Dear Friends and Family,

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 1:2

It’s August in Italy, which means that the entire country is on VACATION. This means that most stores and businesses are closed – some for a week, some for up to a month or more. This has been a national tradition for many, many years, and although it is slowly changing, old habits die hard, even in this age of globalization.

Since nearly everyone in our church has gone on vacation, we went away also. We went to Siena, a medieval town in the hills of Southern Tuscany, where we celebrated our wedding ANNIVERSARY. The town certainly is beautiful and fully preserved, with its walls intact, and a lovely amphitheater-shaped piazza, perfect for people-watching. We stayed in a beautiful hotel, a restored villa with lovely gardens, a nice pool set in an olive grove, and a very good restaurant. Our entire stay was very relaxing and romantic.

“Always be on your best behavior, wherever you go, because you never know whom you might meet.” This is another way of saying that we should honor Christ in all our words and actions, and has been one of our operating principles for many years. While on a tour of Tuscany we met a couple from Washington State. Turns out that the man went to the same school in Bogotá, Colombia that Cas attended as a child, and that he was there in the mid-60’s when we were there also. Our conversation turned to spiritual matters when Cas said he was a pastor in Italy. Our driver was very interested in what we had to say about the Lord and the Bible. We didn’t get an opportunity to follow up with her, so please pray that the Lord will bring SYLVIA into contact with another Italian Christian who can minister to her seeking heart.

Our Saturday night BIBLE STUDY is going well, and our group asks lots of interesting questions. Last week a new couple, ROBERTO AND NATALIA, visited. He is Italian, and she is from Indonesia. They are both former Catholics and looking for an English-speaking fellowship. Please pray that they will return and become regular members of our group.

We have finally purchased a CAR. We found a 2005 Volkswagen Polo 4-door sedan, with only 3000 kilometers for 10,000 euros, which is the amount of money the Lord had provided. It’s dark blue and has many options that we couldn’t have gotten in a new 2006 model. This has been an entertaining example of typical Italian bureaucracy. We found the car at a dealership, and then went back the next day to put a down-payment on it. Then we waited for the money to arrive from our bank in the USA. When we took the check to the dealership, it caused great concern, even though it was on an Italian bank and the amount was in euros. It appears that Italian banks can take as long as 3 months to clear a check! So the salesman had to contact the bank to determine how soon they could get the money and release the car to us.

In the meantime, the insurance agent informed Cas that he would need a medical exam to get the car insurance due to his age. That form had to be faxed to the dealership. By then, our doctor had gone on vacation for a week. The day he returned, we left on vacation. The day after we arrived home, the salesman called to say that the check had cleared, but the notary was only available that afternoon to do the paperwork for the title, because he was leaving on vacation. So Cas went and completed that step. The next day he had the physical exam and faxed it to the insurance agent. Two days later the insurance agent faxed the necessary paperwork to the dealership and Cas picked up the car. The dealership closed the next day for vacation. We’re not telling you this to complain, but to show you that it’s simply not easy to get anything done here without encountering these types of bureaucratic hurdles. And there’s no reason to get upset about it, because that’s just the way everything is done here. So you just do as the Italians - shrug your shoulders and go on with your life! And for us, it's all according to the Lord's timing anyway. We’ve attached a photo of the car, so you can see what your gifts and prayers provided. THANK YOU!

PRAISE - SHEILA, an American missionary who had to return home in June because the consulate would not approve her residency visa, will return this week. The consulate had a staff change and the visa was issued without hesitation. We are rejoicing because she is a much-needed addition to our team here. She’ll stay with us for a few weeks until she can find a place of her own. We’re expecting Mary Jane’s nephew for a brief visit this month, and at the end of the month we’ll be attending the first Italian Missionary Conference, led by George Derwer of Operation Mobilization, in Rimini for 4 days.

Next month the STUDENTS will begin to return to the university and we will be busy trying to reach those that speak English. Please continue to pray for us as we minister to those the Lord places in our path each day, regardless of nationality or language. Italy is a spiritual desert that needs the living water of the gospel message.

Thank you for your prayers, continuing encouragement and love! May the Lord continue to bless you as you serve Him.

Cas and Mary Jane