Luke 2:8-14

Merry Christmas from the Barone family!

May you remember what Christmas is all about and stand in awe of His fathomless love.




Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

I Corinthians 14:18

Sometimes we are concerned about the negative impact deputation will have on our girls. It is so hard to maintain consistency with routines and disciplines. Sometimes God reminds us that He is in control. Yesterday He reminded us...

We were about to pray before our meal when Natalia said, "I pray!" We were not really sure if she was asking to pray or stating the fact that we were about to pray.

Unsure of these unchartered waters we asked, "Do you want to pray?" Natalia replied with an emphatic, "YES!"

Honestly, we were not sure what was about to follow, if anything. Natalia then closed her eyes and started praying. It was one of those once in a lifetime moments that a parent gets to experience. With tears in ours eyes, Pappa grabbed the camera while she was praying...

The following is the end of what transpired...



This was the first time she had ever tried to pray! This was worth the sleepless nights and the times we think we have no idea what were are doing. May the Lord continue to help us shepherd her heart.

Proverbs 24:27

Every time we are preparing for a meeting, Erika always makes a big deal out of packing. It is like an Olympic event to her. She has all these silly checklists of things to pack. She constantly encourages me to do the same, however what is the big deal?

All we need to bring for…

Natalia and Ellia are things like:

• Several outfits – for both warm southern weather and cool Rochester
• Shoes
• Diapers – lots of them
• Books and toys for Natalia to play with
  

As for Erika:

• The usual clothes
• Hair products and makeup
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• At least a few pairs of shoes for each color in the rainbow
  

Then Michael:

• General guy stuff – piece of cake

Erika does all the packing. All she asks is that I get all my stuff out I need her to pack. Then she puts everything in the suitcase so that it is nice and neat. It really is a good system.

So there we were all the way in Miami, unpacking our neat, organized suitcases at 10:30 pm. Suddenly, with a quiet, concerned voice I asked, “Honey, did you pack my ties?”

Erika: “Well, of course. I mean, I packed everything you got out for me. I did not miss anything.”

Michael: (with even more concern) “Honey, that is the problem. I do not think I got them out for you to pack.”

10:30 at night...
…church in the morning…
and no ties.

…not good when you are a Baptist!

In utter disbelief, I began asking questions like, “Does Walgreen’s sell ties?" and "What about that Hess gas station down the road?” Erika just stood there fighting back the “I told you so” and also trying not to laugh at the thought of me wearing a tie I bought at Walgreen’s.

It was not a pretty situation. Let’s just say that humbly borrowing a tie from the male of your host home is not a fun feeling. I will put more thought into packing from now on. Next time, I will have a checklist.

Philippians 4:9

Lessons along the way…

One of our prayers from the start of deputation has been that we would not miss the lessons that God is trying to teach us throughout this process.

Michael and I have been involved in the Jr. High ministry for around four years. Michael was the Jr. High pastor and I led the Teen Choir. We absolutely loved the students and the ministry and counted it a privilege to serve them.

Honestly, the hardest part of deputation so far has been letting go of something we loved so much.

Handing over leadership is not easy. No one said it would be easy. It surely is not. This past Sunday I began to realize that the teen ministry has gone on just fine without us leading it. The students are still growing without my husband being the one behind the pulpit. The teen choir is still singing...without me directing it…

Recently, a friend asked me if it was hard handing over the leadership of the choir. I did not hesitate to answer, “Yes.” Part of me still wishes I was directing the choir and Michael still pastoring. However the more I thought about it, I realized that God has called Michael and me to plant churches in Italy with the philosophy of handing them over to the nationals. What a thrill to know that God is preparing us today for Italy by training us to be able to step back and let others lead!

I am glad that God is using situations like the one with the Jr. High to train us for our future ministry in Italy. Oh, and I am glad we did not miss this lesson along the way…

Matthew 12:46-49

This week we are at Grace Baptist Church in Miami, FL. This is an exciting church that just four years ago were running 45 people and now have over 700 people on a Sunday morning! The pastor is an exciting man of God that is really being used of the Lord in this city.

Grace’s missions conference begins with a Saturday festival with the missionaries dressing up like the country they are going to minister to.













The church also had little stations representing different countries. Each display had food, music and people dressed like those in the particular country. Many were really creative and visiting each station made for great fun and a full stomach.

Saturday was also my birthday. My birthday is really is not a big deal, however while driving to the church that day the thought came to my mind that I wish I was home spending the day with family and friends. I mean, spending the day in a car driving five hours to this meeting was not the ideal birthday.

We soon got to the church and began meeting people during the festival. The diverse church is so friendly and we quickly bonded with them and the other missionaries at the conference. At one point I was reminded that it was my birthday and immediately God brought to mind my previous thoughts as well as the passage Matthew 12:46-49. Earlier in the day I wished I spent the day with family and friends. Now I stretch forth my hand and say...

“...Behold my mother and my brethren!”

I Timothy 3:2

There are several aspects of deputation that take getting used to. Life on the road. Going to different churches and experiencing different church cultures. And one major part - which is staying with people during a missions conference.

Some things run through our minds as we are preparing to spend a week with people we have never met...

Is this going to be a good fit?
Are we going to be in the way?
Are two little girls going to be a problem for the people?
Are they going to get mad when Natalia spills juice on the tablecloth?
Will there be a velvet picture of Jesus on their wall?

This week finds us at Bethel Baptist Church of Prospect, New York. The family that we are staying with are the Calabrese’s. The conference has been amazing. Honestly, the thing that has overwhelmed us here is the Calabrese's hospitality!

We have had such a wonderful time with this family, we are going to hate to leave! Frank and Sandy are so sweet and the fellowship and prayers together have really been encouraging.

The whole family has been loving on our girls, which makes us feel so happy and puts us at ease. The kids Josh and Alyssa, love playing with our little ones. Watching them read and color with Natalia or cuddle with Ellia is so special.

The idea of staying with people we do not know can make us nervous, however after staying with the Calabrese family, we are excited about meeting more families. God already knows who we will stay with and this week was a special blessing.

II Peter 1:10

I know I am in the will of God! I know God has called me to be a Baptist missionary to Italy. How can I be so sure?

I played my first round of golf today.

This week we are at Hunters Creek Bible Baptist Church. Often times during a mission's conference the host pastor will take the missionaries to do activities during the day. Sometimes it is sight seeing and other times, eating out. Today the schedule called for golf. Yeah.

I had never played golf before today. That great truth was apparent to everyone who came to Archie's golf course today! It was certainly apparent to me as I found myself countless times walking through brush looking for my ball. It was also apparent to the swans in the various ponds who had to keep getting out of the way when I took a swing.

There was one time when I hit the ball great. Man it took off. When it landed - it was buried in a sand trap.

Paul charged us to understand what the will of the Lord is for our lives. Peter wanted us to make our calling and election sure. I know that my calling is sure. I am called to be a church-planter to the country of Italy - not a golfer.