August usually means “ A slow month” here, but…

Hello friends and supporters; Thank You for Praying!

Looks like summer is over and the rainy season is starting around here. And Etna has been showing her colors a bit too, with a few eruptions of the south side of the crater. We have been blessed to receive her volcanic sand all over our yard again!

August usually is a slow month with people going away for vacations. It is normal to see your favorite shop closed for the entire month, and the beaches and mountain retreats overflowing with people enjoying themselves.

Giuseppe was asked to preach at the local church in Ramacca where Antonio leads this small congregation of believers. And as always the church was full when a guest speaker is available to help. Eph. 6:21-24 was our topic for the evening.

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TO SEE A PDF REPORT WITH PICTURES CLICK HERE

GIUSEPPE AND PENNIE IN SICILY
2013

Dear Loved Ones,

Finally I can write you a report.

I take this opportunity to thank you all for praying for us and especially during very trying times too.

I did battle pneumonia in the States and was in remission when we left. We arrived March first to Belpasso to no heat in the house and a lot of red tape to deal with, from one office to another. After a week we finally had heat.

Had the opportunity to visit my parents, but they have failing health too. Dad is in a nursing home as I write and mom will follow soon. What I did not realize was that I was relapsing back to pneumonia and more. My doctor here was not happy with what he was hearing so he sent me for an X-ray to make sure that all is clear. I am finishing a series of shots that will clear up anything still in my body.

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TO SEE A PDF REPORT WITH PICTURES CLICK HERE

Mount Etna Volcano Continues to Erupt

A tourist town just outside of Catania has been covered in ash after Mount Etna volcano erupted again.

Giuseppe and Pennie shared with me the information on the further eruption of Mt. Etna. In an small town called Zafferana Etnea, which is a small tourist town in the province of Catania closer to the mountain it has a population of approximately 9,450 residents. The town on April 3rd suffered from the effects of the volcano which covered the little town with soot and ash leaving quite a large and toxic mess for the residents to clean up.

Please pray for these townspeople as they clean up by sweeping, trucks and other ways of scraping up the massive layers of soot from the streets, piazzas and sidewalks in the town.

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TO SEE A PDF REPORT WITH PICTURES CLICK HERE

SICILY UPDATE MAY 2013
1Timothy 1:3-11

Greetings everyone from Sicily. What seems a very long time, our internet is finally back up and we are able to send a report from Sicily.

As I am sure you already know Mt. Etna this year has been very active and has caused a lot of distress all around us. The ashes have fallen in a couple of towns and had even been reaching the mainland. So far we have counted up to 20 eruptions, but we are safe on the west side of it. Because of Mt. Etna, we go from 80 degree temperatures to 50 degrees in a matter of hours, fun, no wonder we have been ill. Aside from this we want to share what has been happening here since the last report.

The markets are going well and you can see the activities from a couple of our photos. Giuseppe was again was invited to preach in Ramacca at Pastor Antonio Guadagno’s church and Mario came to hear the message, the guy in the middle.

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TO SEE A PDF REPORT WITH PICTURES CLICK HERE

Outreach in Sicily – April 2013

Thank You Thank You for your prayers, words of love and encouragement, and financial support to our ministry here in Sicily and to us personally. God has been faithful and has seen fit to use us in furthering his love and gospel to the lost that live on our island.

Amy Stevens included Sicily in her 3-week European Tour and what a blessing she brought to us personally and to our American-Italian communities. Her flight arrived late into Catania, which meant once we picked her up at the airport, took her to her lodging where she had basically 15 minutes to refresh and change her clothes, she was jetted off to Chiesa Abundant Life, where God gave us such a blessed and unique experience worshipping in Italian and English! Her testimony and words of encouragement to this community of believers was overwhelmingly used 10-fold in each of those in attendance.

Friday – Saturday God used her at the Sigonella Naval Air station Chapel through song and testimony to once again remind each in attendance of God’s blessings, wisdom and truth in each of our lives. We had the opportunity to host the Giuseppe Murabito family at the service who then in turn, hosted us at their house for homemade schiaciata! Sicilian specialty bread filled with all kinds of yummy ingredients!

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TO SEE A PDF REPORT WITH PICTURES CLICK HERE

ITALY FOR CHRIST
PASTOR TRAINING AND GRADUATION
MILAN, 2013

My name is Pastor Rodinei Bueno, happily married and father of three children.

I am pastoring a church that together with IFC we have planted in the city of Brescia, located east of Milan.

I am 36 years old and have a perfect health. (Isaiah 53:5)

However – when I was 28 I was diagnosed with cancer LIONFOMA B-COM CD 20, located between my heart and lungs and in my kidneys.

I always walked in the ways of The Lord, never smoked or drank, and could not understand why me! Now I know that the reason was to be a living example that with God ALL IS POSSIBLE!

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TO SEE A PDF REPORT WITH PICTURES CLICK HERE

IN ALL WAYS, ACKNOWLEDGE HIM
MAY – 2013
WE WILL PRAY AND SERVE
(Matthew 10: 40-42)
Again we are so thankful and privileged to serve with you here in Sicily in expanding His Kingdom.

May started with Giuseppe still on meds for bronchitis, we are grateful to God that now he is doing much better and no more medicine is required. Praise the Lord.

With the help of some believers we are helping a local pastor in building him a lean to shed at his house.

At the same time we are holding the Italian men’s study at his house too. It is great to see the willingness of these believers to want to grow and to encourage them to share their faith in their community and to lend a helping hand when needed.

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TO VIEW THE REPORT WITH PICTURES CLICK HERE

MALTA REPORT 2013

It is always a joy to go to Malta and train, develop and encourage leaders whose main objective is evangelism and church planting!

Under the leadership of the country coordinator Edwin Caruana, we have completed our fourth conference and a year from now new leaders will complete the first Volume of the Equip training.

The majority of the leaders have a ministry that goes beyond Malta and reaches especially countries in North Africa where Islam is the main philosophy of life. This makes our investment in Malta even more meaningful.

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TO SEE A PDF REPORT WITH PICTURES CLICK HERE

JUNE 2013
Life Eternal – Sicily
Dear friends and prayer warriors,

By the time you receive this report you would have celebrated our Nations celebration on the Fourth of July with family, friends, and plenty of hot dogs and hamburgers with all the trimmings.

We are reminded of the liberty that we have because someone gave his life. With this I am reminded of our freedom we have from the condemnation of sin because of The One that gave His life so that we might have life, and life eternal.
Summer is finally here and it seems it is going to be a different summer than usual because of the weather changes, hot and then cold, so we will see. The volcano, Mt Etna has finally settled down a bit and has been silent and the only noticeable thing has been the white smoke from the top, so all is well.

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Hello guys here the report for May .
First of all thank you Betsy for the not so good news about our support, we will pray and serve still.
Matt 10:40-42
Again we are thankful and privileged to serve with you here in Sicily in expanding His Kingdom.
May started with Giuseppe still on meds for bronchitis, we are grateful to God that now he is doing much better and no more medicine is required .
With the help of some believers we are helping a local pastor in building him a lean to shed at his house (pics 1,2).

At the same time we are holding the Italian men’s study at his house too
( photo 3). It is great to see the willingness of these believers to want to grow and to encourage them to share their faith in their community.

We are still collecting clothes and food for the needy and this allows us to share the Word (photo 4).

The singles group that Giuseppe minister alongside with a brother from Texas is growing too. This past Tuesday they met at our house for a meal and study, again we see God’s hands at work in these young men’s lives ( photo 5,6).

Recently we received a blessing from a believer from Belgium , she has given us the use of her apartment in the town of Cefalu’ for a year where we can relax and regain strength and refuel. It is a two hour drive from Belpasso.
This has been a welcomed gift so we can allow ourselves to get away and spend sometime resting. By the way if you come and visit the apartment is available to you too.
This because you prayed.

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