October Update

Nino asking for prayer as he serves the body of CCT.

Ordination, September 18
On this particular Sunday, we held the ordination service for Nino Converso to recognize him as an elder in the body. Although we have a few men serving faithfully in leadership, as well as a few very faithful women, this is the first time for CC Treviso to welcome a brother into the eldership of the church. I’m blessed to see how the Lord is raising up, and working through, imperfect vessels such as us. In particular for pastoral ministry. None of us are in the ministry because we deserve it, or because we have ‘arrived.’ It is by God’s grace and sovereign choice. As the Apostle Paul said, “I am what I am by the grace of God” (1 Cor 15:10).


Wedding, October 29
Keeping in line with this theme of ‘firsts’ for CC Treviso, we have our first wedding fast approaching. Our brother Daniel Santos will be taking the hand of Eleonora Franceschi in less than two weeks from now. We’re looking forward to celebrating with them and to having the opportunity to share the Word with the many guests that will be present.

School Mayhem (all the time)
Next but not less important, our little Matea’s class became the center of attention for two big news papers, Il Gazzettino and La Tribuna. I would need more time and pages of text than are available to me at the moment to explain all the drama and the history of trouble in the poorly structured educational system here.

Suffice it to say that after many short term substitutes came and went, adding to the confusing experience of these kids, a ‘permanent’ assistant teacher was brought into Matea’s class to help maestra Maria who has been waiting for aid several weeks now. However, this new teacher has a long and less-than-assuring track record of problems with other schools, teachers, and parents whose children have experienced her tutelage.

Our class representative, Nadia, speaking on behalf of all the parents from Matea’s class, made our concerns known to the director of education in our jurisdiction. This resulted in a chain reaction and flurry of calls to and from the director, the teacher, and finally the news papers. Before we knew it, journalists were calling Nadia and showing up at our school to interview us parents. Renata was asked to comment by one journalist but she (wisely) declined. Please pray for the quickest and best solution for all our kids in this class, and for their safety as emotions are escalating.

Luka doing his homework!

Elementary Opportunities 
I’ve been given the opportunity to volunteer at Luka’s elementary school. His English teacher tries each year to bring in a mother-tongue speaker that will expose the class to the native pronunciation of the language. However, it’s difficult to find someone who will come in for free. So I (Mark) have made myself available to help prepare the class for a Christmas presentation, but I’m limiting it to four visits from me as I really don’t have much time to commit. The school is very thankful and I believe this will be yet another open door to meet new people and make the Lord known in a practical way. Pray for this, please.

First grade! It's a big adjustment both for Luka and for us. We were encouraged to hear the good report that Luka is doing really well, and to our surprise is one of the few in his class that knows how to read in Italian. Go Luka, we’re proud of you!

Just a random officer walking down the street.

Carabinieri and Motorcycles
Recently I met Enrico, the father of Luka’s classmate, Edoardo. Enrico runs a motorcycle club in Treviso, to which he has invited me. Those who know me will remember that I am a motorcycle fan and have been riding them since my youth. Here in Italy I’ve chosen not to own a motorcycle yet, but I do have the next best thing which I use for commuting to work etc., a large “Scooterone.” The interesting thing about Enrico’s motorcycle club is that it is primarily comprised of Carabinieri. For which, incidentally, Enrico works as an undercover officer. When he found out my diversified and somewhat adventurous history, he asked me to come share my ‘stories‘ with the other members of the club. Not to mention join them for a ride! Here is yet another great opportunity to pray for.

Sid and I at lunch some time ago.

Lastly, here is a picture to remember and honor my beloved friend and brother in Christ, Sid Mace. Sid went on to glory with his Lord August 8, 2011. We miss him very much!