BikNews September 2014

This is my newest news letter! I hope you will enjoy reading it!

Click on this link: BikNews September 2014

Mission trip to Moldova

With a group of eight members of the Chiesa Evangelica Rovereto we have visited Moldova last week to offer help to a missionary couple. I had the privilege to join. It was a very special trip, because I was the only one with some mission experience. It was great to see how some brothers and sisters stepped out of their comfort zone to do things they never did before (for example giving their testimony).

Several times we had the opportunity to help in the mensa for the poor. Immediately we smelled a huge problem of the Moldovan society: alcoholism. Due to seemingly hopeless situations people often don't see a way out and start drinking.

After the mensa there was a moment of testimonies, songs, a Biblical message, etc. What a joy to present to those desperate people. the One that offers divine hope!

The two languages spoken in the area where we were, are Moldavian (Rumanian) and Russian. Unfortunately talking to people without translation was rather impossible, but we learned several songs in these languages. It's extraordinary to see the reactions of the people when we started singing in their own language!

For us a group this has been a very blessed experience and we are thankful that we could be a blessing to the people in Moldova!

The last calendars

We had some calendars left, so on Saturday the 18th of January we had a book table in the city center in order to distribute these last calendars. The rain was quite heavy and normally probably we would have cancelled the whole thing, but of course next month would be a little bit to late to go on the streets to distribute calendars and wish everybody a happy new year... Because of the rain some of us were quite discouraged at the beginning, because who would pass by there with this rain...

In fact it wasn't easy to hold an umbrella and the calendars and then still find a way to offer them to the people passing by. Despite of the rain, there were lots of people around! There reactions were quite diverse, from: "I never accept gifts" to "I'm not religious" and from "how much is it?" to just a raised finger and looking away (without a word). Praise God that lots of people accepted the calendar with a big and surprised: "Thank you!" Let's pray that God will touch hearts through these calendars!

At a certain point somebody in uniform approached. I remember that once he started talking to me on the street. At that time I have written on facebook (November 2012): "I was walking on the street and a little police man spontaneously started talking to me: "How tall are you"? Hahaha, that was a quite unexpected question. He didn't reach further than my shoulder and he said that he would like to be a little bit taller."

I didn't realize that this was over a year ago, but I started talking to him. Obviously he didn't remember me, but in the end we had a very good conversation. He said that he doesn't believe in anything and that dead will be the end. Afterwards I have had the opportunity to share what Jesus means to me. Maybe you could pray for this guy.

Blessings for 2014!

My wish for everybody:

"May the grace of our lord be with you now and always may you stay blameless till he comes."

blessings for 2014!

Christmas presents in the nursing home

Two sisters of the church work in a nursing home here in Rovereto. Because there are many lonely people among the elderly, we had the idea to bring a Christmas present to all the residents of the nursing home. This present was: a calender, a Christmas card, a info card of the church, a soft cookie like thing and some sweets and chocolates.

On Friday the 20th of December six of us went to the nursing home.

What a joy to see the happy faces of the people receiving a gift. Many couldn't believe that we had thought of them and moreover came to bring gifts. Several asked how much they owed us, because in the world of today they couldn't imagine to receive something for free (and even more unlikely from people they didn't even know). Great great great! It has been a great and encouraging experience for us, but surely for all the residents and the personal (we had a gift for them too) as well!  We will do this again for sure. A little gesture can make a huge difference!

Three weeks in the Netherlands

Last Friday I came back home in Italy after 3 1/2 weeks in the Netherlands. The reason for my visit was an important birthday and because that was in the second half of November, I wanted to stay for the 5th of December: Sinterklaas! Do you know him?

This is Sinterklaas :-)

If you don't know him, just google a little bit and I'm sure you will find more information :-)

Reading my Sinterklaas poem

It was one and a half year ago that I had been in my sending church in Enschede. What a joy to "come home" and to see many brothers and sisters again after all this time! The same was true for two other churches where I went: a church in Heerenveen (= the city where I grew up) where I got to know the Lord :-) and a church in Brunssum where I have come every once in a while my whole life, because my grandparents lived near there. Lots of memories and lots of "re-union".

Three churches, three "angles" of the country

When I'm in the Netherlands it's not always easy to leave again and leave my family behind, but coming back in Italy is always a coming home again. It's strange to live in "two different worlds"... I think back to these weeks in the Netherlands with a lot of joy and I'm full of energy again to continue the work God gives me to do here in Italy!

The opening of the exhibition

Finally after a long period of preparation last Sunday we had the inauguration of the exhibition with Claudio Centin. We planned to have the official part at 3 pm, but the vice mayor of Rovereto wasn't there yet. When we were approaching 4 pm we were getting worried that maybe he forgot... But then in the end he arrived :-)

From left to right: Claudio Centin, Angelo (the elder of the Rovereto church) and the vice mayor.

Sunday and yesterday (Monday the exhibition was closed) lots of people came in to look at the pieces of art and to hear about the Message. Lots of people were touched by it. Praise the Lord!