july update

Thanks so much for praying for me this month! It's been a blessing to have a flexible schedule without work, and I am seeing the Lord answer prayer.

Lately I have been able to:

• Meet up with the 4 girls (2 groups of sisters ages 17-21) from Albano. It ended up being a short time, but sweet and we are planning a beach day in August.
• Meet up with Marti and Danny...missionary friends doing a church plant in a neighboring town. We hope to do a lot of collaborating between our churches. Such an encouragement!
• Scheduled a get together with Lorenza and the kids next Thursday! This was her idea so I'm super encouraged and going with it...I ask for lots of prayer because she is quite an intimidating person and carries a lot of pain.
• Today I had lunch at Monica and Bruno's. It was really good. They are very open about problems in their 7 year long relationship and understand the need to get married, but there is a lot of fear and dysfunction in their hearts and home. Pray for them! I also got to chat a bit in the beginning with 20 yr old daughter Erica and boyfriend Matteo. They are so sweet and I know Erica suffers a lot from her mom's manic-depression, and she is far from God. I got her number today so pray we can connect more!
• Tonight I am headed off for the FIRST time to a zone in Rome that is heavy with prostitution. The group I am connected with (been on the prayer team since they started in March) has mainly met Eastern Europeans...though apparently Chinese prostitution is growing here and the Nigerian group is well-established. Pray for safety as we talk to these women, and wisdom for me as I ask God how He wants me to be involved when they start up again at the end of summer. We want to offer hope and freedom and healing in Jesus.
• Been spending lots of time with Tania as she is home studying for exams. Please pray that God reveals Himself to her, that she knows His love, that she makes some critical decisions in her life according to His will!
• We had a wonderful basketball game with the youth last week!! Leo, Giulia's 17 yr old brother came. We love him so much and pray for his salvation!! We have another basketball game scheduled with the youth July 17, before Leo leaves for Florida to improve his English. Pray for our youth that they grow strong in the Lord. Tania had a really hard/good talk with Moira who is apathetic about her life and full of anger in a very passive way. I talked to Elijah about worry and anxiety. Giulia is enjoying popularity...I think with her cancer she just wants to fit in, but is drawn by the world.

The rest....

• Dinner with Livia (21 yr old pastry chef friend) fell through because she ended up going out of town...hoping to re-connect before I leave.
• I am really hoping to connect with Fation before I leave but I know he is studying for exams and I'm not sure how to reach out to him.... 
• Also hoping to get together with Melinda, the young woman attending my Tuesday night community group. 

Everything else has pretty much been on hold for when I return. The Bible study in my home on Tuesdays has been growing really well. We had another new lady last week, a single mom from Cameroon. We also had Ivano (friend from church in Rome) come out to add to our male group! Zenovia has not returned (our neighbor)....we continue to pray for all these things. Baptism coming up soon!

I was able to visit the medical offices here (something I could never do during work hours) and register officially with a doctor. God was gracious and it went so smoothly! Sometimes I get nervous doing these things by myself. But God is always before me! I know He is helping me with language and I've been able to study a bit, and get out more in Frascati.

BIG THANKS to everyone who has been so welcoming and accommodating regarding my upcoming US trip! I feel blessed to know such wonderful people and am really looking forward to seeing you all. Expect a blog next week with my schedule.

xo, Allie

Below: local bubble-man in town square; Tania and I on a midnight passeggiata to get gelato :)

july

Well I've finished with work!! I can't tell you the sensation I have knowing I will not be leaving early for work tomorrow. I take it as a great gift from God, this month of freedom.  I just ask for wisdom to know how to schedule my time. Also for energy and confidence with Italian language.

I want to take a moment to thank Jesus for bringing me through quite an interesting and difficult year of work, for teaching me a lot, and loving me gently througout.

Some things on my July to-do list:
(please pray for prioritizing and for God to be glorified in all of my friendships here)

• Going to lunch at Monica's (manic-depressant church lady with 20 yr old daughter Erica, not Christian).
• Meeting up with Livia again.
• Going to the beach or rock-climbing with my random group of guy friends (not Christian): Fation, Roberto, Alessandro?
• Having Alberto and room-mates over for dinner.
• Meeting together for our discipleship group Marco, Michelangelo, Tania, Me. We didn't manage in June because of our schedules. I'm up next to share. Pray that God moves and knits us together!
• Sleepover: I want to take Lorenza's kids for the night to give her a break. Pray she accepts the idea!
• Hanging out with Veronica, Sara, Valeria and Claudia--the young girls (16-21) from our Albano Biblestudy. They are so precious and so broken and in need of Jesus and encouragement.
• Meeting up with my American friend Marti who is planting a church in a neighboring town with her husband...just to encourage one another!
• Getting together with my colleagues for dinner.
• Daily study of Italian. Ask God to anoint my tongue, my mind. I need to improve!
• Do my 1st street visit with the prostitute ministry I am hoping to be more involved with in Rome.

Other church and personal requests remain:

• We continue to have TUESDAY NIGHT Bible Study in my home. Pray for more men. Pray for those getting plugged in: Matteo, Melinda, Concetta, Jenny (Hilda is out of town for while), and for our neighbor Zenovia (not a Christian) who joined us for the first time last week!!
• This month we will have a baptism for Laura (sister of Lorenza) and Paolo and Simona and whoever else....
• Please continue to pray for our church leadership (wisdom and grace) and the spiritual maturity of all members. Praise God my sunday school lessons have been going ok!
• Personally I feel a great insecurity about sharing my faith right now. Pray for the Lord to reveal himself to me, and help me to love, believe, live and communicate effectively.
• TOMORROW we will have a basketball match and dinner with Moira, Elijah, Giulia (our youth kids) and Leo (Giulia's unsaved 17 yr old brother). Pray that these kids are ignited with the love and knowledge of God. Pray for healing from Giulia's cancer. Pray for Moira who failed her classes this year and will be held back for the 2nd time. Pray for Elijah who is struggling with not having many friends.

USA TRIP

I will write further detailing my CA-OR-WA itinerary. But since some of you have already asked, I'll write a brief sketch here:

July 26-August 4 Los Angeles
August 4-10 Sunriver
August 10-16 Seattle
August 16-18 Los Angeles

During my first week in LA I have a wedding and an event for my book. I am thrilled to be able to make it to Rhetoric 2013 this year in Long Beach if anyone wants to join! Looking forward to spending time with family and friends. I'll be seeing my parents' new home in Seattle which will be quite a change! Not certain about my car or cell phone situation, but I will update here as soon as these things are hammered-out. It's gonna fly by but I am SOOO looking forward to seeing your faces! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your prayers and support.

Love, Allie (sorry I don't have any pics!!)

of prodigals and prayers

Tonight was amazing. It was a combination of:

• Excitement to finally see growth in the Frascati Tuesday night community group!
• Tania re-joined the group after many months...
• God specifically spoke in ways that answered a year of prayers (even prayers of Pastor Robert and I just yesterday!) through a new lady coming, Concetta, and Robert was given the opportunity to elaborate on some really pertinent truth for both Matteo and Tania who were present. The love and grace of God was demonstrated.
• Melinda, a young 30-something single, raised-in-Christian-home but confused etc. woman came again for the second time.

Continue to plead with God with us for the hearts and lives of our church members in all 3 community groups: Colleferro, Albano and Frascati. Pray for 13 yr old Giulia who is sick again with fever. Ask God to heal her cancer. Also 16 year old Moira is sick and will be held back from school a 2nd year. Pray for Monica who needs to trust Jesus with her life and not fear making the right decisions regarding the boyfriend she has. Ask God to guide. Comfort to Laura. More men to come to faith....

Next Monday at my house will be the monthly dinner/accountability prayer time with Marco, Michelangelo and Tania...we are the '20-somethings' of the church. We've started taking turns testifying/confessing of what God is doing in our lives. Tania shared powerfully last time. I will go next. Please pray for me that I hear from the Lord and that each of us continues to be honest before God and each other and seeks to know and live for Him.

Thankful for my American friend Heather who let me crash at her place when I got stuck in Rome Saturday night. Public transport has been SO frustrating these weeks. So uncertain. Thankful.

I had a great time with Livia last week. We are already making plans to see each other again next week. I adore her. She told me of her dreams to move to America in the fall to look for work. I'm bummed to see her go, but also excited at the possibility for her. Anybody looking to sponsor an Italian pastry chef for a visa??

I am wrapping up the school year this week. Then I teach one week of summer school and July welcomes summer! Please ask the Lord to give me grace, humility and love for my boss, colleagues and students. Specifically for Raffaella--I need wisdom, boldness and opportunity to speak more openly with her (& Maison!) about Jesus. PRAISE Jesus for my precious precious students and how much love I have received from them this year. What a year it's been.

xo

watermelon gelato = best thing ever

community

Community. I spoke with Robert about how we can foster deeper community between our home groups spread out among the Castelli. We want to be sharing life together in a Biblical way. We want the believers to make personal applications to what we are studying. Continue to pray this prayer with us. Maturity and filling of the Spirit. Communion with God and Man.

Association: in final paperwork! Huge blessing: this lawayer is a Christian and would not charge us. We plan on using the money we set aside for our new tracts!

Livia. Meeting up with her this Wednesday finally! Praying for a wonderful, intentional, open time with her. May she (and family) hunger for Christ.

Fation. Don't really know how he's doing. Continue to pray for him and family (mom who tried to kill herself etc.). If you look 5 pictures down on the right side of the blog there is an old photo with me, Alessandro, Roberto and Fation...continue to lift these friends up. Salvation!

Tania. Continue to pray for her. For wisdom, diligence, healthy communication, healing. Praise God for growth.

Matteo. He came to our Bible study last week! He has so much to learn but seems very earnest as a new Christian. Pray for his body, mind and heart and that Robert can support him well.

Lorenza. On Friday she asked me again about tutoring her in English. I have NO TIME in June but told her I would love to in July. Pray for this, and that ultimately I can encourage her in her faith. Also, Sunday we had GIULIA'S dedication. It was a joyous event bringing most of our 3 Bible study groups from Frascati/Roma-Albano-Colleferro together! Lorenza gave a testimony to how the Lord transforms and how His love is faithful when ours isn't. She wants to raise her children in the Lord, 'with pride' she said. I cried.

Veronica, Sara, Claudia, Valeria. These are my precious 16-21 year old girls from the Friday night Bible study. V & S have been coming regularly again. Please pray that the love of Jesus becomes real, vibrant and personal to heal and transform! Pray I can get together with them in the coming weeks.

Visitors. It's been SO sweet having Stephanie visit in the beginning of May and Brittany and Marc just recently. Thankful for my amazing friends who catch the vision for what God is doing here and came all this way to spend time with me!

Book. My new book for women, The Wall, is available on Amazon (paperback and Kindle). Feel free to spread the word! Thankful for this project...am already receiving feedback. Need wisdom on how to respond to ministry from this book. http://www.amazon.com/The-Wall-Conversation-Single-Women/dp/1432795120/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370297499&sr=8-1&keywords=Allison+Raven+The+Wall

Thanks for your love and prayers. God is sustaining in ALL THINGS.

PS, check out this gorgeous hymn I sang at St. Frances' Basilica in Assisi last week! http://www.mljmusic.com/Portals/0/Lyrics/Gather%20us%20In.pdf

'Not in the dark of buildings confining, not in some heaven light years away, but here in this place the new Light is shining, now is the Kingdom, now is the day! Gather us in and hold us forever. Gather us in and make us Your own! Gather us in all peoples together--fire of love in our flesh and our bones.'

Below: Steph & I in  Assisi, 3 pics of Giulia's dedication @ new Christian Paolo's home, Brittany & I at Frascati park.

tesori

In Italian 'tesoro' means 'treasure'. It can also be an endearing name like 'honey' in English. On Sunday I was teaching about Mary the mother of Jesus in Sunday School (interesting especially since Eli brought a Catholic friend!). This morning I was with my students thinking of Luke 2:19 that says, 'And Mary treasured up all of these things and pondered them in her heart'. I know I wrote about this a few months ago too, but it still touches me. Sometimes treasuring feels a bit like hoarding. We don't know how to love and let go. But I am learning this, this freedom. I am thankful for the countless moments that no parent will ever ever get to see...only me. The teacher. And I find that God fills my days with treasures, those that don't rot and rust and destroy: for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Just a thought for the day.

Some prayer updates:

CHURCH tracts/location/association: Thanks to those of you who asked about giving toward our gospel tract fund! What a blessing. We are still waiting to hear from the city offices and our lawyer regarding available church location/signing associating contract. Italy....

CHURCH people: Lorenza (single mom) has a sister Laura who has recently given her life to the Lord and is growing a lot. Think that when I first arrived in Italy she was trying to kill herself. We are thankful for her growth and for Paolo (another new believer) and for Simona, Sara, Veronica (daughter/grandkids) of Anna who attends the Albano study. They are not believers but are becoming open and hosted the study at their house last week! Baby Giulia will be dedicated in June as well as a baptism at the end of the month! The Colleferro study (which I don't attend) is really growing and maturing as well. Praise God. Giulia--the 13 yr old with cancer--has had fever for 3 days and her mom is taking her to the hospital tomorrow. We saw each other tonight and she was in tears. Continue to pray for healing. Praise God also that for once I felt I taught a somewhat smooth lesson in Italian last Sunday!

WORK: Still lots of chaos. It will be like this til the end of June. Anyway, please pray I can be a good witness and not succumb to the dysfunction or attitudes around me or in my own flesh! Pray I have energy to balance all I have going on this month with work, church, visitors, etc....

FRIENDS: In our monthly meeting, Tania Marco & Michi have decided to take turns giving testimonies of what God is doing now in our lives. Tania started last night. It was a really big deal that she open up about her past and present with her brothers and I'm really thankful at God's transforming work. It was a sweet time. Continue to pray for these--going against stream always for their faith. Also, I hung out with Fation last week and he said his mom had tried to kill herself. Home continues to be turbulent. He and his family need Jesus.

Thanks so much and love to all.
Allie

At coffee with friends sunday morning we witnessed this elderly lady pulling a basket of goods up through the window on rope from the top floor. That's one way to do get your groceries!

sono grata (i am thankful)

I know it's not November. But I am giving thanks. Like, really, intentionally. I'm thankful for this lesson God is teaching me. A few days ago I arrived home exhausted, frustrated, feeling manipulated and half-Christian...I was thinking about all of the bad things from that day. Then the Holy Spirit stopped me. I began to recount the GOOD things. Because--believe it or not--there were quite a few: Remember Mario your coffee barista who gave you a muffin he made at his house? Then you arrived at school and the twins gave you 'flowers' they made out of napkins? Then Azzurra's mom gave you SUCH a nice compliment. And Raffa is such a great colleague to work with.... I started to write these things down on little post-it notes. I put them up in the kitchen; a section for me, and one for Tania. It is fostering a new spirit of thankfulness in our hearts...and I am thankful. The Lord is gracious.

Three big praises:

TANIA. Only a few hours after writing my last newsletter last Sunday, Tania and I had a good talk and I see some great fruit of 'transformation.' This is a work only the Lord can do. Thanks for your prayers. Continue to pray for love and wisdom on my part. May we love and follow Jesus always.

BOOK. Haven't written about this in some time, but my book, 'The Wall,' will be out by the end of the month. This is really exciting and a long time in coming. You will be able to purchase it (before I get a copy, no doubt, with the Italian postal system) on Amazon. Details to come ladies.

TRACTS. Thanks to my amazing German friends Dorit and Stephan Spielau in Gorlitz, I was able to get translated (from German to English to Italian--what a process!) some really awesome gospel tracts with our church information. Stephan designed them and they are really relevant and engaging. We are so thankful and excited to get some printed. Praying for funding (around €300).

Other requests still stand...friends (Fation, Roberto, Alberto, Erica), church family (Monica, Lorenza, Concetta-new), colleagues (Raffa, Iram, Peter, Annamaria, Maison, Ruhma), etc. We are still hoping to sign our Association contract to become an official NGO this week (the church). We are also hoping to hear this week about a location for our church to meet (praying the county gives us one--they are deciding). Praying for Matteo (new convert) to get plugged into church. Praying that my boss does not require me to work in July.

Thanks! Remember to be saving some time for visits the first week of August for those in LA! Looking so forward to it. xo

Me and baby Giulia before church. I love this girl so much it hurts.

MAYhem

'No one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.' From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. 'You do not want to leave too, do you?' Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.' John 6

This morning I am thinking about the Lord's faithfulness. Every time I meet new people, the first question is, 'WHY DID YOU LEAVE AMERICA!?' Italians have a very idyllic view of the States. And much of it is true. On a human level, I can't explain it. Who in there right mind would leave the best family, friends, church, home, job, comforts anyone could ask for?! But I echo Peter: where else could I go? It doesn't matter where I am as much as WHO I am with, and that I live for Him. There is another thing that Jesus said that is also hard. The enabling. I need Him to open the eyes and hearts of people around me. I need to see miracles. The hardness of hearts is such a dark reality. Please pray with me that God opens eyes and reveals Himself to my friends here. Pray that they would follow Him for His glory to be exalted in this region!!

UPDATES:

Fation & Roberto: Yesterday I spent time with them at Fation's birthday. It was a crazy group of drinking people. Alllll kinds of people. I felt so THANKFUL that God kept me safe and gave me some great conversations with people (personally because I'm shy and limited in Italian) and that I am able to know and love them. It is hard though. They need Jesus so very badly. Please pray for them and Andrea, Alessandro, Lele, Federica, Niccolò that I got to know particularly last night.

Erica. Haven't seen her again but hoping to reconnect with her, and maybe get back to the house to see Monica (mom) as well....

Livia. Is starting a full time restaurant job this week so we are still working out our schedules to get together. Please pray that we can work things out though because she is so smart and precious and different than many people I know here. I want her and her family to love Jesus!!

Lorenza. She is going through ups and downs always as a single mom and because of choices she's made. I don't know how to help, but I am hoping to take her kids a bit when I am done with work in June!!

Tania. Continue to pray that she listens to the Lord and that I can be used in her life for boldness and truth.

WORK: Basically tons of drama and manipulation. Please pray I can be a person who doesn't gossip, who does my job well and respects my boss. Pray for integrity and respect among staff. My boss is highly unorganized and uses certain staff members in manipulative ways. Please pray for a peaceful, professional working environment. I am still renewing my contract one more year. I am praying to move up a level with my current students. Pray for God's will in my role at this school.

I often breeze through a week thinking, 'How did I get through THAT?' And can only say the Lord is very very gracious and your prayers are heard!! Thank you so much for your love and prayers.

xo

My class on a fieldtrip at a farm about to make bread from fresh wheat! Loved this Italian lady who taught them :)