the mustard seed

Hi Everybody!

I'll give some quick updates since my last post.

1. Did not end up making it to Bovino last weekend. I'm still hoping for an opportunity to see these new friends...will have to wait til summer I think!
2. After LOTS of scheduling difficulties and drama, we are moving forward with our girls' breakfast/tea THIS SATURDAY for the young girls in our church. We will talk about Biblical Sexuality. Please pray for Tania, Marti and I as we prepare. You can't even imagine the questions we get...please pray for Sara. Her sexuality is the one thing keeping her from surrendering completely to Jesus. We want to have a deep, honest, fruitful time and establish support for these girls!
3. Heading out again this Friday to visit with the "treasures" on the streets. Pray I can re-connect with S and M and that God allows us to meet with girls outside "work hours."
4. Radio: I might have the chance to play some songs on an Italian radio show...connection through the buddhist son of a church member. Never know what God has in that! It's an answer to prayer as well because I am wanting to use my musical gifts despite feeling shy or busy....
5. Matilda. My lovely student Matilda's mom is dying. I don't know how much time she has, but there is no cure and she is at the end. Please pray that she may know Jesus and that God helps me to know how to support Matilda and her family...and the rest of my class when it "happens."

THE MUSTARD SEED

Recently I'd read story about a missionary in Ivory Coast. She would visit a remote village each month and pray for a crippled woman. Each time she returned to her town, she felt guilt and burden. Why couldn't she just say, "Get up and walk!"? Her faith was so small. This really tormented her. After much study and counsel, she was encouraged by the words of Jesus (Mt. 17:20): I say to you if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move!'" A few months later, she returned emboldened to the remote village. The crippled woman was not at her usual post! The missionary knocked on the door of the house. The crippled woman opened the door. She was walking! The missionary, astounded, asked what had happened. The lady explained that each time she had prayed for her, she felt a little better. But then her family would give her tribal medicine and chant demonic prayers over her, and she felt worse. She noticed the connection between her health and the missionary's prayers. One day when her family was enforcing their ritual upon her she said, "That's enough! I will walk in the name of Jesus!"

This story touched me to tears. So often I feel like this woman. I moved across the seas, and yet my faith is still SO SMALL. But even if I had the greatest faith in the world it would be small to the Lord. I can't impress Him. It's not about me. HE WORKS. With any offering. Last week my coworker Raffaella came to me as school started. "I need to talk to you," she said, "I think I need a Bible...I wanted to go to my priest but then thought, 'I'll talk to Allie.'" This was my mustard seed sprouting! I brought a Bible the next day with a daily devotional. She has been eating it up!! We haven't been able to talk much, but are organizing a time we can get together. I see her so open. Such a miracle. I love her more than anyone in Italy!!! God knows. God works. When I am weak. Then He is strong. Please keep Raffy in your prayers.

I'm sorry that I don't have time to recount so many stories. There is so much to say that my blog becomes very list-y. But know that God is working! Thank you so so so much for your love and prayers.

xo, A

trips! (overwhelmed).

Hi Everybody.

BUILDING UPDATE:
About the location request we had put in at the town hall. THANK YOU to everyone who prayed. My request now is: please continue to pray. In true Italian style, the meeting they were supposed to have months ago, was actually postponed on Friday. We don't know when they will actually assign spaces to different organizations that have made requests. Hopefully this month! It is hard to live with such a constant level of inefficiency. We pray to have a building in time for our Easter outreaches.

TRIPS:
A sudden rush of opportunities seemed to almost knock me over today when I had a moment this afternoon to look at my calendar, finances, time commitments. They look like this:

• Event in Puglia (Bovino) Feb 22 hosted by the Radio of my new friends I met last month...my room-mate Tania and friends Olga and Nina said they would all go and make a road-trip of it!
• Women in Ministry Conference in France the following week (Feb 28-Mar 1)...to go I need to register/buy ticket asap and re-schedule my Biblical sexuality event here at church.
• April 31-May 1 All-Italy Calvary Chapel Church retreat. A time of unification and growth I hope.
• May 30-June 1 is a Human Trafficking ministry training in Tuscany. My team here in Rome has been invited to participate and it would be very important for me to go. I need God to move in my bosses heart to give me the Friday off. 
• My friend Livia and her mom have asked me to find a weekend we can go to the Marche region together to visit their family. They have invited me so many times and I would love to be able to go and invest more in this sweet family!
• Visitors--I also have various requests from friends to come visit starting June. Need wisdom in organizing time.
• We are also hoping to plan a church retreat just for us in June. Lots to organize for that.
• Of course: I have a big trip to Seattle coming up April 19-27 for my brother Ian's wedding.

When I am gone a weekend, it creates problems in that I could miss Friday night (Bible study/Schiavitù Mai Più) ministry or Sunday night (children's ministry at church). I need wisdom to decide what to say yes/no to. It also is difficult not to rest from work or have time to do lesson planning. Please pray that I can hear the Lord's will on these things!

SAN VALENTINO

A little reminder to pray for us this Friday as we hit the streets to minister to the "treasures." We are bringing special valentines treats. BIG NEWS: our team has purchased the cell phone we hoped for to make contacts with the girls. Pray now that we will have opportunity to use it! 

STUDENTS

A little prayer for my students and the various behavior/learning problems would be much appreciated. I need Jesus to help my heart stay calm and full of love. I need energy and creativity.

Thank you!

1st pic: friends Olga and Nina walking downtown in glorious Roman SUN. 2nd pic: Shepherds and sheep behind me while waiting for bus from work.

tomorrow.

Hello!

I wanted to send out a quick prayer request. Tomorrow (Friday) we are supposed to hear from the town hall about a request we made a year ago to use a public building as our church meeting place. Please pray God moves in the hearts of those at the Comune di Frascati to give us a place where we can have space to expand out of our house-church phase and be more of a presence in the community!

Also: Keep in prayer our Schiavitù Mai Più outing on Valentine's Day. We are preparing soaps and cookies as something special for the girls. M and S are particularly on my heart. Pray God moves them closer to Himself. I am concerned that I didn't see S on the streets last week (a strange thing to say but...).

Plus: March 1 we will be hosting a girls tea to discuss Biblical Sexuality. This has already been a hot topic for 2 of the young girls in our church and I. Please pray for Marti (my friend I've asked to help share) and I as we prepare and that the girls are enlightened to live honoring the Lord with their bodies-minds-souls.

And finally: We have set March 20 as the date we will present the documentary NEFARIOUS on global sex-trafficking here in Frascati at the town hall. Pray that many people come and are informed, and ultimately open to the Gospel. Pray for wisdom and energy in the organization of this.

Thanks!! Love to all.
x

passi avanti

Hi! Hope 2014 is treating everyone well.

I've been busy back at work. If I can even say--been enjoying the calm that a nasty virus going around has brought me. I had to stay home from work last Friday. I also have had very few students this week. I am sorry that we are all sick, but it has given me more time with certain students which is a blessing.

UPDATES

The sex-trafficking ministry I work with, Schiavitù Mai Più, had a training session last week. We saw 6 women come interested but I don't know if any will actually come out with us in the end. Part of me is ok with that because the faster our Rome team grows, the sooner I will be branching out nearer the area where I live with a new team. I want more time in Rome. I'd like to at least make it to a certain point. Make a 'friend'. I was sick last Friday but apparently S. (one of the girls I LOVE) asked about me. Please pray with me that I can reach the coffee-date point with her. If you want to know more about our procedure, you can email me. Suffice it to say we are now researching a good mobile phone plan to have for the team so we can use it to make appointments with girls as that develops. For many safety reasons we cannot use our personal phones or go by ourselves to meet girls. Anyway, keep praying for all of this--the personal relationships we are forming (mainly Romanian girls--the new area I will eventually start will be mostly Nigerian), the European prostitution laws, and the future of our ministry.

Related to this in a roundabout way are general issues of sexuality, self-esteem, sexual purpose and value, virginity, marriage...I have been asked by the Albano girls to do an event for them discussing Biblical sexuality. They have a lot of questions. So many problems are preventative. It is important to work on prevention as a church instead of always striving to clean up messes once they've blown out of proportion. Pray for this! Thank God for the spiritual growth of these sweet girls. Pray for me and Marti (the friend I've asked to help) as we prepare.

I am getting closer with my coworker Olga. Seeing her tonight. Pray I can speak Truth and love her as God would desire.

Today Pastor Robert and I went to open a bank account for our non-profit. Side-note: please pray for me as I will take over the 'accounting' sphere of our association. Not my strong suit even in English. Anyway, once again God divinely orchestrated things so that the lady helping us opened up to us about how she can't have children and is encountering lots of obstacles in her adoption applications here in Italy. She started crying. We prayed for her right there at the office! She is SUCH a sweet lady and is open to visiting our Bible studies. Praise Jesus for Pasqualina.

Blogs. I've started a new blog carrying out themes from my book. I've also started an Italian version. Great 2014 goals. But so far they've been really hard to keep up. Pray that I can keep these up if they are a good idea.

SUMMER

I've purchased my flight for SEATTLE this April 19-27 (my brother's wedding). If you are in the area I hope to see you! I am also planning on being in LA (mostly) at some point mid-July to end of August. I have already lots of requests for visitors both in LA and here in Italy the end of August/beginning of September. Pray that all plans work out according to God's heart. Besides resting and being with family and friends, I hope to make more church connections and spread the word about what God is doing here!

Thanks for all your love and support.
Allie

Giulia & I x

a new year

THE HOLIDAYS
I really don't know where to start in "counting" my blessings. This year ended in such a sweet way. I spent a wonderful few days making and eating African food with my pastor's family over Christmas. I wonder at how easily they have accepted me as family, and vice versus. Our church events were small in number, but sweet nonetheless. I spent the perfect New Year's with an eclectic group of Irish-American-Italian-Iraqi friends and watched Rome on fire(works) from the top of the city. Last week I visited Bracciano, a stunning lake-town north of Rome. I toured the castle and imagined what life had been like as an Odescalchi Lady (the castle has a room dedicated to women because apparently one of the Ladies defended the castle from invaders one year...). I also understand why Tom Cruise got married there :) And perhaps most importantly, I visited the small town in Puglia where my great-grandfather came from when he took a boat to America at age 19. This was incredibly special and a trip I got to experience with my dear uncle Charlie who has inspired me with his motto: "Talk to everybody." You never know what can happen in Italy! Pray for my uncle Charlie to know Jesus. Pray for my connection with this town, Bovino, and all of the wonderful people I met. I know there is a reason. Stories that are unfinished.

RETURN TO ROUTINE
I am back to taking the bus. Teaching my lovely students. Going to bed "early." Hosting Bible Study. Visiting my "girls" on the streets....

No big news. Needing time, love, and energy to invest in my relationships right now....

NEXT YEAR

I have however made a decision about next year. I have yet to discuss issues with my boss because the school is its usual chaos this week, but I have decided to continue with the job next year as long as I get the same contract/class. I have decided this because #1 I realized I had NO TEAM behind the coffee bar project, or rather, that it had fallen apart, #2 Financial stability, #3 Continued ministry opportunity with my colleagues. Honestly, I am still open to things changing, but the project is too big for me. I have decided that the concept will still be relevant when we finally get a location for our church. We can do weekly coffee-houses and go from there. This way I can devote more time to Schiavitù Mai Più. I am still in need of revelation, confirmation, direction, inspiration, calling...here. I want to be fruitful. Please continue to pray for my church, ministry, neighbors, friends, coworkers, students, a church building, possibility of getting a license/car, and direction for the future.

Be still my soul!

Thank you. A very happy new year to you! Thanking God that He continues to give us life and breath.

Allie

Below: Bracciano (castle), Me in front of my great-grandfather's childhood home.

trusting He rewards those who diligently seek Him...

"O LORD, Teach me to seek you and reveal yourself to me when I seek you. For I cannot seek you unless you first teach me, nor find you unless you first reveal yourself to me. Let me seek you in longing, and long for you in seeking. Let me find you in love and love you in finding."
Ambrose of Mila

christmas & important info for the new year!

Merry Christmas Dear Family & Friends!

Here I am about to pass my first Christmas without family and I must say I am missing you all. Frascati is full of festive spirit with Christmas markets, lights, and street performers. Rome is even more spectacular. So far, I am enjoying my 2-week break, which will include visiting Bracciano Lake district and heading south to find some relatives when my uncle comes. We have our citizenship through my great grandfather born in a small Puglian town, Bovino, so we are heading on an adventure to discover our roots!

This year has been full. I’ve seen my students through a 2nd year, and formed new and deeper relationships with my coworkers. I’ve been teaching Sunday school, serving in hospitality and secretarial capacities at church as well as hosting Tuesday night Bible studies and attending Friday nights. I’ve been busy with an anti-sex trafficking ministry in Rome called Schiavitù Mai Più, seeking to move prostitutes off the streets and into the arms of Jesus. Not a dull moment! And all by God's grace and your love, prayers, and financial sacrifices.

THE BIG DECISION

As the year comes to an end, I want to reflect on the reasons why I believe God called me here. I don’t want to just assume things are going right or that I should stay here or keep doing what I’m doing year after year. I want to stay tuned to His Spirit. That said, I have a big decision to make by the 2^nd week of January. My boss has requested that I inform her whether or not I would like a teaching position next year. Honestly, it has been a very stressful place to work and I feel that my inflexible schedule inhibits some other ministry I would like to do. Conversely, the love I receive from my students is very special and I know I would miss them and my coworkers.

Here is the alternative. While many things pull my heart to yearn for 'home' in the States, I don't think my time here in Italy is finished. I have been praying together with some other missionaries about starting a coffee shop, and have already had an encouraging meeting with an accountant! I do not come from a business background, but this project sounds stimulating and worth trying if the Lord is really inspiring us. The ideas are these:

1) To have a living-room like place with tables to sit (not common in Italian coffee shops), play games, talk, eat American treats (bagels, muffins, things can't get elsewhere)....

2) To have a place that will host events for community such as: English courses, sewing classes, cooking classes, music lessons, lectures, concerts, open mics and more.

3) To have a place young people can go to stay out of trouble, and be met by Christian staff who can build bridges between them and God/the church.

Our non-profit would need to pay at least 2-3 salaries (the baker, barista, cashier), but my manager type role would be covered by full mission support. This is something I am interested in starting and potentially handing over full time to the Italian team that will be with me. I want to commit one year to this. We would be spinning off of some other models and using volunteer help, but it gives me great joy to know I could have created a job for even one person in a country of very poor economics.

In the new year, we will meet again with the accountant to get an estimation of costs. Roughly, I am estimating 50,000€ start-up costs for the first year, not including paid salaries (rather rent, furnishing, utilities, supplies). This is a discovery stage. We will move forward until God slaps the door in our faces, at which point I will be more than happy to do something else--including staying at my current job! 

However, because of the time constraint on my own job situation, I would ask you to pray about personally sponsoring me in this year, starting next summer. Also, if you have any insight into raising funds for a project like this, I would love to hear from you! Either way, I am taking pledges now, to have an idea and help inform my decision as finances are PART of the equation.

I ask you, as people who have faithfully prayed for me the past 16 months, to pray and seek the Lord with me on this next step. I trust that the Lord will speak to us all. Let me know what God reveals to you as you pray. If I get continued confirmation, I will step out in faith, and you will receive an invitation to donate to the cafè on "KickStarter." If not, God is good and I will continue another year at the school! Or whatever else God has in mind.

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! 

Jesus, the amazing God wrapped in flesh, is the hope that makes this weary world rejoice. Still. 2000 years later. Praise the Lord! 

Lots of love from Italy. 
Allie

 Above: church Christmas dinner next to a table of Croatian priests-in-training singing Croatian folk songs! I was very proud of the 4 Albano girls and Tania--our dramatic presentation went SO well and the church was blessed!

 Above: my faithful little Lorenzo (4) and I making baby Jesus/mangers on Christmas Sunday at 'Sunday School'...

Above: some pomegranate cheese I admired at the Christmas markets...