BRUCATO PRAYER UPDATE DECEMBER, 10, 2009

Dear Friends,
Re-entry is always difficult. Saying goodbye never gets easy. Jet-lag is real. Suitcases must be unpacked and stored. Laundry, grocery shopping, bill paying all must be done. This morning I tried to pay an old phone bill that didn’t get paid in our absence. The phone company suspended our phone and internet service temporarily (we can receive calls but can’t make them). To pay the bill I had to go to the post office (where bills are paid). Because of the horde of customers to be served they use a “number” system. When I arrived they were serving #170; my number was 261! Welcome back to Italy!! Yesterday I tried to renew our car insurance. First I had to go to a friend’s house to use their phone, then I got the recorded message that my wait time was greater than 3 minutes. After waiting for 53 minutes I hung up! Meanwhile we are walking!!
While life here can be rather frustrating and we are tempted to ask “why in the world did we come back”, the answer is more than clear. Tuesday evening we attended our church prayer meeting for the first time in 8 months and all the “difficulties” were put into perspective. Here was a group of Italians, eagerly awaiting our arrival, interceding for the souls of men. Request after request was brought before the Lord for the salvation of the lost. Some requests were accompanied by tears. This is why we return to Italy- to stand alongside these faithful believers who are ready to be poured out for the salvation of their nation. We need you, too, to stand alongside us as we “push back the darkness” in this land. Here are the urgent prayer requests:

1. This week Ester, YFC and churches in the area have distributed a copy of the gospels specifically prepared for teens called “The Book of Hope” outside all the high schools in Bologna and other cities nearby. The goal was to get a copy to every teen in these cities! With the book was an invitation to an evangelistic concert hosting a band from our church called “Lost and Found”. There are two concerts- Friday in Imola (a new city we are seeking to reach), and Saturday in Bologna. Please pray that we will see hundreds of teens come out and that the testimony of the gospel will be clear.
2. Friday, in our church, there will be a women’s evangelistic outreach called “Not just Coffee”. The theme is forgiveness. Pray that the women we invite will attend. I will be inviting a number of neighbors.
3. We are trying to get permission to have a book stand in the local mall next week. Pray for the Lord to open the door for this opportunity.

As you can see, there are many opportunities before us to share the good news with those around us. We desperately need the power of the Holy Spirit to take our human efforts and make them fruitful. We are so aware that without Him we can do nothing! We need your prayers!!

Your fellow servants for the gospel,
Andy and Linda