Why Italy?

I knew the question would be asked. I even asked myself the same question. Why Italy?

When the world thinks of Italy poverty, social injustice, and spiritual darkness do not come to mind. However that is not reality. Over 3 million Italians live under the poverty rate, human trafficking is at large, and Satanism is ramped.

One of my gifts is empathy and I believe that translates into missions well. However over the past 3 weeks the Lord has really opened my eyes to what being a missionary is about. In all honesty as I've thought of myself as a missionary it always included me working in an orphanage. For me missionary equated serving. And yes that is completely true however I've been missing a vital part...

My heart breaks when I see physical needs, acts of injustice, broken people in our broken world. But I don't know that I have ever fully grasped my grief over spiritual needs of people. During a time of "debrief" with the Lord this thought came into my mind, "I can hold an orphaned child, I can bandage a wound of a teenager, I can feed a homeless man, I can encourage an emotionally broken woman but if they don't know Jesus nothing is actually fixed or made whole."

I can't fix the broken world. I can't help a dying nation like Italy. But I know the One who can fix a broken and dying world. And this is what I can do...

I can speak of the One who holds His children and never abandons them. I can speak of the One who is Healer and bandages their wounds. I can share about the One who is provider to the homeless man. I can share about the One who is perfect love and comfort to the broken woman.

I can and I will go into the dying nation of Italy and share with them about the One who was, who is, and is to come. I can and I will go to Italy and share the amazing news that Jesus saves, Jesus loves, and Jesus desire each and every person to know Him. I can and I will serve the people of Rome in whatever way possible. I can and I will share Jesus with my words and my actions! Jesus is hope. Jesus is joy. Jesus is life. How can I not give Him away?!

So why Italy? Because Jesus called His followers to go and make disciples of ALL NATIONS. (Matthew 28:18-20) Italy needs Jesus and I as His follower will go.