Ciao a tutti! Hello, everyone! Well, we’re in the middle of a busy summer here in Milan!
We started off the summer with our third annual Ladies’ Day on June 2nd. Our theme this year was “Treasures in Pots of Clay” from 2 Corinthians 4:7, and our two speakers gave lessons on how, although we are simple people and often weak, like ordinary pots of clay, with God’s help we can do great things. It is the message of Jesus Christ that we have heard that is the treasure inside of us, and that treasure is what we carry into the world. One of the speakers was Tonia Vitalone, a sister from Rome; she and her husband have been working with the church there for many years. The other speaker was one of our own, Alicia Villa, who I mentioned with her husband in my “meet the brothers and sisters” section a couple of newsletters ago. This was her first time to speak at a ladies’ day, but she did a great job! We had about fifty women from several congregations around northern Italy in attendance, and we all enjoyed a day to spend in fellowship together.
Next, the first week in July, the five kids from my Sunday morning class—left to right in the photo to the right: Matteo, Manuela, Rovelyn, me, Nico, and Janfor—and I finally headed off to camp!
We did survive the long train trip together, and we didn’t actually carry out our threat to throw Matteo off of the mountain when we arrived. This was the first time for anyone from the Milan church to attend the camp, which has been organized by the Aprilia congregation for the past fifteen years. The theme this year was “And he was called God’s friend.” Our Bible classes focused on what it means to be a true friend. I co-taught the 10-11 year old Bible class and the arts and crafts class, and supervised the clean-up after supper.
There were a total of 107 people— 83 kids and 24 adults—at camp this year, the largest group yet. I enjoyed getting to know a lot of the great people from churches around Italy who work hard to put together this camp for their kids. It’s something I had rather taken for granted, growing up in a place where most churches have hired youth ministers whose job it is to do things like camp, just how much work it is to put it all together, especially when those doing it do it around their regular jobs and responsibilities. I’m glad the kids met so many people from around Italy; in a country like this one where secularization has taken over, it is so important for the kids to find role models who make it a priority to worship God. Every Sunday since we returned, Manuela has made me promise that we can go back next year.
Next week, I’m heading down to Florence for the summer convegno (retreat-gospel meeting combination), which will last from Wednesday night until Sunday. This is one of the two large all-Italy get-togethers of the year, and I’m looking forward to seeing brothers and sisters from around the country. I have been asked, along with Simone from the Florence congregation, to organize the games and entertainment for in the evening. It should be a great time of encouragement for everyone!
As many of you know, my original commitment to work in Italy would finish at the end of August, but the Milan congregation has asked me to continue my work with them. I have agreed, for several reasons: First, after two years here I now speak Italian at a level to be able to build deeper relationships and be more effective as a teacher without a language barrier, and it seems a shame to leave now that I have that ability. Also, I feel that right now I am in the middle of many projects, and I would like to see them to completion. My current project is to write or translate more children’s class material. There’s no 21st Century Christian to run to here, and it’s very hard to find any commercially-made lessons, and the material we do have is often for younger children and not challenging to my group. I plan to begin teaching my class the book of Acts soon and all we have is a set of coloring pages, so I will write our study material myself. Before I leave, I plan to organize curriculum for several more studies, too, and hold a workshop on how to prepare a Bible lesson for all those willing to give it a try. Another reason to stay is that the Shorts, the missionary family I work with, are now in the states on furlough. They will return in October, but it seemed better for me to stay past August so that we didn’t all leave at once. They have often wanted to have more workers in the Milan church, and I hope to fill that need for a while longer. Thus, I am making a new commitment to stay until next June.
The Short family, while they are in the States on their furlough, will be stopping in Columbia on August 31st (Sunday night at 6:00) at the Highland congregation to speak about our work here in the Milan congregation. If you are in the Columbia area, it will be a great opportunity to learn more about the work in Italy and meet a great family.
Thank you all yet again for your prayers and encouragement over the past two years!
The Brothers and Sisters in Italy
This month, I would like to introduce you to Maria Luz Espinoza and her son, Matteo Kolyszko. Maria Luz is from Peru, but she has lived here in Italy for seventeen years. She has been a member of the church here in Milan for many years. She is part of our Thursday night Bible study group, and she and I led singing at our recent ladies’ day. She has also helped out teaching the kids’ Bible class many times; it is very important to her that her son be involved in Bible class. Maria Luz works as a nurse/therapist for people with neurological damage (from Alzheimer’s, strokes, etc.).
Her rambunctious son, Matteo, just turned ten. He is in my Sunday school class and was one of the kids who went to camp. He loves his mom, soccer, Pokémon (yes, they’re still around...I can’t escape...), video games, his incredibly friendly cat Coco, and eating (he is ALWAYS hungry). He is great at memorizing Bible verses, and is serious about learning more about the Bible.
