Dear Family and Friends,

Here’s a quick Italy update and a Happy New Year wish to each of you.

The pre-Christmas season was busy for us, with lots of church events, parties and other social gatherings. Christmas Day was quiet, and as the next day is St. Stephen’s Day and a national holiday here, we spent that quietly also. It was, of course, the calm before the storm, as our family arrived December 28th!

For the next seventeen days, we were all together, celebrating Christmas, eating, sightseeing, eating, shopping, eating, and just having a great time. All of them fell in love with our new home country and want to return. The weather cooperated, so we had some nice days to visit Venice, Florence, Bologna and Dozza, a small town near here with a real castle with a real torture chamber and dungeon! Not to mention a moat, and two towers with slits for shooting arrows and holes for poring boiling oil on the enemy. It is a seven-year old boy’s dream come true. And Jonathan loved it.

Now that everyone has gone home, we’re trying to return to normal, but it’s taking a while. We resumed Italian classes this week, and we have submitted our paperwork for the renewal of our permessos di sorgiorno, the document that allows us to stay in the country.

That renewal means that we’ve been here one year already! It hardly seems possible! It only seems like a few months ago since we arrived with our 6 suitcases and 12 boxes. But, yes, it’s a year and we are so grateful to our Lord for bringing us here and for providing for us in so many ways. In everything He has gone before us and “made our paths straight.” As we look back, we see His hand at work every day.

We see how He’s working in the hearts and lives of Barbara and Giovanna, and others, drawing them closer to Himself. We praise Him for the cooperation of the missionaries working here together, and the witness it presents as others see our love for each other. We rejoice as we remember all those who stayed with us, shared our home and meals, and added so much to our lives. We thank Him for the successful Thanksgiving Dinner event and the many positive responses to the gospel message. And for our Christmas Service and all the visitors who attended and heard the true story. We’re grateful for our Italian neighbors and friends who have opened their hearts and made us feel at home. Especially Umberto, Azzo, Antonio, and Mimo. We’re glad that we can at least speak the language enough to be understood, and that we can respond when spoken to, even as we continue to pray for increasing fluency. We thank Him for those in our church/bible study group - for their faithful attendance, their love and support, and the help that they give us in the ministry. We’re grateful for our children and grandchildren and for the way the Lord has watched over them, protected and provided for them this past year. For jobs, good health, spiritual growth, friends and family around them to enrich their lives.

And we are especially thankful for YOU and for your love for us, your continuing support, your letters, cards, emails, even the phone calls! We’re glad that we can stay connected and share what the Lord is doing in your lives. You are an important part of our ministry here. As we look forward to another year, we pray that we will continue to minister to each other as we together to His glory and praise. Through the laughter and tears that are bound to come, we pray that 2007 will be your best year ever.

With our love and prayers,
Cas and Mary Jane