Ready for Inauguration

      Tomorrow brings our team in Rome to a long-awaited day…the opening of our studio!  This day has been prayed for and worked towards officially since the contract for the space was signed in June, but really this marks a significant sign of progress over the past few years.  Before having this building, team members just met students for English lessons around the city, and there was no central space to encourage people to visit.  Now, this building will serve as a place where we display the pieces from rising artists, give English lessons and homework help, hold our new Bible studies, and more.  Basically, it will play a huge role in giving us a real presence in this community. While the place looks awesome after all the work that’s been done, it is truly just a means to create better relationships with these students to share the gospel over time

     Please pray for our team, the inauguration of the studio tomorrow evening, and how the Lord will use that space from here out.  Surprisingly we are expecting many more people to arrive than we previously estimated. Not counting all the friends and family that our photographers whose work will be displayed tomorrow will bring, over 70 have confirmed. Since Italians rarely confirm to anything in advance, that’s exciting.  In addition to that, the (café) bar owner next to our studio has been looking forward to this day as long as we have, and has been doing major PR for us in the local area.  Hopefully tomorrow night we can establish relationships with new people, and those who come in that door will sense something different about the studio’s atmosphere because every part of that space has been covered in prayer.

     Yesterday was really neat, because it was our team fasting day.  While house church was a little more subdued than normal since we were all feeling the effects, it was awesome to come together and pray for the inauguration tomorrow and wisdom in our stewardship of the studio God has given us.  I’ve never been a part of a team fast before, and seeing the unity of our team in bringing the new studio and the people we love here to the Lord was a huge blessing and something I will always remember.  Not going to lie though, the pancakes Kyra made to literally break the fast this morning for Taylor, Cristina, and I before we did a final clean up at the studio were probably the best pancakes of my life!

stoked about pancakes, especially with syrup (a luxury in Rome)