FAMILY:
Annette continues to co-exist with M.E./CFS . Energy is still limited and she needs care to administer what she has. She has continued to develop her friendships locally as well as connecting as much as possible with friends in Italy too. We are thankful for a measure of health and for God’s presence in times of questions…
Rox has just turned 20! Hard to believe! In June she completed 3 (happy) years at College. These however had not done much to prepare her for the next stage of life. As we prayerfully explored the next step, and visited more than 10 places, we ‘came across’ a specialized college in a nearby town. All the staff is specifically geared to assist those with challenges to ‘cross-over’ from academics to the working world, from teenage to adult… Miraculously (following quite a hard fight and lots of prayer) she was able to secure a place there. And so far (8 weeks in) it is proving to be a wonderful experience. Two examples: she is loving doing sports (!), she is independent every morning in getting ready and catching the transport provided. Challenges still remain, but there are encouraging signs of hope! Pray on! Go Rox!
Alex (17) successfully completed his lower set of examinations at school (GCSEs). Now he has embarked on A levels studies, with a particular flair for graphic design. But more importantly (!) he is in a serious relationship with Abi! We are grateful for spiritual development too!
Kristin (15) continues to move forward (very well) in the area of academics. She continues to look forward (and long!) for a speedy return to Italy! But she is maturing in many areas and also wanting a serious Christian walk. We are thankful for that ( in this quite god-less context, school and society…).
Jonathan (recently turned 23) is in reasonable health. The only activity is… ‘juggling’ the increasing ministry responsibilities with being a husband and father. One interesting development is the discovery of ‘tritones’, neo-urban gospel and Victor Wooten (thanks Youtube!). A little more below of ministry news.
We enjoyed family trips to Italy at Easter and during the Summer.
We look forward to Christmas with the Gilmores in northern Italy (at my sister's place….).
MINISTRY:
Lots (too much) to detail.
Just a list (basically) of some of the opportunities and challenges.
- A good 80-90% of time and efforts are focused on Italy. Wheelock Heath Baptist Church (identified now as our ‘sending church’) has graciously accepted to validate this involvement and we continue to be encouraged to move ahead in Italy-related ministry.
- Locally Jonathan leads a Small Group and coordinates ongoing ministry at the local YMCA. The latter is particularly exciting. An ongoing weekly Gospel-activity has allowed for a climate of trust and partnership to develop. Besides giving us (individually and as a church) opportunities to interact with some of the YMers, there are now plans to expand further. This will include one or two regular follow-up sessions (Bible-study and support group..) as well as the possibility (currently being defined) of Jonathan taking on a chaplaincy for several months. There are also other Gospel initiatives and opportunities and Jonathan continues to be very involved in all of this.
- Back in Italy… Jonathan and Annette continue to keep in close contact with a number of young Italian adults. Annette’s heart is for a group of young adult ladies she has a deep friendship with. It is her desire to keep encouraging them and investing in their lives. Jonathan meets weekly with 4 young Italian men in 60-90 minute, one-to-one, skype-sessions. Using as a basis a leadership-training course (Learn to Lead), these are opportunities to mentor and share.
- Italian Ministries continues to expand. Jonathan continues to shoulder much of the responsibility of leading this field-based missonal network. In September we were blessed by the third Missione Congress. Almost 300 people attended. The teaching was great (Dr. Ajith Fernando), the fellowship encouraging and refreshing, the programme full (7 parallel ‘tracks’ led by 7 different ministries…), the blessing wonderful. (One of the highlights was certainly seeing about 70 people respond to call to commitment and mission.) Not all is fun. There are frequent pastoral issues and this can be quite draining and demanding.
- UCBC.(Union of Christian Bible Churches) Earlier this year Jonathan was chosen to be a member of the National Council of the UCBC . This is a growing national network of like-minded churches, extending throughout Italy. Responsibilities include strategic thinking and planning and pastoral issues.
- Acts 29. During June an exploratory trip to Italy with Steve Timmis begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting, Western Europe leader for Acts 29, resulted in further conversations about Acts 29 in Italy. Recently this led to the development of an exciting coordinating responsibility for Jonathan of Acts 29 in Italy. This is currently being explored and defined further. But it could be massive. Watch this space.
During our Summer trip to Italy we had a blast! Involvement in several camps (in various ways) was really encouraging. We were also involved in the Messina and Rometta churches (mostly).
The big question: what next? We had anticipated returning back ‘home’ to Italy this past summer, but Rox’s situation made us prayerfully re-think that. Now Plan ‘A’ is we return back during the latter half of 2011. This may (depending on Rox’s situation) be further extended by another short time (Plan ‘B’). Alex looks set to continue here in the UK to finalize studies. We will be returning back to Sicily (our flat and things are still there) and will then take the next step (staying in Sicily? relocating in another more central, strategic location?). Also: rather than be spread too thin, we are prayerfully seeking His best and guidance for the coming years as we enter this new phase in our lives, focusing on a few areas, maybe less ‘juggling’.
Pray:
- The timing for our return
- Family: spiritual walk, health issues, financial needs (we are still very low..), Jonathan’s studies (extension given until Sept. 2011)
- The ongoing multiple ministry commitments: UK (local); Italy (IM, UCBC and A29)
Sempre Avanti!
Jonathan & Annette
39c Crewe Rd., Sandbach, CW11 4NE, UK. - Tel: 01270767411/07846645039
C.P. 53, 98048 Spadafora (ME), Italy. - Tel: 3286518234
Email: jaydeegilmore@gmail.com
Twitter: twitter.com/jaydeegilmore
Facebook: facebook.com/jaydeegilmore
Blog: http://jdgilmore.blogspot.com
