Summer is here!!

The summer is off to a flying start. At this point we have already had 2 evangelism  teams come serve with us in Udine and Pordenone. For two weeks each town had a team sharing the gospel in the town squares. Every day the teams would come back to the center with stories of people they had talked to, things the had seen and the new understanding they were gaining while being face to face with people that do not know Jesus as their personal Savior.
 Earlier in June the church in Udine celebrated three baptisms, one was Leo's younger sister Daniela. There is a picture posted on the right hand side. It has been a blessing to watch this church grow from a small group of missionaries to a church with national elders and new converts. Please continue to pray for the growth and strength of this church.
This summer Beth has been and will be working in the kitchen, cooking and serving food to give energy to the teams. Even  though she is  not out in the cities with the teams she has had the opportunity to encourage those on the teams as well as those serving in the kitchen. Leo has been working on building an automatic locking gate for the school, for security as well as beauty.
We have just celebrated our one year anniversary and can't believe that the year went by so fast. God has taken care of us, provided for us, and blessed us. We can't wait to see where the next year takes us.

Please keep the many evangelism teams in your prayers as there is much traveling involved, as well as health and in county travel.
Pray for the missionaries as we are working hard and sleeping little, pray for health and stamina.
 Pray for the Italians that are hearing the Gospel, many for the first time.

Thoughts

There have many things that are going on here in Italy over the last three weeks, namely hundreds of earthquakes, but don't worry we are just fine. But hearing about everything on the news, and then we have been having lots of thunderstorms. The other day I was reading the Psalms and this popped out at me and I thought I would share with you all. It seems to be describing Italy at the moment....


Psalm 18:7-15
"Then the earth shook and quaked and the foundations of the mountains were trembling and were shaken, because He was angry. Smoke went up out of HIs nostrils, and fire from His mouth devoured; coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also and came down with thick darkness under His feet. He rode upon a cherub and flew; and He sped upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness His hiding place, His canopy around HIm, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies . From the brightness before Him passes His thick clouds, hailstones and coals of fire. The Lord also thundered in the heavens and the Most Hugh uttered His voice, hailstones and coals of fire. He sent out His arrows, and scattered them, and lighting flashes in abundance, and routed them. Then the channels of water appeared and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O Lord at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils."

National Elders in the Church in Udine

The Church in Udine has officially been passed from the missionary leadership to the leadership of two national elders. For the last 6 years  a team of missionaries have been working to plant a church and raise up elders to lead the church. This month the missionaries left the church in the hands of the Italians. At the same time a new church plant has been started in a city called Pordenone which is about an hours drive from Udine. It is so wonderful to see the work that God is doing in both cities. To watch a church start from nothing more than a group of American missionaries meeting on Sundays to a full Italian church body that has Sunday service, Thursday night Bible study, biweekly women's Bible studies, and weekly prayer meetings. Praise the Lord for all He is doing and will do!!!

Greetings Friends and Family,

It has been a long time since we have last written.  and much has  
happened. This semester marks 10 years for Saints Bible Institute.  
This semester we have had enough part time staff to make it possible  
to build relationships with easier and deeper. The students departed  
this morning bright and early. Yet another semester has come to an  
end. It seems strange that it is already over. Our prayer is that the  
students would not go back to the States and be the same but rather  
continue to grow and follow Christ.

Please pray for us as we face changes in the government and economy  
here in Italy. The gas prices are still rising ( currently $10 a  
gallon) food products are going up in prices as well as the taxes  
taken out of Leo's salary. No matter how much overtime he puts in the  
ends met tighter and tighter. We know that God is in control and that  
He has blessed us with may things. We are thankful for a roof over our  
heads and jobs to go to. But there are times when we don't make it to  
the end of the month on the salaries that we have. We would ask that  
you would consider supporting us on a monthly basis. 
If you would like to help us please send  
your donation to Saints Equipped to Evangelize P.O. Box 587 Bradenton,  
FL 34206-0587. Make Checks payable to Saints Equipped to Evangelize  
but make sure to add our names in the memo so that they know who it  
goes to. You will receive a tax deductible receipt every month when  
you send your gift.  If you have any questions please feel free to  
email us and we will be happy to answer them.

In His Service,
Leo and Beth Mascia

What squeaks, creaks and leaks?

OUR CAR!!!  We have a 1999 Fiat Punto... which is the equivalent of a Honda Civic. This car has been our faithful mode of transportation for more than 4 years now ( well 4 years for Leo, 3 years for Beth) :) We have taken many trips in our faithful friend, he has taken us everywhere from Zurich Switzerland to visit friends, to Udine every Sunday for church. We have sat and watched lighting dance across the sky and listened to the rain in our Punto's comfy seats. It was in this car that Leo asked me to marry him and spend the rest of our lives together. Needless to say this car has many memories in it, but sadly cars are not like cats,. they don't have 9 lives. Our Punto is nearing its end, and the time has come to replace it. We have been looking at several different cars that are a bit newer than our 13 year old fiat, and that get good gas mileage, seeing as gas here in Italy costs about $10 a gallon. 
We have been saving to purchase a new car, but we are not sure if we will be able to save enough before ours gives out completely. We would like to ask you to consider helping us save for a newer car. As most of you know we are serving here in Italy with Saints Equipped to Evangelize. Leo works full time as a welder and mechanic, and Beth works full time as a counselor, translator, cook, discipler and many other things at the Bible School. We also are serving in the church in Udine as caretakers of the church.  With the Leo's salary and the small amount of support Beth receives from the States, we are usually able to pay all of our bills, but paying a lump sum for a car is rather difficult.   So we would like to ask you to prayerfully consider supporting us in this particular manner. If you would like more information please email us at lgmbbh@gmail.com or you can send your support to Saints Equipped to Evangelize P.O. Box 587 Bradenton FL, 34206-0587 with our name in the memo. 
Thank you for all of your prayers and support!

Ministry Week Concluded

This year ministry week looked a lot different than it has in the past. Our students were able to spend three class days in an Italian High School, making friends and sharing about who they are, what the do in the States, as well as a few opportunities to share the Gospel. As a staff we see this as a wonderful opportunity because we have begun relationships with the teachers as well as the headmaster and they are enthusiastic to have us back again and continue our relationship with them.
We also spend many hours putting gospel tracts into mail boxes, after which there were many calls made requesting information about who we are and what we are all about. Even though there were no immediate responses we were able to get the Gospel into the hands of hundreds of people around Pordenone.  Thank you for all of your prayers for the week. The students all seem to have had an eye opening experience as they saw what life in Italy is really like, and what the young people think about God, Church, the Bible and life in general.

American College Students in an Italian High School

This week is the fourth week of classes for the spring semester of students. They have completed their first two classes of Missions and Evangelism. In this week we take the students out to the streets of Pordenone to preach the Gospel. This year we have been given the opportunity to go to a nearby High School and share about life in the United States. The teachers asked that we have our students share about their lives and routines, which includes church, youth group and the grace of God in their lives. For many of the high school students the idea that church is more than just something that their grandparents do is a foreign  concept. Along with the students we were able to talk to several different teachers who asked us point blank what we believed and what we were all about. I was also asked to meet the headmaster and share with him what our school was about and what are students are here in Italy for. We will be returning to the school again on Tuesday and Wednesday. Please pray that us missionaries and the students would be able to make contact and build relationships with the students as well as the teachers. Some of our students have become Facebook friends with some of the Italian students and have already talked about getting together after this week of ministry.  Please pray that we will be lights in the darkness and that they would not see just a group of Americans but that they would see Christ. I will post an update at the end of the week. Thank you so much for your prayers!!!!

Christmas, New Years, and Amazing Grace

This year for Christmas we decided that we wanted to share our home with all of our friends that did not have family nearby. So we cleared out our living room and with one large table were able to spend the holiday with 14 others. Leo did his famous Argentine Asado (BBQ) and Beth made a few goodies from the states and organized the rest of the festivities. As much as we wanted to be able to spend the holidays in the States with family, but since were not able to we are so very thankful that we have a church family here to celebrate with.
New Years was passed in much the same manner, dinner with friends and watching the neighbors set off fireworks. As with every New Year, looking back over the last year and seeing where God has worked and what change has happened in 12 months. For us the year 2011 held many adventures and much change. We got married, twice ;) once in Italy for the legal ceremony and then once in the States for the church ceremony. Beth moved from where she was living at the school to Leo's mom's house, where we lived for 5 months before we moved again, back to San Lorenzo.
A few days ago we were talking about how much God has blessed us, in ways that it is obvious that we could not have done those things on our own. In June, two days after we returned to Italy, Leo was offered a full time contract at his work. In November we moved into a house just down the street from the school so that Beth can walk to work and be available to the students as much as possible.  In December, Leo asked his boss about getting a raise, because the cost of living is going up but the salaries are staying the same. A few weeks later, after much prayer knowing that there was a very small chance they would give him a raise, Leo was informed that he would be getting a raise. That brings us to January. Although this month ( and year) has only just begun we have already seen God working in our lives as well as opening doors that would otherwise have remained closed. Usually in January I (Beth) have to renew my health card, which means paying 387 euro and filling out a lot of paperwork. But since this year we are married, and Leo pays taxes that cover our health care, all I am suppose to have to do is fill out the paperwork and show proof of marriage. Well, let's just say that it wasn't that simple. Because my permesso (green card) doesn't expire until October I am still considered to be here as a missionary (which I am but the paperwork changes when I married an Italian). I was informed that until my permesso said that I was married to an Italian that I would still have to pay. Which in the whole scope of things it isn't a whole lot of money, however, we don't have that much to just hand over, and we had been assuming that since I am now under Leo in all things government we wouldn't have to pay. The next day we went to the Immigration Office to ask what could be done. When we explained what had happened, he told us that it was ridiculous, that we didn't have to pay and they should just issue me a new card. Since my permesso does not expire until October, he kindly gave me an appointment in March to have all of the paperwork done and everything changed. Grace is not a word that is used in the Italian government offices, however that day we were shown grace from so many directions we didn't know what to do :) This year has begun with a few surprises and many twists and turns. Can't wait to see what God does with the rest of the year.