Italian Souls for Christ

Tomorrow morning is the end of deputation. We present our call and need for the gospel in Italy at Coastline Baptist Church in Oceanside, California before heading to a supporting church in Las Vegas in the evening and then on to our home-base in Dayton, Ohio.

The mission conference at Coastline is a great way to finish our pre-field ministry. At various times during the services this week Pastor Steve Chappell has emphasized how the love of Christ and His word should motivate us to reach out to others in an effort to connect them with God through the person of Jesus Christ. His gracious spirit and obvious love of God and people has been refreshing and an encouragement as we prepare to leave for the mission field.

For several years now we have traveled back and forth across this country raising financial support. Coastline is one of many great churches that we have had the opportunity to visit along the way. We have so much to be thankful for over the past couple years… great supporting churches, souls saved, family memories, new friendships, exposure to various ministries, safe travels, seeing the beauty of America, and so much more. However, I’m glad it’s finally over. It will be so nice for my family to have stability and consistency again.

Pearl has spent much of her life in a car seat. It broke our heart as we were driving a few weeks ago to hear her implore, “I want to play in the yard now, please. I want to play in the yard Mommy, please.” Obviously we look forward to being where God has called us to, but in addition it will be so nice for Pearl to spend some time with grass under her feet and no car seat to constrain her little body for days at a time. It will also be nice for Isaiah not to have to carry his toys in a plastic container from place-to-place and sleep in a different bed multiple times in a week. The other day we were driving and he said, “Daddy, I’m home-sick.” I tried to deflect this reasonable statement by saying, “Home-sick? We’re in California. It’s beautiful here.” He replied, “I’m not talking about Ohio necessarily Daddy. I’m home-sick for a home.” Yes, we’ve been blessed but we’re ready for deputation to be over. We’re ready for a home in Italy.

While traveling the country raising our financial support to live and minister in Italy I have heard a lot of opinions as to when a missionary should leave for the field. Some folks are more dogmatic than others on this subject. I heard a guest preacher at one conference say something like, “I don’t like to hear a missionary tell what percentage of support they’ve raised. Why don’t they leave for the mission field on 30% and trust God to provide their needs?” I’ve heard similar opinions expressed in various ways but each has seemed to call into question the missionary’s willingness to live by faith if he waits to receive 100% support before leaving America to minister in the country of God’s calling.

The timing of when another missionary leaves for the foreign field is not for me to judge. You can find both success and failure stories to support whatever position you decide to take in the matter. I personally hold to Paul’s exhortation of “Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind” (Rom. 14:5), and I for one am fully persuaded as to what the Lord would have me to do. I also recognize that since the Holy Spirit does not use a “cookie-cutter” approach when dealing with individuals, that the path the Lord has led me to take is not necessarily the right path for another.

Determining the amount of financial support needed to live and minister in Italy was not a flippant decision on my part. I prayed and sought God’s direction as well as heeded the admonition given in Proverbs, “Where no counsel is the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellers there is safety.” I asked counsel of my pastor, my service agency, as well as other missionaries. I considered the needs of my family, the expense of living and ministering in Italy, the decreasing value of the dollar, the inevitableness of churches dropping support, among other things. I feel the monetary amount determined was not only reasonable and prudent but led of God. So if I was led of God, and not just pulling a figure out of the air, why would I go over on anything less?

Waiting on God is not a lack of faith. Acting before God reveals His will is not faith but foolishness. I chose to quit my job as an engineer nearly two years ago to begin full-time deputation because I was impressed by the Spirit of God that it was time to do so, even though we didn’t have enough income from missions support to pay our bills at the time. God provided for all of our needs. I believe if I had quit my job before the Lord gave me peace (e.g., before His timing) then we would have been in dire straits financially. In the same regard, if we left for the field before the Lord gave me peace to do so I believe it would be detrimental to what we are trying to accomplish in Italy. Perhaps we would have to return after a short time to raise more support or have been limited in our outreach, etc. Spiritual discernment in these matters is paramount and I would rather be led of God than pressured by some of the brethren.

After praying about it and talking it over with Sandy and my pastor, I believe the time for us to leave for Italy is December 27th of this year. I’m trusting that all, if not most, of our financial support will be met through past meetings as well as those we have scheduled through October. We will be applying for our visas in early November and then I will be flying to Italy later that month to secure an apartment. Isaiah and Pearl will be able to spend one more Christmas with family and then two days later we will fly to Italy to begin a new life and ministry in reaching Italian souls for Christ. There is nothing in the world like living by faith and walking in the light that God gives you, and we are excited about the Lord’s call upon our lives to Italy.

“Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:24