Dear Family and Friends,

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”
(Eccl. 3:1)

So wrote Solomon many centuries ago. We’ve experienced every season and lots of activity since moving to Italy 16 months ago. Here’s an update:

PRAISES
Cas passed the driving part of the exam for his Italian Driver’s license and now has the official document in hand! This was no small feat - 3 months of driving school, a written exam, and a driving test, plus 700 euros. So we are celebrating the fact that this bit of bureaucracy is now behind us and he can concentrate on other things. The test is difficult and expensive, even for Italians - too bad it doesn’t make them safe drivers! Italy has the highest highway mortality rate in all of Europe, and once you’ve been on the road here you can understand why!

We spent the first Sunday in May at our landlord’s home in the mountains, and almost as soon as we arrived, the discussion about what we believe was initiated by our landlord and his sister-in-law. So, in Italian, we were able to briefly explain what we believed as evangelical Christians. It’s interesting that many Italians will say that they agree with us. However, it’s difficult to bridge the gap between what they say they believe and what they actually believe and practice. But we are grateful that the LORD opened this door.

Cas was able to have a brief discussion with his driving instructor at the end of his last lesson, and gave him a tract explaining our beliefs and a gospel of John. Once again, he did not initiate the conversation.

Plans for our summer in the USA are rapidly shaping up and our calendar is already full of activities and appointments. We are looking forward to many opportunities to share what we are doing here and the part that you are playing in it.

Campus Crusade missionaries will arrive the end of May to get established over the summer and begin working with students at the university in September. This is a direct answer to prayer for us, as we have felt a strong need for campus ministry here.

ACTIVITIES
Over the last few weeks we’ve had time to enjoy some cultural opportunities, adding to our understanding of Italian history, life and language. We went to an art exhibit in Modena, which was wonderfully presented. We enjoyed getting lost in Modena, as we were able to see most of the city before we found the museum!

We also went to our local theater for a digital presentation of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera, “Aida” from La Scala in Milan. The lyrics were scrolled across the bottom of the screen, in Italian, all of which we understood. It truly was a spectacular production.

One of the professors at our community school organized a field trip to Bologna to see the old canals. There were over 30 in the group from 11 countries, and he gave a very interesting tour and lecture of the history of the silk industry in Bologna, the invention of the locks, pumps, machinery, the traditions of the silk trade, etc. Later we all had dinner at a typical Bolognese restaurant. It was a great evening, once again all in Italian.

PRAYER
We are preparing to welcome lots of houseguests over the next couple of weeks, so our apartment will be functioning like a B & B. People will be coming from the States, from Italy and various places, some of whom we know, most of whom we don’t. So please pray for us, that we’ll have the stamina to keep up with all the guests, the sightseeing trips, meals, laundry, etc. in addition to our regular schedule and language study.

Italian Lessons – Our community class will celebrate the end of the school year with a party on June 7th. Pray that we have one last opportunity to share the gospel with those present. We are very grateful that we were able to be a part of this group and to improve our language skills so much.

Permits of Stay – We still have not received our renewals. Last week we finally got some official information, and learned that it would probably be another 3 months before they would be issued. So hopefully, when we return in September, we will be able to pick up our documents. Please continue to pray about this, as all the missionaries here are in the same situation.

Barbara, Giovanna, Roberto and Natalia, and others – We continue our friendships with these friends as we demonstrate God’s love to them in word, deed., bible study and other activities.

Our Bible Study Group – This will continue over the summer months, even though much-diminished in size. We will ask a retired British pastor to lead the group in our absence.

Once again, we just want to express our thanks to each of you for your prayers and support. The past 16 months have been a time of great adjustment, lots of work, and many new learning experiences. Through it all you have been so enthusiastic and encouraging and we are very grateful. We close with the words of the psalmist:

“Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your Name be the glory, because of Your love and faithfulness.” (Psalm 115:1)

Serving Him,
Cas and Mary Jane