Family:

Things have been pretty intense both personally and in ministry. The year started out with the tragic loss of both Hope’s Grandpa and my little brother Lance within a week of each other. Despite the shock and pain of our loss, as usual, Jesus demonstrated himself faithful to work all things for good in innumerable ways. Our comfort was knowing they are with Jesus. Hope is in America as of yesterday with her grandma about to head home to be with Jesus. When grandpa passed away last year, they had been married 71 years! God bless em. Here, the kids are doing great. They are happy, fun, very sensitive and Jesus loving by God’s grace. They’re not so excited about the hours of homework they get but whata ya gonna do. They do love church though. It’s a blessing when your kids are asking all the time when it’s going to be a “church day”, because they love it so much!!

CC Rome:

The fellowship is abounding with new life, new believers and folks growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. One of our great joys has been seeing a couple of the families in the neighborhood get saved and begin regularly attending the fellowship. The coffee bar ministry is paying off. Somebody has to do it, right? The children’s ministry has grown to the point that we are praying about what to do now with the little space we don't have. It almost feels like we are on the verge of seeing God really do something amazing. It has been a busy year of evangelism and outreach with teams and small concert/bbq evenings at the church. In the fall we did Fall Fest and had lot’s of little kids dressed up as animals with the theme of the party being Noah’s Ark. It has been such a blessing to see the folks in the fellowship stepping up to serve and help with outreach and services in practical ways all these months. Our call and focus into the New Year is to bear much fruit. Based on that, we are looking to get together more in small group settings such as retreats. In December, Hope and quite a few ladies from CC Rome and CC Frascati, traveled to northern Italy to participate in a women’s tea hosted by CC Montebelluna. God did a sweet work of speaking to them individually and creating a special bond among them in a way we hadn’t yet seen before.

God is really using our Food Bank to minister to people practically by meeting their needs, but we are also seeing some spiritual fruit out of it. A lady named Corina received Christ a few months ago through receiving food assistance. This last Sunday we had a “Persian” come to church who has been getting food from us for a couple of months. Following the service, he commented that he was touched by the simplicity and the genuine joy and love of the fellowship, and that he would be bringing his family next week. God is amazing! It was a joy to see the body at CC Rome step up to help this young man get his car fixed when he couldn’t afford the parts. God’s love demonstrated practically, touching hearts. We are currently serving nearly 20 families with the city sending more each week. (Continued below...)

Coming Up: In March we will have a men’s retreat. We will also start again our English and Guitar lessons outreach. In June there will be a church wide (All Calvary’s in Italy) annual family conference with a team and teaching pastor from CC Spokane in Washington. Following the conference, we'll look to do some final repairs on our park renovation project, then we will be hosting a Family Festival in our neighborhood together with the team, doing Live Music, BBQ, VBS, preaching the gospel etc...

CC Frascati: The church in Frascati is doing great too. Robert is doing a wonderful job, busy working and serving the body. We are praying for financial support for him and his family. He works, but it just isn’t enough income to survive ultimately. Chantal, his wife was laid off and then got sick with a blood deficiency. If you’d like to support them, contact CC Boise or give online at chapelmissions.org and designate Italy - CC Frascati in the memo. We can never thank you all enough for your grace, love, support, help and prayers always sent our way. May God radically bless you on our behalf.

Prayer:

*The churches would continue growing in every way

*Wisdom for our leadership teams, for discernment, anointed yet practical teaching *Effective discipleship, fruit to be multiplied

*That God, His kingdom and His glory be our primary pursuit

*Holy Spirit to be poured out, gifts abounding, and love to be the the greatest among us *We might truly be salt and light to our community first, then to the city, the nation, and beyond

*For Robert and his family’s housing situation. Owner’s may sale the house in which they are living

*For upcoming services, conferences and retreats to be anointed, blessed and bear much fruit

*For God’s provision for all ministry and ministry families

*Provision for our food bank ministry and many to get saved through the practical expression of Christ’s love through His people

*For our kids, their growth in language use, their friendships and surrounding influences to be godly - Hope and her family's comfort

By Grace, Brent Harrell

Prayer:

§ More conversations about Jesus

§ Salvation for Roberto, Stefano (deliverance from Alcohol), Claudio and Malfisia, Glauco and Carmine, Daniele, and others in the community

§ Provision - projector, terrace furniture, kid’s playground equipment, finances for pastors and families to go to church conference in August, needs met for families seeking need through our Association... diapers, baby soaps, strollers, and food in general.

§ Blessed and effective summer outreaches (mini concert series 2 this coming Saturday), Water Baptism, Conferences By Grace, Brent Harrell

Family:

Hope and I are doing well; very concerned with various issues and needs within our families.  We are looking to God to do mighty things.  The kids are finishing school so we will now go into full-blown summer mode.  Isabella just turned 8, is finishing 2nd grade, and Olivia turns 6 next month and just graduated kindergarten.  We’ll be looking to get Braydy-boy out of diapers and prepare him for pre-school in September just after he turns 3.  Due to a lack of resources, at this point, it doesn’t look like the Lord will be taking us stateside this summer.  Either way, we look forward to a fruitful season of growing as a family (and as a church family) and just taking some time to play at the beach.  Lord willing, we may be stateside for Christmas.

Thank you sincerely for your love towards us, and the investment made towards the mission here.  It doesn’t go unnoticed or unappreciated.  Nothing fruit bearing would be possible here if it weren’t for your prayers, your generosity, and you concern for the Italians.  May God bless, fill and reward you in His own way as you continue to labor together with us.

Prayer:

o Miraculous healing for Chantal

o Open doors with our food pantry, and benevolence side of our association, more contact with the poor and needy

o Provision for park re-construction, hearts touched in community to help and give

o Work for Alessandro and Negist

o Sanctification and Preservation for singles in the fellowship

o Strengthened and united marriages, families

o Fruit from evangelistic efforts

o Salvation for Natale, Glauco and Carmine, Daniele, Claudio and Malfisia, Roberto and Stefano (coffee bar friends)

o Provision for T.V. screen or video projector for church, park reconstruction project  

o Provision for courtyard development – chairs, tables, gazebo or umbrella’s, flowers, flower pots

o Upcoming outreach events – market evangelism, acoustic summer concerts/bbq’s – divine appointments, relationships built, salvation for souls

o Sunday school tune up – organization, rotating servants, developed curriculum in Italian, salvation and spiritual growth for children

o Family issues – reconciliation in relationships, protection on marriages, salvation for non-believers, repentance and renewal for backslidden, empowering of Holy Spirit for those walking in own strength

o Anointed succinct, prophetic, and timely teaching

o Blessings on those baptized later this month

Our building continues to be such a wonderful blessing and joy as we have been able to hold all of these various events according to our own needs and just spend quality time in fellowship, worship and prayer.  Pray that we could grow in numbers and in financial giving so that as we get weaned off of our home churches financial help for the building rent in the coming months we could carry the load all on our own.  This can tend to be an interesting challenge for Evangelical churches in Italy unfortunately.  We pray for that gracious work of God's Holy Spirit in maturing the body in this area.  We also pray for God to prosper people with good jobs and consistent pay so that they can honor God with the fruit of their labors.   

On the 13th of February we are kicking off a new type of outreach for us with offering English lessons and Guitar lessons for free in an effort to be a blessing as well as simply bring people in.  Pray for Claudia as she will be teaching the English lessons, for Vincenzo as he leads the guitar lessons.  The lessons will carry on every other week until mid June.  We see this as a great opportunity for many in the fellowship wanting one or the other, maybe even preparing future worship leaders.  Either way we pray for the Lord to draw people and use it for His glory and His purposes.  Pray for divine appointments as we do flyer distribution and registration for the next couple of weeks.  

Lastly, on a personal note, Hope's grandpa Lowell Bennett, who is 90, and has had an amazingly full and Jesus glorifying life, seems to be very near the end.  His lungs are super weak, taking on some fluid, and his body just seems to be giving out.  Please pray for him and the family as it is still hard to think of letting him go.  Our prayer is that God has his way and shows mercy either way.

Thanks for your faithfulness to pray and give to our efforts here in Rome.  We can't thank you enough.

By Grace,
Brent and family, CC Rome