Thursday, March 20th

Boun Giorno!

I will have to admit that I was unsure if I would actually make the plane to Italy. Severe rain storms in Dallas had shut down that airport the day before, and these same storms were headed for Atlanta, where I was to catch my Milan flight. We were all ready to go, when we heard the information that our flight from KC to Atlanta was to be delayed for about an hour. That was the hour I needed in Atlanta where I was to catch the Milan flight.

Figure 1 The Poster for the Theater Meeting

We finally left. Thankfully, during the flight, the stewardess mentioned that there were some people who needed to catch the Milan flight and that the rest should remain seated when upon arrival in order to let us off first. It turns out that I was sitting next to a couple who were to make the same flight overseas.

When we got to Atlanta, the three of us tore out to find the gate. The lady who was also going to Milan pointed the way and the husband and I dutifully followed her lead. She had studied the map of the airport to make sure of the direction. As it turns out, we went to the end of the concourse and found that we were going in the wrong direction. So, after wasting those precious minutes, we put it in reverse and walked/ran until we got the end of the next concourse. We barely made it on the plane, dripping with sweat. Once we settled in, we relaxed and enjoyed a good flight. But, as usual, I did not sleep a wink all night.

Figure 2 Andrea and I in Mantova

How great to see Andrea Artioli in Milan. We had a slow ride out of the traffic in Milan to Porto Mantovano (three miles outside of Mantova), stopping for some cappuccino on the way. Porto Mantovano is below Milan about three hours drive. The town of Mantova is around 67,000 population, but Porto Mantovano is only 3,000. It is the wealthiest of the suburbs of Mantova, and is a well-kept, neatly laid out village, with bright green grass, countryside extending from the edges of town, and attractive and colorful homes and flats.

I greeted Emmanuela and the children, Lisa (8) and Thomas (6). These two are most well-known for their beautiful, full head of red hair! I have become well acquainted with the Artiolis, having served for a few years of ministry in league with them. In 2004, our whole family came to Italy to work with Andrea in two major conferences, and I have served on an advisory board with the ministry for several years as well. They have also been in our home and we have had various other encounters along the way, the last being in Laurel, Mississippi for a board meeting. We consider them dear friends.

Figure 3 Preaching on Sunday with Gabrielli interpreting

After a brief nap, we walked to the new church building where the church "Chiesa Sola Grazie" is being started. The small building is a completely refurbished place, with a different bright color on each wall and the same bright seats, all of a different primary color. About 25 people meet here each week in these very first days of ministry. Andrea and Giacamo planted something in the front flower bed while on this stop there. A Brazilian believer is the mastermind for the building refurbishing. He sang loudly to himself as he worked inside. Tommorow I will lead a seminar on Childhood conversion in this building.

We finished out the day with a long walk, accompanied by Giacamo. I knew this brother from 2004. We had laughed uncontrollably in his upper level flat then with his fun-loving family. He is a butcher, but serves as a leader in the church. I call him "the mad butcher," a name of a store I knew in Arkansas. He would try to say "butcher" but really said, "botcher." So, he became "the mad botcher." We talked a long time about his future opportunities. He would love to find a way to be more available for the church and make sufficient income to have this freedom. I am not a financial consultant, of course, but I am really interested in this brother and his family, and hope that we can arrive at some practical steps for him. He has a pure heart and longs to work for God.

A great meal of eggplant, mashed potatoes and fish, along with some barley coffee and a perfect fire, calmed me down for the sleep of a lifetime!

Friday was given completely over to preparation for the Saturday conference, except for another walk around town. I did not get up too early, working off of Central Standard Time which is five hours earlier than here. My sleep the night before was wonderful. I got into bed with a minimal amount of movement to settle in, and I woke up in the morning in exactly the same place.

At five in the afternoon, Gabrielli arrived from Rome. He is a single man who interprets for us and is a great part of the ministry now, and for years in the past. He interpreted for me in 2004 and visited the States along with Andrea sometime after that. He has also translated my Pursuing God book, which we hope to publish in Italian this fall. We labored together to finish the note-taking booklet for the small conference on Childhood Conversion on Saturday. By eleven we were spent, so we called it a night.

And . . . a night it was! As far as I can tell, I did not sleep the entire night. This is a typical phenomenon. The first night you are so tired you will sleep regardless. But the second night is usually your Waterloo.

The conference was not attended by many, but those who came were very interactive and excited about it. Two men arrived from Milan, to share the day with us, along with some other guests. Because of Easter weekend, some who would have come were out of town.

In the session, the questions was asked, "What happens when babies die, or when mentally retarded people die." Sitting among us was Giacomo's 12 year old son, in a wheelchair, who is severely mentally handicapped. He is the adored special child of the congregation.

Figure 4 The church's special child

What are we to say about this important question? I answered that the Bible asserts that all children are born sinners and therefore must be regenerated before they may enter heaven. They are "in Adam" and not "in Christ." We do not believe that children have regeneration first, when conceived or born, and then lose that life at a certain "age of accountability." We are given no other paradigm in Scripture than that which tells us people are justified and made ready for heaven by their repentance and faith. But these children cannot believe. Does God accept people who cannot believe?

Our most hopeful doctrine is that revealing biblical doctrine about regeneration preceding faith. If that is true, and I believe it is, then there is at least hope that God may regenerate some or even all babies who die. They could conceivable express their faith at the threshold of heaven. This is entirely speculative, however. We do know that God always does right and that he is more merciful than we are. But we cannot be sure exactly what happens to babies when they die. We think of this with cautious optimism.

The story of David when he lost his child by Bathsheba would be enlightening if we had the doctrine spelled out in another place. We can never make doctrine out of the narrative sections of Scripture. When David said, "I will go to him, but he will not come to me," he could have only meant that he will go to the grave with his son. This is typical Old Covenant thinking. The doctrine of the future of believers was not clear in the Old Testament. And the doctrine concerning babies dying is not explained clearly anywhere.

Therefore we must simply rest in God. He may do what he has not told us, but we have no information on that. Could it be that he is wise in not telling us? Certainly it must be so. The fact that he is silent establishes his wisdom. We are left with our trust in God who will always do what is right in each situation. But that is enough.

As I spoke this, the father and mother of the church's special child were smiling and nodding. They told me afterward that they are in full agreement with my assessment of the situation and were happy for my expression of it. So, on this note we ended the long day of ministry. Tomorrow is Sunday, and I will preach for the new church for that meeting.

Figure 5 From the garden on Isola Bella

Monday, March 24th

We gathered for our meeting yesterday, Resurrection Sunday, with anticipation of a great time together. The cheery building was inviting to all of us. Food was brought in for a meal following. The meeting began about 10:30 a.m., but nothing around here starts on time. They had the usual trouble with the computer and projector for the music (a worldwide dilemma). But finally we were up and running. Some new people attended, which made all very happy. As I have said, these are the very beginning days of the church.

I had planned to speak out of Romans, but found myself very drawn to talk about 1 Peter 1.3-9 early Sunday morning. I am so glad I chose that subject. The church people have been through much suffering in a variety of ways, so this seems perfectly suited to them. They were extremely thankful for it. I enjoyed a lot of liberty and that sense of God's support I always long for in preaching. The atmosphere was expectant and the room fairly quiet. My 12 year old friend who is mentally handicapped was calm. He often groans during the meetings, but was very quiet this meeting. He is a beautiful child and much loved by the congregation. I am sure they do not notice the sounds that much. What a perfect congregation to be in for this special child.

The meeting was followed by a meal and a long time talking with each other, laughing, even singing. I can tell that real fellowship takes place among these few believers. We took a picture of Andrea sitting with his son on his lap and his mother and daughter beside him, all looking together at the "Wide and Narrow Gates" art print that our ministry publishes. Then, all of a sudden, his chair broke and he hit the ground. Immediately his daughter screamed out because her leg was scraped by the plastic chair as it went down. This made for a little excitement. The daughter walked like she had been wounded in the war for the rest of the day and into this morning. I think she enjoyed the sympathy just a little more than is necessary. Human nature is the same all over the world!

Figure 6 Andrea, Lisa and Thomas before the fall

Yesterday evening, we drove over to Mantova and walked through the downtown. It is beautiful and totally "Italian." I loved the long traverse through the narrow streets. We stepped into the huge Cathedral. On our way out, one man asked us to be more quiet in "the house of God" (I did not think we were loud actually, compared to all the talk around us). Andrea said, "Sir, this is not the house of God." In a kind way he attempted to explain the truth. But, of course, we were very quiet after that.

On our walk around the town, we discussed the situation in Italy for ministers related to money. Even though it is a beautiful and rich looking country, the people find it very expensive to live here. The men work long hours, often up to 12 a day. Those who pastor and work find that they often have family problems due to overwork. Many work two jobs, making it even more difficult. The dilemma is not easily fixed. The churches are not as good about giving as they should be, due to the "training" of the Catholicism they grew up in.

One answer for their needs is for the people to learn to give even more generously. Another is that outside help from Christians overseas is still needed for now. The best answer is the first one, but it will be a while to see the mindset of European believers change. Whereas most evangelical churches here have true believers, they just do not know the joys of generous giving. In our part of the world, most evangelical churches are filled with non-believers, but those who do give are generous. I intend to talk with the people here about a vision for giving, but expect that it will take some years to overcome the way of thinking that the Catholic "Church" has bequeathed to them.

We had salad and cheese before bed. After a demonstration, I think I learned the right mix of olive oil, vinegar and salt to make a good salad. We sat a long time by the fire, talking more about church life in Italy before going to bed.

Thursday, March 27th

A group from California came to help the church for a couple of days. They were from a Christian School. Amazingly, they helped pass out eight thousand flyers to invite people to hear me speak at a Theatre in Mantova. We are not sure if one person or many will come. The subject is "What is the Real Meaning of Life?" It is tough for me not to do an exposition. I just need to talk at this meeting. Beautifully illustrated posters were placed everywhere in town.

I had the privilege of speaking to the California group on Tuesday evening during their orientation. I also addressed the entire church and the students on Wednesday evening. We looked at the passage in Mathew 6 on money. I was attempting to remind all of us about the joys of giving.

Figure 7 Some of the California students and teachers, in front of Chiesa Sola Grazia

Early this morning Andrea and I stopped over at the Classical School to pass out flyers before school. The day was then spent in Mantova's streets during market day passing out these flyers. The day prior the group went street by street stuffing mailboxes (legal in Italy) with the flyers. Of course, some people just threw the flyers down. But others read them. We do not know for sure if any will show up, but the value is two-fold. First, the invitation is extended and some may come. Second, the name of the church and their interested in the community is being promoted.

One exciting possibility came up with the three older ladies in the bed and breakfast where the students were staying. Two were quite interested in the gospel. Will they attend the meeting in the theater?

Saturday, March 29th

We had our evangelistic meeting in the theater Ludas in Mantova on Friday night. There were not many who came (perhaps only 30 or so), but five of the guests were clearly non-believers who showed an amazing amount of genuine interest in Christ. We had good conversations with them and fully expect that some or all will be converted. It seemed that they only needed more information about the nature of the gospel. We were actually all pleased with the response. We certainly did not know what to expect on this meeting, but God gave us exactly what we needed. And among the people present were the two old ladies! One of them spoke out, before the whole group, to express here thanks aloud so all could hear. She spoke of how this had spoken to her deepest concerns and that she was going to think about it.

Figure 8 Jim preaching at the Theater; Giorgo from Milan interpreting

After the theatre meeting last night, I decided to catch a late night ride to Milan with my interpreter, rather than take the train the next day. This put me at Jim and Karen's home after midnight. Rest was sweet the first night, but fugitive this night. It is 4 a.m.!

I am now winding down on my ministry trip to Italy. Tomorrow I will preach for Jim Albright in Milan. The church here is growing well with two English speaking congregations totaling around 100+ people. My friend, Guiseppi, is also now working with Jim and Karen to begin an Italian church. Also there are some other new workers on Jim's team who seem really fine. God is shaping things up so nicely here. Jim and Karen are bright, positive laborers in the work. We can be thankful for their faithful service to spread the kingdom news here in this needy country.

Figure 9 Jim and Karen Albright

Figure 10 The Athleticism of Jim Elliff

Figure 11 The Douma Cathedral

Figure 12 Preaching at the International Church of Milan

We spent the day today in Milan meeting up with church young people on the Castle park mall. They meet there to play Frisbee and build relationships with people. It is working. There were a couple of people they pulled in today that will likely be around them again. They are openly sharing their faith with those they meet. Note my exceptional athletic form in the picture below!

We also visited the Douma Cathedral and the Ambroggio (Ambrose) cathedral. In the Douma you are struck with the darkness of the Catholic religion, the pretense of greatness, the substitute of aesthetics for God's glory. You wonder if this building in all its grandeur has ever heard the sound of biblical preaching, the kind that can deliver dead souls from the bondage of eternal damnation.

Along the way we had a nice lunch in a cafe. It was a beautiful day. We took the subway back, ate simply at night, talked and went to bed about 10 p.m.

Just like in Kansas City, I've been around a lot of sickness here. Andrea and his kids were ill with a stomach virus. Karen Albright has a good cold. I managed to be doing a lot of nose blowing also. But even so, we are managing to have a good time all the way around. God is good. We live in bodies that need to be resurrected before they will perform perfectly. It will be good to look up one day when our "redemption draws near."

Yesterday's meeting went so well. I love the church there. We could only have one meeting rather than the usual two since the other location was not accessible on Sunday morning. The automobile race was going on. When that happens there is no way that the people can get in to their meeting place. I enjoyed God's presence when speaking, and it seemed to meet needs. Afterwards I talked with several, including a man who was in the process of divorce.

During the day we took some time to visit Lago Maggiore, a very "Italian" lake and island area. In fact, there are three islands. We chose to visit Isola Bella (Beautiful Island) where there was a large mansion and gardens that took up most of the island. I went through the amazing grounds and mansion with my mouth hanging open. We also had the best pizza I've ever had while sitting by the water. Too soon we had to take the ferry back to the mainland and back home, but not before we ate a "Gelato" together, that famous handmade Italian ice cream.

Later this evening I got with the staff of the church and talked about ideas and dreams they have. It was very profitable to find out so much from their hearts about the ministry here in Milan. We should support this young set of workers for Christ in such a lost city.

Figure 13 The best pizza I've ever eaten!

Figure 14 The Island Isola Bella

Home Again

The trip home was a no sleeper, as usual. This usually means that I am up for at least 24 hours, completely missing a day's sleep. I feel this more these days than I used to. I had some evangelistic experiences on the way, just as I did on the way to Milan. We will likely never know what sowing more seed on an airplane or on the streets of Mantova and Milan actually will result in. God is the Lord of the harvest. But for me and those believers in these cities, we are all determined to be persistent at it.

Overall, by God's grace I accomplished the goals I had for the trip. I wanted to see firsthand the work in Porto Mantovano and in Milan and to spend the necessary time to talk about plans and ideas with each pastor. I wanted to preach and teach and evangelize. I wanted to catch the vision of ministry in this needy place.

I cannot end without reminding you that you could make a difference in Italy if God were to lead you there. Few places are in as much need. Pray about it. Perhaps God has a new work for you!