Prayer Letter from Scott & Sharon MacLean
Scott & Sharon MacLean
version of this letter in .PDF format, visit the prayer letters page of our
website (www.snsmaclean.net/prayerletters.htm).
Working with People .
March 2011 update on the ministry of Scott & Sharon MacLean serving in Italy
with CrossWorld
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe
all that I commanded you, - Matthew 28:19-20a (NASB)
"Hi Scott. I'm afraid I can't get together with you this afternoon. I have
to go to a job in Verbania. We'll have to meet sometime next week." It was
the second time that my friend had cancelled out on me this week. We had
planned to get together to discuss some Bible reading we had been doing and
encourage each other in our walk with the Lord.
"Hi Sharon. Can you tell Scott that Giuseppe (not his real name) can't meet
today for the Bible study. He is not feeling well." Another cancellation
for the same afternoon - Sigh! Suddenly my quite full afternoon was quite
empty. I was able to get some administrative stuff done, which was good -
but not as satisfying.
Earlier that week, on the other hand, just as I was finishing up for the
day, a friend from church stopped by to chat. We talked about soccer, life
in general, and about how to reach out to his unsaved family. A wonderful,
unexpected moment to encourage, and be encouraged, by this relatively new
believer.
There are different types of work that fill up our days here in Domodossola.
Study, planning for outreaches, administrative type tasks and even
outreaches such as children's clubs in the park are all relatively easy to
put on the schedule. They are important parts of the ministry that are
nice, neat and for the most part controllable- and they give a certain
satisfaction.
Then there is a whole other part of ministry: working with people. That is
not nearly as neat and clean, and certainly not controllable. It can wreak
havoc with your schedule, not to mention your emotions. People can
encourage and give great joy :) in the ministry, or they can disappoint, :(
or even just disappear (well, not literally, but you know what I mean).
Working with people is a greater risk - but also a much greater reward. And
when you boil it all down - it's the heart of what we are doing here in
Italy.
All of the other tasks that we perform - are all aimed at bringing us into
disciple making relationships with people. Making disciples of Jesus Christ
is the whole reason we are here. Yes, we are church planters - but what is
the church but a gathering together of disciples of Jesus.
Making disciples includes introducing unbelievers to Jesus. Presenting the
bad and the good news of the Gospel; and praying that the Holy Spirit brings
conviction to their hearts.
Making disciples also means walking alongside other believers and
encouraging them in their walk and their witness (and letting them encourage
you). It means equipping them to make disciples too - so that they can
supplement and eventually replace us as disciple makers in this spiritually
dark valley.
At a CrossWorld conference we attended a few years back, we were encouraged
to ask the Lord to give us people on both sides of the cross (i.e. saved and
unsaved) that we could disciple. It has been our joy since that time to see
the Lord provide answer that prayer, bringing us into good discipling
relationships. It is a blessing to spend more time working with people.
And we would ask you to pray for us as we invest our time in the ministry
here. There are many good things, and many necessary things that all ask
for (or demand) our time. We want to make wise choices and seek to invest
the limited time that we have in the tasks that will give the greatest
benefit. For example, I recently had to decide if I would agree to teach an
"Emergency English" class again (which I decided to do). Pray that this
investment of my time will bear fruit.
Pray also for our warmer weather ministries that will start up again in the
coming months. As we do each summer, we are planning children's clubs in
the park, open air evangelism, and just going out and talking with people
about Jesus. Pray that the seeds scattered through these ministries will
find fertile soil, and that as a result we will see even more people come to
be disciples of Jesus here in the Ossola Valleys.
Thanks much for your prayers. You are an important part of the work here -
and we appreciate it!
His Servants,
Scott, Sharon & Karis MacLean
*** Italian Info ***
What was banned in Italy as of January 1, 2011?
A) Foil balloons B) Plastic shopping bags
C) Drop-side cribs D) Nuclear energy
* Answer to last letter's question:
Turin (A) was united Italy's first capital in 1861. On March 17, 2011,
Italy had a special holiday to celebrate 150 years of a unified Italy.
*** Quickly Noted . ***
* On our Website - In the "Life in Italy" section, I'll talk about our "gas
discount card", and in "PL Extras" more about 150 years of unified Italy and
a surprising link between an Italian hero and the American Civil War.
* Support increase -We are thanking God for recent increases in our pledged
support. We are now at 80.2% of full support!
* Upcoming Wedding - Scott's sister Heather will be getting married on July
9! Scott & Karis will be travelling back for the wedding. Congratulations
Anthony & Heather!
*** Prayer & Praise ***
* Praise for the people that God has placed in our lives. It really is a
joy to be able to serve God in disciple making.
* Pray that God would work in us and through us to touch the people with
whom we have regular contact.
* Praise for progress on our adoption. Only one small legal hurdle remains
before we can begin our year of "pre-adoptive" custody.
* Pray that an "Emergency English" class that Scott is teaching will provide
opportunities to build relationships and share the Good News.
* Continue to pray for a couple with whom I am meeting to study the Bible.
We will be reaching an important part of our study in the coming weeks.
* Pray for the possibility of getting a free piece of land on which to build
a church building.
* Praise for continued growth in our Sunday morning attendance. We are
still few in number, but the living room is getting crowded.
* Pray for wisdom as we consider what to do about crowded Sunday mornings
(i.e. another place to meet).
* Praise for recent increases in our financial support!
* Pray that the Lord would cause us to increase and abound in love for one
another and for all men. (I Thessalonians 3:12)
* Pray for a great working of God in the Ossola Valleys. May He draw many
people to Himself and build His church!
*** Contact Information: ***
* Field Address:
Scott & Sharon MacLean
Via Ravasenga, 2
28845 Domodossola (VB)
ITALY
Phone: 011-39-0324-482-259
* Mission address:
CrossWorld
10000 N Oak Trafficway
Kansas City, MO 64155
Phone: (816) 479-7300