The Nigros in California

Saluti da SoCal

Del Mar Beach, San Diego Country

It is difficult to believe both that our last update was in March and that this update comes to you from Southern California. The whirlwind of wrapping up life and ministry in Italy coupled with setting up the same here has kept us in a dust cloud and spinning for the last four months since we touched down in LAX.

Thrown into the mix of that was a two week blitz trip to the east coast to see family in North Carolina and Virginia, and then visits to our supporting churches in New Jersey.

It seems that all the good will in the world just wasn’t enough to plant myself down, gather my thoughts and write. And it is likely that many of you have not been caught up with our last update and therefore didn’t realize that we were turning over Calvary Chapel Treviso and moving to America. If that is you, please accept my apologies for the gap in communication.

Calvary Chapel Bible College

My Gospel of Mark class - 83 students.

We are now quasi settled into our new home and, although we painfully miss Italy, Calvary Chapel Treviso and all our loved ones there, we rejoice with certainty that we are precisely where God wants us. And very blessed to be!

More than six weeks into this Fall semester have given me a rather thorough immersion into my new function serving as the Dean of Men. To say that my hair has been on fire wouldn’t be appropriate since you know I shave my head, but truly I can’t recall the last time I was this busy and challenged in such a good way.

Being the authority figure and disciplinarian of the male students provides a tremendous amount of discipleship opportunities and allows what I miss about pastoring to carry over in fatherly oversight of roughly 200 young men. What more could I ask for? Teaching in the classroom every Monday and Wednesday is a pleasure as we go through the Gospel of Mark (my favorite gospel but not for its name).

Every Wednesday afternoon six interns and I meet together to pray and talk about the meat of practical ministry and leading others with the heart of the Good Shepherd. Friday mornings I meet with 34 men who serve their rooms as Dorm Stewards, taking oversight and responsibility for the care of the room and their roommates. This is a class for which they receive credit, and which allows us to brief one another on campus issues both practical and spiritual, pray together, problem solve and go through principles of ministry. The rest of the days of the week are peppered with appointments, emergencies, administrative tasks and, when possible, study preparation.

In the Home

At the pumpkin patch in Temecula

One colossal prayer request of ours (ever since our call to California came) has been for our children’s adjustment to the move. Their school had been in Italian since the beginning but now there is a vast difference in the way things are done. Vocabulary for specialized subjects would be foreign to them, and spelling in English was all but a mystery to them. I’m blessed to say they have been adjusting excellently and even excelling in their school work. Two days ago Matea received an award for her behavior as a model student, and Luka for excellence in Language Arts, scoring 100% on his work.

All this doesn’t mean they are not struggling. A day doesn’t go by that they don’t speak of their longing for Italy, their friends, the church, their school and…the pizza! But as we pray through it all and remember why we are here, God gives grace for the time of need. I think it’s only right that we all have this struggle with the move. Italy was for twelve years our entire life. Our kids were born there, the church over which we loved and labored for years, and countless precious memories.

Renata keeps busy volunteering at the elementary school in Matea’s class, keeping things in order at home, and by helping our children with their frequent homework. We’re seeking the Lord about a church to call home and believe we may have found one. This is a big priority for us and we look forward to plugging in soon.

In all, we are (and we mean it with all our hearts) so very thankful. Thankful for you, who have prayed and supported us through the years. Thankful for the unforgettably blessed time we served in Italy. And finally, thankful for where we are now.

Please continue to pray for us as the Lord leads and when you remember. Ministry is ministry and we still need the Lord to empower and guide us. From time to time, I’ll come on here and update the blog. But it wont be more than twice per year. We hope you’ll still want to hear from us, as we do from you.

Every blessing,
Mark, Renata, Luka and Matea