Get excited!

I will keep you in suspense no longer; I am the new base leader for AIM Italy!!!

Some of you may be wondering what exactly that means (trust me, I know how you feel), so I will expound a bit further.  You may remember that when I first talked about Italy, I had no real vision or purpose for the country.  Honestly, I still didn’t until about a week ago, but was hoping to eventually make enough contacts around the country to host World Race teams, and of course I intended to get involved in a local church.  Well, God’s plans are so much bigger than mine! Last week at long-term training camp (blog coming soon about that amazing week) God just blew my plans out of the water.  He showed me that I had lowered my expectations, both of Him and of myself, and had practically given up on all of my big dreams.  My dreams had become so small that I was utterly shocked when AIM leadership talked to me about starting a base in Italy.  I had all but forgotten who the Lord had really created and called me to be (can I just say how much I appreciate my brother for having an amazing way of always reminding me of that?  Thank you Bubba!).  However, as soon as I heard it, I knew this was exactly what the Lord was calling me to do, and why He hadn’t told me earlier… I very well might have run away in panic, lol!

So, what in the world is a base?  Great question!  A base, or Adventures Discipleship Training Center, is essentially a place for long-term missionaries to make and train disciples to then make and train disciples.  The goal is still the same as it was before, just on a bigger scale.  I will still be spending 6 months in language school, and up to the first year in language/cultural learning, while praying for the Lord to show me and my team where in the country He wants us to live and minister, and to show us whose hearts He has been preparing to receive Him.  After that it’s listening to the Lord, doing what He tells us to do, and watching Him blow our expectations right out of the water; because no matter what it looks like, He is going to move, and when God moves, nations crumble.

I am so excited (and healthily petrified)!  Not only has God called me, but now He has shown me what I am to do, and it is far bigger, far more terrifying, and far more amazing than I could ever have imagined.  Please pray for me as I take on this new responsibility!

 

– Pray that the Holy Spirit would prepare the hearts of the people and put the right ones in our path

– That God would raise up an amazing team of missionaries to come to Italy

– That He would provide over and abundantly, not only for me, but also for my team and the base

– That He would teach me how to be a godly leader

– And most importantly, that no matter what, HE would be my focus; my eyes always fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, without whom we neither live, move, nor have our being