Amy Hernandez August 2018 Update
Missionary in Northern Italy
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Looking down on Millstätter See in Austria from a morning hike I took with some other missionaries!
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Ciao everyone!
I pray this email finds you with a heart agreed to David's words- "I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth"! Isn't God so good to us? I've come to realize the recognition of His goodness is sometimes a choice, so let us choose to praise God and forget not His benefits! This month has been quite slow as August is when everyone goes on vacation. I was blessed to find myself in viaggio with the opportunity to go to Austria (about a 4 hr drive) for the European Missions Conference. I was greatly refreshed and am more excited than ever to see all God will do in the big move to Turin.
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I don't speak any German but this is one thing I love- the Word of God in someone's language. This is John 6:47, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life."
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The Small, Gentle Whisper
August is verrrry slow. It's something I've never seen before, but it is a known thing in the culture that every August shops close down, businesses are unreachable, and people are just...gone! There is the assumption that everyone has left the heat of Italy to cooler temperatures. Thank God I was given a fan to keep me cool!
I decided that I would enjoy this downtime as well (which was more by force since everywhere I tried to go was closed and the heat of the day drained my energy!) Calvary Ferrara has a wonderful library of English and Italian books, and I decided I would read 1 a week. This quickly turned into 2 to 3 books a week, as I was devouring the testimonies and words of other saints, such as Jim and Elisabeth Elliot, Helen Roseveare, Andrew Murray, Hudson Taylor, and so on. God has ministered to me through this downtime in a very beautiful, specific way. It just as true now as it was in Elijah's day- The Lord is in the small, gentle whisper. It has also given me a large desire to read and study the word of God, as well as given me the time to do it! As I prepare to a new town to do a new work, it is God's provision to have this time to hide God's word in my heart.
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This is a picture of us ladies who are serving in Italy. Most are in Calvary but some are not- I was happy to meet some new ladies who are in the South of Italy!
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A Time of Refreshing
It was wonderful to meet the amazing men and women who are serving the Lord throughout Europe. Some have been planting churches and in their countries/cities for many, many years. The fellowship I had this past week was so sweet, as many were encouraging me in the specific things they too have encountered. It's quite incredible to hear the stories of God's faithfulness and miracles that God has done through average people. I feel so "normal" so it seems I am in good company!
I also was able to meet other girls my age who are serving and just hang out together. One thing God has done in this season of loneliness is put in me a heart of thanksgiving. How am I to truly know the blessing of a friend if I have not first longed for it? So I praise God for allowing me to "hunger" as He did the Israelites in the wilderness. I must learn to live not on bread alone but every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. And, being full of mercy and grace, God still gives manna from heaven to sustain. He is good, my friends. I say amen to the psalmist- "It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes" (Psalm 119:71).
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From the East to the West!
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Important info!
- I will be moving, along with David and Denae Downs, to Turin, Italy in October- that's about 6 weeks! It is the very northwest of Italy, very close to the border of France.
- There are 2 Italian families who want to attend Calvary Torino (woah!) These are the sweet families who have opened their homes when we've come to visit each month.
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