I am having terrible internet issues here and finally was able to update some pictures. Check out day eight and day twelve! We will being posting more blogs as soon as possible. We have been sooo busy that no one has had time to write, but we will have a few updates today!
God is working so much here in Poland it is crazy! Keep praying that the people here will open their hearts and minds to what God has for them!
Tony
Add comment | July 26th, 2008
We are here in Poland and all is well!
Tony
5 comments | July 24th, 2008
This is a comment from Anthony Testa, one of the pastors from the il rifugio church in Italy. This is about a man named Antonio that came to the first concert we played in the Piazza. There is a lot to his story, but now he has started a new chapter in his life! Antonio had never been to the church before and God was defiantly tugging at his heart! God is good in His promises!
Tony
This is the message from Anthony:
Friends,
I hope this makes it to you one way or another. Last night at prayer it was just Tony (Chinese believer in the church), Antonio (who came to all the concerts & Sunday service) and I. I figured that God was doing something since we generally draw 10-20 people at these gatherings.
Antonio opened up to us and began to share his hurts, his past and his need for Jesus. Tony & I reviewed the gospel with him, he’s heard it about 6 times in the past week and then asked him what would stop him from placing his trust in Jesus. He joyfully said, “NOTHING!”.
We then prayed and he prayed. I think he finally found the forgiveness that he’s been looking for! Praise Jesus. Please pray for him. I hope to connect with him tomorrow for coffee—a small coffee that you don’t sip in a plastic cup!
I love you all and miss you dearly. Praise God for our partnership in the gospel.
Blessings,
Anthony
6 comments | July 24th, 2008
We have limited access to the internet, as soon as I can we will have more posted! Check out day six photos.
Tony
5 comments | July 21st, 2008
Today was the last day we spent in Torino, Italy and it was a very sad day for me! I love that city! The more I am there; the more I want to stay. But it was time to move on to the second leg of our journey, which is going to be more of a restful time.
We started the day off as usual with quiet time with a cappuccino and pastry, and then headed to Sunday church service. This was interesting to hear worship songs sang in Italian, it makes sense because you know the lyrics! Mac gave his testimony and talked how God lead him to plant the church in Provo. It was good for all of the Italians to hear because they are being led to plant two more churches, one in Milano and in Genova. After service was over we ate, which they do at the end of every service. This includes Pasta, pizza, chips, snacks, etc… not just snacks, but a full on meal! Janice, from the Torino church by the way is one of the best cooks ever. This was when the reality of us leaving set in. I had to say good-bye to our new and old friends. One of the new friends we met was named Christian, which is an entirely crazy story what God had done in his life, prayed for us before we left.
So we all packed into the bus with all our luggage and music gear and headed to Cinque Terre. On the way there we happened to stumble onto an accident that just happened, a car had flipped over on the freeway! We decided to stop because the Police or Paramedics had not showed up yet and Kelly Konipa went to aid them as the rest of us prayed in the bus. Luckily nothing major happened to the two girls, which were in the car.
Once we arrived at Cinque Terre, we had to get into the train to get to the city we were staying in. This was a mad rush of 30 people with all their bags from the bus to the train. I made a quick call out to make sure all of my bags made it on the train. I was assured they were. Once everyone was on the bus and the doors shut, I NOTICED MY BAG STILL ON THE PLATFORM! I just took a deep breath and talked with Paul. At this point I was freaking out in my head, this was the bag that has ALL of my clothing and pedal board in it. I got out at the next stop with Kristen, one of the Italian locals, and we went back for the bag. On our way back we get a call saying another bag was left! God is good because by the time we got back to the first stop, both the bags were still there with everything in them! Praise God!
Once I stepped out of the train when all of this stress was over, I looked up in awe. This is the most beautiful place on this earth I have ever seen! Words and pictures are not going to be able to explain the beauty of this place. The one thing I can say is that the pictures you see of Italy, this is it. We walked around the city, got in the ocean and then ate dinner. Something to point out is pesto, is amazing here. Paul and Collin decided to play in the city. There was a Catholic procession, which was interesting. Jim gave a talk on being Fishers of Men as we overlooked the ocean. Then we were able to see the BEST firework show on the face of the planet! NO LIE! It was just nuts, they were shooting these things everywhere. They were loud, big and very colorful, nothing that I have ever witnessed before. After, we went swimming in the ocean and it was very refreshing. As the night was closing we went back to our hotel, well closet, we had an amazing view of the city street.
God is good to us in so many ways. I am brought back to this verse again today that God’s plans are always better than ours.
“You can make many plans; but the Lord’s purpose will prevail” – Proverbs 19:21 (NLT)
With us having to stop for thirty minutes while Kelly is helping people in an accident or Kristen and I having to back track thirty minutes to get our two bags that were left. God has a purpose for every situation we run into. Sometimes we can see it and sometimes we can’t. Always remember that God is in control and his purpose will always prevail!
Side note: here are something’s you learn from Italians.
1. Drink your coffee out of a ceramic cup with nothing but espresso, maybe with milk. Don’t rush a good thing!
2. When you eat, you stay out eating all night. Once again don’t rush a good thing!
Tony D.
5 comments | July 21st, 2008
This morning I came across Matthew 5:16, which says, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Truly this verse summarizes our adventure in Milan. Each of us shined like stars before all those with whom we encountered on our journey.
I had great plans to rest and rejuvenate on the train between Turin and Milan. Rest came with a bit of dozing, but rejuvenation came with the encouragement of eavesdropping on the friendship that blossomed between Mac and an Italian in the seats behind Jeff and me. Gently, Mac became the face of God’s love as he befriended a stranger. Mac’s natural glow was evident to this gentleman allowing him the opportunity to share the root of his joy: a personal relationship with Christ. After watching Mac share the gospel, just as he was challenging us to do, I had courage to do the same.
Later, I leisurely sauntered up the stairs of the subway strengthened by Mac’s example and ready to evangelize to whomever I encountered on the streets of Milan. Glancing up as I reached the last few steps, I froze. Towering before me stood The Duomo. With majestic marble walls, arched gothic windows, and spires into the clouds, The Duomo offered a hint of the gates of heaven.
At the base of an ornamented street lamp with The Duomo in the backdrop, our musicians, Kelsea and Caleb, shined bright through song. As the music drew a crowd, the rest of us became the feet of Jesus through friendly chats with strangers. In one particular situation, Jeff and I were able to converse with a gentleman from the Philippines, there at the piazza to visit the Duomo. Sitting in front a picturesque cathedral, the conversation naturally steered toward spiritual matters. Our new friend asked us to explain what it meant to be a born-again Christian, which opened the door for us to give him a Bible and use this gift offering as an analogy for accepting God’s gift of grace.
Following our fruitful experience at The Duomo, our team fellowshipped over Italian pasta and wine. Other than the buonissimo (delicious) dinner, the source of all other dinner highlights came from our waiter, Francesco, including him serenading us in Italian, playing Caleb’s bongo drum, and kissing me on the cheek! Overall our journey to Milan was quite extraordinary…
Jen B.
1 comment | July 21st, 2008
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere – in Jerusalem, throughout Judea in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Act 1:8
When Jesus commissioned his disciples, he didn’t mention a few things. Don’t get me wrong, he said exactly what he needed to say. Obviously, he’s God; he knows what he’s doing. And his inspiring final words precluding his ascension infer action and multiplication. They suggest that His word is to be taken everywhere. What Jesus intentionally did not mention, however, is how hard this commission can be. Initially, this verse stirs my heart to pray big prayers and dream big dreams of elaborate and poetic sermons in the city squares in exotic lands, and mass conversions immediately. And that’s exactly what I think Jesus wants us to pray for and wants us to imagine. But sometimes things start small.
Maybe I’m a little tired today, and I mean no offense with today’s blog; but I’ve found myself chuckling at times by the oddity of what we’re doing here. I’ve been struck this trip by the absolute grandeur of God’s power, and the sometimes ridiculousness of our human frailty. That’s why we have found comfort in God’s sovereignty; that “the Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you (us) to know” what fruit may come (Acts 1:7).
So, today our band of 30 split up into 2 groups to go to Torino’s relative “Judea and Samaria.” One group ventured north to Milan, and the other, Genova to the south. There are plans for the small church in Torino to send groups to these to major cities of northern Italy to settle there and plant new churches. So we went by bus, train, and foot to go street perform some music and try to initiate conversations. Our goal, of course, is always to win people to Christ. But today was mostly reconnaissance, gathering interest in these forthcoming churches.
But being even more unfamiliar with these two cities than Torino, it’s a daunting task. As a street performer in a foreign country where that sort of thing isn’t common and most people speak Italian, you feel like an idiot. We had this clunky, murmuring generator in which we fumbled to plug our guitars and microphones. Our tired voices from the night before cracked as our ears strained to hear whether or not we were out of tune. Onlookers seemed mildly curious at best. It felt like we were in a fish bowl, or a weird zoo where the animals play the bongo and sing in a foreign language.
Out in the crowd, it’s a similar experience. Conversations usually go something like this:
“Ciao. Do you speak English?”
“No.”
“Um, okay, grazie!” And sometimes – the good ones – like this:
“Ciao. Do you speak English?”
“A little.”
“Well, we are interested in beginning a student group ….” And then, hopefully, we are able to take down their information and steer the conversations toward Jesus. But in these times, you have to step back and laugh at yourself. I think God is; I think he finds our awkwardness endearing. And he is able to use it to plant seeds.
It was even awkward to pray there. Genova has few English speakers, and it’s also much more impoverished and less metropolitan so you felt out of place. But to pray through those cramped alleys and city streets, to pray against any strongholds and for God’s love to wash over these broken people, well, that’s always a good thing. And it struck me that people don’t do that in Genova and Milan. There are few prayer warriors spreading God’s power throughout the nooks and crannies of these cities. So just to be there and pray was a fruitful thing.
Joshua sent two of his men to spy the land God was going to give the Israelites before they actually settled. That’s what today felt like, only much more sloppy and clumsy. Or, maybe it was the same way then. At any rate, I wouldn’t have it any way because without ego and comfort, I feel more desperate for God. When that’s the case, I think all of us here have been clinging to these few verses:
“Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated before my eyes” (2 Samuel 6:22).
“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).
Unashamed,
Kim
9 comments | July 20th, 2008
Today we are going to Milan and Genova. I will get more photos and blogs posted as soon as we get back! Pray for us as we go into two other cities!
Ciao!
Tony
5 comments | July 19th, 2008
Check out the photo and Vimeo links for more pictures and videos.
Tony
7 comments | July 18th, 2008
In the 1950’s, a young evangelist kneeled expectantly in an empty sports arena in Moscow. He prayed that one day, the clutches of the Cold War would loosen to allow him to preach the gospel. Thirty years later that same evangelist, Billy Graham, preached in that same stadium, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thousands of people ran to the altar to pray for salvation.
In AD 33, a young carpenter-turned rabbi prayed on a hilltop outside the Jerusalem city gates. He prayed that “even today” her people would “find the way of peace” (Luke 19:42). Less than two months later, his disciples stood in that same city proclaiming to the crowd at Pentecost, that “God has made this Jesus whom you crucified to be both Lord and Messiah!” (Acts 2:36). About three thousand people from many nations became believers and were baptized that day.
In 2008, a church in Salt Lake City sent thirty saints to Torino, Italy, to play music and tell people about Jesus. They did exactly that. The third concert of the week, on Thursday, July 17, the gospel was preached both from the stage and in the piazza to dozens of people. No proclamations of faith were uttered yet, but truth was heard once again and relationships were made. Faces and names to those prayers were given: Cristina, Adrian, Antonio, Luigi, Christian, Lucas, Nosh, Marco, Fumo, Frances…..singed in our hearts and memories forever.
Revolutions begin small. They begin with a discontentment; a restlessness and desire for change. These revolutions were the sprung from a need for spiritual saturation, for truth to be heard. They are birthed in prayer. What we have been apart of here in Torino is no different.
Yesterday was our second and final outdoor concert here in Torino. After an afternoon of rest and rejuvenation, we hit the piazza with a fire in our bones and grace on our lips. The spirit was palpable as I surveyed the city square watching my brothers and sisters engage with these lost people. It seemed different this time, like a heaviness was lifted and hearts had been softened. It seemed like this time, people were hungrier and more willing to engage on issues of truth. As the gospel was preached from stage this time, people seemed not only to be drawn toward the stage, but also to listen and consider. It was beautiful.
Who’s to say what will happen in 30 years? Seven weeks? So much has already happened in these 4 days. God’s glory has shown through the seeking souls in his people of Italy. Be prayerful. That’s how revolutions begin.
Prayerfully,
Kim
8 comments | July 18th, 2008