Ciao once again on this fine Sunday!

God has continued to lead and guide in His mysterious ways this week and there have been quite a few exciting developments that I can’t wait to share with all of you!

First things first, the outreach to the Middle East. It seemed to be a wide open door, but apparently the Lord has other plans for me because the door has been pretty firmly closed. I was praying and planning until this past Tuesday evening when Savannah, my missionary friend and traveling companion to the outreach destination, broke the “bad news” to me. Her Italian visa expired this week and her renewal appointment (which is humanly impossible to expedite) is not until AFTER the week of the trip which means that she cannot leave Italy for any reason unless she doesn’t plan on coming back. This news was disappointing and exciting all at once because, obviously I was greatly looking forward to diving deeper into the Lord’s calling on my life and possibly making connections which would allow for future missions work in the region, but my joy for the trip was somewhat hampered by the fact that I would not be a part of the other student groups that were going on outreaches. Outreach week is a very special time when we come together as students and fellow laborers in Christ to seek God’s will in practical service side by side. The way things were shaping up, I would not be a part of any of that because I would be striking out on my own with only one other person and though I know that if I had gone, it would have been the best thing I could have done (because obedience to God is the best thing any of us can do), I was sorry to miss out on the fellowship and comradery which accompanies being a part of a team. Needless to say, when Savannah told me that the trip wasn’t going to happen I was somewhat relieved because I get to make the most of my time here in Italy with the students here and I know that God has a purpose in closing the door at this time. I trust Him completely to bring His will to pass and whether that means I get out onto the “mission field” now or in 10 years, I know that He has a plan for all of it. (I used quotation marks around mission field because the mission field for every Christian is wherever we find ourselves that day, not just some far off, exotic country).

Thank you for your prayers in this matter! God is answering them and He is leading and guiding this outreach week. My top two choices of those which the school offered are Verbania, Italy, and Syracuse, Sicily. Verbania is my first choice because we will be working with refugees while we’re there and I am assuming that the refugees are from the Middle East, which is the next best thing to going to the Middle East myself. Your prayers for this trip are much appreciated and when I find out where I am going and who the other students on my team are, I will let you all know!  

I was thinking of the trip to the Middle East as the Lord’s guidance for what to do after Bible College and thinking that He would provide for me to go right into ministry after I graduate, but when that door closed (at least for the time being), I started looking for the window that I knew God would open. It came in the form of an email from Calvary Chapel Bible College Murrieta informing me of a new program they are offering to Bible College graduates. They have recently joined up with Calvary Chapel University, which is seeking accreditation, to offer Bachelor’s degrees in Christian Education and Biblical Studies as well as Master’s and Doctorate degrees. I am now praying and asking the Lord if this is possibly the “next step” after completing my associate’s degree this May. Through this program, I would live on campus in Murrieta while taking online general education courses along with a few Bible College classes through CCBC. In two years I would have my bachelor’s degree and continue to seek the Lord’s will for missions. I don’t know how the Lord is going to provide for tuition, but I trust, if it is His will, that He will continue to prove Himself faithful in every circumstance accompanying this possibility.

The most eminent development that took place this week is a two day trip to the number one country on my list of places to see before I die, and I am bursting at the seams with anticipation. Your prayers for safety, provision, and divine appointments are very precious to me as I and a group of four other girls travel to Dublin, Ireland this weekend! Another girl and I had spoken of going to Ireland sometime during the semester and on Tuesday she asked me if I still wanted to go, and of course, I said yes. From that point on the snowball just continued to tumble down the slope; we started looking at flights, telling our classmates, and praying. We found tickets that fit our school schedule for only 178 Euro round trip, a hostel that fits the needs of our group, as well as a tour to the Cliffs of Moher! I can hardly believe how quickly this has come together and I am so grateful to God for how He has shaped everything. As I said, our group is made up only of girls so prayers for our safety and protection would be such a blessing. I know that God goes before us and hedges us in behind, and there are five of us going together, but extra prayer coverage never hurt anybody.

And finally, I have come to my favorite new development of this past week: my mom is flying out to Italy for my birthday and graduation in May! I had entertained a fool’s hope of my mom coming to my graduation, but I knew that it was not an actual possibility because of the cost of airfare. I was really disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to share this major milestone in my life with any of my family, but I knew that God had brought me to Italy and that He was (and is) right beside me the whole way even if my parents couldn’t be. All that being said, when my mom asked me for my flight itinerary, I thought it was just so that she would know when I would be home, then my sister let the cat out of the bag. My mom was looking for flights to come out for my birthday (which is May 19th, one week before my college graduation) and then fly home with me on the 29th! My heart soared at the possibility of being able to share not only my graduation with my mom but also Italy.

This land that I love so much, the places I’ve described to them and shown them pictures of, she would finally see for herself! Not only is she coming to Italy, but I am meeting her in Rome where we will spend my birthday weekend exploring all of the wondrous sights together, after which she will join me in Montebelluna for my final week of class until graduation. Following graduation, we are going to spend the weekend in Florence until we fly home on Monday from Venice. Last spring while I was here, almost every city I explored reminded me of my mom and how much she would love seeing the things I was seeing. My greatest regret in experiencing all of these beautiful things and sights was that I didn’t get to share them with the people I love and I cannot describe the overwhelming gratitude and joy I have knowing that I get to see all of these places again with my mom right by my side. 

God is so good and He sees the desires of our hearts that we don’t think are big enough or important enough to lay at His feet. He knows and He delights in surprising us with His love and goodness. I pray that you’re all encouraged by that and that you are reminded that His ways are mysterious and marvelous. He reminded me this week what the Scriptures say in Isaiah 55, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9  

He is at work in each of our lives and my prayer for each of you is that you would recognize and surrender to His superior ways even when you do not understand them. That’s what He is teaching me through all of this, and there is so much peace, joy, and contentment in the journey when you recognize that even the apparent bumps in the road are part of His higher plan. He loves us so much that He died for us so that we could be in relationship with Him. If He loves us like that, then it is easy to believe that He is working everything for His purpose and plan (which is for our good), and that’s why we can rest when the road turns unexpectedly.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Safety to, in, and from Ireland
• God’s will for outreach week, whether I go to Verbania or to Syracuse
• God’s direction for life after Bible college
• Safety and provision for my mom’s trip to visit me
• That God would continue to move in all of the students’ lives this semester

Thank you for all of your prayers and support!