What We're Doing

One of the things we've learned since moving to Rome is that we can make all the plans we want, but ultimately, God is the one who directs our steps.

We can spend countless hours imagining what ministry should look like, developing strategies, and planning for the future. And while planning has its place, we've learned that some of the most meaningful opportunities come through doors we never expected God to open.

Our desire is to proclaim the gospel, make disciples, and see people from every nation come to know Jesus Christ. We believe God has called our family to serve Him in Rome, and we're learning to hold our plans loosely while remaining attentive to the opportunities He places before us.

Rather than trying to predict exactly what ministry will look like years from now, we want to be faithful with what God has given us today.

Here are some of the doors He's opened.

God has provided our family with a local evangelical congregation where we can grow in Christian fellowship and spiritual accountability.

One of the things we've come to appreciate is that learning Italian involves much more than everyday conversation. We also need to learn how to communicate the truths of Scripture, discuss theology, pray, and encourage others in Italian. That's a kind of language learning that doesn't happen over coffee at the local café.

Interestingly, the congregation we've become part of is now preparing to plant another church. Members and leaders are currently working through who will remain with the existing congregation and who will help establish the new one.

As that process unfolds, we believe God may be opening opportunities for Justin to preach and teach within the existing congregation as his Italian develops.

We're grateful for the opportunity to serve alongside experienced Italian believers, learn from their leadership, and participate in the life of the local church.

We also recognize how valuable this experience could be for the future. Could this situation be preparing us to plant a church is the future? God only knows.

For now, we're grateful for the opportunity in front of us.

Another door God has opened is an opportunity to become involved with a local migrant center, where we're working toward providing English language classes.

We pray these classes will offer practical help while also creating opportunities to develop friendships, demonstrate Christ's love, and clearly communicate the gospel to people from different nations, including those from unreached people groups.

Our desire isn't simply to provide a service. We want people to hear the good news of Jesus Christ, understand what He has done for them, and have the opportunity to respond in faith.

God has also recently provided us with something we've been praying for: a small office here in Rome.

We're grateful for this space and the opportunities it creates for ministry.

One of Justin's passions and areas of giftedness is filmmaking and visual storytelling. Through documentary work, we hope to tell stories that encourage believers, strengthen the church, and help Christians—particularly those in the United States—better understand the tremendous need for the gospel in Rome and throughout Europe.

Our hope is to use these skills not only to tell stories from our own ministry, but also to serve local evangelical churches that could benefit from help communicating their work and reaching a wider audience.

Having a dedicated workspace gives us room to set up our cameras and equipment, work on these projects, and devote focused time to producing meaningful content.

An example of Justin's previous documentary work is Surviving the Killing Fields, which tells the story of a woman who survived the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.

Watch here: Surviving the Killing Fields

Beyond filmmaking, we also hope the office will become a place where people can gather around Scripture.

We've already begun developing relationships with people interested in understanding the Bible and the gospel of grace. Our desire is to make this space available for Bible study, personal discipleship, and conversations about faith.

It's a modest space, but we're grateful for the possibilities it provides.

We've had the privilege of welcoming and assisting visiting ministry teams here in Rome.

Welcoming these teams has reminded us of the value of believers coming together from different places to share in the work of the gospel. We've also learned more about what it takes to host visiting teams, help them navigate Rome, and connect their time here with opportunities for meaningful ministry.

While our primary focus remains the relationships and ministry God is developing here, we're glad to explore opportunities to work alongside churches and teams who share a desire to proclaim Christ.

There are many opportunities for evangelism in Rome, and we're grateful for the possibility of helping other believers participate in that work.