The Next Step

After I was finally able to give an update on our missions training a few days ago, I thought it would be a good idea to share a little about the next step in our process. During a time of prayer and fasting in January, the Lord confirmed to us the need to take a vision trip to Italy. Since neither of us have ever been to Italy, we feel that this is a critical part of the preparation process and will be very important as we move forward in our calling.

The purpose of this trip is to visit all of the cities where TEAM Italy is currently working, as well as a few where future church plants are planned. This will give us a broad overview of all the ministry initiatives and will help us have a better idea of the specific area or ministry that God is calling us to in Italy. We will also be meeting with almost all of the TEAM missionaries who are currently working with Italians and we will being staying with many of them as we travel between the 11 cities we're scheduled to visit.

One of the places we're particularly excited to see is Perugia, which is where we will be living upon arrival in Italy and where we will attend language school at the University for Foreigners. We hope to check out the university, as well as schools for the kids, and get a general sense of what it will be like to live there. More importantly, though, is the opportunity to get a real feel for the spiritual state of Italians and what it will take to reach them with the gospel. We learned recently that Europe is the only continent in the world where Christianity is on the decline. It is our responsibility as Christians to do something about it! We are willing to go, but we can't do it alone!

Since most of our accommodations and meals will be covered by staying with missionaries, the bulk of our expense for this trip will be airfare to Italy and train fare within the country. The estimated cost is $2,500 and the Lord has already provided $1075 of the amount needed. However, we still need $1,425 to make this trip possible. Our trip is scheduled for April 2-11, which is right around the corner and we need to purchase airfare soon! If God is leading you to give, you can donate online! Just select "Verner, Stephen and Brandy" from the drop-down box under "Give to Support a Missionary". Or, you can mail a check! Please make the check payable to "TEAM" and write "Stephen and Brandy Verner" on the memo line. Then, just drop it in the mail to:


TEAM
PO Box 969
Wheaton, IL 60187

All contributions are tax-deductible and will go a long way to helping us fulfill the calling that God has given our family to reach Italy for Christ. Your prayers and support mean so much to us and we know that we can't do this without you! If you have questions about anything, please feel free to email us at Stephen@theverners.org or Brandy@theverners.org. You can also check out our website at http://www.theverners.org/ for more information.