Do I believe that God has called us to Italy? YES! Do I have a responsibility to obediently pursue it? YES! Is it my job to get us there? NO! God is the One who is orchestrating all things in our lives to make that happen. Knowing this is one thing but believing and trusting it is something that I am challenged with on a daily basis.

We know He uses times like these to draw us closer to Himself and build our faith, but we have also seen Him use this time in our life to show Himself to others who journey with us as well. So we have a proposal…join us on our knees in faith petitioning our God in 3 specific ways.

There are 3 things that need to happen before we can leave for Italy.

1) We must have 100% of our monthly support (45% to go!) – God has been raising up a team of people to partner with us in this way and we have been so humbled by their generosity – your generosity. We’re in awe of how God uses His people for the furthering of His Kingdom and are excited to find who else He has yet to join.

2) We must obtain Italian visas – It is difficult to obtain a visa for Italy and a lot of details need to come together before we can apply. Then we have to see if they will approve our requests.

3) We must sell our condo – This is the most daunting piece for multiple reasons and is currently our top priority in prayer. Our realtors are confident that it will sell and we have done everything we can to help it along, but God hasn’t brought the buyer yet.

We have faith in the will of God, believe that God has called us to Italy and are doing everything we can on our end in response. But there is only so much we can do. While it is difficult to humble ourselves and be transparent about our vulnerabilities, we want you to join us in witnessing what God has yet to do. Do you have faith in our God? Then please pray with us intentionally in faith for our condo, visas, and finances in the coming weeks.

Why? Why fast and pray? And what does that look like?

The definition of fasting is: Eating sparingly or abstaining from food altogether, either from necessity or desire. Spiritual fasting entails setting aside activities and/or reducing the intake of food and then replacing these activities with the exercise of prayer and preoccupation with spiritual concerns. For example, you may choose to fast during lunch and use the hunger pains as reminders to pray for something specific. Or you may turn off the t.v. for an hour and use that time to read the Bible, journal or pray.

There are many instances in the Bible (Old and New Testaments) where fasting is mentioned. In the book of Acts (13:2-3), the people fasted and prayed before sending Barnabas and Saul out to do ministry:

“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” 

Like Paul and Barnabas, we have been called to do ministry and we depend on the body of Christ to petition God with us in fasting and in prayer before we can go out. Because when fasting and prayer are done in faith, it can move mountains…

“In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”” (Matthew 21:18-22)