A Servant’s Heart
A Short-Term trip testimony from a participant from Lakeside Community Chapel-Clearwater
I am so grateful to Aurora Mission for the opportunity I had to spend two amazing weeks in Italy. It opened my eyes to see how the Lord is working in Italy. I went in expecting to see a beautiful country, which I most definitely did and was not disappointed, but I was not expecting to see the depth of the darkness of Roman Catholicism. My heart has been forever impacted for Italy spiritually and they are forever in my prayers.
Our team was lead by David and Loredana Standridge. David, having grown up in Rome, and Loredana, having grown up in Sicily, were invaluable to our experience. Thank you for the time and dedication you put into our team!
Our experience at the Italian Theological Academy (ITA), was a true Italian experience—fellowshipping with the wonderful missionaries there and being blessed by their great Italian cooking! Each day we were encouraged and challenged by our morning devotions which David Standridge gave from Philippians. It opened my eyes to this book in a new way, and showed me the significance that God had for Paul as a missionary, and for all of us as missionaries too.
Our tasks while we were there included helping to paint the dining room and outside railing, and staining shutters and steps in the student housing area. I am thankful for the time we had serving alongside the missionaries and also bonding with my team members. My favorite part in Sicily was being able to partner with Aurora missionaries (Josh, Johnny, Peppe and Marco) and Comunita Christiana Evangelica (the church) to put on a mime in downtown Acireale. It portrayed the death of Christ, and at the end we gave a gospel presentation and passed out information about the church. We started out with about 50 to 75 people watching (mostly young kids) but only about 3 or 4 kids stayed afterwards to talk with the church members. We were told it could be anywhere from 6-8 years before an Italian may convert to Evangelical Christianity. We also participated in a picnic at the ITA for the church members, who were encouraged to invite their friends. We visited a local school where we played games with the kids, and also went to a piazza where we told stories to the kids, played games and had a puppet presentation.
Our time in Rome was spent sightseeing. We saw the Colosseum, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. We saw countless churches that honored Mary and encouraged the rituals and traditions of the Catholic religion. My favorite part of Rome was seeing the publishing office where many books have been written to witness to the unsaved in Italy, and many others are being translated for believers, to encourage them in their Christian walk. I did not realize how many resources we have in America to help us in our Christian walk – many Bible translations, books on the Christian life, and music. What I saw in Rome fit into one tiny office. It opened my eyes to see that not only do the people of Italy need our prayers, but also our financial contributions to help in more books being translated for their spiritual growth.
I saw that even across the ocean we all serve the same Lord – the same AMAZING Lord! The Lord who chose me to be His child is the same one who I am praying will bring many to know Him in Italy! Ciao!
Your Sister-in-Christ, Amanda
The Testimony of a Short-Term Missionary
Karise Pagano spent time ministering along side our missionaries in Acireale and Pennisi. Here is a glimpse into her experience…
When I embarked on this journey, I had no idea the things that God would do in my heart. The week of my departure, as I was heading out to Sicily, a friend said to me; “Isn’t it great to know that this is God’s perfect goodness for you?” At the time I smiled at her flowery words and continued packing my bags. But when my plane was rerouted or my luggage was lost, those words came back to me and I was comforted by the truth she had s poken. I love those times in life when we allow ourselves to be truly held in God’s hands. When you can sit alone in a foreign airport (not having planned on learning French as well as Italian) knowing that for all intents and purposes you should be panicking – but yet all you can do is smile knowing that THIS is God’s perfect goodness for you. And those times when you can’t believe that God’s perfect goodness could be this good! It’s amazing how we go to serve, but God uses that time to also teach us so much about ourselves and about Him!
Here are some things I learned while on my trip:
- If you always enjoy charades, you’d enjoy a mission’s trip to a foreign field.
- A smile goes a long way! (Even when you’re terrified that someone might actually speak to you – smile.)
- You never know where you might gain a dear friend, and you’d be surprised to know that friends don’t always have to speak the same language.
- Similar words in two different languages can mean completely different things.
- To a weary soldier fighting the good fight on the front lines, a fresh face can be just what he/she needs to keep fighting.
Working with Aurora Mission was a great experience. Everyone that I worked with from Aurora was kind and helpful throughout the whole process. I felt like the people of Aurora were behind me every step of the way!”