Precious Moments

Set your minds on things that are above,
not on things that are on earth.
–Colossians 3:2

NON VOGLIO SPRECARE QUESTO MOMENTO!
‘I don’t want to waste the moment!’
Emanuele hugged me, as we had just watched his mother, Patrizia, breathe her last breath. Like most of the family of Patrizia and Claudio, her husband, he is not a believer. But he had been observing the way our church family spent the last three months alongside his sweet mother, encouraging her and watching the grace and peace of God embrace Patrizia and Claudio. Her lung cancer had only been discovered on October 5th and now, in such a short time, she was with the Lord.

More than100 unbelievers attended the funeral.
We were so encouraged that, as the Gospel was preached with clarity, there was quiet attentiveness in the church as David spoke. Many of those who listened spoke afterwards with both David and Loredana and shared how they were touched by such a different kind of ceremony than the funerals they were accustomed to. They were also impressed by the love they had seen displayed at the hospital by the brothers and sisters of the church. Some exchanged phone numbers with us, and even promised to come and visit our church.

On Sunday, we waited with great expectation.
David had prepared a special sermon from 1 Thessalonians on what happens to those who die in Christ. We were so thankful that three of Patrizia’s brothers came, two with their wives, and Emanuele came, too! We had a total of eight unbelievers in our church that day!

The testimony continues.
Last Sunday, Emanuele brought his daughter with him, and one of the brothers returned with his wife. After the service, Emanuele told David that he knows he is not a believer, but that he is listening carefully to the teaching. We are entrusting these interested souls to God, and are praying that He will allow us to keep in contact with more of those who were present at Patrizia’s funeral.

The publishing ministry has been absorbing our attention, as well.
The evangelistic pamphlet in five languages, written for the pilgrims who are coming for the Holy Year is almost ready to be printed. The Catholic Church is expecting over 20,000,000 people from all over the world to come to Rome during this special event they have planned for 2016. We are praying that God would provide the funds to print many copies, and that many believers will come to help us distribute it during the months to come. We know that at least three churches in the US are considering the possibility of sending teams to help us. If you are interested, please contact us.

We are looking forward to our ministry time in Sicily this weekend.
On Saturday, David will speak at a conference on dating and courtship in Catania, where multiple churches have been invited. Then on Sunday morning, he will be speaking in Acireale and in the evening, in Siracusa. Loredana will be speaking to the Acireale women in Sunday School. We need you to pray for us, as we bring God’s Word before His people.

NON SPRECARE QUESTO MOMENTO! ‘DON’T WASTE THIS MOMENT!’
All of us need to be careful not to waste our moments. God has given us days filled with “moments”! Every moment is a unique opportunity to bring glory to God. David ended his sermon at the funeral with these words. Every moment gone by will never return, so we must be careful not to waste it with sinful attitudes or actions, or miss opportunities to bring glory to God with our actions and our words.

Will you take time to pray for us now? Would you like us to pray for you? Let us know!

Your co-slaves in Christ,

David and Loredana

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