Full Hearts

One of the things we have been praying ever since we found out we were moving back is that we would experience great closure with the friends we have made here.  We've prayed that for us and for the kids.  God has met us beautifully in that prayer.

Last week Hannah had her Goodbye Party, and it was everything she wanted it to be.  She had such a great time having her friends in her home.  They ate, giggled, danced, sang, made bracelets, took pictures and loved on each other.  It was such a sweet gift.  Here are some pictures:

When each girl left, Hannah gave them a necklace with a note sharing about the importance of her faith in her life.  The girls cherished them!  We are praying God will continue to use those gifts to soften their hearts to hearing the gospel.  And we are praying God will give them many opportunities to respond.  We could not have asked for a better good-bye.

God has also given Cody and I numerous opportunities to be with the friends we are going to dearly miss.  Our lives feel so crazy, and yet, He is giving us exactly what we most want.

AND!!! Our closest Italian friends have already booked tickets to come see us at Christmas!  We are so, so thankful for God's grace in allowing us to remain involved in the lives of these friends who have become so dear and who we long will one day experience faith in Christ.

Last, but not least, life continues to spin around us, despite all the chaos our move has added.  Yesterday, Gavin lost his second front tooth.  I always feel like that is THE marker that they are now "Big Kids."  They just don't look the same with adult teeth.  My precious little guy is really growing up.  He is such a joy with such a tender heart.

So I celebrate his precious life with his beautiful, toothless picture. :)

Checking In

It feels our days are focused far too much on "To Do Lists" right now.  There is just so much to do!  A lot got accomplished yesterday though, which makes today look that much better. :)  Just a quick update today and some pictures from our trip to Rome last weekend. . .

One of the biggest things that happened yesterday was that I drove our car up to Vicenza, Italy and sold it to an American who paid us in dollars and who we know will love the car as much as we did.  Praise the Lord!!  This is such a huge weight off our shoulders.  Thank you so much for praying for this specifically.  We are now carless until we leave, but that is so much better than still owning a car on August 6.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) is a really big day.  We're throwing a party for all of Hannah's friends to come and say good-bye.  Parties are such a big deal here, besides the fact that it's our last opportunity to speak the gospel to these precious girls.  We have given it much thought and prayer, and Hannah is ecstatic.  She bought a cross necklace for each friend and wrote notes to them about how she hopes they will remember her faith when they wear it and know Jesus offers them the same.  On the How to Pray page, there are specific requests for this event.  We would really love your prayers.

Also in answered prayer, we have landed on a mover.  The Italian mover came last week, and we really liked him.  Though our preference would be an American-based company, these movers seems like the best decision.  Thank you so much for praying for this!  Again, we'd love your prayers for a complication-free move.

So this past weekend, we took one last road trip.  We drove down to Rome to meet some ministry partners who were in town and to say good-bye to some dear friends who are missionaries there.  Rome is an amazing city, but it is exhausting.  Last weekend was pretty warm, and we returned to Bologna completely worn out.  But also thankful for the opportunity to be with friends one more time.  Here are a few photos:

It feels our world is spinning around us, but our God isn't.  In the midst of all our chaos, we are trying most to walk faithfully.  Seeing the ruins in Rome almost 2000 years old was a great reminder of God's continued hand on this country.  The arch in the picture above is in honor of Constatine--the first emperor to make Christianity legal in Rome.  God will not stop fighting for the hearts of these people.

We are so blessed by your encouragement in this transition.  You are a sweet gift God has used to carry us along.  

One Foot In Front of the Other

We won't lie.  This is a stressful time.

The past weeks we have been going non-stop trying to make preparations for our move back.  How do we sell our car?  What about all the European-only appliances we now have?  What moving company are we going to use?  What are we going to drive when we get back to the States?  What are we going to cook on while we're waiting for our things to arrive?

At the same time, we have been wrestling with every relationship we have with Italian friends. Trying to explain a job move in a culture where they don't move is challenging to say the least.  Trying to figure out how to connect them with believers who can help them continue processing the gospel is even more so.

We are choosing to trust the Lord.  It's definitely a choice that doesn't come easily.  Probably not a day goes by that we don't ask, "Are you sure this is the best, Lord?"  Questions tumble around our minds.  Fears flood our hearts.  Our bodies are racked with stress.   Our goal each day is just to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

This is the deal--there is no way to the other side without walking through the process.  We wouldn't be walking in a healthy way if it didn't hurt like heck.  It's hard to leave precisely because of the beautiful things God's done in the past three years.  I am challenged every day to give thanks for those gifts instead of cling onto them too tightly.

We want to leave Italy with no regrets.  We don't want to miss one thing the Lord has for us.  And so we keep our eyes open.  Our hearts weighted with grief but also with incredible thankfulness.  We keep putting one foot in front of the other and believe that His mercies are new every morning.  He will be our strength, our grace, our wisdom to leave well.

One of the most incredible gifts of the past three years has been the family we've been welcomed into at Hannah's school.  Last Friday was her last day.  I cried.  A lot.  But it truly was born out of overwhelming thankfulness.  We prayed so much for her schooling experience.  And God gave us far more than we could ever have thought to ask for.  Here are some pictures from the day:

This is what school looked like every afternoon--parents (and grandparents) gathered by the gate waiting for each class to be walked down the steps for dismissal.

Hannah's class coming out for the last time together.

Maestra Marie Antoinetta making sure each student found his/her parent.

Yes, on Fridays, Hannah came home with TWO backpacks.  Somehow Daddy usually ended up carrying both for the walk home.

We tried to drown our tears with a little gelato on the way home.  I won't lie--it was good.

Our favorite gelaterria--Zanzabar.  It is about halfway between Hannah's school and home. And right next to a park.  I think they're going to miss us. :)

Please check out the Ways to Pray page.  There are so many things we really need God's wisdom and provision for.  We would covet your prayers.

The Hardest Post Yet

Our June prayerletter should be arriving in mailboxes any day.  If you're a blog reader, you're getting some breaking news. . . In one of the hardest decisions we've ever made, we feel confident the Lord is leading us to return to the States permanently.  Though we are thankful for God's clarity, it has not made the decision or the process one bit easier.

I thought the easiest way to explain how we came to this decision was simply to post the text of our prayerletter:

     I think this is the hardest prayerletter I’ve ever had to write.  Two weeks ago, we decided to move back to the States, this August.  It is not something we were anticipating, nor was it something we would have chosen under any circumstances other than God’s clear leading.  Our whole family is grieving deeply.

      To make a long story short, when we arrived back in Bologna this January, we really began to wrestle with our role in the Agape Italia ministry.  What God has most burdened our hearts with, the ways He has gifted us to most effectively send the gospel out, the areas in which we thrive, were becoming increasingly smaller aspects of our day-to-day job.

      After many conversations over the past months with our local and national leadership, it became clear two weeks ago that what we need to be doing to be effective stewards of our lives and gifts would not be possible in our current setting.  We wrestled significantly over how we could remain in Italy to continue in the personal relationships God has given us and yet still find a role in Agape Italia in which to serve.

      Simultaneously, an opportunity opened up for us to participate in a unique internship Campus Crusade offers for senior staff at our headquarters in Orlando.  While we are being intensively developed personally and professionally, we will be exposed to Campus Crusade’s leadership and be able to explore ways we can most powerfully be a part of seeing college students become lifetime laborers for the Gospel.  

      In the midst of wrestling through what the Lord would have us do, still praying He would provide an opportunity for us to remain in this crazy country that has gripped our hearts, the pastor of our church asked us to consider remaining in Bologna to serve at the church full-time.  We were incredibly honored and our hearts were captured by his continued vision.  We prayed.  We asked the Lord.  But He said no.  He was and has continued to be clear that He has plans for us within the context of Campus Crusade’s leadership at our headquarters.

      As I said, we are grieving deeply.  For as much as we know this is the right decision, it is still really hard.  Our Italian friends, our church, have become so dear to us.  We have been trusting God for our friends’ very salvation.  It is the biggest step of faith we have ever taken is to leave the daily interactions of those friendships and trust that God will bring them to faith in some other way.  We are beseeching the Lord for them with all our hearts.  We will always ask God for Italy.

      In the midst of our grief, we are trusting God’s perfect will for our lives.  We are trusting that He knows where He can best use us for the spreading of the gospel.  So we are in the midst of the chaos of figuring out how to get our family moved to Orlando in the next 8 weeks.  There are so many decisions and details we are completely overwhelmed by.  One of which is the cost involved in moving back to the States (around $12,000).  If the Lord so leads, would you consider giving a special gift toward this significant need?  As always, gifts should be made to Campus Crusade for Christ and are completely tax-deductible.  You can give electronically by clicking on the "Be A Part of What's Happening" link at the top of the page.

      As we’ve talked with several of you in the past weeks, we have again been overwhelmed by your support and commitment to the gospel.  We truly praise the Lord for each of you.  Thank you for being in this journey with us.  If you have questions about this new direction the Lord is taking our ministry, please contact us!  We would love to share more of what this process has been.  And as always, we are deeply grateful for your prayers.

All our love,

Cody and Jen

Friends, we'll be honest and say this is one of the most difficult things the Lord has ever asked us to do.  Leaving is even harder than it was to come.  Please check out our "Pray for Us" page.  We need to be covered in prayer!


I will share more of this process in the weeks to come.  There are lots and lots of tears.  Thanks for coming along for the journey.