Catch up

Ciao tutti,

It has been way to long since i have written and shared my life with the people who deserve most to hear about it.

I love living in Italy and getting to experience the European culture, which is so different from the American mindset on things. As much as i love it though it has been difficult at times to wanna stay, with so many people and places that i miss and long for. I never really told anyone how badly i was homesick for awhile... mainly cause i viewed it as a weakness... i mean im 20 i shouldn't feel the need to see people that bad. Luckily my view on that changed and realized it was a good thing... meant i had something at home worth looking forward to when the time came.Yet im still here, because the reason I'm here is far greater than those things. No amount of homesickness was going to stop me from doing what i came to do. I just thought you as my family should know that i love this place... but it will never outway my love for my home land and the amazing people in it

Italy is a tough place to minister for two very simple reasons
1. Older people are too rooted in their Catholicism even though most don't practice, they just claim Catholicism cause that is what they were born into. Catholic is all they have ever been and most of them don't see the point in changing.
2. Younger people love having fun too much to believe in God, and most believe strongly that you can't do both.

NEW TEAM

I recently have had the pleasure of welcoming 6 new AIMers to the team... which means 8 people are now living in this house.... and i would trade it for anything i love having these guys. so i just ask that you pray for these guys. These are some wonderful People with amazing hearts.
1. Matt Tracy
2. Ryan Jarboe
3. Jackson Esco
4. Shae Baker
5. Osiris Hernandez
6. Josie Collins

KITTEN
no where near as cool as the new people, but the team got a Kitten and its name is Garbage. Its a definite handful.

ENGLISH STUDENTS

I have had call after call from our flyers for english lessons but only one person actually show up when something was scheduled... but he to i guess gave up... didn't show up to lessons and didn't answer my calls. Then i had another student named Milania who lived a few doors down. I would meet with her on Saturdays and help her with her English homework, she is now going into her senior year of highschool and she wants to be a linguist. So for her i was more of a tutor than i was a teacher. She was in the process of reading Macbeth by Shakespeare and she would read it to me and i would correct her pronunciation if necessary which wasn't often, she read it well and if she took her time and didn't try to speak to fast she also spoke it really well. i ask yall to pray for her that she can go on to university and accomplish whatever it is she wants to do with her degree.

BIBLE STUDY
I have only had one bible study the entire time i have been here (doesn't mean i haven't talked to people about God). There is a bar that i like to go to from time to time cause they make a really good sandwich that i like. One day when i was there the Barista whose name was David began to ask me why i was here, and after i told him he asked me how my church was different from the Catholic church. I imagine I light up like a christmas tree, and asked him if i could have a few days to prepare some thoughts and get it together in italian.... and he said of course. So i went back about three days later and had supper with him and we discussed the difference. and i haven't had any other studies with him but we still talk about God often when I go in there. There is a woman that works with him that i just found out that her and David are getting married. So if you would pray for them as they are fixing to start their lives together.

KIDS CLASS

Anto had recently decided that my Italian is sufficient to teach the Kids Class by myself. so about a month ago i taught from Exodus 33. I think i did pretty well considering my grammar isn't great. The kids really seemed to enjoy the class and i had alot of fun doing it.

NEW NAIF

New Naif has been the one continual thing that i have had since ive been here. New Naif is a Cooperativa. It is a school for the mentally retarded. I absolutely love being there with the kids, and even though most of them are twice my age i call them kids.. cause that is what they are like. I have poured lots of time into getting to know these kids and they other teachers. Its such a humbling experience to work with them. I will miss them so much, cause i love the absolutely genuine friendship i experienced with them. Please pray for them. they are some of the most amazing people i know.

MENSA

Mensa is a shelter/food kitchen for the homeless. Meals are prepared and served and those that need it are also provided with a place to stay.

COMING HOME

I am slightly sad but also pleased to announce that on Friday October 27th i will be coming home!!!!!!!

FUTURE PLANS

I will be attending Sunset School of Preaching in January which is a two year program

SUPPORTERS

WOW! yall are so amazing to me. your willingness to help me accomplish something that i couldn't do on my own. yall have been a great part of God's work here in Prato, Italy. I want to apologize again for being horrible about communication with yall. Yall deserved so much more than that, and im sorry that i didn't keep my end of things. I promise that it is something that i will work at for when i do mission work in the future because it is absolutely essential for supporters.

On the note of support

While Sunset is a tuition free school, i will still have living expenses. I will get a job while im in Lubbock, but i know i wont be able to work enough hours and have enough time for schoolwork so i will be needing some assistance... as far as what my income will look like i can't say for now. but when i find out i will make sure i let everyone know. I absolutely hate asking for help cause i don't like the idea of living off of support, although the fact that i will get a job makes me feel slightly better about it. If you will be able to help with that or know someone who will i would greatly appreciate it.

JUST A THOUGHT

I was reading in proverbs this morning and ran across a verb that i really really love

Proverbs 19:20 reads
Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.

I feel like this is something that we as people have a hard time doing. accepting advice from others is not always easy especially if it is hard to swallow. Its something that i personally have been working on, because in my mind i don't always allow others to be right. If they contradict what i think about a situation they must be wrong... why did i think this way?.... because i hate to be wrong. but guess what, ive been wrong more than once in my life... can you believe it? well its true. ;) point being realize that other people just may know more than you do and you can use they knowledge and wisdom they pass on to you to help others in the future


Thats all i have for you now i will write again at the end of August to tell you how that went

i love yall,
Evan