Ariano Week 4 Report

With it being our last week in Ariano, we have had a lot of opportunities to minister to the people.
Our week began with ministry in the park. On Monday afternoon the team went to the park. We began playing a simple game of sketch-a-sette to get the kids involved in a game. After playing the game for a while, we introduced a few water balloon games to the kids.
After an hour or so of playing games, we invited the kids in for a snack and Bible lesson. On Monday, our lesson was about putting our trust in Jesus. We repeated the same schedule on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon but changed the Bible lesson each day. On Tuesday, our lesson was about being fixated on God. On Wednesday, our lesson was about God transforming our lives and how to let it show.
Each day we illustrated our Bible lesson with different games and activities. The activities included getting the kids involved and making a mess. Eggs, face paint, and Kinder Bueno Chocolate bars were a success.
On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings we have had a series of meetings. We have been witnessing to the people we come into contact with. These series of meetings were to encourage those people we have come into contact with throughout our time here to come out and worship with us.
Our theme for these meetings has been “Get Connected”. Our hope is to encourage them to make a connection with God throughout the week. God gives us 168 hours in a week, we should be able to give Him at least one hour out of our week.
Each meeting has consisted of singing, dancing, and a dramatic presentation from our team. Each night a different member of the team has brought the Word of God to the people. Chris spoke on Thursday, Emmanuel on Friday, and Susie on Saturday night.
This week has been a busy week of ministry. We, as a team, consider it a blessing to be able to reach the people through many different functions: dance, drama, park evangelism, and visitations. We have truly been blessed this week by the number of people we have come into contact with and have had the opportunity to minister to, praise God!

(Written by Emma)

Ariano Week 3 Report

This was a week that in many ways was looking forward to next week. We can see the end of our time here rapidly approaching, and we had much to prepare for as our outreach comes to a culmination.
But first, early in the week we had the opportunity to pay a visit to Naples. The lieutenant there was gracious enough to show us around the city and give us some historical background. As we walked all over the city, she also shared with us some of the spiritual obstacles they face in ministry there. We had a chance to see the Corps building and some of the programs that go on there. Our day was capped by a time of prayer and praise together.
Back in Ariano, we continued to prepare and promote for next week’s programs: children’s outreach and an evangelistic campaign. We visited people in their homes, we passed out fliers in the market, and we played games in the park. We have been building towards these events and have a sense of anticipation about what God will do.
We also continued our schedule of evening outpost meetings in the homes of various Corps members. We count it as such a blessing to be able to share in fellowship in this way. This week Bethany preached on Acts chapter 4, on having boldness to speak the name of Christ because it alone brings salvation.
On Saturday, we had a big soccer match scheduled with some teens in the park across the street from the Corps. It was USA versus Italy. It became apparent very early on that we were out-skilled, as the youngsters took us apart with their dribbling and passing. Despite a severe disparity in scoring chances, USA managed to hang close until exhaustion led to a late flurry of goals and a 7-4 defeat.
Despite the loss, we had a great opportunity to continue to build relationships with the people here. That has been a big theme of our time here and it continued this week. People graciously invite us into their homes. Young people greet us jubilantly in the street. We thank God for all these interactions and pray that He will continue to shine through us.

(Report Written by Josh)

Ariano Week 2 Report

This week we were able to participate in more evangelism in the park. It was amazing to see how starting up a game of soccer, or football here in Italy, could attract so many people in the community. Children ranging in age 7 to about 15 came up and started playing with us. Afterwards, we were able to invite them to church on Sunday. While some of the team members played soccer others walked around the park and started talking to people.

On Tuesday, we had the opportunity to visit an old command area in a countryside town called Faeto. We cleaned the quarters and prepared it for the Cadet who will be arriving in less than a month.

We traveled with Major Paulo and his son, Simone, to Brienza. When we first arrived we were shown the village that had been built using funds sent from the USA Eastern Territory Salvation Army. We learned that the territory sent funds and people to rebuild this place after an earthquake hit in 1980. It is always such a blessing to see how these kinds of funds can help in tangible ways. We also visited a small village called Atena Lucana. The Army’s center there was built in 1987 that is used for camps and at one point they provided a place for refugees. In the evening we were able worship with Christians from another evangelical church. The meeting was located in a tent next to a park, almost like an open air meeting. It was a great opportunity to meet youth and adults in that area of Italy who are on fire for Christ and desire to spread the Gospel.

The next day we spent some time at the seaside and then prepared for the evening service. We had no clue what to expect from this service, only that 3 other corps would be joining us for worship that night. Words cannot even express how blessed we were from this service. We estimated that there were about 55 people total who came and filled the seats of the chapel. The whole team participated in a few presentations, Susan sang a solo, Emma gave her testimony, and Stephany gave the message for the evening. It was a great way to end what little time we were able to spend in Brienza. We hope that the corps officer there was encouraged in the work that he is doing.

We had a great time in Brienza and it was one of the many highlights from the week. We were also very blessed by the second Sunday service we had here in Ariano. Our team was very encouraged to see that many people came to the service who do not usually come on a Sunday. Some of them were people that we have been able to hang out with during the week. We are praying that this will continue to be the case for the rest of our time in Ariano and after we leave. Majors Paulo and Virginia truly have a heart to see that more and more people be set on fire for Christ, and we will continue to pray that their ministry can grow.

Ariano Week 1 Report

The Hands-On team here in Italy comes from the Eastern Territory in the United States. The team came together a week before coming to Rome, Italy where we stayed and worked with Captains Emmanuel and Stefania.

As soon as we arrived in Ariano, Majors Paulo and Virginia (along with Simone, their son) welcomed us - immediately making us feel at home here.

One of the first days, we went out into the marketplace where we handed out invitations to the services here at the Corps. We also handed out small tracts containing the gospel message for evangelism. For the Hands-On team, the largest difficulty has been the language barrier. To our surprise, Fortunato has graciously offered his time and teaching skills to give us Italian lessons daily! I am slow at learning the Italian language, but am excited and very grateful for the opportunity.

This week, we visited some families in their homes, having the chance to share tea, coffee, biscuits, and good company. At many of the homes, we were able to lead some praise songs and short Bible lessons. One of our items is a sketch on the parable of the intelligent person who built a house on the rock and the foolish one who built a house on the sand. Emma gave a challenging thought following this sketch, saying that we must be like the wise man and remember to build our lives on the Rock, Jesus Christ.

Personally, and I think that the team thinks the same way, I am very challenged and motivated by the prayer life of the Ariano Corps. Where there is prayer, there is the Spirit of God moving! We praise God for that.

I believe that God has called each of us to come to Italy for a reason; that reason is not for our contribution to the Corps or the people alone, but we have been personally encouraged and benefited ourselves. Whether by a dance or a drama sketch or a praise song or an evangelistic tract, we are glad to share our personal testimony to the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is clear that God has been at work in Ariano far before we arrived, making disciples to proclaim the gospel. We praise God for His hand at work here, are privileged to be a part of it, and excited to see what will happen in the days to come!

Hands On was here

One problem we've noticed in Italy, at least in Rome and Ariano, is that graffiti is quite rampant. We've seen it all over, including on the front of the Corps here in Ariano. This morning one of our tasks was to try to clean it up a little bit. We had considered painting, but the concern is that it would be a waste of time and money if the graffiti returns. So for today, we scrubbed. And we scrubbed. Eventually, we were able to get most of it off. But some stains just wouldn't come out.





Not to get all object-lessony, but as I was scrubbing, I couldn't help but think of the stains of sin that once were in my life. I think about how, no matter how hard I could scrub, I could never get them out. And yet no stain remains, because the blood of Christ cleanses completely, in a way I never could.

"Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." Isaiah 1:18

Encouraged in Ariano, Italy

I am yet to tell you about the Majors here in Ariano. I should not say ‘the majors,’ they go by their first names – Paul and Virginia. These people are so joyful in the Lord. It is evident that they are mindful as the Lord is mindful; their desires are aligned with His as well. Every morning and every night we come together, rather it has been the majors who bring us together for a time of reading and prayer. Usually it has been a verse or two being read, and then a short insightful thought about it. Afterward, we have an open time for group prayer – aka popcorn prayer. This time has been immense encouragement to me, personally. This encouragement has spilled over into my thoughts throughout the day. I have been motivated, even eager, to be praising and worshipping the Lord.

We began Italian lessons today. I am pumped! I’m about to look over what we learned today so that I may hopefully learn very quickly, at least a little bit, yeah? The son of the majors here is named Simone. He is a blessing. Throughout our day, he is so excited to hang around us and practice his conversational English. Too bad for him – he’s probably getting terrible influence from us Americans! American English is so different from British English. Anyway, Simone is incredibly gifted. He has great musical talent – not only to learn quickly, but seemingly to practice eagerly. God has been well equipping him for a significant thing, praise the Lord!

Our day today began about 9:30. Tomorrow, it will begin at 8:30. We start with breakfast and devotions, followed by morning reading and prayers. Thank you for praying, all you who have. We have experienced grace in Christ in result of your prayers.

I want to remind you to keep your thoughts on things above. Locally! Be filled with concern for the spiritually poor; may your concern overflow that you could not help but to be an encouragement to them because of the Word which lives in you. Be filled with compassion for the needy and hopeless; that even those who refuse to help themselves would have a place in your heart. Let your vision of Christ be transformational to the way you view people. Always remember (Philippians 3:20) that “our citizenship is in heaven!” In other words, we are all missionaries in a foreign land. The mission is Jesus – to the world. Again, the words of William Evans are so motivational, “It is not our duty to bring every individual to Christ, but it is our business to see that Christ is brought to every individual.” Yes! Let the fire of the Holy Spirit, which stirs in you now, spread like a forest fire…a forest fire in the middle of a drought. Let us wrestle together in prayer and evangelism!

In the Love of Christ,

Full Surrender to an Unseen Cause

“It is not the quality of the instrument you place in the hands of God that determines its usefulness, it is the full surrender you make of it. It is not the quality of the agent, it is God’s having the full disposal and undisputed sway in using him.”
-Catherine Booth

“It is not our duty to bring every individual to Christ, but it is our business to see that Christ is brought to every individual.”
-William Evans

Everyday, I am realizing more how the effectiveness we have for furthering the Kingdom of God is not determined by the completion of the tasks we have been given so much as it is the spirit in which we accomplish those tasks.

“Christ be with us, Christ within us,
Christ behind us, Christ before us,
Christ beside us, Christ to win us,
Christ to comfort and restore us.
Christ beneath us, Christ above us,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love us,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.”
-From St. Patrick’s ‘Breastplate Prayer’

Shalom! :)

Next stop: Ariano

Our time in Rome is drawing to a close for now. We will be be back in a few weeks, but tomorrow we leave for Ariano. Our time in Rome has been a real blessing. Everyone here has been so kind to us, and we will miss them while we are away. We have had opportunities to work hard and enjoy this beautiful city. Everything we have done here, from cleaning the basement to leading worship to acting out the story of Noah has been graciously received. We have no idea what awaits us next, but we are eager to find out. We will post again as we are able.

Team auditions for the part of Noah

A Day of Ministry

Yesterday was a day full of ministry opportunity. We went to two local parks to interact with children and their parents and let them know about the summer children’s program that we will be helping with upon our return to Rome in a couple weeks. We figured balloons and a smile translate in any culture or language, so we brought several balloons to give away and play games with the children. We also brought sculpting balloons and made balloon animals for the children. Our selection was limited to dogs and swords (“cane,” or “spada,”), but they were a big hit. We had a lot of fun playing with the kids, although we had to put the water balloons away, because they were much more popular with the children then they were with their parents.

Later that night, we put on a special service for the residents of the social center. Several residents came out along with some soldiers and officers for a time of worship. We presented an offering of dance, drama, testimony, and praise and worship. We posted all the lyrics on powerpoint in both English and Italian, so we could all sing together. We did manage to learn one song in Italian ourselves to sing with them, Aprimi gli occhi del cuore (Open the Eyes of My Heart).

With the help of Maira as an interpreter, Emmanuel brought the message for the evening. This inadvertently led to one of the most comical moments since we have been here. Introducing one song, I said, “In just a moment, Emmanuel will come and share the message.” Emmanuel happens to share his name with the Corps Officer here. This officer shared with us afterward that in that moment he had a mild panic attack because he had nothing prepared, until he remembered that there was another Emmanuel.

I have heard from other summer missions teams in the past that they had moments when they were put on the spot in the middle of a meeting to bring a message. For this reason we have all prepared something ahead of time just in case. But I never imagined that, even for a moment, we would be the ones to catch our hosts off guard.

Seeing the Sights

Morning Devotions

We have begun inviting residents of the social center where we are staying to join us for morning devotions around the breakfast table. We had a couple takers yesterday, and they eagerly asked if we would do it each morning. We had a couple more today. They struggle a bit to understand the English, but they want to keep hearing the Word. We are trying to learn to overcome the language barrier, as we are excited to share in the Scriptures with them. Some also enjoy the opportunity to work on their English, but they have now asked if in addition to our morning devotions we can also find another time to share with an interpreter. Tonight we will be putting on a special service for the social center with interpretation, and we will look for more opportunities this week to share with them.

Arrival and First Day

So when we first arrived, Captain Emmanuel and Eduardo picked us up from the airport to The Salvation Army. This place is beautiful. Myra was here to greet us - she is technically the mother of, well, Italy in my opinion. Needless to say, we are well taken care of here. The food is great! And abundant. We're all anxious to begin ministry! But the first day was reserved for us to go sight-seeing and rest from the travel here. We roamed around Rome. Bahaha, get it? First we went to see the Colosseum, and then to a few other sights. I'm sure we'll have pictures and more explanations of it all sometime soon.
On a sad note, Tra was not able to get her visa and join us this summer. Please keep her in your prayers, and us as well. She's been a blessing to us all, and our time in Italy won't be the same without her being here. We all do acknowledge that God has a plan for each of us this summer, and that His will is not oppressed! :)

Blessings to you all! Please keep us in your prayers. Please, keep those who we will be coming into contact in in prayers as well.

Chris and the Italy Hands On team.