Italia

John writes from Italy:

It is very nice weather here in Tuscany. What beautiful countryside! I’m staying with "D" and his family. The local Italian churches love this place and use it regularly. Each week someone comes to preach. This is one place in Italy where churches have joined a 24 hr prayer movement. So, that’s a great sign of God's blessing.

The testimony of "D" (the middle eastern evangelist John is working with) and his disciples here is absolutely incredible. He has small groups of disciples in multiple locations. I think I’ll be traveling to see some or all of them. They’ve asked me to speak here in their big tent on Wed. I plan to tell Ex 2: Moses Flees to Midian. I think D, his family and disciples are going to become good friends. His wife is a gem. You wouldn’t believe what they’ve been through. D was tortured for his faith and so fled his country. I have an article about him in Italian that I hope to translate. They’ve taken their daughter almost every day to the hospital for severe headaches. They think it’s a virus but can’t figure it out. Last night everyone prayed over her and she felt better but at midnight went to the hospital again.

I’m doing great here really. I was asked to speak multiple times in the piazzas and streets. Yesterday I spoke in a piazza of a town near Pisa called Santa Croce. I felt God’s Spirit and told the parable of the hidden treasure and pearl of great price. Then I spoke about the holy cross. Today they invited me to preach in a church. People from Nigeria and Sri Lanka were there. I was invited to lunch in an Italian home for the first time. I loved it! I’ve been having a blast speaking “la lingua con tutti”. A nice man in church gave me an offering toward the work.

I guess I’ve been in denial re: my arm and hand since the bike accident. I can’t play guitar much at all. Overall, I feel very weak and incapable of much. I don’t have constant pain though! Thank the Lord. I keep the sling on most of the time.

The people I'm living in community with are very mature with sound, healthy doctrine and in every way as far as I what I can see. I think emphasizing the simple gospel every day has helped keep them from going off kilter. They really live by faith and love one another, work hard and are faithful.

There’s much to say about the place I’m staying. It is really very impressive. This community moves from place to place. They have arranged phenomenal logistics. Some families have been living like this for over 30 yrs. They re-use and rebuild everything: vans, cars, mobile homes… and make a lot of things themselves. They constructed a little wooden place with cabinets, shelves - even a shelf for a VCR or DVD player, closet, and tiny bathroom – that has a bucket with a lid. Interesting toilets! To go to the bathroom, you pull out the bucket and walk down the path to where they have a poop container. You dump it in and wash your bucket in water filled with disinfectant. Drinking water in tanks is plentiful. The daily schedule tells when sisters and brothers use the showers. They get unwanted food as donations. Yesterday they received a huge amount of fruits and veggies from the market for free. I have a huge bowl of humongous grapes, cantaloupe, plums and lettuce in my 'container' house. I’m sure glad I have the camera.