Dear brothers and sisters,

Thank you for your worship and service to our great God through your prayers and financial giving on our behalf the past several months. We are so grateful for the role you’ve played in ministering to us and in blessing the Lord this past year. We are writing to update you on how God has been leading us recently.

As you know, last February, we began the process of inviting others to partner with our ministry to reach Salerno, Italy. We had the privilege of sharing with you our heart and vision for the people of Salerno and to express what God has been doing in the hearts of young men and women there. We were tremendously blessed when you made the selfless decision to fund our ministry so we could be engaged in reaching Italian students on a full-time basis. The way you have come alongside us in this journey is a testimony to God’s goodness, and to the work He is doing in your life. We thank our Father for your growing faith and heart to follow Him.

When we set out last January, we placed Psalm 127:1 as the banner verse over our endeavor: “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” This past summer, we saw the progress of our support slow significantly. We knew we needed to set up faith goals in order to see God’s direction through His provision. So, last June, we were trusting God to get us to 50% of our financial goal by August 1st. If that goal was not met, we would reevaluate our situation, and seek God for wisdom and discernment on how to move forward. On August 1, we had only achieved 37% of our financial goal. After Campus Crusade’s National Staff Conference in July, however, we were given a renewed sense of ambition and motivation. We continued on.

We set up a new faith goal of being at 65% by January 1st. We prayed, fasted, and worked diligently to see that goal become a reality. On January 1, we were at 47%. After processing that reality, we sensed the Lord leading us to pursue other avenues for ministry in Italy. As far as we could discern, the best option was to propose being sent out from our home church (Orlando Grace Church) to Salerno as employed missionaries. This change would accomplish three objectives:

1. Provide more laborers for God’s cause in Salerno (we would still be working with the Agape Italia team as orginally planned).
2. Create a stronger relationship between the people of Salerno and OGC.
3. Reduce the financial costs by 25%.

We were enthusiastic about the proposal, and it provided another opportunity to see God’s direction via provision.

On January 17th, we learned that our proposal had been denied, not because the missions committee did not believe in the mission or in us (they, along with so many of you, have played a vital role in the ministry in Salerno, and continue to do so), but because they felt that they did not hold the capacity to serve as a sending agency. While we absolutely understand their reasoning, we were sad to learn of the decision. Nevertheless, we had our answer from God.

At this time, we are still processing everything that this means for us. However, we do know that God has closed the door on Italy for this season of our life. We know that He works all things together not only for our good, but for the good of those who will love him and be called according to His purpose in Italy.

We cannot fully express the joy in our hearts to see the faith steps you have each taken along with us, and although we wish this endeavor would have succeeded, we are confident that God has been at work in your lives during this time, and pray that you are enjoying a closer walk with Jesus because of it. Thank you for your faith in God and love for us.

Please continue to pray for the ministry, and for us as we follow God in a new direction.

We would love to share with you more of the journey we have been on, and answer any questions you may have. Please do not hesitate to call or email us.

For King Jesus,