An Inexpressible Joy

I cannot believe project has been over for nearly two weeks! Memories of strolling along the Lungomare (the Salerno boardwalk) with gelato in hand, listening to my teammates' laughter, and enjoying the breathtaking bus ride through the Southern Italian mountain range to campus frequent my mind.

Although I miss Italy very much, this week and a half has been a sweet time of meditating on what I experienced the LORD do on project. Not only meditating, but truly allowing the power of the gospel to continue to resonate in my soul, drawing me to a deeper place of worship and adoration before Him. This summer was simply amazing. Besides the fun memories made with my teammates and new Italian friends, I feel like I can speak for our team when I say each of us has come to a deeper place of understanding and experiencing the gospel and our magnificent God. We saw the power of the gospel change unbelieving hearts to hearts that desired a personal relationship with God right before our very eyes! We saw Italians reaching out to other Italians... sharing with them the love of Christ that was demonstrated on the cross for our sin. We saw the Holy Spirit causing Italian students to wrestle with the truth in the message of Jesus Christ. We saw people find salvation. All this to say, we saw the LORD do incredible things in that place and we trust that His Spirit is still at work in mighty ways.

Haswell Beni, a man on staff with Crusade in Italy said at one of our briefing meetings that "Italy will strip you of everything but Jesus Christ." Personally, this statement holds a significant amount of truth in my individual experience on project. There were times when I had never felt more emotionally, spiritually, and even physically drained. However, it was in those times of weakness when I experienced such strength and comfort from the power of the gospel. I learned that it's in the gospel that we come to experience the life, blessings, power and glory of God. The fact that in Christ's resurrection, He has overcome this world and that His Spirit dwells within in also empowers me to overcome the troubles of this life. The call to draw near to Christ never has been so real than over the course of my time in Italy. This passage from 2 Corinthians 4:7-11 was especially encouraging for me: "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body." It was in those times of weakness that I was sustained by our gracious God and His gospel.

Really, this entire summer was a testament to the LORD's grace and faithfulness. There was no reason for God to use us in the manner He did, apart from the fact that He is gracious. Even as I reflect now, I bask in the glory of the LORD's grace and love, which is truly astounding and humbling.

Thank you so much for your continued support and prayer. It truly sustained and encouraged us. Please continue to pray for the ministry in Italy; pray for the students you have heard about and that the LORD would continue to raise up and equip laborers to serve in that beautiful country.

"Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
1 Peter 1:8-9

By His Grace,
Ashley Cedeno

3 people came to Christ! Che bella :)

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

- 1 Corinthians 15:58

With only two more days left on campus , the Lord has really put it in our hearts to persevere strong until the end of this incredible journey in Salerno! Some days have gone pretty great, while there have been other days that have gone not so great for one reason or another. Often times on these days it can be very tempting to be disappointed and to think that our labor is in vain, but then we are constantly reminded by the Bible and others that no work done for the Lord - little or big- is ever in vain. 

Today, Melissa, Chris, and I were blessed with seeing 3 people make a prayer to receive Christ in their hearts and begin a personal relationship with Him. To give you a brief summary, the conversation began when we heard 3 students practicing their English for an English exam. We introduced ourselves and asked them if we could do Soularium (the picture survey) with them. They said that unfortunately they were busy studying for an exam, but could perhaps meet another day with us, so we settled with getting their contact information. However, the Lord in His awesomeness provided an opportunity for us to connect in a simple conversation with them and we ended up talking to them for about 20 minutes anyway. When we realized that we might have more time to talk to them than what we thought and that they were interested in the conversation, we asked them if we could ask them 4 quick question for Agape Italia. The first question was what was one thing they really wanted to do before they died; they struggled with their response to this question and then realized the time and were debating if they had time to answer the rest of the questions. Praise the Lord that they decided they wanted to answer the rest of the questions, which lead into a spiritual conversation and the presentation of the gospel. Then they asked to hear our stories of how and when we received Christ and we were able to share our testimonies. Their names were Ana, Carmen, and Simon; and by the end of the conversation we asked them if they desired to have that personal relationship with Christ. They said they did with the biggest smiles on their faces and made a prayer with us! Then we joined hands and prayed for them as well. 

When we left the conversation, we were all in awe of the power of God and were so thankful and humbled that the Lord decided to use us for His glory this day, and rejoiced over the fact that we now had a new brother and sisters in Christ :). 

And so it is with hopeful hearts and excited spirits that we look forward to these final two days to share the gospel with more Italians, knowing that our labor for the Lord is never in vain! Praise the Lord!

God's blessings,

Iliana 

Nostro fratello nuovo!

We have a new brother in Christ!!! My heart was filled with an inexplainable joy when I heard the news. I wrote a post about this time last week asking for prayer about an Italian student named Vincenzo! Our prayers have been answered and what a blessing it is. The picture to the right is Vincenzo with Richie and me at our BBQ.

For those of you who having been following the story, bare with me while I recap it. My every first full conversation at the University of Salerno was with Vincenzo. Much to my surprise the gospel was quickly introduced in our conversation. Vincenzo expressed to my partner(Noah) and me that his best friend was shot and killed. He was having a hard time getting over that painful tragedy, I cannot even imagine the pain he must have felt. This incident was holding Vincenzo back from believing that God was good. I told him he had a choice to make to either be mad at God for what happened or embrace God and the comfort He provides. He was eager to hear more about the true God. Noah and I were able to go through the entire gospel with him, but he was not ready to make that decision.

Again I encountered Vincenzo on campus with my team members Will and Holly. Vincenzo heard the gospel a second time and had more questions. He clearly seemed intrigued by our entire message both times. Later that week Vincenzo came to our American BBQ that we have on Thursdays and he met Richie with me. For a third time and then a fourth Vincenzo heard the gospel from Richie and me. He explained he wanted it so bad, but still he wasn't ready. We gave him an Italian bible and a booklet called, "Would you like to know God personally?" That night Richie and I prayed that the LORD would not let Vincenzo sleep at night without him wrestling through his thoughts about God. For that is exactly what the LORD did.

This Thursday Vincenzo arrived at the BBQ and wanted to take Richie on a ride on his scooter. Scooters and motorcycles are very popular in Italy. Richie said yes of course, but wanted to stop somewhere and talk. They stopped to get gelato at our favorite place, Gerry's. There Vincenzo actually brought up God himself without Richie even asking. He told Richie that he kept reading the booklet and decided to pray the prayer in back and invited Christ into his life. PRAISE GOD!!! He continued to tell Richie that all of us tell so many students about God, but so few believe. Vincenzo was deeply sadden by this and Richie said yes only six students have invited Christ into their lives. Vincenzo shook his head and said no that that must change. He has only been a believer a short amount of time, but already has a desire to see the hearts of his fellow students change. Vincenzo is exactly the kind of student Agape Italia needs to help start a foundation in Salerno.

We appreciate the prayers of all our friends and families back home. I hope this story has deeply made you feel a part of what the LORD is doing in Salerno. I am still in shock that our incredible Father in heaven allowed me to be a part of this student's story. Please continue to pray for his protection and that our STINT team next year would really help Vincenzo to grow in his faith!!!

Serving Christ with You,
Jessica



Nostro fratello nuovo! (Part Due)

I want to first thank everyone back at home for their support and their prayers. I have received messages about specific prayers and numbers and I just wanted to let you know that they are being answered. Jessica shared with you the story of Vincenzo and I would like to add just a little bit to it.

This week has included several times where I found my heart crying out to God for the hearts of 3 friends of mine, one of them being Vincenzo. When Vincenzo asked me to go on his scooter, 2 things came to mind. One being I had an idea he wanted to continue to talk about our conversation last week. The next was I hope we don't crash because Italians love using their scooters to fit in between small spaces, such as between two moving cars. But I am alive and well. As we stopped on the coast to talk, he initiated conversation by telling me he prayed the prayer on the back of the spiritual law booklet. I asked if he had any questions and he said no, that the booklet spells everything out and that he now understands that when God looks at him, He sees Jesus Christ in his heart. I showed him 1 Corinthians 5:17 (the old has gone the new has come) and explained to him that he is now born again and new in Christ. He responded with a great smile.

He then told me that he spoke with a Jew sometime later after he accepted Christ and just could not believe how other people could deny the great news he has received. I explained to him that most people do not believe and only a few will accept God's grace as he did (Matthew 7:13-14).

I cannot explain with words to describe God's presence last week as I saw Vincenzo's heart melt right in front of me. It is incredible to see his heart go out to people who have not received Christ. I ask that you will continue to pray for Vincenzo as he goes through these first crucial moments as a new believer. Praise God for his works he is doing here!!

With love,
RIchie

New Friends!

Ciao!! I have met two new friends on campus named Manuela and Laura. I had met both of them last week through passing out flyer's on campus, but I saw them again this week. We ended up having cafe and lunch with them. The gospel really didn't get to be shared which was upsetting, but there wasn't ever an opportunity to share. My group and I made plans to meet up with them again for today.

So today we got to meet with them. We prayed that we would have the opportunity to share the gospel with them and that their hearts would be opened to it. Right after this prayer, Lacy-Mai (on the STINT team.. one year commitment in Salerno) walked up and actually already knew the girls. She already had questions to ask them, which lead right into a gospel conversation! It was amazing to see our prayer answered right there!! The Gospel was clearly shared that we are sinful people and are separated from God because of that. Our punishment for our sin is eternal separation from God, but Jesus came to earth to pay the penalty for our sins. Laura is "searching" but has a hard time believing that there is only one way to God. Manuela was very receptive and agreed with everything! However, she hasn't fully grasped the concept of Gods grace and still thinks her salvation is based on living a good life and being a good person.

Please pray for these two girls that their hearts will be softened towards the gospel. Also pray that I will get more opportunities to discuss their faith with them. Thank you again for your continued prayer and support!

Nicole

From the outside looking in...

Ciao tutti!  My name is Jutty (as mentioned below in Andrews post), and I have been mandated by the boss (Andrew) to make a post on this here blog.  Well, it was more of a suggestion and I am more than happy to oblige.

I must say, I'm encouraged to see so many posts.  My first, and only complaint when I got here was that they weren't writing enough in the blog, and that there are a heap of people back home left wanting more!  Why?  Because there are hundreds of people that have a heart for Salerno Italy and want to know EVERYTHING that God is doing through the summer project.

Its an interesting place here.  Something about it is addicting.  Sure, the food is great.  Sure, the view of the Amalfi Coast is one of the best in the world.  Sure, the people are kind here and very welcoming.  But, more than that, there is something spiritual about it.  The presence of God is unique here.  Ask anybody that has been here and they will agree.  The food, location, and people are all perks.  Gods presence is the meat and potatoes of this spot.

Its neat to see so many new faces in a place that is dear to my heart.  I can already see the addiction setting in.  I can see the joy in their faces when they meet new people and begin seeing God at work in their hearts.  Just read the passion in their posts, and you'll see.  I also see them enjoying the culture, its idiosyncrasies and all.  So, I'm encouraged.  And happy to be here with them.  I'm here to find an apartment for my family and I.  But, I've gotten much more.  And for that, I'm thankful.  Thanks Summer Project 2008 for affirming my passion for this country, and confirming God's call on our lives to return here long term and see Jesus continue his work of seeking and saving that which is lost!

Grazia e Pace,

Jutty

The Paint Shop Has What We Need

So we are mid-project. We have just a little over a week left in Salerno so for a mid-project celebration we decided to do an "in-house BBQ." Monday was a national holiday called Festa Della Repubblica (Republic Day) so we had to mix up the schedule, freeing us up to do this BBQ. We have a visitor from America--Jutty Valiquette--who will be moving here to serve for the next three to five years and he volunteered to grill for us, as long as we got some good steaks.

He and I went to the store, got the necessary items--meat, oil, pepper, salt, tomatoes--while students went and got fixin's for salad, fruit salad, etc. Everything was lined up for an awesome evening except for one thing: Charcoal. I misread a text message from my fellow team leader, Tina, thinking she said we had charcoal when we really didn't.

7:00 pm rolls around and we begin a frantic search for charcoal around the 14 Lions. Dread is slowly coming over me as I sense that I completely dropped the ball on the charcoal. Couple this with the fact that nearly everything was closed due to the holiday so I thought we were going to have to cancel the fun we were hoping to have with all the meat so many wanted to enjoy!

Marko, the owner of the 14 Lions, took me in his car around the city to try and find something. First of all, the car ride almost took my life, but that is a story for another time. Our chances for finding a place open dwindled quickly as all the markets were closed. He said, "let's try one more time around..." and I complied of course just hoping something would happen.

Then the impossible happened. We found something open. It wasn't a market. It wasn't a place that had anything to do with food. It was the last place we could go to and it was one of the last places I would ever think to go for a large bag of charcoal. It was a paint shop. Out in the front of this shop that sold paint and wallpaper, this shop that that wasn't even supposed to be open was a 5 kg bag of charcoal, the 5 kg bag of charcoal we needed to continue our fun! And fun we had!

The reason I share this story is not because it is merely funny. I laughed when I thought of it all when it was over. What I find interesting is that Marko said this was very normal; that finding a large bag of charcoal in the front of a closing paint shop is normal. I then began to think about my trying to find blank CDs, first looking in electronic stores, not finding them there, but in print and copy stores.

Reality is that there are many quirks to Italian culture that can be frustrating to an American. CDs are purchased at electronic stores or record shops. Charcoal is purchased in stores that sell food, not paint. Then we go into idiomatic expressions in the language and that reveals a need for one to be immersed in the culture for years in order to begin grasping the way of thinking here. But we are here for weeks. Most of the people we have sent to this country have been here for short one-year terms. Very few have committed to this people long-term, to get to know them for who they are, and to present Jesus and who He is from a perspective that truly and experientially knows where they are coming from.

So this is a praise to God for those He is raising up, like Jutty and a handful of others who will be here long-term, learning this culture in a way that we have yet to really delve into. But this is also a call to prayer that God will continue to raise up laborers who will come to this country and serve long-term, getting past all the glitz and glamor that has become Italy--the country for tourism--and digging deep into the people's lives in order to show them that the joy they seek can only be fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

By His Grace,
Andrew

Praise the Lord!

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me...”
-John 14:6

These are the words that Ilaria read just before she made a prayer to receive Christ in her heart yesterday! Ilaria is a beautiful Italian girl that many of us girls on project have had the wonderful privilege of getting to know these past two weeks. She was introduced to us by one of the members on STINT here in Salerno, Lacy-Mae, at the barbeque we had last week. Since then, the Lord has been working in our lives and in her heart to help us develop a great friendship.

The day after the barbeque, she was quick to offer to help us pass out flyers of Agape Italia (Campus Crusade in Italy), at the University of Salerno. While we were passing out flyers she had several questions about salvation through grace alone and about the basis of Christianity. Unfortunately, it seemed as though she had on several blinders that skewed her views and kept her from seeing the truth of the gospel. 

This week at the barbeque, she opened up some more and talked to us about some personal problems and struggles she had been dealing with recently. Hannah Robertson challenged her to read the book of John since she mentioned she had never read much of the Bible and she also enjoyed reading in general. Then we decided to discuss the chapter and go out to dinner the next day; Ilaria was so eager to read the book of John that she read the chapter in two days :). The next day we continued to discuss what we had read and tried answering any questions that Ilaria had by looking through many verses in the Bible. The Lord worked a COMPLETE transformation in her heart and helped her see the beauty of grace in our guaranteed salvation through Christ Jesus alone by the end of the conversation. Then we all participated in Ilaria's prayer to receive Christ, as we all prayed together and thank God for his blessings and her life. Ilaria shared with us that she had never known she could have a personal relationship with Christ and she was never completely sure she could make it to heaven, since she had grown up believing that salvation was based on works alone; but then she said that she now believed this was true and she would never doubt it again. Praise be to Christ our Lord and Savior!

Please remember to include Ilaria in your thoughts and prayers this week as she continues to learn more about the Lord and continues to build relationships with the team in Salerno.

God's blessings,

Iliana

Running Late....

Greetings all! I am writing to update you all on a very encouraging experience on campus. Since our time on campus and in Salerno, the Spirit of the LORD at work in this place has been undeniable. I am convinced, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the LORD has some incredible things in store for Italy. We have been praying for the LORD to be at work in mighty ways to change the hearts of the students here. We have been praying that as a team, walking confidently in the direction of His Spirit, we would see students come to encounter and experience the compelling love of Jesus Christ.

Last week on campus, a couple students and I decided to stay a later than usual because we had entered into great conversation with some Italian students. Using Solarium, one of our evagelistic tools, a fellow project-er Richie Bottinelli and I were able to share the Gospel with an Italian student Cristina. This was probably one of the most encouraging experiences yet because we cleary saw the Spirit at work in changing someone's heart right before our very eyes! Cristina spoke little english, and likewise, Richie and I speak little italian, but by the grace of God, He enabled the Gospel to cleary be presented. Though Richie and I did not personally witness Cristina come to a place of decision that day on campus: we are trusting that the Spirit would continue to work on her heart and that in His work, she would wrestle with the truth of the Gospel. We pray the redemptive message of the Jesus Christ would resinate with her soul and that she would clearly see her need for the Gospel.


Cristina seemed to really comprehend what we had shared with her that day. Before our conversation ended she said that she had never really thought about spiritual things prior to our conversation. The fact that the LORD made it possible, through Jesus Christ, to have a personal relatioship with Him was a concept completely unknown to her.

Richie and I will be meeting with Cristina again this week to further discuss the things we previously talked about. Please be praying that the Lord would continue to speak truth to her through His Word and us as His laborers of truth. Please pray the the Spirit would continue to do a work on her heart that would bring her to a place of decision.

You can also be praying for our team as a whole this week. Pray that we would be filled with His Spirit as we go out on campus this week. Our desire is that everyday, we come to recognize our indivdual need for the Gospel and our need to be completely dependent on Christ. The fact that we get to share with others the beautiful message of the Gospel puts me in such a place of humilty and adoration before our gracious LORD.

Thank you for your prayers already and for your partnership in furthering the Kingdom!

By His Grace,
Ashley Cedeno

To His name be the glory!

A prayer request...

My very first conversation on campus was with an Italian English major named Vincenzo. I vividly remember meeting him with a fellow team member, Noah, inside the new Linguistics building at the university. We used our most common phrase, "Tu parli Inglese(Do you speak English)?" And he quickly said yes, but not much. We soon learned Vincenzo spoke more than a little English. Our conversation quickly got to why Noah and I were there. We explained that we were with a Christian group on campus called Agape Italia(Campus Crusade for Christ in Italy) and that we were going around talking to students about Jesus Christ. Our conversation rapidly advanced to us sharing the gospel with him. We use booklets called "Would you like to know God personally?" and were able to go through the entire booklet with him in Italian and us following in English. He said he desperately wanted Christ in his life, but was not ready to take that step.

About a week later, I ran into Vincenzo again with my team members Will and Holly. Vincenzo bought all three of us lunch. We had the opportunity to share the gospel again in Italian with the help of our project director, Andrew Lisi. Him and his friends were very interested in the message Andrew was presenting. At our last American BBQ for the Italian students we meet on campus, Vincenzo had the opportunity to meet another team member, Richie. Richie, Holly, and I said down with him again and went through the gospel. He explained that he completely understands it and wants to have a relationship with God. He even told us he felt something inside his heart. It was like the three of us could literally see the Holy Spirit at work inside of him. I have never felt the Holy Spirit's presence that strongly before. He came down to reading the example prayer inside the booklet and told us that is exactly what he wanted. We told him that he could pray that prayer right now. He wanted to, but said he was too shy to do it in front of us. Unfortunately, his friends walked up and he became a bit distracted. Richie planned to meet with him again and encouraged him to read through the booklet again and think about it. Afterwards we took a moment to pray for him. And that is what we are asking for now, is prayer! Prayer for his heart to be freed from the bondage that enslaves all of us before Christ is ever present in our lives.

There are absolutely no words that any us could say, no matter how many more times Vincenzo hears the gospel from our team, no man can make a difference now. We are praying that God would work a mighty miracle inside his heart. I've truly learned what it means to pray prayers where I am not the answer. We did our part in being bold and stepping out in faith to share the gospel, now it is time to wait for the Holy Spirit to change his heart and make him completely receptive to the gospel. We sit on the edge of our sits, anticipating what the LORD will do next in his life. We eagerly await for the moment the LORD frees his heart and provides him with the greatest joy known to man. We ask you to pray along side us for Vincenzo's heart, never forget to praise the LORD for the feat over Satan every time the name of Jesus Christ is spoken.
Colossians 4:3,4

Serving Christ with You,
Jessica

Campus Life :)

Greetings from the team in Salerno!

We opened up our week of campus ministry with one of the members of the outreach team, Jessica Breedlove, reading the following verses to the group:

"Moses said to the Lord, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." The Lord said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."
-Exodus 4:10-12

Prior to our first day on campus a lot of thoughts and concerns had been running through our minds; many of us felt the pressure of preaching the gospel to complete strangers, as well as, feeling in some ways not well- equipped enough to share our faith with others on the spot on a campus we did not know. We had doubts about how we would transition our conversations to sharing the gospel and if we would find enough English speakers to talk to on campus. However, this verse served a great purpose in reminding us that it is not by our own power that we can share the gospel, but only through the Holy Spirit living in us. It is very encouraging to be reminded that God gives us the words to speak and His hand is constantly guiding us everyday during our time on campus.

Since then we have had the blessing of going on campus 7 days now and witnessing God's work in action with the conversations that have been iniciated and the relationships that have been built (in which I will get into more detail for the next blog). We have also had the opportunity of implementing campus ministries such as: outreach activities ( a large sign that asked two questions- what is grace? and what is sin?- in which the students were able to write their thoughts), relationship building ( boys soccer games and several lunches with our new Italian friends), and iniciative evangelism ( using surveys, soulerium, and four laws booklet). Through these activites, the Lord has graciously opened up a window for many conversations to be iniciated and the gospel shared with the students at the University of Salerno.

As we continue to pray and work together as a team on campus, I know the Lord will continue the work that He has started in us and do immeasurably more than we can imagine! Ashley Cedeno and I, from the outreach team, look forward to writing more blogg posts as more stories develop within our time on campus this week :)

God's blessings,
Iliana Buenrostro

Hebrews 13:24

The Salerno Team sends you their greetings from Italy!

It has been a unique experience being here for many of us. Underneath all the homesickness and spiritual attack, the LORD is drawing our team together through our desire to be a family. With the spiritual climate at the University of Salerno, our team needs to be a family. We have encountered a variety of students on campus, both English and non-English speakers. We frequently meet students that have a Catholic background, who have heard the gospel many times, but feel no need for it in their lives at this current time. Many students sadly reject the greatness news that has ever happened because they desire to know God once they have achieved all the fun in their lives that our flesh seeks. However, we have been encouraged at our opportunities to fully share the gospel with receptive Italian students. The LORD is continuing to bring one girl into the lives of many on our team. Each person has something great to share with her, but the best part is that we each continue to point her to the cross and explain the grace the LORD extents to each of us. We see and feel the Holy Spirit working in her life and cannot wait to see what the LORD has in store for her heart. There are many other conversations where the LORD has worked, but what we need is prayer for the LORD to reveal to us the students He has prepared in advance to be receptive to His word and for the Holy Spirit to be our guidance in each step!

In Him,
Jess

Humbled Like Children

"Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
-Jesus

"I get jealous when I see a three year old talk better than me." We have come to find that one of the easiest ways to feel like a child again is to not know a language. I was sitting at one of our favorite pizza places today and say a girl who couldn't have been older than 8 years and 243 days, but was on a cell phone talking with someone. First, I can't believe almost every child in this world today has a cell phone. That is a rant for another time. But secondly, the way she was speaking made me feel like she should be leading our Summer Project. Her pronunciation was flawless, using words that sounded big and important (like arrabbiata); she had such a command of the language. Of course she would though. She is of course, Italiana.

But it is still difficult for all of us to be around people decades younger than us who speak and understand the language better than we do. One of the most frustrating things for an individual is to communicate and not be understood. Being here however is an immediately humbling experience solely due to our inability to communicate. We have become like babies cooing and babbling before a world of adults, even if those "adults" are only three years old.

Although the above passage is in the context of greatness and inheriting the kingdom of heaven, the theme of humbling one's self like a child is vital in our understanding of bringing the gospel to Italians and to people everywhere. Being in a foreign country we basically became children humbled by the new culture and foreign language, but in that humility we also want to be like children in their fearlessness, boldness, curiosity, and joy as we seek to share the love of Jesus Christ with Italians.

Things have been going strong as we have been here over week now. As students get the chance, they should be posting stories of friends they have made and gospel conversations they have had so continue to be on the lookout.

Please be praying for us as we must persevere in humility, unity, and community in order as we seek to be faithful witnesses of the gospel, depending on God's Spirit, trusting He will bring people to Himself.

By His Grace,
Andrew

Siamo Arrivati!

We've arrived!!! A bus to Miami, a flight to Rome (9 hrs.), a flight to Naples, a bus down to Salerno, and 24 hours later we all made it safely here. The beautiful thing was there were no hiccups at all! Everyone got on board easily and none of our baggage was missing. The STINT team even chartered a bus for us from the Naples airport to Salerno, meaning we didn't have to take a train lugging all our luggage. The Lord is very good to us.

Since we've arrived we have all gotten situated and spent some time walking around the city, getting acclimated the culture. Everyone is pretty exhausted as we are trying not to sleep, hopefully keeping us all from getting jet-lagged. Delirium is beginning to set in for sure...

Tonight we go to our favorite pizza place, La Tombola, most of us enjoying for the first time real Italian pizza. The best kind is Pizza Caprese with mozzarella di bufula (buffalo mozzarella, an Italian delicacy) tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil. Che buona!

By His Grace,
Andrew

Our First Post

So here is the first of what we hope to be many posts to the 2008 Salerno Project Blog.

The title comes from Galatians 2:20-21, as Paul ends his poignant defense that if we were able to receive any kind of righteousness or justification through the law, then Jesus Christ died for no purpose whatsoever.

But with Paul, we do not nullify the grace of God, recognizing by faith in the Son of God that we live on in the flesh because Jesus indeed did die for a purpose! We too have been crucified with Christ, no longer living under our own power, enslaved by sin and sentenced to death, but instead it is now Christ who lives in us, and we are under His power, set free from bondage, receiving life eternal! What a purpose!

This summer we get to bring this message to Italians in Salerno, so may we go humbly, but boldly; lowly, but full of confidence in Christ and his sufficiency to change their lives as we each have witnessed firsthand how He has changed ours.