December

The purpose of SBI is to transmit to our students a biblical view of God, a passion for the lost and a love for the church. We want to give our students a different kind of education. Sadly many American Christian college students have not been greatly exposed to the desperation of this lost world. It is something that almost everyone has knowledge of, but not something that most have had face to face experience with.

After five semesters of having students come through our doors, I have had the privilege and honor to watch students learn and grow in ways they never thought they would when they applied to come here. At the end of every semester we have a party and ask the students to share something that they learned or experienced during the semester. This semester one of our students shared that she had studied and learned more about the Bible in her three months here than her whole life in church and her time at a bible college. To me this answers the question... what are we doing here?.... We are here, I am here, to reach out to students in a way that most will not be reached while living and studying in the United States.

I have learned from the experience of studying in the States, that it is very easy to get caught up in the culture and life around you and forget about what God has planned for us. In the small town of San Lorenzo, students are taken from almost everything “normal” and put in a place where They have the opportunity to study the BIble under some amazing professors. They also have the opportunity to have a discipleship relationship with any number of us on staff. The biggest joy I have found in serving in this way, is watching a student struggle and learn and come to conclusions about a wide range of topics in their lives. As always I am sad to see the students leave, but I am excited to see what God has planned for their lives!

Much giving of thanks

Being that Thanksgiving is a purely American holiday, I have to laugh when people ask if Italians celebrate it. We do however use the holiday as an opportunity to share the Gospel. We invite a large portion of the English Language students, cook up the traditional turkey and all the trimmings. During the dinner the story of the First Thanksgiving is told, as well as a few testimonies from the ESL teachers, then the Gospel of Grace is clearly laid out for them. Then at the tables the conversations begin, people start asking questions and seeking to understand what it is that we were talking about. I have already heard reports of people asking about grace and what it means to be saved by grace alone, without works... I can’t wait to see what God has up His sleeve!!

Confessing our sins?

This last week we took our students to see Rome and Florence. These are cities filled with history and art older than the country of the United States. After visiting these cities a few times I have begun to see things beyond the normal touristy things. As we walked through St. Peters, the largest church in the world, I stopped and watched as people came in and out of the confessionals. These boxes where a priest sits and hears the confessed sins of the people. between the person and the priest there is a curtain of sorts so that during confession the priest does not know who is confessing. After hearing the confession the priest gives the individual penitence... things to do in order to be forgiven of their sins. Knowing the truth of Grace, and the fact that is is through faith we are saved not through works, and then watching these people confess their sins to a man that can really do nothing for them, breaks my heart. Please continue to pray for the people of Italy and for their salvation.

The Boyfriend meets the family....dundundun....:)

Leo and I were able to spend a week and a half with my family in Oregon. Two of my best friends got married and I was thankful to be able to attend the wedding. Our time in the States also included a week on the coast hanging out with my parents, grandparents, brother and friends. It gave them an opportunity to get to know Leo and for him to get to know them. The language barrier made for some adventures, but over all it went very well. I am so thankful for the time God allowed us to spend together and for the way He provided for us to be able to go.

Ministry Week Fall 2009

Every semester after the students take courses in Missions and Evangelism, we take them out into the streets and parks of Udine to put into practice what they learned in the classroom. For most of the students this is something they have never experienced. Some have gone on mission trips where they have built a house or taken medical supplies, but overall they have never gone out to the streets and done one on one sharing of the Gospel. Literally standing on a street corner and preaching the Gospel is something that is a foreign concept to almost every student that comes through our doors. With six students this semester they are getting an intense hands on experience, they are all getting the opportunity to share a Bible story with the children in the park, as well as participating in doing the mimes on the street. As a whole this is something very nerve wracking and scary, it forces people way way out of their comfort zone and do things that under normal circumstances. This week the students will be doing children's ministry in the parks, telling stories about Jesus and His gift of Grace. This also gives us the opportunity to talk to the parents about what we are teaching their children. After the children's park we head to the piazza where we do mimes and preach the Gospel. The main purpose of this week is not to evangelize the city of Udine, although that is a very nice benefit. Our purpose is to expose the students to something new, something that they can take back to their homes and use in their cities. Many students admit to having never shared the gospel with those around them. Some of them, when asked can't think of a close friend that is unsaved or unchurched. During this week, we are also able to have good conversations with students, as they realize that there are so many people around them that are lost and headed to hell. It is a reality that is hard to comprehend. I am looking forward to the conversations this week, and seeing what the students have learned. Please pray for boldness for the students as they evangelize this week. At the end of the week I will post pictures.