Italy 7th May 2024
Pieter and Suzanne van Leeuwen would love God to use them to help people become disciples who go on to make disciples in northern Italy. This has been a dream that has been fermenting for many years and is now at the beginnings of reality.
Pieter lived in Italy a number of years ago. In fact it was through a group of Navigators in Bologna that he first became a follower of Jesus. Later when Suzanne went out to meet this group they met. Since then they have lived in the UK until a year ago they moved back to Italy after Pieter persuaded his company to allow him to transfer to their Milan office. After initially settling in another city, they have now moved to Bergamo, not far from Milan.
They have seen Jesus working in the move both in the logistics of moving and in developing relationships. The Bologna group has since moved to another city but when Pieter and Suzanne contacted them they were welcomed. Their landlords in Bergamo were really welcoming and helpful when they moved in. They may have a hard time following the conversation but there is obvious good will. How many landlords would help their tenants move furniture into their new home?
This stage of their move is one of discovery. The gospel of Jesus is something that is lived. If one takes just words then the message in the new culture becomes stilted. One has to be able to understand how the culture works to be able to speak to people in their heart language. That said, they have already been ministering and sharing Jesus with Italians, but in English. In their first city, Moderna, they met up with two teenagers who had previously spent a year in the UK. The had wanted was to practice English but one of the is now a believer in Jesus. An exciting development.
Let us pray with them as they take on this new culture and language. It would be wonderful for God to be able to work through them and use them to further his kingdom.
