Prayer Letter from Scott & Sharon MacLean
Scott & Sharon MacLean
I'm trying something new this month. Attached you will find our prayer letter in .PDF format. If you open (and print) that file you will have pretty much the same thing we send out by snail mail. Let me know if you have any problems opening it. Thanks!
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Snapshots …
January 2013 update on the ministry of Scott & Sharon MacLean serving in Italy with Crossworld
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:” – I Peter 3:15
The brisk air was refreshing and I climbed up and down stone steps, ducked through archways and generally enjoyed the tiny town of Ponte Maglio. Bright splashes of color from climbing flowers (somehow still alive in the cold) cheered up the cold stone walls and the occasional cat slipped into and out of sight. My eyes were mostly hunting for mailboxes in which I could leave a tract and calendar offer, but every so often I could not help lifting up my eyes to appreciate the brilliantly white snowcapped peaks jutting skyward.
“Are you looking for someone?” asked a lady as I climbed towards the outskirts of the village. “No, I’m giving out these.” I replied, handing her a tract. “Chiesa Evangelica” she read on the back of the tract, with a hint of something other than respect in her voice. “Are you familiar with the Evangelical Church?” I inquired. “No” she replied, quickly adding that she was Catholic. In the brief discussion that followed I was able to point the most important thing was not the church that one attended, but whether one had a relationship with Jesus Christ. As she hurried on her way she promised to read the tract.
It took around an hour to distribute tracts in this small but beautiful village. I gave out perhaps a hundred tracts. May the Gospel message that was left behind change lives for all eternity.
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I slipped off my knit cap as we followed the elderly lady into her warm but spartan living room. The lady who had invited us in out of the cold was one of the regulars who looked forward to getting a Scripture calendar every year from my Swiss friend Heinz. One of her friends who arrived at the door moments later joined us. She gladly accepted a calendar as well.
“You don’t have calendars with the saints like we do.” she said as she glanced through it. She went on to insist that while Jesus was important, the saints and Mary were needed too. “You don’t just go directly in to visit with someone that important. You need to ask the doorman for permission and to take you there.”
“But Jesus told us: ‘Come unto me.’” I replied. And in those few moments as we sat together around the table and sipped soft drinks, I was able to share about how Jesus is the only way to the Father and longs to have a personal relationship with us.
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I breathed in the warm, comfortable smell of my cup of hot chocolate and sipped at the fluffy whipped cream on top. Mmmm. The “white elephant” youth Christmas party was winding down. It had been disappointing that the guests the youth had invited had all backed out at the last minute, but at least we had fun, good fellowship, and [sip] yummy food.
One of our youth leaned against our freezer, mug of hot chocolate in hand, and shared a frustration that he was facing. “When you don’t join your friends in doing certain things, it makes you uncomfortable to be around.” It opened up into a long and useful conversation about our testimony before the world, showing love, and being “always ready to give an answer” when someone asks about our hope. The chance for a deep, practical talk and seeing this young man’s heart felt desire to be an effective witness to his friends provided a wonderful end to what had already been an enjoyable evening.
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December was so full, with so much going on, I likely could have filled this letter with just a list of the various ministry opportunities that we had. But we thought that instead we would give you a few brief glimpses – snapshots – into some of what has been going on. I hope this gives you a bit of a taste of what our lives are like as we seek to proclaim the Good News and encourage our fellow believers in their walk and witness.
Please continue to pray for us and for the work here. Pray for the folks from these stories, for our friends, for those who have heard the Gospel message in these past few months, and for the many more around us that still need to.
Thanks for being a part of our team and helping to make it possible for us to serve here. And may God grant you a blessed and fruitful New Year!
His Servants,
Scott & Sharon MacLean
*** Italian Info ***
In Italy, what percentage of workers under 24 are unemployed?
A) 9.7%
B) 15.2%
C) 22.3%
D) 36.5%
See below for answer.
*** Quickly Noted … ***
* Thanks to our little Italian citizen daughter - we now have permanent residency in Italy!
* Hurricane Sandy delayed our trip back to Italy for a week. Because the delay was unavoidable, it did not cause a visa problem for our little one.
* On our Website – Due to technical difficulties (not to mention plain old busyness) we have been unable to update our website recently. Now that things have slowed down a bit, updates (and new pictures) should be coming soon.
*** Prayer & Praise ***
* Praise for a safe (although delayed) and uneventful trip back to Italy-
* Praise that Karis has adapted well back to school. Her teaches have been a great help in this. Do continue pray for her to catch up a bit more on her Italian skills.
* Praise for the hundreds of Scripture calendars that have gone out in the past months. Pray that they would be read and understood.
* Praise for good spiritual discussions that we have had over the past few weeks. We don’t take these for granted!
* Praise for additional increases in our pledged prayer and financial support.
* Pray that the Lord would provide the prayer and financial support that we still need.
* Pray for our Valentine’s dinner outreach on February 15.
* Pray for wisdom in handling a tough situation with one of the youth in our church.
* Pray for us as we use the slower days at the start of the year to evaluate and prayerfully make ministry plans for the coming months.
* Pray for our friendships – that they may be used to draw people to the Lord.
* Praise the Lord with us for the way that we see His hand at work in our church (I Thess. 1:2)
* Pray for a great working of God in the Ossola Valleys. May He draw many people to Himself and build His church!
Answer to Italian Info: In Italy, 36.5% (D) of workers under 24 are unemployed.
*** 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