"...to grant to those who mourn in Zion- to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified." Isaiah 61:3
I am SO GRATEFUL for my missional teammates--- all the hard, hard work they put in to a Farewell Get-together for me on Thursday, June 17.
Several of my dear Italian friends were able to get together for a really fun barbeque-style party that we had on the lovely terrace of the guys' apartment in Rome. It was an incredible opportunity for me to be truly encouraged by my teammates and my Italian friends, as they shared ways in which God has used me in their lives over the past 2 years, as well as one last opportunity for me to share the Gospel with everyone. It was such a blessing to say "ciao ciao" one last time to a lot of my best friends here in Rome!
Enjoy these pictures of the night, taken by the one-and-only Lauren Roeper (soon to be Lauren Dixon!-- Congrats L & Andy!) :)
the lovely "ARRIVEDERCI ELLA" sign that lauren made!
Late in May, Lauren and I went to our good friend Cristina's dress rehearsal for a play she had been working on for several weeks. It was SO FUN to get to watch her act (even though it was all in Italian and OH MY!--- most of it was *veryfast Italian!). I think Cristina felt super-loved by us entering into her life and something that was important to her.
Please continue to pray that Cristina would know that we love her by and through the power of Jesus!-- and that she would come to know Him personally!
Hey y'all-- my recent prayer letter for the month of April said "check my blog for more prayer requests"... so, thanks for checking. :) Here they are. :) Please pray for...
my missional team (Steve, Alyssa, Andy, Lauren, Beth Ann, & me) that we would have intimacy in our walks with the Lord, as well as receiving much favor from Him in our ministry, as only He can create time, energy, & motivation for our Italian friends to connect with us and engage in conversations about the Gospel
for our friends: Chiara, Maria, Paolo, Davide, Veronica, Margherita---- these students are believers and we'd love to help them grow in their faith... as well as empower & encourage them to share their faith with their friends & family... Please pray that God would give us wisdom in knowing how to enter into their lives.
for friends like: Deianira, Cristina, Rachele, Amira, Federica, Barbara, Maria Teresa, Maria, Isabella, Martina, Giulio, Salvatore, Alessandra, Francesca, Adriano, Ilario, Matteo, and more...that they'd have faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord & Savior.
for me— That I could continue to have FUN living life in Rome; & continued prayer that the Lord would give me much wisdom & discernment to know which Italian friends to pursue & that He’d give me favor and opportunities to share truth with them
Thanks for praying! Email your own requests to me--- I'd LOVE to pray for you!
Do you know C.S. Lewis' masterpiece series of books-- The Chronicles of Narnia? I had an "Ah-ha!" moment the other day as I was thinking about how I feel in this season of ministry. Please read the following excerpt from Lewis' The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe:
"Here we are, Mrs Beaver," said Mr Beaver, "I've found them. Here are the Sons and Daughters of Adam and Eve" -- and they all went in. The first thing Lucy noticed as she went in was a burring sound, and the first thing she saw was a kind-looking old she-beaver sitting in the corner with a thread in her mouth working busily at her sewing machine, and it was from it that the sound came. She stopped her work and got up as soon as the children came in. "So you've come at last!" she said, holding out both her wrinkled old paws. "At last! To think that ever I should live to see this day! The potatoes are boiling and the kettle's singing and I daresay, Mr Beaver, you'll get us some fish."
In the story, Mrs. Beaver was very excited to see the four human children because there were no humans left in Narnia; they had been experiencing the terrible White Witch's winter for a long, long time. They were longing for springtime, 4 humans to sit on the thrones of Narnia & end the Witch's reign, and for Aslan (the lion) to return and make all things well. To see the 4 children in Narnia was quite the sight for the Beavers-- they had been enduring the terrible winter of Narnia and longing for that day to come for a very long time.
Above is Circo Massimo- a large, ancient race track. My missional teammates and I used to go there every Wednesday and pray for the Lord to connect us with believers-- we prayed that people would come to know Jesus and that He would also connect us with people who already had a relationship with Him & we could help these believers grow in their faith, and also challenge them to see their friends, family, classmates, etc. as their very own mission field. All that to say, last year, we didn't know very many believers.
However, my "Ah-ha!" moment came when I realized that I feel exactly like Mrs. Beaver did in the story, when she said, "So you've come at last!" she said, holding out both her wrinkled old paws." At last! To think that ever I should live to see this day!" I shocked and awed that the Lord has provided us with BELIEVERS... the Lord is continuing, in His steadfast faithfulness, to bring people toward Himself, as people from the nation of Italy are "glad and sing for joy" (Ps. 67:4) at the transformative beauty of a relationship with God through Christ Jesus.
Thank you for rejoicing with me, and please pray for the following people we know who walk with Jesus... that "the LORD would bless them and keep them; that He would make His face to shine upon them and be gracious unto them; and that He would lift up His countenance upon them and give them peace" (Num. 6:24-26).
This is the newest video that our staff team has created to talk about what is going on in Rome now, and also the vision we have for what we are trusting the Lord with in the next three years.
God is moving in Rome.
We are praying, every day, for Him to transform, redeem, and restore the people of this city.
Please join us in praying... For Romans. For more laborers to come alongside us. In asking God what He would have *you* do to continue being a part of what He is doing in this city.
GOOD NEWS: A girl recently put her trust in Jesus! A student named Valentina recently responded to the Good News by accepting Jesus as her Savior. Please pray for Valentina-- that she will grow in her new relationship with Jesus, and that the Lord will make lots of divine appointments for my teammates (who are currently doing ministry on her specific university campus) to meet up with her!
for a fun way to distract yourself for 5...10..15...+ minutes, click here: www.sporcle.com
this website contains TONS of fun, trivia quizzes that you can do by yourself or with friends! (I think it is always more fun to do with friends because we always get more answers right when we put our heads together!)
My sweet friend Laura Smith (on staff here in Rome) had a Valentine's Day party tonight for all of her friends. It was so wonderful to get together with Italian & American women, from all different walks of life, to enjoy a night of togetherness and great food! We were all each supposed to bring something to share, and I chose to bring yummy chocolate truffles that my sweet friend Stefanie always used to make at Miami. I included the recipe below so that you can surprise your sweetheart or sweet friends with delicious and easy Chocolate Truffles! :) Enjoy them!, and above all else------ I pray that the Lord Jesus Christ romances your heart, and you experience His steadfast love and faithfulness this weekend-- and always! He loves you very much! I pray you'd experience that!
1 bar of white chocolate & red food coloring (not necessary, only if you want!) :)
Directions
Crush the cookies to fine crumbs in a Ziploc bag using a rolling pin (or in a food processor if you have one!) Place the cookie crumbs in a medium bowl. Add cream cheese; mix until well blended. Roll cookie mixture into 42 balls, about 1-inch in diameter.
In a double-boiler OR in the microwave, melt the chocolate, and dip balls in, carefully, either by using your fingers (messy but this is what I did!) or you can use a couple spoons to help you. I think using toothpicks was too hard- the truffle balls got the most "messed up" when I used toothpicks. Place dipped truffles on wax paper-covered cookie sheet.
Let stand until firm; if needed, refrigerate. Store leftover truffles, covered, in refrigerator.
To add an extra step-- note that I said you could purchase white chocolate & red food coloring--- and I melted it, dyed it pink, put it in a Ziploc bag, cut a small hole in the corner.. and used the melted chocolate to pipe designs on top of the truffles.. to make them look a little more like Valentine's Day. This step obviously isn't necessary, but it's fun! :) Check out the finished product below! :)
click HEREto watch a video of my friend Alex Priebe & I singing our re-worked version of Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash's song-- "Jackson." We re-wrote the lyrics to be all about "Nerja" -- the city in Spain where our staff's annual conference is held. Hope you enjoy! :)
Recently, we went to Barcelona on the way to our annual staff mid-year conference in Nerja, Spain. Here are some photos from Spain!...
This is one of the massive sets of doors for the giant church in Barcelona: La Sagrada Familia. I love how the doors are all about JESUS-- and you can see in gold on one side "Who is the truth?" and on the right, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews."
I loved how the light reflected through this stained glass window!!
Roma interns at La Sagrada Familia.
One of the neatest things about La Sagrada Familia is that they are still constructing it as time goes on! You can see a woman, here, constructing a huge piece of a column!
The outside view of the "Nativity" side of the cathedral. There are three different facades on La Sagrada Familia: the Passion, the Nativity, and the Resurrection/Glory. They are still working on the Resurrection/Glory side--- and I'm sure it will be SWEET when they finish it!
The world's longest bench at Park Guell. :)
in Nerja-- where our staff conference is held.
Sweet Carrie Dougherty-- who I got to meet with for a coaching appointment. What a wise and amazing woman! :)
My roommates & I made this great soup yesterday-- check it out! :) It will be warm & comforting for your belly in the cold days of February! Feel free to add any kind of meat you want if you desire-- but we made it as is-- without! :)
*Vegetable Tortellini Soup*
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 red bell pepper, diced 1 onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste (optional) 1, 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes 1 15-ounce can vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth 1 1/2 cups hot water 1 teaspoon dried basil or marjoram (or both?) :) 1 6- to 9-ounce package fresh or frozen cheese (or meat) tortellini or ravioli 2 cups zucchini, diced (about 2 medium) Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add bell pepper & onion, garlic, and cayenne pepper (if using) and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, broth, water and basil (or marjoram); bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Add tortellini/ravioli and cook for 3 minutes less than the package directions. Add zucchini; return to a boil. Cook until the zucchini is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Season with pepper.
We really enjoy this pancake recipe and think it makes wonderful pancakes every time! Feel free to add whatever you want to make them more to your taste--- bananas, cinnamon, fruit, chocolate chips... etc!
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons white sugar
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil or melted butter
Directions:
In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in milk, egg and oil. Mix until smooth.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.
Recently, Lauren & I went to Noemi's apartment to have dinner with her, her fiancee (Emanuele), and another friend (Giuseppe). Noemi and Emanuele are both Christians, and they are getting married in June. Noemi has been a believer for a while, and so has Emanuele, who spent time in England last year, studying at a seminary there. It was incredibly encouraging to spend time together with an Italian couple who is my age, super-fun, and also are believers. Noemi and Emanuele made us fresh basil pesto-- and we had different kinds of Italian cheeses with different types of honey for dessert. It was a beautiful evening spent with friends, and I wanted to share these pictures with you so you could see their sweet faces and be encouraged by our brother & sister in Christ--- Emanuele & Noemi! :)
Please pray for them-- that the Lord would continue to give them a desire to follow Him and share the love & hope that they have with other Italians!
The fresh pesto!
Emanuele, using a knife to slice pieces of cheese off the block. What a fun & fancy dessert! :)
Lauren, Noemi, & me. What a lovely evening with sweet friends!
I wanted to share some pictures with you from our Christmas decorating time (on Monday, November 30th). It was a sweet evening where all 6 of us who live in our little Roman apartment could spend time together, decorate, drink homemade hot chocolate, and finish the evening by watching "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Enjoy the snapshots--- and Merry Christmas! :)
Here's almost all of us! (Lauren, Lauren, Courtney, me, Becca)-- with Jenny taking the photo!--- as we put the lights on the tree :)
Courtney & I with a little ornament :)
What it looked like the other night when I spent time listening to Christmas music and journaling by candlelight/treelight!! Oh how I love this season! :)
Christmas decorations make our little home even MORE homey! :)
I walked home from campus last week and the sky was BREATHTAKING. It was such a sweet time of praying and meeting with the Lord---- I wanted to share the sky with you! :)
Psalm 19:1 - "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork."
Thanks for praying for our Thanksgiving Outreach on Saturday, November 28. It was a sweet time--- with 4 turkeys, tons of trimmings, and about 70 Italian friends! Enjoy these pictures from the event!
I made a big sign for the party-- and here is my roommate & teammate Lauren, posing with me. :)
More art projects-- Italian friends with "hand turkeys"-- they thought this was hilarious! :)
Becca and I-- being "Mary" and "Sarah" - pilgrim wives in our skit that a few of us performed for all our friends. :)
A group of our friends-- I love candid shots! :)
Steve (on the right) having a conversation with 3 Italian guys about what thankfulness means... and who/what they are thankful for.
Thank you for being part of this ministry!! :) Your partnership means so much to me-- and all of us!-- in this city!
Our friend Lucia recently graduated from La Sapienza University (below is a picture of the central part of this university.)
Lucia just graduated with a degree in biology; she is moving to Holland to be with her boyfriend (who is also Italian but he lives there). She was a good friend of ours last year, and has been processing the Gospel with us for over a year. We love her so much and want her to have a personal relationship with her Creator who loves her dearly. Would you please join me in praying for Lucia-- that God would send believers into her life, even in Holland, and that she'd continue to take steps toward knowing Jesus? (Below is a picture of me and some other girls who work with Agape as we met with Lucia on her last day at the university to say goodbye to her.)
back row: Beth Ann & Jenny front row: Courtney, me, Lucia, Amy
Dearest readers-- I am making a commitment to post every Tuesday, rain or shine. Alas, it is *Wednesday* today and I am posting today instead of yesterday. Whoops--- thanks for extending grace to me! :)
Three things for this post: 1) a highlight from this weekend's Fall Staff Conference 2) a prayer request 3) a few pictures :)
1) Our Fall Staff Conference was held last weekend (Oct. 29-Nov. 1), and it was a really encouraging time. I got to meet the three Italian interns who are currently working with Agape Italia. They spend one week every month, being trained and equipped with how to share their faith. One intern, Davide, just graduated from college last spring. He is choosing to work with Agape for one year, and he said something to me at our staff conference that really encouraged me. He said, "I have learned that being a missionary is not something you do, it's something you are." Oh, I praise the LORD for my brother Davide and his dear heart. He is a man of God and being transformed into the likeness of Jesus with each and every day. Would you please join me in praying for him-- as well as the two other interns (another guy, Cristiano; and a girl- Adriana) -- that they would be encouraged, uplifted, and blessed as they walk with the Lord? That they would rest upon His yoke because it is easy and light? And that they would find abundant faith, hope, and love as they walk with Jesus and share Him with their fellow Italian friends? O I pray that the next year will be a sweet one in the lives of our friends: Davide, Cristiano, & Adriana!
2) Would you please pray for me in this season of my life? I feel like I am learning a lot about myself, figuring things out about my life, family, past experiences, etc. and how they have shaped me to be who I am today. Would you please pray for me that I can continue to process WELL, and that I would have ample time with the Lord to think, pray, dive into Scripture, listen to His Spirit, and that I would just be able to wrestle with my past and rejoice in how the Lord has redeemed me--- and is continuing to redeem the brokenness in my life? Thank you so much!
3) Here are just a few pictures of recent-- the first is an ancient city close to Rome. I snapped this picture at our staff retreat and thought it was beautiful! The other pictures are all of pretty yellow flowers.... I just thought they were lovely, and I wanted to share them so you could enjoy them with me, too!
Please email me and let me know how I can be praying for you! I'd love it if you even sent me a recent highlight of your life---- and maybe even a couple pictures! :) It is such a privilige to serve the Lord with you! :) Love, Ella :)
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Contact me! :)
Thank you for praying for me as I live life in Italy-- loving the Lord, and people around me here in Rome. If you ever desire me to pray more specifically for you, please feel free to email me; I'd love to know how to be interceding for you! Ella.Manken@uscm.org
click the pic for more information about ministry in Rome
the lovely "ARRIVEDERCI ELLA" sign that lauren made!
Paolo :)
feta-stuffed tomatoes & eggplant slices!
Noemi :)
Ilario :)
getting a chance to share about Jesus :)
Francesca :)
Sara :)
Giusy :)
Maria & Giuliana :)
Betta, Maria, me, Domenico, & Giuliana :)
Lucrezia :)
