A Season of Growth
This has been the most fruitful year in our ministry at Calvary Chapel Treviso, from the new souls God has added, to the maturing of lives who have been with us for a time. We are so blessed for the commitments made to Christ in the last several months by Frances, Nathan, Luana and most recently, Davide who came forward at our Sunday service just a month ago. We can honestly say these new believers with their tender hearts and excitement for the Lord are the highlight of our year! But CC Treviso has also grown exponentially with the addition of new families looking for a church. Our most recent problem is being full nearly every Sunday and needing more space. What a blessed "problem" to have.
A Season of Change
Perhaps the most startling news for most of you is that the Lord is moving us into a new ministry direction, and it means we are going to leave Italy. Although the Lord has brought it all together quickly and divinely, He has not done it suddenly. The preparation in our hearts and lives has been going on for over 3 years and through a lot of prayer.
In 2009 Renata and I both, but independently of one another, began sensing a big change was coming and the Lord was whispering "Get ready!" We didn't know what that meant, when it would come or what it would look like. Revival in the church? A third child? A tragedy? A geographical move in our ministry? The more we prayed the more it seemed like the latter, but for many months nothing was certain.
In late Spring of 2012, after I had become frustrated with the ambiguity and distraction of it all, I cried out for clarity from the Lord. And clarity came! The problem was me. All the while we were praying, I was giving the Lord options that appealed most to me and returning to ministry in the USA was not one of them. I simply did not want to leave Europe, our home and place of ministry for 14 of the 18 years of our marriage. And through the years here, we have certainly had our times of severe discouragement, financial struggles and ministry burnout. But this was not one of those times. On the contrary, we've never been in a better place as far as all of that is concerned. So a move to America felt like walking backwards. But if America was God's next step for us, then it was a move forward and not backwards at all.
A Season of Obedience
Everything began coming together one year ago, on the day I ceased giving God choices. He spoke clearly that we needed to pray for the church to be turned over. That was a very difficult thing to do as it is extremely painful to leave the church and this place. But as we obeyed, three days later Renata and I (independently of one another) had "California" pass through our minds. No specific ministry or reason. So when we both discovered that the other had heard the same thing, we thought God was up to something but we kept it quiet before the Lord until He gave more clarity. That was roughly the month of April. In July, I dialogued with a friend and fellow pastor from our home church in Old Bridge. It was no coincidence to hear he was moving to Murrieta that same month to serve at the Bible College. As I shared with him what the Lord had been stirring in our hearts, we wondered if God may be moving us in that direction. Just one month later, on August 6, I received the invitation to serve as the dean of men there.
We were flabbergasted by the phone call and although it seemed like the right thing to do, it did not seem possible. The time we had to give our answer was brief. Extremely brief. And we needed to be there this past January. Truly we thought we would have to decline, for not only did it seem too soon for such a change, we could not commit until the Lord proved who was to be the next pastor at CC Treviso. We had someone on our hearts, but needed time for it to unfold. Until then, we weren't moving anywhere. Then by the first week of this past November, that same family we prayed for committed to take over the church. They are Brian and Maria Cambra, missionaries with CC Montebelluna for five years and currently directing the Bible College there.
The amount of details the Lord has put in place to make everything happen so perfectly, covering every need and so timely for everyone involved in this, are too many to list. And I'm burning a lot of diesel right now trying to consolidate a flood of thoughts and facts into a readable update. But I hope this gives enough background for you, our co-laborers, to see God's hand at work here. Please continue to pray with us and for us as we face what is perhaps the hardest decision we've ever made, and a colossal yet exciting change.
Pray also for CC Treviso as this transition unfolds. We believe great things are in store and the church has only just begun enjoying the fruit that is to come. We've recently begun bringing in pastor Brian to teach twice per month on Sundays and every other Wednesday evening. The Cambras are a blessing and key part of God's plan for this season of change. They truly love the fellowship at CC Treviso and the church has truly embraced them. Brian's family plan to move to the Treviso area by June. Please pray for them also as they obey God's calling in this new venture of faith.
Our ETA for America is late June. We plan to visit our friends and family on the East Coast, then start full time in Murrieta by July 1, Lord willing.
Well, that's quite a mouthful for this overdue update. If you have questions, a word of encouragement or anything, please leave it in the comment section below so that everyone who reads can benefit and no one will have to repeat the same questions privately.
Prayer and Praise
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| Taken on the Sunday of our Christmas Lunch |
A Season of Change
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| Us at Juliette's House in Verona, Italy - Romantic, eh? |
In 2009 Renata and I both, but independently of one another, began sensing a big change was coming and the Lord was whispering "Get ready!" We didn't know what that meant, when it would come or what it would look like. Revival in the church? A third child? A tragedy? A geographical move in our ministry? The more we prayed the more it seemed like the latter, but for many months nothing was certain.
In late Spring of 2012, after I had become frustrated with the ambiguity and distraction of it all, I cried out for clarity from the Lord. And clarity came! The problem was me. All the while we were praying, I was giving the Lord options that appealed most to me and returning to ministry in the USA was not one of them. I simply did not want to leave Europe, our home and place of ministry for 14 of the 18 years of our marriage. And through the years here, we have certainly had our times of severe discouragement, financial struggles and ministry burnout. But this was not one of those times. On the contrary, we've never been in a better place as far as all of that is concerned. So a move to America felt like walking backwards. But if America was God's next step for us, then it was a move forward and not backwards at all.
A Season of Obedience
 |
| Main entrance to CC Conference Center and Bible College |
We were flabbergasted by the phone call and although it seemed like the right thing to do, it did not seem possible. The time we had to give our answer was brief. Extremely brief. And we needed to be there this past January. Truly we thought we would have to decline, for not only did it seem too soon for such a change, we could not commit until the Lord proved who was to be the next pastor at CC Treviso. We had someone on our hearts, but needed time for it to unfold. Until then, we weren't moving anywhere. Then by the first week of this past November, that same family we prayed for committed to take over the church. They are Brian and Maria Cambra, missionaries with CC Montebelluna for five years and currently directing the Bible College there.
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| Brian Cambra teaching at our recent men's meeting |
The amount of details the Lord has put in place to make everything happen so perfectly, covering every need and so timely for everyone involved in this, are too many to list. And I'm burning a lot of diesel right now trying to consolidate a flood of thoughts and facts into a readable update. But I hope this gives enough background for you, our co-laborers, to see God's hand at work here. Please continue to pray with us and for us as we face what is perhaps the hardest decision we've ever made, and a colossal yet exciting change.
Pray also for CC Treviso as this transition unfolds. We believe great things are in store and the church has only just begun enjoying the fruit that is to come. We've recently begun bringing in pastor Brian to teach twice per month on Sundays and every other Wednesday evening. The Cambras are a blessing and key part of God's plan for this season of change. They truly love the fellowship at CC Treviso and the church has truly embraced them. Brian's family plan to move to the Treviso area by June. Please pray for them also as they obey God's calling in this new venture of faith.
Our ETA for America is late June. We plan to visit our friends and family on the East Coast, then start full time in Murrieta by July 1, Lord willing.
Well, that's quite a mouthful for this overdue update. If you have questions, a word of encouragement or anything, please leave it in the comment section below so that everyone who reads can benefit and no one will have to repeat the same questions privately.
Prayer and Praise
- Thankful for this most fruitful year at CC Treviso, the new lives God has touched and those He is raising up
- Thankful for His faithfulness to guide and provide and bless beyond our imagination
- Thankful for the exciting plans before us and for the favor He continues to show us
- Prayerful for the new direction, its challenges and changes
- Prayerful for effectiveness in touching lives at CCBC Murrieta, hopeful for many disciples to be raised up in ministry with a global perspective of God's kingdom
- Prayerful for grace in adjusting through the culture shock of this colossal change for our family
- Prayerful for favor on our children as they change schools and learn in English for the first time
