Our Time In Italy

In mid January our family had the opportunity to visit Italy for a vision trip. We hoped to see first-hand the state of the refugee crisis, see what God is doing through His people living there, and to also re-calibrate our hearts and be open to how, when and where God might have us serve Him better, be it here in the states or turn our face toward a future in overseas missions again.

Before we get to the spiritual aspect, one of the questions I had wondered about Italy was, does it really look like the magazines and calendar pictures? Is it really as beautiful as it is portrayed? The answer is yes. It is the most beautiful country I have ever seen, both in geography and architecture. We had a "tourist" day during our trip because, well, how could you not?! It was surreal. The Roman Colosseum! Looking over the landscape looked like a scene out of an "Age of Empires" game. Even the trees looked prehistoric. The food was definitely good, thought not quite as varied as I expected. Lots of pasta and pizza! Not enough Dr. Pepper if you ask me;)

I was both in awe and heartbroken as we viewed several old cathedrals, because despite their ornate decorations and 800-year-old paintings of Adam & Eve, Jesus Christ and the cross, spiritual darkness runs rampant.

Spiritual & Economic Conditions

There is an estimated 1% evangelical presence in the country. When asked, "What religion are you?" many people profess to be Catholic or some branch of Protestantism, when in fact they don't even believe in God! They are simply referring to the faith of their fathers or of the type of church they grew up attending. Regarding the Catholic church, we saw firsthand the environment created due to poor theology, money-hungry clergy and hundreds of years of superstitious practices and idol worship.

On the plane!

To be blunt, Italy also has an incredible racism problem. We were told that by numerous people, and our suspicions were confirmed when we met a Somalian refugee who we'll call Ruth who had at one point slept in the streets with her newborn son because she had nowhere to stay and no work because people continually told her they wouldn't help her because she was black. One of our acquaintances was also told by an Italian man during our trip that black people are "bad".

Stir in together spiritual darkness, racism, and economic instability, you do not have the best country for a refugee crisis. While Italy will let refugees enter the country, from then on you are on your own. It is hard for them to find housing and work. Men especially are prone to never find work. Five years, ten years they look and yet find no job. Since they have no money, they can't just "go back home". So they stay stuck. Even Italians are hard pressed to find jobs, so to be a refugee and find work-- even "under the table"-- is unheard of. Ruth works part time cleaning and made about $320 a month, barely enough for food for her new baby (one week old! I got to hold her!), but she was very thankful nonetheless. She stated that this is the life she has now and she must be content. Her son was now living with family in Kenya, and she had accepted long ago that she would never see him again.

Praises/Needs

Thankfully, many churches and organizations have truly stepped up and helped these people at least have consistent meals. There are many camps, and while overcrowded and dirty, we were pleasantly surprised to see many of them at least have food and water in abundance. It was encouraging to see that! Although, that encouragement was also quickly met with discouragement because you realize that while these people have food, they really will never have a "life" again. They will almost never be able to return to their home country, at least not anytime soon. They will be alive and breathing but yet not really living; they won't ever truly be "home" and they most certainly will never have the life that we have here in America.

One night in Rome, Blake witnessed about 150-200 men sleeping outside of a train station during one of the coldest nights while there. Freezing rain was falling on his face as he watched them crowd around a truck handing out free tangerines, and then cuddling up in their worn blankets to sleep for the night. It was so, so cold. I don't know how they did that for one night, much less for months and years on end.

One town in Italy did offer free housing for some refugees, shown above.
Due to their request for privacy, we did not photograph the refugees

When asked, the biggest need refugees have expressed, is the need to have close relationships. They many times feel like cattle, being fed and housed in mass amounts. They like to have you over for dinner (those that do have a place to stay, that is). They want your kids to play with their kids. They want to talk and laugh and cry with someone. This is simply a need that runs deep in the hearts of every human: a need to connect with others. Even some secular groups and volunteers have participated with religious organizations to serve people together at least in that aspect, which was encouraging to see!

Darkness All Around

While there, a series of small earthquakes and tremors was felt from Rome to northern Italy, and an avalanche occurred in northern Italy and killed many people. We had natural disasters around us and we also had a dark spiritual cloud overhead. I was reminded just how utterly dark this world can be. We are oftentimes shielded from it in our comfortable American lives but the Bible says Satan is the prince of this world and has his dirty fingerprints everywhere. It's one thing to see this crisis for a few days and then go back home to my heated apartment and full time, wonderful job. It's another to be a refugee and live this nightmare everyday for the foreseeable future.

What Else Can We Do?

As I held the one-week-old Somalian baby girl, it was hard not to get emotional. I wondered what type of life she would have. Would she ever truly find home? Would she struggle to find work annd provide for herself? Would she ever hear the Gospel?

So what can we do? First, if you are a believer, you can pray. Pray faithfully and fervently every single day for those who are spiritually lost and who feel hopeless due to their tough circumstances. Pray for soft hearts open to hearing the good news and the message of hope--that Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, left heaven and entered into our world to live a perfect life and die as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. In Him we have forgiveness of our sins, eternal life, fellowship with our creator, and hope. One of the Bible verses that kept coming to our minds was, "Blessed are the poor." Pray we would have soft hearts as a nation for these people.

Second, if you want to serve whether in a short term or long term capacity, reach out to us. We will show you how.

Third, be a voice and speak out. I'm not asking you to participate in lengthy facebook debates about whether or not to let the refugees into the US, but nonetheless, knowledge is power. The need is great.

Final Thoughts

To be honest, we can give them water, we can have them over at our house, we can clothe them and play with their children. But we cannot create jobs in Italy. Worse still, they have a need that runs deeper than the absence of basic, material necessities. They have an ultimate need, which is to be reconciled to and have a relationship with God. All of us--from the most wealthy to the most impoverished--have a need to be reconciled to God. Sin has separated us from perfect fellowship with him, and we are not able to bridge that gap on our own. The Bible states we have all sinned against a holy and perfect God (and continue to do so even when made aware), and must pay the penalty for that. The penalty is to endure the wrath of God, and none of us can undo our sin on our own. God became a man and lived the life we should've lived and died a death we should've died. Isaiah 53:10 says Jesus was crushed under God's wrath and were switched places with him in that moment. Like putting on a coat, our sin was put on Christ and his righteousness was put on us, so that when we stand before God on judgment day, if in fact we have believed and put our faith in Christ,our sin is forgiven and we are seen as if we had never sinned! On the third day, Jesus rose from the dead because he had defeated it by dying on the cross. One day, all sin, all refugee crises, all natural disasters, will come to an end and we will reign with Christ forever. 


Photos!

Enough photos below to bore you to tears