The next biggest thing is a little more difficult for us to plan and comes in 2 parts. We would appreciate your prayers for us in this decision. First, it was recently suggested that we might want to take our year here in Italy as a test. Test if we still feel called to this ministry, test if we are a fit for the culture, test if this is where we feel God leading us. We have continually felt called and still feel called to serve here in Italy, but it is a different picture actually being able to live in and experience the culture. Ross and I thought that this might be wise advice to heed. Secondly, we have been dedicating ourselves to following the call in our lives for almost 6 years and have been raising funds for the past 3 years. There is a point that we must come to in deciding how long we will continue to raise the funds to go. This is the hardest part for us. We still feel called here to Italy. But, we know this is a reality we must face.

Our goals after returning to the states will be 1) to debrief our year spent in Italy and 2) to determine how long we will continue to support raise and what we will do if the monthly budget has not been met after that time. For many reasons we have come to this decision, even though it has not been an easy one. We have been trusting the Lord’s leading all along the way and will continue to do so. He has never disappointed us or left us. We can only testify to the beautiful picture he has painted in our lives this far. We greatly covet your prayers for us as we pray and listen to the Lord’s leading in our lives.