to do various activities, and these saints very much enjoyed these times, often lingering for a while after gatherings and wanting to spend more time together.
Prayer Burdens:
- For the YP and young working saints to continue to be encouraged and strengthened for their going on.
- That there will be house-to-house church life for much blending.
Vicenza / Padua
May 1 to May 3: The seven of us arrived in Padua on Friday and went to the home of a serving family. They are in the process of purchasing a home that is a five-minute walk from the University of Padua, with a student population of 75,000. The majority of our time was spent visiting saints, young people, and college students in the area near this city. There is a lampstand in Vicenza, a 20-minute drive from Padua, which is where the majority of the saints live. Because there is so much fruit, gained both from the recent gospel trips and warm doors (neighbors, classmates, family, etc.), there is a real need for long-term shepherds.
May 4 to May 8: This week was miraculously normal: each day we had coordination, enjoyment, and prayer in the morning, followed by a lunch appointment with students and gospel friends in the home of the serving family in Padua. We had either dinner appointments with students or a meeting with the saints in Vicenza in the evening. By the end of the week we were all filled with joy and satisfaction. Three received the Lord, and we were able to share Christ with about 33, but most of all, we felt that God was moving in and among His people in these two cities in the most normal way. So many of the saints and even students were such patterns to us in their living as New Testament priests of the gospel. Praise the Lord for His operation in Northern Italy!
Prayer Burdens:
- For some to come long term to shepherd in Padua.
- For more saints (especially brothers and those who speak both Italian and English) to move to Vicenza for the Lord’s testimony there.
- For the sufficient and abounding supply of grace to the family serving in Padua and the saints laboring in Vicenza.
Sicily
May 10 to May 13: A number of us flew to Catania. That night we met the saints and had dinner with them. These saints poured out upon us through fellowship unto the furtherance of the gospel. They shared with us that growth has been difficult due to the geographic isolation from other localities, but they are very desirous of fellowship and shepherding from visiting saints.
Catania has a heavy religious atmosphere. The students are soft and open to the truth and to the saints. One of the students we met on the gospel wanted to come to our evening gathering, and he even brought one of his friends. They enjoyed singing with us, and whenever a song reminded them of a verse, they would read the verse to us; they read approximately three chapters of verses! We enjoyed very rich, spontaneous fellowship over these portions of the Word!
Prayer Burdens:
- That the Lord will gain more young saints in the community and university students for His testimony in Catania.
- That these saints can blend with saints in other cities for the strengthening supply for the Body.
- For the release of prayers of authority to reign and rule over religion and darkness in Catania.
Naples
May 10 to May 13: After the Rome conference, we headed to Naples. Upon arriving, we had a time of coordination. Later, we visited the home of a new one to have dinner and fellowship. In our time in Naples we continued to have coordination and a time of tabling and distribution, as well as times of singing at the University of Naples Federico II. In addition, we had three appointments with students who had been previously contacted during previous gospel trips, and we had a spontaneous appointment with two students at the university. In the evening we had dinner and a singing time with the saints who live near Naples, and we were joined by a family visiting from Texas. Language is not a barrier for the sweetness and enjoyment of the Lord!
In going to Naples, our goal was to meet with new ones from prior gospel trips and also to encourage the saints through visitation. Lord, keep moving in the hearts of your seekers in this region!
Prayer Burdens:
- For there to be regular visitation and shepherding of the saints and gospel friends.
- For the grouping together of local saints and key gospel friends.
