News and prayer information from Richard and Pinuccia Wilson

On Thursday I had my annual meeting with the elders to talk about the Bible study groups this past year, and to think about the program for next year. For the studies, the groups will be doing 1Chronicles and a series on Christian doctrine based on the Apostles’ Creed. This means that after a few weeks without having to prepare any Bible studies (because I was far enough ahead to have prepared all of them for the rest of the church year, that ends this month), I will have to really work hard on the new studies for a bit. This will be partly in order to get ahead for the next 12 months (especially since in July we will be going away for a month, so I won’t be able to do any preparation then). Since I have to prepare the studies on the Creed that the other groups will use, as well as some guidelines for the 1Chronicles studies (even though each group leader will prepare his or her own studies on the book), it is also partly to have something to give them in September when the church activities restart. Actually, I need to have something ready already by the 18th, when all the Bible study group leaders will be meeting and we will be explaining next year’s program.

In our meeting on Thursday, we also talked about structural changes, with the possibility of a new group starting (and which we might be involved in). It is not sure yet, so I will say more about that another time.

This week we have had staying with us for a few days Suzanne Bikker, the new missionary for Rovereto. This was to sign her rental contact, but also to meet the new International Director of the mission, who stayed for a couple of days as well. But it was also good to spend some time together with her (since we will be spending a lot of time together in the next few years), and also think further together about her future ministry.

This week, we will be away for four days at a conference held near Florence for missionaries in Italy. Should be a good time to chat with some of our friends from around Italy, and for Stefania and Daniele to play with some other children in similar situations.

We have just said goodbye to the most recent guests, two people from the band from a town in Germany that spent the weekend with our band, playing a few concerts. So the weekend was busy with events with them, although I did not go this morning so as I could go to church instead. Now we have a couple of free nights, until the new International Director of ECM arrives on Tuesday for two nights, to get to know us and what the mission is doing in Italy. Then on Wednesday Suzanne Bikker, the new missionary that will be moving to Rovereto in July, will be coming for four nights, partly to meet and talk with the director, partly to sign her rental contract and do some cleaning in her apartment.

Apart from that, there is a public holiday on Tuesday which will be a good opportunity to go out on a picnic with the family, and on Friday Daniele has another post-operation check up, although there do not seem to be any problems.

This weekend we have been kept busy showing hospitality. On Saturday a couple of ECM missionaries came to visit most of the day, to talk about how things were going. Then Sunday night there were some friends who will be getting married in two weeks who came for dinner. This, plus housework, church and Pinuccia preparing the lesson for Sunday School, meant there was not much time for anything else. And in fact we had to miss two church activities. On Saturday there there was what was considered the first youth (meaning mostly young adults) service, an evening of singing praise. I heard that it went well, and I got a taste of it this morning as a bit was repeated for the service. Then on Sunday afternoon there was a meeting for the musicians in the church on how to use music in worship. I think that we will be having to miss quite a few of the church activities in this period. The church now is just too large to do everything, especially in these (almost) spring months when a lot more is on, both in the church and elsewhere (I have quite a few concerts with the band in this period as well). And I praise God that it is like that!

My regular readers may have noticed that I have been off the air for the last few days. Unfortunately, on short notice my old server could no longer host my site, so I have had to transfer it to a new server and reconstruct the site there. It is mostly up and running now, although in the Italian part of laparola.net (which is the main part of the site) there are still a couple of things I need to fix up. In this blog, I lost my last post (which was written after my last weekly back up) and for some reason all the categories of the messages.

To catch up then… The main point of the lost post was that Daniele’s operation was cancelled again. This time it was because he had a cold and was all blocked up, which is not a good time to have a general anaesthetic. So now we will try again in Spring.

Then last week I was in Madrid for one of the regular six monthly meetings of the leaders of the mission. (I usually have problems with my web sites when I am away, and it is hard for me to do anything about it.) The meeting went well, but it was the worst trip I have ever made. I have to go Verona-Rome-Madrid when I make my trips there, and there was industrial action by the ground staff of the airport at Rome which delayed everything. On my way to Madrid, the plane gave up waiting for the luggage to be loaded and left anyway, so all the passengers arrived with nothing. My bag arrived the following morning. On the way back, the plane was late and I missed my connection to Verona, so the airline put me in a hotel to get some sleep (although I didn’t get there until 1am), and I caught the first flight on the next morning, which was also one hour late. But I did get home by 1pm – which did create some problems for Pinuccia and her work as well.

Anyway, it is all back to normal again now, and this week should have all the usual events and I hope no out of the ordinary problems to look after.

I have now some time at home this weekend, although there are a few household activities to do and other things to catch up on after my absence in these days, so it is not time for a rest yet. Yesterday Jury and I left at 3.30am to drive to Milan, where we caught a plane to London, to speak at the annual meeting for ECM Britain’s supporters. Jury found it helpful and encouraging to see first hand many of the people committed to supporting the church in general and him in particular. Then straight after the meeting it was back to the airport (where we found the plane was an hour late), a flight and a drive home, getting back at half past midnight. Jury was a bit disappointed that he did not see anything in his first trip to England, although on the way there we had a perfect view of central London from the aeroplane window, so he did get to see most of the major sites (albeit from a far). I on the other hand think that I am getting a bit old for these strange trips, even though I did get quite a few naps in during the car and plane trips. Pinuccia in the meantime was trying to prepare the Sunday School lesson for today, without much success as the children wanted her to be with her almost all of the time. So she was still working on the lesson when I got home.
Then today after church we went straight to the annual lunch for the band. It was slightly hard work after the efforts of yesterday, especially since there was a very good and abundant lunch laid on. So the stomach was filled whilst the eyelids were drooping.

I have finished my studies for the week now, although Pinuccia still has the ladies’ meeting to run tonight. So now I can have a bit of a pause before another busy weekend.

In Saturday I will be making a trip to London with Jury. Jury is preparing the social ministry that the church wants to create, and shortly will be employed by the church part time to run that and the Valsugana group. Since part of the funding for this will be coming from the English section of ECM, we will be going there to speak at their one day conference for supporters and others, to explain the vision that we have at Trento, to thank them for their support (many there have been praying for decades for the church) and to encourage them to be involved. I think it will be very useful for Jury as well, to get a wider vision of the ministry that he will be involved in: it is not just the church that is doing this, but we are helped by Christians from around the world. We decided that the easiest way to go was to just make it a day trip. So at 4am on Saturday we drive to Milan (about 2.5 hours) for a flight at 8am. Then at 6pm we catch a flight back, and around midnight we should be home. So pray for good travelling as well, especially as it is fog season around Milan now. Jury is a bit upset that it will be his first time in England, and he will see just the airport, a road and the conference hall, although I am used to that by now.

Then on Sunday at church I will be helping the children prepare for their event next week for the first half of the service, then Pinuccia will take her class to their lesson whilst I try to follow the sermon whilst looking after Daniele. Then there is the annual lunch for the band, so it will be an interesting time getting to know the others there, away from the usual practices. Maybe I will get some rest then in the evening.

Our super busy week end has come to an end now. First there were a couple of other ECM missionaries on Saturday from 11am to 5.30pm. Then preparation and cooking for the three teenagers for pizzas (my speciality), prayer and video until late. Then on Sunday it was church, and we got home at 12.30, about 10 seconds after Pinuccia’s brother and mother arrived, who had come up from Sicily for 10 days. So we prepared and had lunch with them, and then went for a walk around Trento (except Stefania, who is really keen on her new bike, so she rode around the town). There was a lot to do, but we are certainly happy to have had this time with family and friends. The extra hour’s sleep due to the end of daylight savings was a great help as well.

My first ever Sunday School lesson went well also. They are a good class of children. I will be doing next week as well, which will be more difficult as it is on some of the abstract qualities of God (eternal, omnipotent, and omnipresent).

This week’s events to pray for (apart from good time with Pinuccia’s family):
On Thursday night there is a meeting to introduce the church to those who have started attending recently. There are quite a few of them: I gave out about 15 invitations to individuals or families. We usually do such meetings about once a year, around this time (as a lot of new people arrive in September or October). I will be talking at the meeting this time – I had better get to work to prepare what I will say…
On Friday the family and Pinuccia’s mother will be going to Modena (2.5 hours south), to spend the day with Pinuccia’s mother’s sister and her family (including meeting Pinuccia’s cousin’s first baby, born a couple of weeks ago).
On Friday evening and most of Saturday the Young Adults in the church will be having a retreat, with talks on evangelism. Pinuccia and I will be going on Saturday morning, leaving the children with their grandmother.

One consequence of teaching the Sunday School together instead of doing the Youth Group was that we would have Saturdays free, and were looking forward to having a whole day together as a family to do different things. It has turned out that the practice has been a bit different from the theory, as every Saturday something comes up. But it is always something enjoyable. During this week we were planning what to do on what we thought would finally be our first really free Saturday, when on Thursday we got a call to say that Pinuccia’s cousin would be visiting for the weekend (as her fiancé had just been offered a job for a month as a relief teacher for a month in a town 45 minutes from here). So we had the privilege of showing some hospitality, and Pinuccia enjoyed being able to see her cousin again. Now we are thinking about our next really free day on November 15 (and even then there was a meeting to go to, but it was postponed to the following week, when I already have another commitment).

There are a few things coming up this week that you could pray for:
1. Pinuccia’s mother arrives on Saturday to stay for almost 2 weeks. Pinuccia of course is looking forward to having her here, whilst I will be happy to have a cleaning lady in the house!
2. On Saturday, some other Italian ECM missionaries will be coming for lunch, and then in the evening the three teenagers in the church will be coming for dinner, praying and a video. It is our fault this time that Saturday is busy, since we invited all these people!
3. My first Sunday School lesson next Sunday (I will be doing the following Sunday as well). I am looking forward to the new experience and opportunity.
4. On Friday, one of the elders of the church will be going to Thailand for a week to represent Italy at the World Evangelical Alliance General Assembly.

I’m back at home now after three days in Spain, looking at the future vision of the mission (which we will be doing again in February and April, so there are a few more trips coming up still). The rest of the family coped in my absence as well, although it isn’t easy for them. Pinuccia took three days off work, and managed to get Stefania to and from school (with Daniele as well), as well as the shopping and normal household chores, and even took the opportunity to invite a few people to our house for a chat, or to have some meetings about the women’s ministry in the church (which she has had to take over).

It has been a slightly quieter week for me, because on Tuesday there was a meeting about the couple with a visiting speaker. So the Rovereto group did not meet, and Pinuccia went out to that whilst I put the children to sleep. So I only had the one study to do this week, plus the church committee meeting last night.

Next week will be without studies as well, because on Tuesday I will be going to Madrid for three days of ECM meetings, which will leave me only Pinuccia’s night to go out to the Bible study on Monday and my band practice night on Friday. At least that is the theory. I am booked to fly with Alitalia, and there is a good chance that it will go bankrupt by next week! So I am still not sure if I will be going.

In the meantime, on Sunday is the first meeting of the Sunday School for this school year. There will be a time with all the classes together to present the year, and it will be another month before my turn for teaching comes up.

Stefania still enjoys school, although she did not eat anything at lunch there the first day. She has eaten a bit however in the last few days, even though not a lot and certainly not everything. On Monday she will start full-time hours, ie from 9am to 3.15pm. After lunch, they make the smaller children have a nap at the school. This will be even more interesting than trying to make her eat, as she has not had an afternoon nap for over a year, and certainly when I pick her up after lunch now the school has not tired her out enough, and neither does another hour playing in the park in the afternoon. Her teachers will certainly have fun with her!