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).
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Thankful
December 2011 update on the ministry of Scott & Sharon MacLean serving in
Italy with CrossWorld
"It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD," - Psalm 92:1
We are having turkey for supper tonight. Sharon pulled out of the freezer
some turkey, stuffing and gravy that was left over from our Thanksgiving
dinner. It's hard to believe that almost three weeks have passed since we
had a couple families over to share our tradition of an "American
Thanksgiving". We were thankful for how well the day went - a great time of
fellowship and sharing about the origins of Thanksgiving and about the
reality of God in our lives.
As I thought back on that day, I decided that perhaps it would be good to
use this letter to share some of the things we are thankful for in the work
here in Domodossola. After all, we've done lots of "Christmas" prayer
letters, why not a Thanksgiving one this year (even if it is a bit late).
We are thankful for the church we work with. The heart that they have for
evangelism and reaching out is a great encouragement to us. It is a joy to
see how supportive they are as we work together in the ministry here. It
takes the whole church, the whole body, to effectively make disciples, and
it is thrilling to see gifts being used as we serve the Lord together.
We are especially thankful for the youth group. Our "youth" group includes
middle school through young adults - and makes up the large majority of the
church. We see God's fingerprints in the lives of these young people - as
they grow in their walk with the Lord And it is great to see their desire,
their enthusiasm to reach out and share the Gospel message. I know we
shared about them just a couple prayer letters ago, but this is perhaps the
most encouraging aspect of our ministry.
In just over a week (December 23) the youth will be having our "white
elephant" Christmas party. I think this has become the highlight of the
year for our youth - and a great outreach event as well. Do pray for the
contacts that we have through the youth of the church.
After Christmas most of the youth group (along with Filippo and Sandra) will
be heading to a big missions conference (sort of like Urbana) up in Germany.
Pray for safety in travel and that the Lord uses this conference in their
lives.
We are thankful for the new believers in the church and the signs of growth
that are evident in their lives. We are thankful for opportunities to meet
regularly with several in the church for discipleship and accountability.
We are thankful for Heinz and Suzanna who come down from Switzerland each
fall and distribute Scripture calendars here in the valleys. Heinz and I
distributed hundreds of calendars in two different markets (Domodossola and
Omegna) recently. It was great to see folks who were eager to get the new
calendar. "We get one every year." many of them would tell us.
We are thankful for Kurt (a Swiss missionary) and Gianni (a young man from
Naples) who came up to Domodossola last week with over 600 Scripture
calendars (a different type of calendar than Heinz brought). It was just
plain fun to work with them distributing the calendars in a couple small
mountain villages and in the Domodossola market - even more so when several
from the church showed up at the market to help out.
These Scripture calendars, when used, will be a year long Gospel witness in
the homes in our area. Will you pray that this seed which has been
scattered will bring forth fruit?
We are thankful for how the Lord continues to direct and confirm our
ministry here - even though events over which we have no control (see
"Quickly Noted" and our website for details).
We are thankful for our families who are fully supportive of our service
here in Italy, despite the fact that it means we don't get to see them
nearly as much as we would like to.
While there are many other things for which we are truly thankful (we could
fill up many letters if we tried to list them all), we will close with one
last one. We are thankful for YOU! Your faithful financial support enables
us to serve the Lord here in Italy. Your faithful prayer support is vital
for our encouragement and enablement as we serve the Lord. May the Lord
richly bless you this Christmas season and throughout all of the new year.
His Servants,
Scott & Sharon MacLean
*** Italian Info ***
Who is the new Prime Minister of Italy?
A) Silvio Berlusconi B) Giorgio Napolitano
C) Mario Monti D) Gianfranco Fini
** Answer to last letter's question:
Sales tax in Italy is 21% (D) on most items, but it is due to increase again
to 23% next September.
*** Quickly Noted . ***
* On our Website - New pictures, updated prayer requests, and in the "Life
in Italy" section - quick trips up to Switzerland.
* Plans just keep changing - Due to factors related to the adoption, we are
changing our home ministry plans a bit. It looks like we will take a three
month home ministry from August to October of 2012. More details on the "PL
Extras".
* Lost in Cyberspace? - At times our prayer letters and updates can get
blocked by spam filters or lost in cyberspace. To help prevent this, add
"Pray4Scot...@gmail.com" to your "safe" or "white" list. And you can
always check our website to see if you missed an update.
* Support Situation - While some support has come in, we still have a large
monthly shortfall. More details are on our website.
*** Prayer & Praise ***
* Praise for the many Scripture Calendars that have gone out in recent
weeks.
* Pray that the calendars would be read and understood by those who received
them.
* Pray for the witness of several in our church to their unsaved family
members.
* Pray for a good turnout and clear witness at our "white elephant"
Christmas party.
* Praise the Lord for the many blessings we see in the work here!
* Pray for wisdom and provision as we continue to seek a new meeting
location for the church. Continue to pray also for the possibility of
getting a free piece of land on which to build a church building.
* Pray that the Lord would lead us to thirsty souls - those He has prepared
to hear the Gospel message, those who are open and interested in hearing
what God has to say.
* Pray for good conversations at the book table, and in our everyday
relationships.
* Pray for the Lord's provision of our support needs - we are seriously
under supported.
* Pray that God would fill us "with all joy and peace in believing, that we
may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13)
* 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