A major concern of mine has been how to adequately show gratitude to our supporters. Well, in just three weeks, I am happy to be able to report that we have had an immediate flood of good news!
The Good News
- First, a certain Monica was baptized in Florence several weeks ago. Since then, she has shown good faith and is scheduled to be with Marla and I next Domenica (Sunday) after morning worship.
- Secondly, another new sister, Maria, was added to the body after a long contemplation. She expressed last Domenica that it was 1:00 A.M. when she decided to find that special pool of water mentioned throughout the book of Acts. She was baptized and we all celebrated her new birth, along with Miss Monica’s.
- Thirdly, we are glad to announce that an American family, Doug & Elizabeth, have become involved in the Milan work as a result of an engineering position which brings them to Milan.
- Fourthly, I am extremely excited about working with three brothers in the congregation who want to train to go to the next level. There may be more, but at this time these three have vocalized a special request to be challenged privately.
Bob's training session
About the brothers in Training
- Fikado, a brilliant Ethiopian, who speaks three languages, desires to learn Koine Greek and outreach skills.
- Fausto, from Equador, also a keen soul, is meeting with me to bring action into his Christian repertoire. Reciprocally, he is sharing his Italian language skills with me.
- Eric, from the Philippines, who is a tremendous song leader and persuader for the Lord’s cause.
Jason & Eric
Ficadu & Jason
These men already have a considerable Bible background. They are sharpening their swords for tomorrow. So, you see why Marla and I are legitimately encouraged by the first three weeks. A word of special thanks to all of our supporters, and especially to Lewis and Tammy: former missionaries to Milan, who laid the ground work and believed in us. We hope that you too are encouraged by these immediate developments! “Alleluia. Cantate al Signore un cantico nuovo” (Salmo 149: 1) “Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song” (Psalm 149:1)
via Marco Polo
Our Home in Milan is located on Via Marco Polo. We live about two miles from the down town area, where the church building and office are located. One day, on the way home, as I turned the corner near our apartment by The Windsor Hotel, I nearly fell. I had a slight sprain. The blacktop on the sidewalk dropped rather abruptly which caused my incident. Fortunately, it was not a severe sprain. I personally know the difference. Now, about three weeks later, I am about recovered from this mishap.
outside Windsor Hotel
There are many isolated facts which I should probably mention, but for some of you these might be boring. Suffice it to say that there have been many hoops to jump through prior to coming to Milan and during our first three weeks (government paper work primarily): codice fiscale; permesso soggiorno; La Questera; apartment contract; keys; numerous official necessary documents translated into Italian; groceries; transportation passes; unusual laundry arrangements;
clothes line in bath room
stairs; address preparations; household acquisitions; Italian internet; telephones;
etc.
The reason we mention some of the above difficulties is so that when you notice on this web site some happy people—that’s us—please be aware of some of the labor behind the scenes. We will try to show some photos of our apartment and environment in Milan. But, as lovely as these may appear, we assure you that Milan poses its own wilderness.   In our next post, we will mention some rapid positive developments in the church here. Now we are getting into the reason for the passion about Milan. We hope that you are enriched by these new developments. Truly, newness and nowness (2 Corinthians 5, 6) serve to define Porta Nuova: our home away from home.
Metro Repubblica
We are composing this, our first post since arriving in Milan, to give some details about how the first three weeks have been. We have entitled this post, Comasina: Home Away From Home, because Comasina is the end of the subway line en route to our apartment. In other words, to get to Metro Repubblica, our stop, one has to get on the yellow line called Comasina. This is, of course, slightly metaphorical, if not biblical, as to our present status en route to the holy city. Please excuse some bumpy grammar, as being bilingual has taken a toll on my English (strange indeed).
The Journey Home
The Prince of Savio Hotel
I arrived in Milan on August 24th after a long flight. On my way from Stockholm to Milan the weather was clear enabling me to have a clear view of the Alps. This was one of the highlights for my flight. Having arranged for Marla to come to Milan a week later than myself I started off running to get the new apartment and other initial set up completed before her arrival.
Sights From Apartment
At night, our home views the Hotel Principe di Savoia (The Prince of Savoia, an old and favored hotel of Milan; bombed during WWII.).
The First Lesson in Milan in 2011
Milan Church Building
I was asked to speak on the Lord’s Day, soon after my arrival. I spoke on Hebrews 9:3: Behind the Second Curtain; encouraging the brethren to look behind the second curtain when life gets difficult. This sense of difficulty seems to be a theme of Hebrews. In our next post, we will mention some of the difficulties on the way home.