Maddalena Update!

by Leslie

“We sleep in a crypt!!” This is one of Mark’s favorite things to tell people about our house. Most will look at him with skepticism in their eyes, while a few obviously think it’s really cool that we do. In fact, our bedroom is mostly underground and has some walls that are over 2,000 years old. It’s a room you might see on a tour of a museum… complete with rock arches and walls. Mark is certain that these walls contain dead men’s bones… To me, it’s kind of cozy – it’s warm, and dark, and quiet… all things I like when I'm sleeping!! I guess that is what perspective is all about, right?

People often ask me, “How’s Italy?” And I know they really want to know, but I never quite know how to answer that question. If you are reading this blog, then you REALLY want to know how Italy is, so you can read on for the latest. But I think mostly, I am formulating a perspective on Italy that won't be fully developed until I get home and have the birds-eye view. So, that will be in a different post.

OK, so what’s the latest??

We are planning a distribution of Maddalena for March 8, 2011. This is International Women’s Day, which is celebrated world-wide, just not so much in the US. Here it is called “Festa Della Donna” or “Party of the Woman”. I love that in Italy, they make everything a party!! So, we decided to celebrate women here by giving them the Maddalena DVD in order for them to see, hear, and know the love of Christ. Since the film demonstrates how much Jesus cares for women, we thought it to be a perfect holiday to share it.

Last week I was in Rome to meet with our Agape Italia staff teams there. I came away very encouraged by their ideas and plans for how to use the film in their ministries.

the Colosseum in Roma

So far there are plans being made to:

• show Maddalena in a movie theatre


• give Maddalena as gifts to college students who will be invited to a jazz club


• give Maddalena to pastors of several churches who will show it to their congregations and use it as a tool to explain the Gospel to their friends


• give Maddalena away on the college campus along with Agape Italia contact information


• use Maddalena in an English club for language practice
  
  

Additionally, I am working with a team in Bologna who wants to do a large campus distribution of Maddalena on March 8th. They are also researching how to be able to show it in a women’s prison there!

We are also in the process of getting the film on television here in Italy.

As you can imagine, there is a lot of work to go into planning and executing these kinds of outreaches. Please be praying for all of the teams who have been given these creative ideas.

In all of it, my daily prayer is that my focus be an eternal one. The spiritual battle is fierce here and so often my flesh wants to bail out. I want to be true to the calling to which we have been called. I want to see possibilities rather than obstacles. I want to live moment by moment in the power of the Holy Spirit. I want to see lives changed here in Italy. Lord, give me Your perspective!