Almost Home

I talked to my support coach, Robyn Lucas (who has been amazingly supportive through out this process), yesterday. From the time I woke up till our phone call at 2pm I tried to stay in the word but between the dog getting out and my own ADD I found it difficult to concentrate and about 10 minutes before I found myself in tears. This phone call was going to determine if I could continue or not.

But the Lord has truly been moving mountains. Because the Lord has provided so faithfully they are allowing my to continue and I am now at 70% total!

Here's the update...

My Current Need:

$700 - One-Time support

$1,220 - Monthly support

Breaking it down:

That's just 13 people at $100 a month or 26 at $50/month!

As you can see my monthly support and my one-time is markedly different. Please be praying that the Lord will provide my remaining monthly support quickly.

Because I am making progress but realistically will not be done by next Wednesday, September 30th, Robyn will be talking with the leadership in Italy in the next few days to decide when my new leave date will be.

Please be praying that God will provide my financial support swiftly and abundantly so I can join my team as soon as humanly possible. I'm almost home!

Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing."... You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand

~ Psalm 16: 1-2, 11 ~

Do or Die

Septmeber 30, 2009.

I officially have a leave date. It is now in 19 days and counting.

And I am currently at 48%. I found out the date yesterday morning and came up with a little slogan that I think encapsulates my need right now: "20grand in 2o days". That's right, I need about $20,000 in 20 days...well 19 now.

My specific need:

$4,750 to finish one-time goals

$1,450 per month to finish my monthly support

Breaking it down:

$11,000 more = 80% (when I can buy my plane ticket)

$530/month + $5,000 one time

$19,400 more = 100%

So yea, I decided I wanted to be completely candid because my need can't be met if it's not known. I am truly trusting God for a miracle and I pray that you will be a part of it.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.

Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

~ Philippians 4:6 ~

More Time

Cause I need more time

Just a few more months and we’ll be fine...

More time. I need more time.

What for though? I'm conflicted. I want to be in Italy, more than I can say. I wish I was already there or getting on a plane like others. I want to buy my ticket. I want to pack. I want to be on campus. But alas, I can't until I have 80% of my support and I am not there yet.

I want more time because I feel like I'm finally developing the confidence it takes to raise support, that I am not letting fear or intimidation get in the way (as much, at least). I feel like I finally have a routine and am making progress. I just wish I had more time to really implement the things I've learned.

At the same time, as I spend time with my friends and family I'm being brought aware of all the things I will be or could be missing. Football season is starting, Homecoming, birthdays, weddings. This week I was really reminded of how lucky I am to have the friends I do. Today, the A.C. in my car broke and 2 friends worked on my car for probably about 2 hours when they didn't have to. There is a girl, whom I've affectionately named Mia Benedizione, who is one of the biggest lights in my life. She's been an overwhelming and incredible blessing to me and it breaks my heart that I won't get to see her grow over the next year.

With that being said, as much as I want more time, there is no such thing as more time. There is perfect time, His perfect time. The past months have really taught me that nothing is possible without God. And that I could work for months and months on support but without Him I'll be nowhere. It wasn't until I took steps and truly put my faith in the Lord that I started to see fruit.

So I will wait, and I will work, and I will pray because only in the Lord's timing will I get to Italy. I pray that it is soon, but it's not really up to me.

Please be praying for my support. I still need $1,500/month and $5,000 in one time support. That is 15 more partners at $100/month and $5,000 in one time donations or 20 more partners at $100/month. Also, please pray that I will seek Christ first ahead of all else.

...We’re off to new lands
So hold on to my hands
It’s gonna be alright

-"More Time" ~ needtobreathe-

Colorado

Hello from beautiful Copper Mountain, Colorado! I'm currently at stint briefing and am already having a great time. I've met people going to Bosnia, Spain, El Salvador, and so many more. Earlier today before our lunch break my friends from the Oceania team (Australia and New Zealand) took the lift up to the top of the mountain to gaze out at God's amazing creation. How anyone can deny God in a place like this is a mystery to me, for sure. Briefing has allowed me to hear amazing, crazy stories about what God has done in people's lives to get them here and I am honored to have a story to tell with them. And of course seeing friends and making friends has been great as well.

Meeting all these people from all these different places going to all different places just reminds me how big the world, and God, really is. We, myself included, tend to forget about others, always, constantly being wrapped up in our own world and our own problems. No matter how hard we try we will never be able to fix our broken minds, bodies, and souls on our own. Only through Christ, the ultimate carpenter, will we be rebuilt and made whole.

Please continue to pray for my support as I really only have 1 month left till I'm suppose to be on a plane! Please pray about joining me and for traveling home from briefing and where ever else I may be going.

"Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth."

-Psalm 46:10-

Whoever lives in love lives in God.

So I apologize for my lack of updates lately. Saying life has been crazy would be quite the understatement. This week began the visa process for all new STInters to Italy, including myself. After some bumps in the road I have made some great new friends and am more excited than ever to see what God is going to be doing in Italy in the up coming year.

In the morning my fellow stinters and I leave for Miami to finish the visa process then it's back up to Orlando for the night, then on to New Jersey for the weekend for my grandfather's 80th birthday! I'm really excited to see all my family and am looking forward to formally inviting them to take that final step in faith with me and support my ministry financially.

August 1st is pretty much here but as I know this is my calling I will not be giving up.

God has been doing amazing! I want to tell you a story about not being fearful and how friend has taken a huge step in faith. She wanted to help but didn't have much; then she realized how much a little can go along way - especially with faith attached. Her eagerness to give what she has has moved me and reminded me I am not the only one who benefits from the gifts given. So thank you love. Your faith encourages me everyday.

Prayer Requests:

Please be praying for safe travels for me, my family, and the other stinters who will be traveling this week to secure visas. Please pray with me as I ask God for a certain amount this weekend. Please pray about personally joining my team at $100/month or some other amount. And finally, please pray to see God do the amazing things I know he can. I know I mentioned this verse before but I feel I've come to understand and embrace it much better recently -

Perfect love drives out fear

- 1 John 4:18 -

Live without fear and forever in the light...

by His grace

Katie

Prayer and Promise

So I found this great verse in Hebrews the other day. I was at lunch with a friend who just got back from summer project in Salerno and we were talking about how God always stays true to His promises:

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, or God can be trusted to keep his promise - Hebrews 10:23

It was perfect. Especially considering a week ago I was ready to give up. I woke up and told God I needed something big to show I was still suppose to be doing this. He, of course, did. That day 2 more people joined my team totaling over $100 in monthly support. And it didn't stop there, the past 2 weeks have shown great promise but with the constant reminder there is still much more to do. 

My prayer for the next 3 weeks is to see my total double every week. It sounds big, but coincidently I need big and that just so happens to be what God is good at. If you are reading this challenge yourself to give. Giving is a step in faith, maybe even bigger than my asking, but I ask you to take it.

So this is what I want to leave you with...

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; 

it give us assurance about things we cannot see

-Hebrews 11:1-

https://give.ccci.org/give/View/0619084

I'll be brief

Ciao a tutti! I hope everyone had a great 4th of July; I know I did! The Lord has been doing some pretty crazy things lately; things like 2 new partners in 2 minutes! Wow, that's a lot of exclamation points...oh well = )

Things have been looking up and while I am still fighting everyday, God has been showing Himself daily. I met with my old roommate and she gave me some great words of wisdom: "Perfect love drives out fear" (1 John 4:18). What can I say, that Jesus guy is pretty awesome.

Please continue to pray for perseverance, strength, and to consider partnering with me. I am ever grateful for all your prayers and support.

by His grace

Katie

home sweet home

Ciao ciao!

So I'm back in Port St. Lucie, safe and sound, after a crazy week of traveling. The wedding was amazing, as was being able to reconnect with friends and family. The week really made me realize how much I miss seeing everyone and am really going to try to keep in touch better. 

Also, this week brought some really amazing blessings to friends of mine, including one of my closest friends who, after a year+ of searching, got a teaching job! AND in Port St. Lucie of all places! She'll be teaching 2nd grade at Renaissance Charter School and I can't wait for her to come and hang!

On a more serious front, I am in serious need of prayer. Support is slow and tough and I find myself being bogged down by the lack of progress and stress. Please pray that I will continue to seek after the Lord and trust Him. Also, I please ask you to prayerfully consider partnering with me. I know this is where the Lord wants me but I need your help to get there.

Grazie Mille and Praise to HIM!

Heads Carolina...

At 12pm today my family and I set out on our road trip to Massachusetts for my cousin Liz's wedding. After a stop in Wildwood for my Aunt and Cracker Barrel for dinner (nothing like real chain country cooking in the country) we are finally stopped in Manning, South Carolina for the night. Past few days have been crazy. I mostly moved out of my apartment on Sunday, went to Palm Harbor for a support meeting, back to Orlando to finish moving and a friend's birthday, then to Port St. Lucie yesterday where I saw the summer musical at my alma mater. I don't know what was stranger: seeing the theater redone, me not being on stage (I was really involved in theater in High School), running into a friend from elementary school who leaves today to play MLB for the Angels, or being told I look the exact same as I did in high school from my director.

Now that I've bored you with my to do's - some updates...

I have been really stressed out lately (for obvious reasons) but I am daily amazed by how awesome our God is. Spending time with friends in Palm Harbor was great and refreshing and my lunch went great and will have a possible one time gift and I received an email from a friend and his wife who will be taking a great step of faith and  would like to support me! Praise Jesus for showing His provision!

Please pray for His continual provision, my cousin's wedding and my time with my family, whom I have not seen in a very long time, safe travel, and finally, that the Lord will continue to create new opportunities to share about what I am doing. 

Finally, I'd like to say a special thank you to my cousin. In the mist of all the chaos in my life she has been a constant source of love and encouragement. She has been so amazing, getting in contact with people she knows and telling them about my ministry. So thank you my love; I can't wait to see you soon <3

Ciao ragazzi!

Buongiorno! I've decided to start this blog as a way to keep those you updated on my journey to Italy. First I should start by telling you who I am, what I am doing and, most importantly, why.

(Sorry so long...)

Who I am: In the fall of 2009 I will be moving to Salerno, Italy to work with Campus Crusade for Christ at the University of Salerno. I am excited about this opportunity the Lord has provided me with. My heart is for people to not only trust Christ but to also know a satisfying relationship with Him.

I believe God has called me to Italy first as an act of obedience and second, to use my God-given passion. While a student at the University of Central Florida I majored in history, with a focus on the Italian Renaissance, as well as had concentrations in psychology and Italian. I had the fortunate opportunity to study abroad in Italy two summers ago and fell in love with the country.  Then, last summer, the Lord called me to Salerno for missions and that was when I fell in love with the people. With my passion for Italy and her people combined with my knowledge of Italy and her culture I believe I am an asset to the team.

Why Salerno, Italy?: Campus Crusade for Christ’s goal is to reach the world for Christ. Part of their strategic plan for doing this is by partnering campuses in the U.S. with campuses overseas. UCF’s partnership is with the University of Salerno in Italy. Italy is becoming a spiritually dead country as only 2% of Italians claim to attend church regularly, defining regularly as maybe three times a year including weddings and funerals. The opportunity to know God is absent from their thinking or awareness. A growing number are atheist.

Who is Campus Crusade for Christ and how does this organization work?: Campus Crusade is an inter-denominational Christian organization. Their mission is “turning lost students into Christ-centered laborers.” I will be taking part in this mission by following Campus Crusade’s three-fold purpose: Win, Build, Send. We will do this by having one-on-one conversations, outreaches, creating life-changing community, mentoring, Biblical life application, teaching others how to share their faith, and sending students on mission trips. Campus Crusade for Christ has a vision of reaching the world though college students.

I am responsible for my own funding: Campus Crusade for Christ has no central funds to support their missionary’s salaries or ministry expenses. There would be few staff members today if funding were all raised centrally. Instead, each staff member or intern, like myself, depends upon God to provide ministry partners, like you, to invest in the mission I believe God is calling me to. Your check, made payable to Campus Crusade for Christ, is tax-deductible to you.

Prayer Support: Prayer is another very important aspect of my ministry. Specifically, I would ask that you pray for my health, for my quick acclimation to the culture and that my language skills will return, as well as loving and understanding relationships with my teammates.

What am I trusting God to do?: I am trusting God to supply all my needs by August 1^st.  Specifically, I have two financial goals, the first being monthly support. This is key and will help cover monthly rent, food, etc. The second is one-time costs of plane tickets, language school, etc. These combined make up my total financial support.

No matter what capacity with Lord calls you to give, I appreciate it. I’d like to ask you: Would you commit to $100 or some other amount monthly? $100 is a lot to some people and not so much to others. All I ask is that you give an amount that first and foremost God calls you to and second, an amount that is significant to you. I am excited to get to know you better through this common goal of sharing the gospel. Please see the enclosed sheet on how to give and my commitment to you.

Check out the How To Give link to the right!