How to Fight Fear

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How to Fight Fear

My sister Sharon shared this with me... and I have to share it with you!! I needed this today!

Thank you God for your faithfulness every time!!

You can follow Katie's blog at www.kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com

Also real quick... a book my sister gave me that is rockin' my world right now is called "Kisses from Katie"... a young woman who followed and is following Jesus... a huge testimony of faith and just so encouraging when we face trials of adjustments to our new home.... language, no car and the closest grocery store is 1.5miles away down hill so you have to walk back up hill. No friends, no family, no spiritual community in walking distance (that we know of yet) but do not get me wrong I am not complaining I rejoice in this new adventure the Lord has led us on and seek his face daily on what He will have us do here.

My favorite quote from the book so far is... "...I am living in the midst of the uncertainty and risk, amid things that can and do bring physical destruction, because I am running from things that can destroy my soul; complacency, comfort, and ignorance. I am much more terrified of living a comfortable life in a self-serving society and failing to follow Jesus than I am of any illness or tradegy."

 This is written by a young woman in her early 20s that lives and loves in Uganda... she cares for 14 children of her own and helps with an orphanage and ministers to hundreds of other children.

Praying for you Katie... and challenged by your faith but much more in how God has used you... in such a mighty way because you were willing and obedient.

Benedetto = Blessed

There is so much to share I do not even know where to start.

Lets go with pictures first

Il primo benedizione (the first blessing)…

This is the Bed and Breakfast Selle Italia put us up in when our apartment fell thru.

Il secondo benedizione... 

When we got our new apartment in the center of Asolo "the pearl".

Our guest bedroom ...we also have a pull out couch for family and friends (hint,hint)

Our dining room and sitting area.

Our kitchen

This is our street... our apartment door is after the last pillar on the left.

This is overlooking our town square.

Il terzo benedizione...

Getting a wireless internet card so we could stay connected to family and friends!!


Thank you all for all your prayers and encouraging words.... we appreciate it and always need it! 

< This is castle called Rocca it is on the hilltop of Asolo>
Matthew 6:25-34

Do Not Worry

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

We MADE it!!
Our trip over to Italy went unbelievably smooth. We had help through both airports and Kylie was a champ. She had a rough ride but she we got her calmed down and cleaned up and she was good to go.
Thank you for all the prayers we are so richly blessed, and trust us, we could feel them as we went each step of the way.

Some cool God moments:

When we saw my brother in-law Brent in the ATL airport he was flying back to California... and he prayed over us before we boarded our flight.

When we landed in Milan and we couldnt figure out where to pick up our dog Kylie. Instead of asking about where I could pick up my "dog", (cane), I kept asking for someone to show me where I could pick up my "meat", (caren).  Some nice man figured it out and helped us all the way to our car with Kylie.  

Selle Italia putting us up in a beautiful bed and breakfast when our apartment fell thru...

Calvary Chapel Treviso - the pastor and elders have been praying for us for the last 4 months and it was soo special to meet them face to face and get to worship together this morning.

Mark and Reneta (the pastor and his wife) they fed us a delicious lunch and then Reneta helped me shop for some much needed shoes..

God is so good in the Big and the little things!!

Here are some pictures thus far:

After 16 Hrs of time travel (flight and drive) Talking Kylie for a much needed walk.

This is in Asolo,  "The City of a Hundred Horizons",where we will be living.

This was right after church in downtown Treviso before I got my new shoes.. trust me I got alot of weird looks sporting my sandals and pink socks... it was all I had and my feet were freezing.

Tony and Kylie at the park in downtown Treviso

Beautiful..is the only way to describe it!!

Thank you so much for all of your prayers we are soo blessed and greatful for all the Lord has done for us.

Ciao for now!

Blessed Beyond Measure and Overflowing

Yesterday was a hard day for me... It was my last day at the Bodyshop for at least 2 years....

For the last 5.75 years =0) I have had the honor and privilege of working at a gym called Bodyshop Athletics. But is not just a gym... its a ministry. And its not just another ministry organization its Authentic and its pure. It is the most Organic form of ministry I have ever seen because when most people come in they expect to get yelled at and told how fat they are.

They do not expect to be loved on, encouraged, prayed over and challenged more than just physically. Don't get me wrong they will kick your tail and you might leave crawling, however you will not leave defeated but uplifted.

Their are no words, no action that I can do to express my gratitude and love towards Chris and the rest of my co-workers, and family members (meaning my clients whom have touched my heart and become part of my family)


THE CREW MINUS SOME VERY IMPORTANT MEMBERS (ELLEN, VIRGINIA, STEFANIE, MOLLY, SAM, BEKAH, KAYLA, BRIDGETTE AND ALLIE)



Philippians 1:3-6

 ³ I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁴ In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy ⁵ because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶ being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

I love you all with all my heart! And I will continue to pray over our ministry at the gym and to my clients you will always be on my heart and in my prayers please keep me up to date and I hope to grow in our friendship even if its from a distance!

Blessed beyond Measure,

Mary

Dreams to Reality

Psalm 37:4 Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

When I first met my husband I remember asking him what his dreams were... and unlike most or myself he had a list.




...shortly after we met I became one of those dreams as he became one of mine. We got married July 17th 2009, and love every minute of it.




...another dream of his was to ride his bike across the United States from coast to coast. And on November 6th, 2010 he completed that dream. He road with three other guys from the San Fransisco Bay to Yorktown, Virginia.

I knew that when I married a Dreamer that our life would always be filled with adventure and excitement.

... I should have never been surprised when Tony told me he was praying about and asked if he could pursue his next dream... to move to Italy. I love watching my husband strive for his dreams and reach his goals. However, this one was hard for me at first. I was supportive but at the beginning not submissive. See, I had learned that submission is not only being outwardly supportive yet standing up on the inside and thinking I will not go. Submission is inwardly sitting down on the inside and being not only willing to go but joyful.

Now, I have no doubt that is God's design and that He is again making this dream a reality but it was a dream He gave Tony because it is also where He is directing us. The doors have flown open the support and love that we feel going into this is overwhelming and indescribable. God is so good. Thank you for all those who have been praying and supporting us through this time. We now have less than 2 weeks and we will be in Italy!

                                  This is Bassano del Grappa...6 miles from where we will be.

Pray for us as we take a huge leap of faith... one step at a time.