10000 N Oak Trafficway, Kansas City, MO 64155 816.734.8500
Everyone has a life story. That story includes climbing big mountains and walking long, green valleys. The life of Team Italy One is also a story. We have gone through some days of crazy culture shock and other times of amazing discoveries of this wonderful country. So sit back and enjoy thumbing through our Team Italy One family photo album and re-live some key snapshots of our journey together.
March 2007
With great anticipation, the initial 9 members of Team Italy One gather at the Avant International Service Center and speak face to face for the first time. At team training, we discover how each one of us has special talents which are key to reaching an overall goal. Our excitement at the task ahead of us grows as the group begins forming initial bonds. At the conclusion of the nearly 3 week event, we are prepared to continue the process of raising support and seeing each member on the field by October 31, 2007.
April 2007-October 31, 2007
Each member of Team Italy One begins working on the collective goal of getting everyone on the field by October 31, 2007. We begin our first attempts at teamwork and coming up with new and creative ways to reach our goal. We conduct several team support raising events in various locations throughout the country in order to speed up and encourage each other in the difficult process of funding 19 individuals in Europe.
October 31, 2007
Our first mission is accomplished. The final team members reach Italy. We are all staying in temporary “vacation” apartments…but everyday life is nothing like a vacation. We are all scrambling around searching for appropriate “permanent” housing. By December 2007 each team member has their own home and the whole team is within walking distance from each other.
November 2007
Simultaneous to the ongoing apartment searches are language studies for the 6 team members who do not yet speak Italian. In all the bustle of “setting up shop” we don’t want to forget the real reason we’re in Genova in the first place, so we also set out an initial goal of giving 100 complete gospel presentations in the first 100 days.
March 2008
Two Italian co-workers join us. Francesco and Claudia are from the Bologna church plant where our team leader Tim worked previously. Francesco hits the ground running and begins a first cell group. We also find a location for our creative ministry center, Jacob’s Well.
May 2008
130 contacts of Team Italy One attend our first big event, a Grand Opening, at our new ministry laboratory, Jacob’s Well. We spend an evening eating hor d’oevres and strengthening various friendships made over the past 6 1/2 months.
July 2008
Summers in Italy are a time of slowing down and hanging out at the beach. Our team is so excited to see God work in amazing ways and instead of the expected slower summer pace we begin seeing some exciting fruit. 6 total conversions occur, 3 of them in one week.
Photo By: Ste-Spike
