Amy Hernandez March 2018 Update

Missionary in Northern Italy

The Time Has Come!

Ciao tutti! Hello everyone!

After waiting over 4 years to be sent out as a missionary, the time has finally come. I leave for Ferrara, Italy on March 28th! Praise God for His faithfulness! Amidst all the busyness in the preparation, I don't want to forget that God is faithfully completing something He started in my heart. Many of you have walked with me through the good and the bad, the clarity of God's will and the confusion, the exhaustion and the great rejoicing. And here we are! Rejoicing that God is faithful, that He is working all things together for good, and that He acts for those who wait for Him (Isaiah 64:4).

Pictured above is my church praying for me and sending me out at my dessert gathering. For those who came, thank you! I was so blessed to share with you all. I left very encouraged and ready to begin this new work that God is doing in my life.

I Received My Visa!

After a few bumps in the road, I'm happy to share that I have my 1 year visa to Italy. I plan to renew this year after year should the Lord allow. :-) Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement during the process! God opens doors that no one can shut and closes those that no one can open. Whatever is of the Lord comes to pass and we can always rest in His sovereignty. Even still being in America, I encountered some differences between my American culture and the Italian culture during the visa process. But being a pilgrim in this world means that I live now for a kingdom culture, and so with God going before me I am able to adapt to wherever I may be.

Why We Live

I find it ironic that my final week in America also happens to be holy week. This was the time of transition for Jesus- leaving this earth to be with the Father after He reconciled us to Him. I'm so comforted in this final week of the "last time I'll do this" or the "last time I'll be here"; I know that my sorrow in this life will never be to the degree of the sorrow Jesus faced. He was a Man of sorrows because He carried our sorrows. In the anticipation of His death, the emotional and physical toll it took on Him is given to us in Scripture. The agony, the honest record of Jesus saying, "Take this cup away from me..." only to be met with the confession of obedience "nevertheless Your will be done". The turmoil and weight of all Jesus endured from Gethsemane to Golgotha in paying for our iniquities is something we will never know.

And then He resurrected from the dead on the third day. This is why we celebrate Easter! I was greatly encouraged reading the resurrection account in Matthew 28. It speaks of the women finding the empty tomb, Jesus showing Himself to His disciples, and ending with the giving of the Great Commission. As I read, it all became very clear: the Great Commission is in light of the resurrection!

I'm not going to Italy because I have been there a few times, I enjoy it, I can speak some of the language, I like the food, etc... I'm going to Italy because Jesus is alive. He's alive! And to go to a country that continually sees Jesus on the cross, may I bring good news that the tomb is empty! Death, where is your sting? Hades, where is your victory? He's alive!

It is in this truth that my joy is full. Nothing in this life will be as sweet as knowing Christ and the power of His resurrection. Nothing will be as beautiful as a dead soul coming to life through Jesus. May this be an encouragement to all of us, to be living in light of the resurrection. Our God is alive! :-)

Prayer Requests:

My last days at home would be a blessing
A smooth transition to living in Italy
Financial partners
Many people in Italy would come to life in Jesus!

"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christand be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead."
Philippians 3:7-11

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this update. Should the Lord lead you to partner with me financially, please click the link below and click on "Become Financial Partner", where you can create a simple account (only the first time) and can choose to give recurrently or just once. Please know that I would be absolutely blessed by your giving.

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Amy Hernandez · Via Principe Tommaso 8C · Torino, TO 10125 · Italy