The new Rays

One of our first activities we did, once we got to Tampa, was to go to a Rays game against the Minnesota Twins.  We always try to do at least one fun, non-support related event a week so that we do not go crazy.  The first inning was littered with scoring with 8 runs scored by both teams including a fly ball that landed one seat over and two and half rows up into an old lady's lap.  I was not on my 'A' game since it was just the 1st inning and did not go over there and snag it since there were open seats and I could have.  The Rays ended up blowing the game in the 9th after they were up two runs and all they needed was three outs.  This was my third Rays game in their 11 years and I thought I was watching the Rays of old who only won 70 games in a season once in their previous ten years.  I would say the other crazy surprise of the game was an older gentlemen in the section over from us received a baseball to the top of the head after it bounced off the upper deck but he was okay.  Thats it for the sport report, back to support raising!  Enjoy the pictures!  

Keep On Keeping On

We are nearing the end of our 8th week. Support is going well, we are on pace to reach our goal still, but we are starting to get more one time gifts than monthly which could be a problem later on. I am learning when trusting God for things that current circumstances do not mean a thing, Chicken wing. Sorry had to do that. Anything could happen the next day or the next week, so what is happening now is something you kinda just put in the back of your head and look on. We attended our small group bible study last night. We are just starting a new series that we are going to attend when we can but we are going to be starting to be all over the place. We just had dinner and did an introduction to the book and I was encouraged and so was Amanda. We absolutely loved being a part of it last spring before it had a summer intermission. We both love being around people who like going deeper into each others' lives and the fact their are people that are from different stages of life. I wish we had a picture of everyone to share.

We are heading out to Tampa to make our first 2-3 week excursion on the 18th. At first I was okay and ready to go. Then, I got really frustrated because some things were not working out as I had hoped and now I am doing well again. This situation is just another one of the circumstances where I knew God was working because people were praying. 

I felt like I was always on the side growing up as the one praying for people as they are in difficult situations, but now as the one prayed for, I know it makes a difference in our everyday lives. It is really hard to explain, but I can actually feel my faith being affected. For instance, stuff kinda turned around about the Tampa thing Tuesday night. I realized it today that our church had a quarterly prayer night that we could not attend that without a shadow of a doubt we were being prayed for there. Thanks to everyone who is praying, keep doing it!! Let me know what your prayer needs also because the primary people I am praying for are people I am talking to and that are excited about our ministry.

Check out these videos

I just wanted to take a minute to highlight two links to video clips that are now available on our blog.  If you look over on the right side of the page, under the links section you will see 3 things listed.  The first is a link to setup an online gift.  The next two are video clipping about the ministry in Italy.  The first one, The Condition of Italy, was made by a former UCF student and now professional video producer/editor/guy.  It talks all about the spiritual climate of Italians, especially among young people.  If you want to know more about why we are going to Italy, this is a great place to start.  The second video, Marko Rosetti's Testimony, is the impact that the ministry has had on the life of one man.  Marko has had the opportunity to meet many of the students and staff that Campus Crusade has sent to Salerno over the past four years.  His family owns the hotel where many of the short term students had stayed.  By just seeing the lives of Christians in fellowship with one another, and through many intentional conversations over the years, Marko has come into a personal relationship with Christ.  It is powerful to see and to hear the words come from a man who has been impacted by the ministry.  Both of these videos are a great glimpse of what gets us excited about the ministry in Salerno.  Enjoy!

Meet more of the team

In addition to the long-term team, there is also a group of interns that are making a ten month commitment to live and work on the campus in Salerno. They recently attended a briefing in Colorado for all of the teams of interns being sent all over the world. Most of them are recent college graduates although two of them are returning for a second year of interning in Salerno. You will also see Jutty and Abbey (and Bryce and Addison) and Amanda Craig in the picture as well. Since they are supervising the intern team, they also attended the summit. All of the interns are leaving for Salerno next week so please keep them in your prayers as they are making some last minute preparations and saying goodbye to lots of friends and family.