As we draw near to October 31st and another annual remembrance of the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century, I would like to encourage you to reflect on what happened in Italy at that time, and what God is currently doing in this country by the power of his Word.

Proverbs 25:25 says, “Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.” It has been several months since my last online update, so I would like to share with you some news about what God has been doing in Mission Milan through His Word.

I am happy to share with you that, by God’s grace, the ministry of the Word in Milan continues to flourish. The church seems to be in a season of growth, both numerically and spiritually. Recently, God has blessed us with several new families and students who are attending regularly.

Janie, Iain, and I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May the Lord richly bless you as you reflect on the greatest event of human history and what it means for us: that in the fullness of time Christ came into this dark and broken world to redeem lost sinners through his life, death, and resurrection.

This month, we celebrate our five-year anniversary of service on the mission field. It was November 21, 2018, when Janie, Iain, and I said our goodbyes to our family and boarded a one-way flight to Milan, Italy. The past five years have not been easy, as we have had to learn a new language and adapt to a new home and culture. Yet, the Lord has been abundantly merciful to us. By His grace, the church in Milan continues to thrive and plans for the establishment of a Reformed denomination are moving forward.

As always, Janie and I want to thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and support. We are only able to press on in this work by the grace of God, who uses people like you to partner with us in the gospel. We give God thanks for all that he is doing through his Word, and trust that he is “able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Visit from the Cochrans, joint worship services, trip to the United States, and Iain goes to RYS. Read the latest update from the Browns on Mission Milan.

Read the lastest update on Mission Milan.

If biblical Christianity is to thrive and survive in Italy, there must be more local churches that faithfully preach the Word, administer the sacraments, and provide pastoral care. We need to plant more churches that are committed to the way disciples have been made since the Apostles planted a church in Jerusalem two thousand years ago: the slow-going, ordinary ministry of Word and sacrament, where God is raising dead sinners to life and creating a living communion of saints.

It’s been two months since I’ve provided an update on Mission Milan. Here are some of the things that the Lord has been doing with Chiesa Riformata Filadelfia, my ministry, and my family.

New member, more new members on the way, and a new married couple! Read the latest news about Mission Milan.

With the passing of another year, we are again reminded of the brevity of life. Each year (each day!) brings us another step closer to what no one can escape: the hour of our death and the day of our judgment. As the writer to the Hebrews puts it: “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Heb. 9:27). The good news is that those who trust in Christ can face the day of judgment with confidence - not confident in themselves or their performance, but in Jesus and his performance.

As the temperatures have dropped and the leaves on the trees have changed colors, we are once again mindful of God’s faithfulness with every changing season. This November marks our fourth anniversary on the foreign mission field. We give thanks to God for his mercies to us as a family, and how he has sustained our congregation, Chiesa Riformata Filadelfia, with his Word and Spirit. Here are some of the highlights of the mission over the past month…

It’s been a busy but blessed month of ministry and fellowship. We give God thanks for his mercies and faithfulness and we seek to make disciples of our Lord in Milan and throughout Italy.

As summer in Milan has drawn to a close, the rhythm of life has returned to normal. The Milanese have returned from their August vacations, schools have reopened, and the church is once again full on Sunday. We are eager to begin a new season of catechism lessons, mid-week Bible studies, and monthly men’s and women’s meetings. The following is a brief update on the recent happenings of our church and family:  

New members at Chiesa Riformata Filadelfia and the Browns visit the United States. Read the latest update on Mission Milan here.

On June 12-13, the council members of Comunione delle Chiese Presbiteriane e Riformate in Italia (CCPRI), a coalition of presbyterian and reformed churches in Italy, held their very first in person meeting. We are so thankful for God’s mercy and faithfulness, for he blessed our time together with a spirit of joy, love, humility, and mutual trust. We were able to pray together, sing hymns together, and eat together, as we continued to make progress toward the goal of establishing Italy’s first reformed and presbyterian denomination.

On April 23rd, we held our first annual family conference. Over the past two years, we had to cancel this event due to the covid pandemic. This year, we were able to have author Simonetta Carr speak about her book Broken Pieces and the God Who Mends Them: Schizophrenia through a Mother’s Eyes. The conference was titled “Mental Illness and the Family: How to Find Hope”. We found this to be an excellent opportunity to minister to people who are struggling with the difficult challenges of mental illness in the family and what the church can do to help. Simonetta’s talks were eye-opening and rich with hope. As a congregation, we now feel more equipped on how to show mercy to those in the church who battle mental illness, along with their families who often feel misunderstood.

It has been a busy month of ministry here in Milan. We are grateful to God for the opportunities that he has given us to serve his flock, help the helpless, and watch his church grow. Here are some of the highlights from the past thirty days…

In the light of seeing so many people displaced, we are reminded again of the words of Hebrews 13:14: “For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come”. As a missionary family, we have often reflected upon this verse. Leaving your homeland and family to live in a foreign country is disorienting. I cannot even imagine what it is like to be a refugee. But I am sure of one thing: Being reminded that we are “strangers and exiles” (Heb. 11:13) and that our true homeland is “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” (1 Pet. 1:4) gives us hope. The goal of our faith in Christ is to be with him in glory, in the resurrected and glorified earth. We look forward to that day when our redemption will be complete, when we will be healed from all evils and no longer afflicted by temptation and sin, pain and sadness, fear and worry, sickness and death.